They were taking her somewhere and she couldn’t escape. The thug holding her was huge, a real freak of muscle. She would have fought to be free of his hold on her shirt but grabbing her bun had been sheer genius.

“Please?” Lauren wasn’t above begging.

“Silence.” He lowered his voice as he leaned in to put his lips closer to her ear. “No harm will befall you if you just cooperate. You have my word.”

The word of a hired killer. Yeah. That’s comforting. She managed to refrain from snorting, afraid he’d pull her hair just for the hell of it. He wasn’t going to let her go regardless of what she said.

The back parking lot was dimmer than the front. There were fewer lights set farther away but it was easy to make out the large, black, unmarked commercial van parked ten feet from the door. The side door was open, she was led to it and her hair was finally released.

“Get in.”

She climbed into the back of the van, not seeing another choice, and he kept hold of her until he’d angled her toward the back. She couldn’t see much without interior lights but didn’t try to escape. He stayed too close, his fist kept a firm grip on her shirt, and she collapsed to her butt when he seemed happy with where she’d stopped.

The front passenger door opened. She glanced that way and spotted the dark head of a driver wearing a black cap. The bald man climbed into the passenger seat. He turned to stare at the two guys wearing sunglasses.

“Close the door and let’s go. He sent someone in his place but we’ll get answers from her.”

I don’t know anything! Lauren kept her lips sealed though. They obviously weren’t going to believe her. She really hated Brent now.

“We’ll send a team to his condo.” The blond sighed. “It’s all we can do. Someone had to have tipped him off. He wasn’t sure though since he sent her.”

The dark-haired man still gripping her said, “That or he wanted us to get rid of her for him.” He paused. “Female, you wouldn’t happen to be recently pregnant, would you?”

Shocked, Lauren turned her head. She couldn’t see him now that the doors had closed but she knew where he was. “No. I keep telling you, I’ve never slept with Brent, I mean Bill, or whatever you want to call him. Never.”

“Let’s return,” the dark-haired man rumbled. “We’ll get her to talk once we’re back at headquarters.” He paused. “Tell Brass that she’s our only lead.”

Dread and terror filled Lauren.

Chapter Two

Lauren figured they were going to kill her. It would explain the room she sat in, chained by her wrists to a big table that looked more like something found in a morgue. The entire thing could tilt, it had a rim along three sides and a big drain, which was centered over another drain in the concrete floor. The walls were equally grim with the dungeon décor of dull gray bricks. The only splash of color came from the yellowed light that ran the length of the room about eight feet above her head. They were underground, backing her theory that it very well could be a morgue.

The blond shifted where he stood against the wall. Sunglasses still hid his eyes but she knew he wasn’t happy since he hadn’t stopped frowning after she’d been led into the room.

“How long have you been sleeping with Bill?”

She’d left fear behind and moved right into feeling pure frustration. “I keep telling you that I’ve never slept with my coworker. You can call him any name you want but if you’re talking about Brent Thort, the real estate agent, I’ve never touched him.”

“Where is he?”

She took a deep breath, really wishing the blond would stop asking the same questions over and over. He was the only one who’d spoken to her since they’d brought her into the room. Hours must have passed and she yawned.

“I don’t know.” Her voice rose. “I really don’t. The answer isn’t going to change, no matter how many times you ask me the same questions. I have told you at least a hundred times that I am not sleeping with him. I have never even gone on a date with him and I only see his face at work. Call my boss, I say again, and ask her. She has to know where he lives. It would be in his employee files.” Anger stirred, at Mel, who’d sent her into this nightmare. “Go kidnap her!”

He sighed. “What has he told you?”

“Nothing. I don’t talk to the jerk! I’m tired, hungry, and I want to go home. I don’t know where he is but I’d tell you if I did. Trust me. We aren’t friends. We’ve hardly said two civil words to each other since I started working there three months ago. I avoid him, okay? He’s loud and rude. Crude. He tells offensive jokes at the office, which is very unprofessional.”

She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Her temper was borderline explosive. Why wouldn’t they listen to her? “He goes to a lot of bars and brags about all the women he picks up. He’s also recently made a habit of taking inappropriate cell phone photos of the women he dates and shows them around the office. That’s all I know about the guy. I swear I’m telling you the truth.”

The dark-haired man pushed away from the corner where he’d been standing quietly since she’d been handcuffed to the table. He frowned as he moved closer. His weapons and belt were gone but it didn’t make him appear any less dangerous. He paused near her.

“It could get really ugly if you don’t stop protecting your boyfriend. He obviously doesn’t care about what happens to you or he wouldn’t have sent you in his place. He must have suspected it was a trap since he didn’t go there.” He paused. “He sent you alone without his protection, knowing something was wrong. Do you understand that, female?”