Chapter 13

Haty changed everything for Jaya. For the first time since childhood, she had a companion that belonged solely to her. The possibilities in her new buddy were both inherently wonderful and terrifying. In the days that followed, she bonded with her new furry friend, carrying her around everywhere, talking to her, planning with and feeding her; cleaning up after and scolding her. Haty quickly became attached to Jaya as well, hopping along after her, dogging her every footstep and using her tiny claws to climb her new mama when she wasn't paying enough attention. But Jaya was also terrified for her new friend. Ivan could too easily use the kitten against her. Threaten Haty's life or hurt her in retaliation, maybe use her as a way of getting Jaya to submit. Or what if Haty just got sick and died? Jaya didn't think she'd survive that scenario either.

She contemplated the fluffy critter as it batted around a ball of string that she'd unravelled from her pillowcase. "What am I going to do with you?" she asked. The kitten did what she usually did, ignored Jaya in favour of her current activity.

Jaya studied the tiny creature, which was thriving under her constant attention. Her little belly was rounding from a nonstop supply of high-fat kitten food and her paws were growing bigger by the day. After Jaya showed Haty to the litterbox once, she took to the sand like a duck to water, kicking it everywhere. Her request for a broom and dustpan had been granted, along with some newspaper to help keep the spread of litter to a minimum.

"One day we're going to have to have the grown-up girl talk, Haty," Jaya said, lolling idly against the edge of her bed and gazing at the kitten. "I'll leave the choice up to you, but I've heard the responsible thing to do these days is spay and neuter. I think since you're a girl, you'll get spayed, but I'm not sure. Although, if this is what you look like as a baby, can you imagine what your baby kittens would look like! Damn, girl! Anyway, we have a few more months before we need to have that talk," she said in her best parenting voice. "But I would like to talk about the amount of treats you've been begging for. And you really need to stop making eyes at the guards. They are not our friends."

Jaya jumped when the door to her dungeon slammed open, hitting the wall. It wasn't her supper time and the servants were usually a little more respectful of her space. She scrambled off the bed as Keane stalked in. It was a damn good thing she'd decided to start changing in the washroom in case of moments like these. She frowned at him.

"Boss wants to see you," he grunted.

She so badly wanted to say, 'your boss can go fuck himself,' but Keane was twice the size of anyone else and had an aura of psychotic bloodthirstiness that made her keep her nastier comments to herself. Given Ivan's evil tendencies, she wasn't at all surprised that this guy seemed to enjoy a level of prestige in the arms dealer's organization. She nodded and silently followed him out the door. She was confused. She wasn't given a sari to wear and she wasn't being shown to the pool area. Instead she was led through a series of wide stone hallways. She stared around her, trying to stamp every twist and turn on her mind while she hurried to keep up with Keane's long strides. They climbed a set of stairs and followed another long hall. This one had open stone archways that showed a gorgeous view of the ocean. Jaya gaped at its raw beauty as they passed, nearly slamming into Keane's back as he stopped moving. Looking up, she realized they'd stopped in front of another door, this one was wooden, weathered, like an antique. She was beginning to suspect she was actually inside of a castle.

Keane used his bulk to open the heavy door and waved her through. "He's expecting you."

Jaya stepped into what could only be Ivan's personal office. It was big, lovely and sparse. Like the man himself, until a person got a glimpse inside his twisted head. Ivan stood next to one of the open windows with his back to her. When she entered he turned, his face smooth and cool. For just a moment though, the mask slipped, and she saw a flash of longing mixed with fury. Then he shuttered the expression and stepped toward her.

He didn't bother with his games this time, no preliminaries. He got directly to the root of her summons. "How do you know the things you know about me?"

"What?" she asked, confused.

"Don't play innocent," he said sharply, stepping toward her. "You will weigh your words carefully when you are in here, Jaya. When we are outside, by the pool, we play the game, but in here you give me the answers I want or you will suffer the consequences. Now tell me what I want to know."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ivan!" she said backing away from him.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You know things about me that no one else knows. Things that have been buried so deep, you leave me no choice but to either bury you or keep you."

Jaya gasped, her hand flying up to cover her lips. She should never have let her temper get the better of her, never have let Ivan know that she knew about him. Now he might guess her secret. And the moment he did, she was a dead woman. He stalked toward her.

"Tell me!" he snarled.

"It was a lucky guess!" she cried.

"No!" he shouted, his voice booming unexpectedly in the airy room. She flinched. "You couldn't have guessed all that based on a perceived accent. Impossible. I've collected all your stuff from Portugal, had my people pick it apart with a fine-tooth comb and they've found nothing. All your stuff is encrypted to hell and back. Now you'll give me access and you'll tell me what I want to know."

She could feel the blood draining from her face. Really, she should be surprised Ivan hadn't demanded this of her sooner. But she absolutely couldn't allow him access to her data. He'd tear it apart, not only discover her secret, but gain access to all of her former clients. He could use that information against everyone she'd ever worked with. Some of them probably deserved to be stripped down and torn apart, but the majority most certainly didn't deserve to have a man like Ivan come after them.

Despite her terror of the towering, enraged man, Jaya lifted her chin, crossed her arms and said, "Absolutely not, my database holds confidential information. Neither you, nor anyone else, will ever be allowed access."

He laughed coolly, cruelly. "You think not?"

She shook her head and stuck to her guns. "I'm the best, Ivan. There isn't a person on this planet that can hack my encryption codes."

He nodded his head thoughtfully and then stepped up to her. "Yes, it would seem that my people agree. You are the best." He ran a finger down her cheek and then circled her throat. He didn't squeeze, but he held her pinned, trapped like a butterfly, awaiting his torment. "Even the best can be cracked."

Her eyes widened. She knew he didn't mean the encryption, he meant her personally.

His eyes lingered on her face and lips. "How to do that without destroying all this perfection?" he said, almost to himself. "There are so many techniques that would give me what I want quickly but would mar all this beauty." He ran his fingers down her hair and arm. She shuddered, her stomach rolling at the implication of torture. He cupped the back of her head. "But do I want to crack this incredible mind wide open and look inside?"

Jaya licked her lips and then stopped when his eyes followed the movement. "I don't know, do you?" she whispered.

He didn't say anything for a moment and then a flash of disappointment crossed his face. That one look sent a shaft of terror through her heart. Somehow, she knew she wasn't going to be sent back to her cozy little dungeon to carry on with her kidnapping undisturbed.

"Last chance, Jaya. Tell me what I want to know."

She stared up at him, struck once more by how handsome he was. She could feel herself beginning to weaken. Not because of his sheer male beauty. No, simply because Ivan had been taking care of her. In his own twisted way, Ivan had been providing for her needs, basic and otherwise. For once in her life, Jaya hadn't been forced to fend for herself and, as insane as it was, a part of her liked it. Sort of like being on vacation, with the downside being she was under the care of a psychotic evil crime lord.

She shook her head and said, "No."

"Very well," he said coldly. "Your cage has just shrunk."