BULLETPROOF BRIDE (31 page)

"Really, it doesn't hurt all that much," she lied as he tenderly bound the throbbing wounds.

A growl rumbled low in his throat "If I had time, I'd kill the bastards. Lucky for them, getting you out of here is my top priority." He helped her to her feet. "One sec." Like a shadow, he cat-footed to the door.

Peter crept to her side.

"Are you all right?" she whispered.

He nodded.

Gabe gestured from the doorway. "All clear. Let's bug out."

Her knees weak with relief, she took a step toward him. Toward freedom.

Peter's arm snaked around her neck and yanked her backward. A cold gun barrel pressed against her temple. "I'm afraid not."

Through a shocked haze, she saw Gabe freeze. His bare torso tensed to steel. "If you want to live, turn her loose." His voice dropped, low and deadly. "Now."

"Peter,
wh
-what are you doing?" she managed to stammer.

"I should take my grieving lover act to
Hollywood
," he gloated. "Oscar material. You two played into my hands like pawns on a chessboard." The arm around her neck tightened. "Drop your weapons, Cousin Val, and have a seat."

A muscle twitched in Gabe's clenched jaw. The knife thudded to the floor, point down. Fingers splayed, he pulled the gun from his waistband and slowly eased it down beside the knife. Expressionless, he stalked to the chair and sat.

Peter thrust a rope at her. "Tie him. And do a good job, so I don't have to shoot him."

On shaking legs, she stumbled forward to kneel at Gabe's feet. She tried to be gentle, but fear for his life made her obey Peter's command to tie him tightly. "I don't understand. You told me to call the police, and you watched me try to summon help on the cell phone."

Peter shifted, keeping her between him and Gabe. "If you had called the cops, Vic would have arrived. Of course that's not his real name. But he is a real cop. And I wouldn't have let you complete the cell call. Luckily, the battery was dead. Having you rush to the rescue was much easier than dragging you aboard unconscious. One way or another, you'd have ended up as bait."

A betrayal worthy of Judas. She swallowed down a wave of nausea. After Gabe's ankles were bound, she moved behind him to tie his wrists. "I thought we were friends."

"Friendship pales next to getting out from under Leo's thumb. Not to mention the money. When you and Val stuck your noses in, you provided me with the perfect opportunity. With Leo occupied by Val's interference, Vic and I planned a hostile takeover. We pretended I was helping you, then we turned the tables. I'll own the whole operation. With inside information from my position at the bank, I'll make millions. Nobody can touch me."

Gabe tensed. "Release Tessa. Name your price."

Peter smirked. "Cousin Val, with the mysterious contacts. We'll discuss that later."

While Peter was distracted by Gabe's offer, she slid the nail file out of her sock and laid it in Gabe's palm. His fingers closed over it.

Peter waved the gun at her. "Hurry up."

"I'm done." She stepped away from Gabe.

Holding her breath, she watched Peter test the ropes. Gabe's clenched fists didn't give away their secret.

Peter tied her to the other chair, then strolled to the door. "I'll be back. Don't go away." The door slammed behind him.

"Gabe, I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

His gaze held warm admiration. "You came after me, even though you're terrified of the water. That took major guts, Houdini."

"I'd walk barefoot into hell for you," she whispered. "Maybe now you'll believe me."

"Nobody has ever—" He swallowed hard. "When we get out of here, we need to talk about last night. For now, focus on escape."

Her heart stuttered. A bud of hope blossomed inside her. She and Gabe might have a future. If only they could get safely away. "Will that file work?"

He chuckled dryly. "Weakening this rope is gonna take a while, but you've tilted the odds in our favor, Houdini."

Peter sauntered in beside Vic, who carried an unconscious Leo over his shoulder. Peter rubbed the back of his neck. "Damn it, Vic, I've got a headache clear to my toenails. You were supposed to give me a convincing-looking tap, not cave in my skull."

Vic shrugged. Leaving a bound Leo on the floor, they left.

"Leo's been cradling an asp in his bosom," Gabe drawled.

