Cabin Fever Read online

  Perfect.

  Slipping the knife silently out of its sheath, Jack moved towards the man where he stood with his back to him. He gave one last look to the courtyard, making sure that it was clear of men, before wrapping his hand around the guard's mouth and dragging him backwards into the woods. He ran the blade of the knife across his throat and held him steady as he struggled for a few seconds and then went still.

  Releasing the man's mouth, Jack caught him under the arms and dragged him deeper into the woods. He covered him in dead leaves and then hid the trail his boots had made as he moved back towards the courtyard.

  He checked it again, making sure that he hadn't caught anyone's attention. When it seemed clear, he moved quickly across it, keeping to the shadows as he headed towards the house. He looked up at it as he reached the side and tried to find a way in. There was a door to his right, but he knew that it would be guarded. On the first floor, there was an open window. The only way to it was the drainpipe, but it would have to do.

  The window that was open was the lit room at this end of the building. Someone was bound to be in it and he hoped that it was just a few more guards that he could easily deal with. It wasn't the best way in. It would have been better if he could have entered at the other end of the cabin nearer Kate, but he'd take this over having to enter through the ground floor.

  Slipping his knife back into its sheath, he assessed the drainpipe and hoped that it was as firmly attached as it appeared to be. He flexed his fingers as he stepped up to it and looked at his gloves, thankful that he'd packed his climbing ones. The grip they would provide would be key to getting him up to the window.

  Grabbing hold of the metal pipe, he placed one foot up onto the first of the supports and tested its strength. It gave slightly, but held.

  He sighed as he looked up at the first floor.

  He was getting too old for this kind of thing.

  Carefully climbing the pipe, he tried to make as gentle movements as possible so he avoided putting extra pressure on it and making it come loose.

  Nearing the open window, he peered into the room. There was one man sitting with his back to him at a desk that was covered in security camera monitors. Jack watched him as he poured himself a cup of something from a flask and muttered about the camera in the girl's room.

  He frowned as the man flicked a series of switches and Kate appeared in black and white on the monitor. He breathed a sigh of relief and felt warm inside as he saw that she was alive and then quickly held his breath as another man came forward to look at the monitor.

  "How long do we have?” The slim dark haired man asked the one with red hair that was sitting down.

  "Just a day.” Came the reply and Jack wondered if they were talking about the shipment that the other men had been discussing in the courtyard.

  "What's he gonna do about her?” The man nodded at the monitor, at Kate.

  "Apparently he knows her. She's something to do with Nicky boy. Jury hasn't come out on her sentence yet."

  "Better go take her something to drink. Don't want the boss to think we're neglecting her or we'll be in right trouble.” The dark haired man slapped the other one on the back, laughing along with him as he picked up a bottle off the side and walked out of the door, closing it behind him.

  Jack waited a few minutes for the red haired man to settle down again.

  When the man went back to sipping his drink and flicking through the security monitors, he slipped in through the window and crept over to him. Easing his knife out, he quickly ran it across his throat and covered his mouth so he couldn't scream.

  He caught the man across the chest as he went to slump forwards and then gently laid him down on the desk. Putting his knife away, he flicked the same switches the man had in order to bring up the room Kate was being held in.

  As she appeared on the screen, he cocked his head to one side and blinked slowly. She was tied to a chair, her jacket, scarf and hat was gone. Two strips of something were tightly wrapped around her head, blinding and gagging her. She wasn't struggling. She just looked as though she was patiently waiting for something.

  He hoped that she was waiting for him and not death.

  Pulling his knife out, he eased the door open and peered out into the dark hallway. He frowned as he scanned the darkness, searching for the other man that had been in the room. Setting off along the hall, he closed the door behind him so it eliminated any light and moved as stealthily as possible. He listened hard for the other man, knowing that he was heading for Kate's room and wanting him to lead him there.

  As he heard footsteps up ahead, he slowed his pace, falling into time with the other man and keeping a few feet behind him. He breathed shallowly as he stalked him, waiting for him to get to Kate's room before he disposed of him.

  As they passed a staircase, he could hear the others downstairs and it sounded as though they were either very happy with their work or they'd been drinking. He couldn't think of what else besides drinking there was for them to do while waiting for the next phase of Donovan's plan. The alcohol would make them less predictable, but it would be an advantage for him. It would lessen their ability to think straight and would worsen their aim.

  He pressed himself against the wall as a shadow appeared on the stairs and he saw a man coming up them. Hiding in the recess of a door, he held his breath as the man passed him by, heading towards the room where he had just killed the security guard.

  Jack looked down the corridor towards where Kate was being held and then towards the room where he'd entered.

  He'd have time to catch up with the man that was going to Kate before he made it there.

  Slipping out of the recess, he followed the other man as he walked towards the door and gradually crept up on him. As he was about to open the door to the security room, Jack clamped his hand down over his mouth and slit his throat. He held him tightly as he went limp in his arms and then kept hold of him as he checked the door to his right. Opening it, he peered into the darkness and then dragged the man inside.

