“What do you want?” Jakob’s voice was commanding, and he looked down at me briefly as I held on to him. “If it’s money you’re after, I can—”

“Shut up.” The man pointed the gun at him, and I screamed. The man froze for a second and gave me another look. “Be quiet.”

“Sorry,” I whispered.

“Billy, tie them up.” Billy paused for a second, and the other man pushed him toward us. “Tie them up.”

“How?” Billy asked, and I wondered if he was new to the kidnapping business.

“With the rope.” The other guy sounded really annoyed.

“But facing each other or away from each other?” Billy muttered.

“I don’t know, and I don’t care.”

“Imbeciles,” Jakob muttered, and I looked up at him. I could see anger in his eyes.

“Don’t make a run for it,” I whispered. “I don’t want them to shoot you.”

He looked down at me and there was a glint of surprise in his expression.

“Are you talking again, bitch?” The guy pointed the gun at me, and I shuddered.

“Hey, watch your mouth!” Jakob shouted, and I saw the man flinch.

“Please don’t shoot him,” I pleaded. “I’ll be quiet.”

“Put your backs to each other,” the guy commanded, and then nodded at Billy. “Tie them up like this. Wrap the rope around their stomachs and then tie up their wrists.”

“I won’t run.” I looked at him. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Shut up!” he shouted. “Inject them, Billy.”

“Inject us with what?” My eyes widened, and before I knew what was happening, I felt a needle in my arm. My eyes immediately felt drowsy, and I felt myself falling into oblivion. I could hear Jakob shouting at them as everything went black, but I passed out before I could comprehend what he’d said.

Three

“Wake up.”

A voice in my dreams was getting louder and louder. I groaned as I tried to block it out. My head was aching, and I didn’t want to open my eyes. My whole body felt stiff, and all I wanted to do was sleep off all the pains in my body.

“Wake up, Bianca.” The voice was more insistent this time, and I froze as I realized that I wasn’t dreaming.

My eyes flew open, and my body stilled as I stared at a large expanse of turquoise water in front of me. Then I remembered what had happened before I’d blacked out.

“Jakob?” I whispered hurriedly, feeling panicked.

“That’s me,” he answered me quickly, and I made a face at the water at his slightly snide tone. All my worries and concerns for him quickly fled.

“What’s your problem?” I asked him softly, feeling out of it and sweaty.

“Besides from being kidnapped and tied up?” he responded back to me snappily, and I wondered what had happened to the caring man in the back of the car.

“Hey, don’t take it out on me.” I knew he could hear the confusion in my voice. “I didn’t kidnap you.”

“I know.” His voice was less stressed sounding. “Sorry, I’m just being irritable.”

“I understand.” I nodded slightly. And I did. This situation would infuriate anyone. “It’s so hot,” I moaned as I felt the hot sun beating down on me. Sweat was trickling down my face and making me even more uncomfortable. “I’m sure that’s not helping to make you feel better.”

“We’re not in New York anymore.”

“You don’t say.” I shifted and fell back against him slightly. The ropes were chafing my wrists, and I was starting to feel claustrophobic, tied to him. I blinked a couple of times, trying to adjust my eyes to the bright sunlight and trying to forget that we were constrained so close together. “Where do you think we are?”

“No idea.”

“Do you remember me?” I asked inquisitively.

“Remember you?” He sounded confused.

“From the coffee shop?” I continued. “We were sitting at the same table and I dropped my bag.” I wanted to tell him that I’d been a bitch only because I’d been in the middle of a deadline, but kept my mouth shut.

“Oh, yeah. You’re the girl that thought someone was watching you.” He spoke slowly. “I guess you were right.”

“I guess so.” I sighed. “Though, that wouldn’t explain why you are here as well.”

“A man came up to me when you left the coffee shop.” His voice was stiff. “He asked me what we’d been talking about and how I knew you.”

“He did?” I gasped.

“I told him to mind his own business.” He sounded irritated. “Perhaps that wasn’t the smartest thing to do. I should have told him I had no idea who you were. Maybe I’d be at work now instead of tied up with you.”

“I’d much rather be in my small apartment with the window fan that barely works than tied up here with you,” I retorted, feeling irrationally hurt by his words.

“Aren’t you a pleasant one to be around.” Jakob’s tone was smooth behind me, and I was irritated that I had allowed him to make me lose my cool already.

“I’m just saying how I feel,” I retorted again, and we were both silent. I wasn’t sure what it was about him, but he rattled me. Especially now that I had seen him properly. I swallowed hard as I thought about the salty taste of his skin against my tongue. He’d tasted good, but he looked even better. His eyes had been so vividly blue and discerning. We’d made eye contact for only a few seconds, but I’d felt like he was looking into my soul. Something about him had me off-kilter. I knew it was because I was attracted to him, but I wanted to ignore the fact that my body already had designs on him.