"How can you be flippant at a time like this?" But that was his way. He covered deeper, dark emotions with humor. Underneath, he was probably as scared as she was. Now there was a comforting thought.

He arched a brow. "It would hardly help if I freaked and starting screaming, 'we're all gonna die.'"

She shuddered under a sharp onslaught of fear. "Are we?"

His gaze caught and held her. His warm regard stroked her like a caress, melting away some of her fright. "Not if I have a say. Especially not now. Not when I finally—" He cleared his throat and looked away.

The bud of hope blossomed into a glorious bouquet. "What, Gabe?" she whispered.

Uncertainty creased his forehead. "I … I have some stuff to tell you." He swallowed again. "I don't know how you'll feel about me afterward, but—" He heaved an exasperated sigh. "Oh, hell! Wrong time, wrong place. It's complicated, and we can't get into it now."

Her stomach flip-flopped. He was finally going to open up! "Okay, I'll take a rain check. But no matter what you have to say, nothing will change the way I feel about you." She gave him a reassuring smile. "Back to the situation at hand. I thought you knocked out Leo
and
Vic."

"The guy must have a cast-iron skull under that buzz cut."

A loud clank sounded from outside, then a rumble, and the engine throbbed to life. A giant chain scraped the hull, creaking upward, then the swaying increased. She stiffened. "What's happening?"

"They're moving the ship." He shot her a sharp glance. "Don't go ballistic on me, Tessie. Hang in there."

"I w-won't." She forced her rigid muscles to relax. "I'm focusing."

Gabe smiled encouragingly. "That's my girl."

The possessive endearment sent a warm flood of reassurance through her. He was so strong, so in control. So capable. Surely they'd get out of this. She watched him and concentrated on not panicking.

His shoulders and biceps bunched as he worked the file against his ropes. He looked up, smiling. "Are you humming?"

"Sorry. Habit."

"What song?"

Her cheeks heated as she realized what she'd been murmuring. "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You."

He cocked his head, his smile widening into a grin. "Sing out. Might help pass the time."

Leo moaned several times but didn't regain consciousness. She'd nearly reached the end of her Elvis repertoire when the engines stopped. The chain rattled, screeched, and a huge splash rocked the ship.

Gabe's head jerked up. "They've dropped anchor."

"How are your ropes?"

He grimaced. "Fraying, but not enough to break free yet."

"What do you think they're going to do to us?"

He didn't quite meet her gaze. Not a good sign. "If we're lucky, they only want what I took from Leo's office." Her stomach bottomed out. He didn't say what would happen if they weren't lucky. He didn't have to.

The door opened and Vic barged inside, followed by Peter. "Day of reckoning, ladies and gents." Peter untied Tessa's ankles. Leaving her wrists bound behind her, he hauled her to her feet. He again wrapped his arm around her neck, the gun barrel pressed to her temple. "You don't want me to put a bullet in this lovely lady's brain, Val, so you'll behave, right?"

Gabe shot a murderous glance at Peter, but nodded.

Vic freed Gabe's feet, leaving his wrists bound behind him, and slung Leo over his massive shoulder. Shoving a gun in Gabe's spine, Vic followed him out the door. Peter tugged her along behind.

On deck, one sight of the lashing waves spiked choking panic into her throat. She couldn't breathe, couldn't get enough air.

"Tessie," Gabe's soft voice commanded. "Look at me."

She ripped her gaze from the dark water and met his tender smile.

"Keep cool, sweetheart," he murmured. "C'mon, you've done great so far. I need you to stay in control."

She gulped, forcibly swallowing down her fear. Losing her head could get them both killed.

Vic slammed Gabe against the cabin wall. The fresh air revived Leo, and Vic shoved him next to Gabe.

Peter dragged her to the rail. Terror again seized her, and she trembled. He shook his head. "The ocean always did terrorize you, didn't it? Don't worry, you'll soon be out of your misery." He pursed his lips. "Who would like to go first?" Peter pointed the gun at Gabe.