  Placing him down on a couch, he went back to the security room and grabbed the other man, dragging him into the dark room and sitting him on the couch beside the other one. Heading back out of the room, he shut the door and went into the lit room. He grabbed a scarf off the side and mopped up the blood on the desk with it before throwing it into the bin.

  Now if someone came up here it would just look as though the man had deserted his post.

  Heading back into the dark corridor, he moved along it as quickly as possible so he caught up with the other guard. Passing the staircase, he smiled as he heard the familiar heavy footsteps up ahead and headed straight for them.

  He stopped dead as the footsteps ceased and listened to the jangling of keys as the man searched for the right one.

  "Damn storm knocking the power...” The man grumbled as he struggled to find the key.

  Jack slid his knife away and considered what to do. He listened for a sign of anyone else on this level and then looked in the direction the noise of keys was coming from.

  "Should've remembered the torch.” The man sighed as he continued to try to keys in the lock.

  Jack pulled his lighter out of his pocket.

  "Want a light?” He flicked it open and lit it.

  "Thanks,” the man said with a smile and then looked up.

  Jack smiled, moved the gun forwards and squeezed the trigger.

  He watched the rivulet of red trail down the man's nose, the only sign that something had happened thanks to the silencer on the gun. As the man slumped into the corner by the door, he put the gun back into its holster. Bending over, he grabbed the keys from the dead man's hand and realised why he was having a problem.

  There were about thirty keys.

  Flicking his lighter shut, he descended the hall into darkness again and systematically tried each one in the lock.

  * * * *

  Kate's eyes widened behind her blindfold as the door began to o
pen and she strained against her gag, pushing at it with her tongue and working her jaw as she tried to get it off. She wriggled her hands, trying to get them free of her bonds and struggled against the ties that bound her feet. Her stiff cold limbs protested, aching as she desperately tried to move them. As the door opened fully, she froze.

  She breathed heavily when she heard someone enter.

  Her heart missed a beat and pounded erratically against her ribs as she listened to them walking towards her. Their footsteps rang heavy in the freezing air, sending dread washing through her. She listened as they moved closer and closer to her, and she tried to shut out the horrible images that flooded her brain. She swallowed hard as they stopped and then squeezed her eyes shut, fearing what would come next.

  She tried to gasp as something cold like metal touched her hand but she sucked the gag into her mouth, almost choking herself. Shock and fear were quickly chased away by hope and surprise as the person cut the bonds holding her wrists.

  She instantly pushed the blindfold up off her head and squinted to grow accustomed to the low light in the room.

  Warmth and relief raced through every inch of her as she recognised the man who was smiling down at her. Pulling the gag down around her neck, she blinked back the tears that pushed their way to the surface, threatening to spill onto her cheeks. She smiled at him.

  "Jack!"

  Chapter 15

  "Shh.” Jack pressed his finger to his mouth and intimated for her to be quiet. Kneeling down in front of her, he ignored her nervous look and the tears in her eyes as he cut the ropes that bound her feet. He smiled at her as she stood. She looked so pretty as she smiled at him through teary eyes.

  He didn't want to hurry her but he had to. The air in this room was freezing and she'd been sitting in it without a coat or much in the way of protection. She was probably stiff as a board and needed time to regain the full use of her muscles, but it was time they didn't have. They needed to move as quickly as possible if they were going to get out of here alive.

  Kate stood on trembling tired legs, staring at Jack and trying to bring herself to believe that he was really here. He stepped towards her and took his gloves off. She was surprised when he touched her cheek, lightly pressing his fingers against it and frowning. Heat swept through her as he did the same thing to her other cheek, and then took hold of her bare hands. His hands were so warm and she wanted to step into his arms and have him hold her, have him tell her that everything was going to be all right now that he was here and he wasn't a bad man—he was the good guy. She sniffed back her tears as the stress of her whole ordeal came crashing down on her.

  Her eyes widened when he pulled her into his embrace, holding her tightly and whispering something to her that she didn't quite hear. Tears streaked her face as she nestled close against his chest, the warmth of him chasing the cold from her tired shaky limbs. The feeling of being so close to him drew out everything she'd been feeling over the past few days.

  "What are you doing here?” she whispered, pulling back to look up at his face.

  She'd been so frightened that he was dead after she'd hit him over the head and left him in the woods, and she hadn't been able get him out of her mind. She'd spent the past day thinking about him and everything that had happened between them, and she'd prayed that she'd see him again so she could make things right.

  And here he was.

  Rescuing her.

  Like some knight in shining armour.

  "Saving your arse,” Jack stated as he released her and grabbed hold of her hand. He opened the door a crack, glanced over his shoulder at her and smiled at the stunned look she was still wearing. He'd been so sorely tempted to go with the ‘I'm Luke Skywalker. I'm here to rescue you’ line, but he'd been told enough times by his boss that he spent too much time cracking jokes during serious situations.

  He couldn't help it.

