Be Careful What You Wish For(35)
“I’m not the one he has to protect,” Valzar said, his voice gentle. “You are. He sent me here because he wants me to spirit you away, to make you disappear. He wants you to be safe. You’ve made him desperate, and desperate men do foolish things.”
“You’ve made no secret of the fact that you want me dead,” she said. “Why should I trust you now? This is some kind of game you’re playing, and I won’t be your pawn in it.”
“There’s a spy in my organization,” Valzar said softly. “It’s the only way they could have found the two of you. That means they knew I want you dead. I’m the perfect person to make you disappear. That’s why Sean asked me to help, because it’s my fault. I owe him more than I can repay.”
“You’re full of shit.”
He stepped closer to her, invading her space. He smelled warm and male, and for an instant she could imagine that some women would find him very attractive. Fools who weren’t smart enough to realize the man didn’t have a soul.
“I’m not full of anything but the desire to help my friend,” he said, touching her shoulder. She stiffened.
“He has asked me to help you, and I’m going to do that, regardless of what I think should be done with you. I’ve given him my oath.”
“You can’t force me to do anything,” she said.
“Yes, I can,” he said. “You can come easily, or I can have my men inject you with a sedative and take you out while you’re unconscious. I don’t care either way.”
They glared at each other for long, tense moments, and then she let her gaze fall. She wasn’t going to win this way.
“All right,” she said quietly, disgusted by the submission she could hear in her voice. “Let me go get dressed.”
Chapter Twelve
Five stories was a long way to fall. Just looking over the edge of the balcony made her dizzy, but she thought she had several minutes before Valzar came into the bedroom to check on her. She’d be damned if she’d go with him quietly. Somewhere out there Sean was fighting for his life, and she wasn’t going to leave him to do it alone. Fuck Valzar.
Taking a deep, calming breath, she swung her leg over the railing and set it firmly on the ledge. She figured she had no more than seven minutes at the most before he became suspicious. Clutching the side of the building, she slid one foot forward and then followed it with the other until she reached the next balcony. She climbed over the rail with relief, and tried the door. Locked, naturally. Taking another deep breath she crossed the balcony and stepped back out on to the ledge. There weren’t any more balconies on this side of the hotel, but she wasn’t far from the corner and she hoped that there was something around it.
Luck was with her.
When she reached the corner and peeked around, she could see the roof of the building next door. There was a narrow gap separating the two hotels, and not far below she could see a metal fire escape. If she could get around the corner, she’d be able to jump on to the fire escape and climb down.
Easier said than done.
The gap between the buildings wasn’t that wide, but the roof was a good six feet below her. She had never been particularly athletic. Visions of broken limbs danced through her head, but then she reminded herself what was at stake.
Her future with Sean.
Damn, she was tired of other people making decisions for her. If staying with Sean meant risking her life, that was her decision to make. He had no right to send her away with Valzar, none at all. She needed to get out and find him and explain that little fact to him.
She’d finally had enough.
Taking a deep breath, she whispered a prayer and launched herself across toward the other roof. She hit with a thump, rolling several times before coming to a stop. There were scrapes on her hands and she was sure she’d be sore after a while, but she none of that mattered. She’d done it.
Sandra pulled herself up, all too aware of how visible she must be. She crawled over to the edge of the roof, looking for the fire escape. For the first time she wondered why the other hotel didn’t have one.
The thought was rather chilling. If there had been a fire, she’d have been out of luck… Even more chilling was the state of the fire escape she needed to use now. It was rusty, and seemed to sag away from the building in several places. She reached out and pushed on it gingerly and it made a creaking noise.
Good Lord.
She reminded herself once more why she was doing this. She was tired of being passive, tired of other people telling her what to do. This time it was going to be about her, and her needs. She needed to be with Sean, and she was damned if she’ let him get away. Screw everyone else.