Tessa's pulse crashed into a frantic rhythm.

Peter slowly swung the gun toward Leo. "Wait. Leo, you know Vic, aka officer Mac Marshall, Riverside PD. But with Carla using a phony last name, you didn't know she was his baby sister. He's a little ticked that you
offed
her. I'm not happy about it myself. She was great in the sack, and I was quite fond of her. But family has priority."

Without any warning, Vic put his gun to Leo's forehead and pulled the trigger.

Tessa screamed. Desperately trying not to retch, she slammed her eyes shut, trying to block the nightmare image. Her hope that Peter couldn't actually hurt anyone died along with Leo.

There was an ominous dragging sound, then a loud splash. She opened her eyes to see Gabe standing alone, Leo's gory remains staining the bulkhead beside him. Was Gabe next? Agony pierced her chest. How close was he to breaking the ropes? His stony expression didn't give any clues. She couldn't stand here and watch him die. Her mind whirled.

"Now you understand we're serious," Peter said, his voice horribly calm and even. He waved the gun at Gabe. "You must realize by now the copies I gave you were bogus. Completely useless. How much do you know?"

Gabe's eyes narrowed. "I have enough real evidence to put you away for life. You kill us and it gets sent to the D.A."

"A predictably clichéd response. Doesn't matter what you've got, I've covered my tracks. Dearly departed Leo will get the blame for everything." Peter threw her a smarmy smile. "Don't go anywhere, Tessa. Not that you could." Confident that her phobia would keep her paralyzed, he strolled to Gabe's side. Vic lumbered over to join him. The three men stared each other down.

She broke out in a cold sweat. Frantic, she wrenched her wrists back and forth. The rope bit through the makeshift bandages into her already shredded skin, but she ignored the pain.

Peter pointed his gun at Gabe's head. "How about it,
Cuz
?"

Gabe arched a mocking brow.

Vic drove his meaty fist into Gabe's stomach. Grunting, Gabe doubled over. Tessa's muscles contracted and a sympathetic ache streaked through her abdomen.

Peter yanked Gabe upright by his hair. "Be reasonable. Vic is a maestro. We can keep you alive for days, but you'll long for death. You'll spill your guts. They always do."

"Better men than you have tried," Gabe gasped out. "Even if I sang—which I won't—you'll kill me anyway."

"True. But your death will be fast and merciful."

"Go to h—"

Vic again smashed his fist into Gabe's stomach. Tessa's nails dug into her palms. She bit her lip to keep from crying out, and tasted blood.

"Hold on." Peter raised his hand. "Cousin here thinks he's a tough guy. We'll waste our time and energy beating on him all day." He turned a calculating look on her. "Perhaps there's a quicker, less tiresome method. I wonder…"

Her heart lurched. They'd never break Gabe. He'd take what they dished out, even if it brought a slow, painful death. And they knew it. They were going to kill him.

Peter turned back and pointed his gun at Gabe's head. "Maybe you're not afraid to die, but how do you feel knowing Tessa is going to watch me spatter your brains all over the wall? We don't need you. She's been in on it all along. We'll simply get our information from her. It will be much less … arduous."

"She doesn't know squat. Let her go." The pulse in Gabe's throat hammered and the muscles in his shoulders and arms bulged as he strained to break free. How much longer? What if the rope didn't break?

"If you kill him, Peter, I won't tell you a thing," she vowed.

He laughed. "Oh, you'll tell me. Before Vic and I are done, you'll tell me everything." He watched Gabe closely. "Too bad you won't be able to join us. The three of us are going to have quite a party."

Every muscle in Gabe's body bunched, and his eyes glittered with fury. He snarled. "You hurt her and there's nowhere you can hide. I'll find you if I have to follow you into hell."

She didn't care about Peter's threats against her. Nothing they did would be worse than seeing Gabe die. She glanced over the rail into the deep green water. She'd never noticed before how much the emerald waves resembled Gabe's eyes.

"It's a date. You go first." Peter drew back the hammer, the click obscenely loud in the quiet morning.