Susan Mallery - Living On The Edge

Very slick, she thought as she crawled to the end of the van and stepped down.

Lack of food and sleep made her shaky. She stumbled as she tried to stand. He grabbed her by the arm and held her steady.

“You’ve been tough all through this,” he said gruffly. “Don’t faint on me now.”

“I won’t,” she promised, although she wasn’t completely sure of her facts.

“Come on. I’ll give you the quick tour, then you can crash for a few hours.”

Sleep sounded like heaven. Maybe here, with Tanner watching over her, she would feel comfortable enough to relax.

He released her arm and motioned for her to step around him. After closing the back of the van, he led the way into the house.

She wasn’t sure what she’d expected—perhaps some high-tech, modern space done in shades of white. What she found instead was a sprawling single-story ranch-style home with a few modifications.

From the garage they passed through a laundry room and into a hallway that led into a large family room. There was a big-screen television and several electronic components, along with two black leather sofas. The house itself might be forty or fifty years old, but the paint and the furniture looked relatively new.

Madison glanced at the ceiling, looking for cameras or some kind of monitoring device. She didn’t see any. She did notice a strange screening material over the windows and pointed to it.

“No one can see in,” Tanner said. “And you can’t get out. But the windows all open if you feel the need for fresh air.”

She was less worried about that than being trapped. “What if there’s a fire?”

“There won’t be.”

He walked into a large kitchen and pointed out the basic amenities. There was already plenty of food in the refrigerator and pantry. Simple things that were easy to prepare.

“Help yourself,” he told her.

She nodded, knowing she had to eat something eventually, but right now all she wanted was sleep.

Next up was what would have been the formal living and dining room. Instead she saw several desks and shelves, all crammed with electronic equipment. None of it made sense to her. There were screens and keyboards and odd display units.

Tanner stepped inside and grabbed something from a nearly empty desk. She didn’t see what it was until he returned to her side and snapped it on her wrist.

“What on earth?” She stared at the gray metal bracelet. There was no visible catch, no markings of any kind.

“My game, my rules,” he said. “You play by them or I return you to your ex.”

“Why?” she asked, not sure if she was asking why he’d done it or why she didn’t get a say in the rules.

“I don’t trust you,” he said flatly.

Good to know where she stood. “You could just let me go. I’ll be fine on my own.”

“If he’s everything you say, he’ll find you within twenty-four hours. Is that what you want?”

No, but she didn’t want this either, she thought as she rubbed the bracelet. “What does it do?”

“Keeps you safe and keeps you here.” He motioned to the control center of the house.

Madison glanced at him, then back to the bracelet before taking a step forward.

“You have entered an unauthorized area,” a female computerized voice said. “Please return to an authorized area or an alarm will sound.”

She jumped back. “It’s some kind of monitoring system.”

“Exactly. You can go anywhere you want in the house except for in here and within five feet of the front and back door. There’s a patio off the family room. You can go as far as the overhang.”

She tried to make herself feel better by thinking that at least an alarm sounding was better than him blowing off her hand, but she wasn’t all that comforted. Tanner might be her only shot at staying alive, but she’d just exchanged one prison for another.

“My rules,” he repeated.

“I got that.”

She had a choice. She could accept them or she could be returned to Christopher. On second thought, not much of a choice at all.

For the first time since she’d been kidnapped, she had the overwhelming urge to cry. She wanted to slump down on the floor and sob until everything was better. Instead she sucked in a breath and forced herself to stay strong. Tanner was her only hope. She needed him on her side. He seemed to appreciate strength, so that’s what she would show him.

“Anything else?” she asked, feeling her exhaustion down to her bones.

“No. Your room is down here.”

He led her along another hallway before turning into a cheery bedroom. There was a full-size bed, a dresser with a television on it, two nightstands and a small desk. One door led into a closet, the other to a small bathroom, complete with a shower.

Madison had only been allowed to bathe every third day while she’d been kidnapped. She longed for some serious water time. But first, sleep.

He glanced at his watch. “Why don’t you rest for three or four hours. Then you can eat.”

“Fine.”

He walked to the door, then paused and turned back to her. “No phone, no contact with the outside world.”

She wasn’t even surprised. “So you could kill me and no one would ever know where I’d been or where to find the body.”

His dark gaze settled on her face. “That’s right.”

“Good to know.”

That bit of bravado took her last ounce of strength. When he left, she collapsed on the bed and let the tears flow. She wanted to scream that this wasn’t fair—that she hadn’t asked for any of it. But what was the point? She was here, stuck, afraid for her life. There was no going back. Just forward. She would get through this because the alternative was to get dead, and she refused to let Christopher win.

She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She’d been right when she’d said that no one would ever know where she’d been. She’d already been gone for twelve days and apparently no one had alerted the police. No doubt Christopher had come up with a story to cover her absence.

Her father had known the truth, of course, but he would have left all the details to his son-in-law. Even now, with her supposedly free but not there, Christopher would probably say she was resting. Recovering her strength—a euphemism for something she didn’t want to think about.

Her father would believe him because Blaine liked his world simple. Nothing beyond his lab mattered.

She fingered the bracelet on her left wrist. Somehow it transmitted her position in the house. Maybe it did other things. Tanner was certainly thorough.

Who was this man who obviously didn’t like her in the least and yet offered to help her? Why did he care if she lived or died?

Maybe he didn’t, she thought, rolling onto her side and closing her eyes. Maybe she simply wasn’t allowed to get dead on his watch. Unless he decided to kill her himself.

He was a professional, she reminded herself. If he did want to take her out, it would be quick. A small comfort, but in her current situation, nearly the only one she had.

And until that moment, if it ever came, Tanner would keep her safe. She believed that down to her bones. While she was under his protection, nothing bad could happen to her. For the first time in a long time, she felt safe. Funny how a man who obviously despised her without bothering to get to know her could give her such a feeling of comfort.

Tanner double-checked that the alarm system was activated, then settled into his office to get some work done. Every half hour or so, he glanced at the display screen, but Madison didn’t move.

Sleep would do her good, he thought. She’d been through hell. He had a feeling things would get worse before they got better, but they would deal with that when it happened. For now it was enough that she rested. Later they would talk and he would get more information on Hilliard.