  Either you made fun of the dangerous position you were in, or you got scared and then screwed up. In his eyes, joking was preferable to death any day of the week.

  Looking out into the dark hall, he squinted and tried to see if anyone was there. He closed the door again and looked at Kate.

  Slipping his gloves back on, he took a long slow breath.

  "I need you to trust me.” He looked deep into her eyes as he drew one of his guns.

  Kate was still for a moment and then nodded, keeping her eyes locked with his.

  Jack smiled. “Let's go."

  She held his hand as he opened the door and started out into the dark corridor. She couldn't see him in the blackness, let alone where they were going, and she wondered if he could even see. Her imagination ran wild as she stumbled along the hallway behind him, clinging to his hand and drawing comfort from the strength of his grip on her. He was holding her hand so tightly that it felt as though he was scared of losing her in the darkness.

  Or just scared of losing her.

  She shifted her fingers, interlocking them with his and smiling when he squeezed her hand reassuringly.

  As they passed the staircase, she looked down at the warm light that filled the bottom of it and then hurried to be closer to Jack as she heard the voices of her captors.

  She glanced at the gun in his hand as they passed from dim light into darkness again. It was strange that it was now a welcome sight, that she was suddenly glad he had a gun. It made her feel safe, as though whatever happened, she knew that he could protect her.

  He would protect her.

  Wrapping her other hand around his arm, she held onto it, feeling his strong muscles under her fingers as they continued to walk. She didn't bother asking where they were going. Something told her that he knew where he was taking her.

  In fact, he knew exactly what he was doing.

  All of this seemed like second nature to him. She'd seen the dead man in the hall and she knew that he must have killed others in order to reach her.

  She no longer believed that he just happened to know her stepbrother. He really wasn't the kind of guy that usually became friends with Nick. During her captivity and questioning, she'd realised that the people who had her were Nick's type of crowd, and she wanted to ask Jack if her stepbrother was involved in what was happening. She'd heard his name mentioned by Mr. Donovan.

  She'd been told all kinds of things about Jack, things that conflicted with each other so badly that she didn't know what to think of him. Did Jack work for Mr. Donovan or his opposition, or was he a spy?

  She didn't know any more about him now than when she'd fought with him in the woods.

  And she wanted to know.

  She wanted to know who this man was that held her elusive ‘it’ and was rapidly beginning to hold her heart, too. She wanted to know who Jack Darcy was.

  She wanted to know why he hid behind his eyes.

  She came out of her thoughts as he came to a halt in front of her and eased another door open. The brightness of the room stung her eyes at first and it took her a few seconds to grow accustomed to it.

  Jack closed the door behind them and let go of her hand. He ignored the feeling of loss that seemed to come with releasing her hand and moved to the window. Looking out into the night, he could see the other guard still patrolling. Through the front window, he saw there were a few men in the courtyard.

  "Go first.” He nodded to the open window and Kate moved over to it.

  She pushed her hair out of her face and frantically shook her head.

  "I can't shimmy down a drainpipe!” she hissed at him.

  "It's this way, or going down the stairs back there and making it through the house without ending up looking like Swiss cheese!” He grabbed her arm and pushed her back towards the window.

  Kate tried to focus on the absurdity of what he was asking her to do and ignored the flicker of desire his assertiveness had stirred in her.

  "I can't ... seriously ... me and heights...” She gave him a panicked look and he sighed.

  "If I go first, you'll follow?”
He gently cleared the hair from her face and smiled into her eyes. “I'll make a soft landing place if you fall."

  Kate half smiled at his comment and then nodded in agreement.

  "Just make sure you do follow me,” he said and looked out of the window. She looked there too and saw a man walking away. “And do it sharpish."

  She took a deep relaxing breath as she watched him step out onto the log clad outside and move to the drainpipe. She couldn't believe that she was going to do this. The last time she'd gone down a drainpipe she had been sixteen and was sneaking out of the house, and it had been a very short distance. The floors on the cabin seemed a lot taller to her than those of her old house. It was either that or she hadn't been as scared back then.

  Waiting until Jack was down the drainpipe, she eased herself out onto the ledge and gripped onto the windowsill for dear life. She closed her eyes as she edged over to the pipe and grabbed hold of it. Taking another deep breath, she began to descend. The supports were too far apart for her legs to stretch but she told herself that she had to keep going. It was either down or up, and down looked a lot easier right now.

  Jack shot his head around as he heard a noise and he saw two of the men were coming towards them where they were hidden in the shadows.

  Moving his concentration back to Kate, he waved his hands, intimating for her to hurry up. He could hear the men getting closer, their conversation about the state of the road getting clearer as they neared.

  Kate felt sick with nerves and adrenaline as she saw the two men rounding the corner.

  Dropping the last few feet to the ground, she kept still as she watched them walking towards the road.

  She started slightly as Jack's gloved hand slipped into hers and she followed his lead as he crept towards the edge of the house. The courtyard was clear and the guard was almost at the other side now. Besides the two men that were heading down the road, there was no other sign of danger.