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to take comfort in the little things now, as she was sure that she wouldn’t be alive for very much longer.
    The thought was enough to make her want to scream in terror and desperation, but the tape over her mouth prevented such a thing. Were they taking her somewhere private to commit atrocities on her? To torture her for someone’s perverse pleasure before dumping her body in the nearest river to rot?
    The young woman found herself slumping against the seat, lightheaded with fear as her mind raced through the various ways one could kill a woman of her size. Shooting, stabbing, strangulation…the more she thought, the harder it became to breathe until she finally slid down in the seat, granted blessed unconsciousness by the panic that consumed her.
     
    Grace woke to a sharp, unpleasant odor that seemed to pierce its way into her nostrils and stab directly into the back of her brain. She jolted into consciousness so abruptly that she nearly lost her balance –not a hard feat considering that she was still bound hand and foot.
    It took a moment for her to re-orient herself to the world around her, but once did, everything flooded back to her in a rush. She’d been on her way home from her father’s laughable excuse for a function, traipsing through the empty park…when she’d been taken.
    A group of three men had come into the park – they’d surrounded her on all sides and the last thing she remembered was being loaded into an unmarked black van before the terrifying prospects in her immediate future had become too much for her.
    Yet now, here she sat, still living and breathing.
    Slowly, Grace took in her surroundings. She appeared to be in some sort of hotel room – high class and lavishly decorated. The wallpaper was scrolled in gold filigree, with gleaming mahogany furniture scattered around the space atop plush carpet. It was the kind of place her father would like, and she herself would never be able to afford.
    But she wasn’t alone.
    Standing near the dining table ten feet away was the blonde man she’d first caught sight of in the park – only he was no longer clad in black. He wore a white button up and slacks, his feet bare as he poured himself a drink from a decanter of whiskey.
    Seated on a sofa next to him was his accomplice, dark haired and dark eyed, casually using a rag to clean the barrel of a Beretta which was currently pointed directly at her. Grace immediately jumped with a harsh cry of surprise that echoed throughout the room. No sooner had the single syllable left her mouth than a set of firm, slender fingers covered her lips, muffling the noise.
    “Quiet. It’s not loaded.”
    Grace looked up to find herself caught in the same slate gray gaze that had so arrested her in the park. The man before her had shed his dark clothes and was now clad in an impeccable forest colored sweater and dark jeans that hugged muscular legs. His hair had been pulled back into a short ponytail further exposing the roguish handsomeness of his face. The eyes that met hers held a fair amount of warning, but no overt cruelty that she could see.
    So, while her first impulse in unknown company might have been to continue to scream her lungs out, a rational part of her knew better. After all, she had no idea where the ammo for that Beretta might be hiding. Taking a deep breath, Grace inhaled the sharp scent of cologne before nodding slowly. “I must ask you not to do anything idiotic. You are still bound,” His rich, accented tones were almost like music, flowing through her system. It took Grace a few seconds to remind herself that she was supposed to be frightened of this man – that he had kidnapped her! “But I have un-gagged you. Don’t make me regret it.”
    Grace shook her head feverently, indicating that she would do no such thing. Then, without very much ceremony, his captor removed his hand, waiting a beat to make sure she would keep her word.
    When she did, he settled down on the sofa upon which she