Karen Foley – Hard to Hold (страница 8)

Next to the bedroom was a tiny bathroom. Maddie grimaced at the host of spiders that had taken up residence in the shower stall. She turned on the water in the sink and let it run until it was clear, meanwhile pressing her fingers against her temples, feeling a headache begin to throb behind her eyes. She opened the medicine cabinet over the sink, hoping to find a bottle of aspirin or painkillers. There was a razor, a can of shaving cream, an outdated prescription bottle of sleeping tablets and a toothbrush, but no aspirin.

She closed the cabinet door, and catching sight of her reflection in the mirror, gasped in dismay.

She was a wreck.

Her hair had come almost completely free of its ponytail and hung haphazardly around her face, which was blotchy from crying. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and there were dark circles beneath them that made her look tired and defeated. Had it really been just one day since she’d received the phone call about her brother? She felt as if she’d aged years since then.

Just thinking about what Jamie might be suffering at the hands of the extortionists made her heart thump hard in fear. She needed to get away from Colton Black, and find a way to come up with the money needed to free her brother.

She yanked off the ponytail holder and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to restore some order to the tangled mass. She finally secured it into a loose knot on the back of her head, then bent to scoop cold water into her hands, splashing it against her face.

She could hear Colton moving around in the outer room, and peeked through the bedroom doorway just in time to see him cross to the fireplace with an enormous armful of firewood. Slowly, she lowered the face towel she was using and stared.

The man positively bulged with muscles. He set the wood down and crouched on his haunches beside the hearth to build a fire. His T-shirt rode up slightly in the back as he leaned forward, affording her a glimpse of smooth, coppery skin. She watched the play of muscles across his broad shoulders as he worked, remembering how it had felt to be pressed against all that firm, solid warmth.

Maddie turned back to the mirror and slowly finished drying her face. Before she could change her mind, she dragged the T-shirt off, pulling it over her head and tossing it through the open door onto the foot of the bed. Beneath it she wore a thin cotton tank top that clung to her curves, clearly outlining her breasts. Leaning forward, she studied her reflection critically in the mirror. She pulled several tendrils of hair loose from the knot, letting them trail along her neck. She pinched some color into her pale cheeks and bit her lips until they were rosy. Standing back, she dipped her chin and practiced her best come-hither look.

She groaned aloud and buried her face in her hands.

She’d been a desperate teenager the last time she’d used her looks for personal gain, and she wondered if she still had the ability to exploit herself. Of course, she’d been little more than a kid back then, willing to do anything to keep what was left of her family together. But she’d put all that behind her the day she left the mountains. Her troubled childhood and tainted family history were a thing of the past. These days, she was respected by the people she worked with, and her skill with numbers had earned her a good job as a lead accountant in the town of Elko. She wondered what her coworkers would think if they could see her now.

Maddie drew in a deep breath and raised her head to stare solemnly at her reflection. Jamie was depending on her, as he had his entire life. She would do anything to ensure his safety.

Slowly, she reopened the medicine cabinet. Her hand hesitated briefly, then she took down the bottle of sleeping tablets. They had been prescribed for her grandfather four years earlier, when the demons of his past had finally caught up with him. Normally, he’d have turned to the bottle and drunk himself into oblivion, but his advanced liver disease made that option a guaranteed death sentence.

Glancing guiltily toward the living room, Maddie opened the bottle. How many pills would it take to impact a man of Colton’s size? And did they even have any potency left? She didn’t want to kill him, just knock him out long enough to make her escape. She shook four capsules into the palm of her hand, hesitated briefly, and then shook out three more. She broke them open and emptied the powdery contents into the shallow cap of the bottle, and concealed it in the palm of her hand, careful not to spill any. Then, taking a deep breath, she walked out to the living room.

Colton was still crouched by the hearth, where a small fire was beginning to crackle. Combined with the kerosene lamps on the mantel and side tables, it gave the room a warm, almost cozy feel.

Maddie curled up at one end of the sofa and tucked her feet beneath her as she watched Colton add two more logs to the fledgling fire. He stood up and brushed his hands against his thighs.

“That should help keep us comfortable tonight,” he commented, but his voice trailed off as he finally looked at her.

Maddie felt suddenly exposed in the skimpy, sleeveless top, and she wished she’d kept her T-shirt on. More than that, she felt cheap. Did he see right through her ruse? She forced herself to meet his eyes, but his expression was shuttered.

“Yes, I’d forgotten how chilly the nights can get in the mountains, but it feels warm in here.” She gestured toward the bedroom. “I’ll sleep in my grandfather’s room, if you don’t mind taking the couch. I’ll see if there’s a spare pillow and blanket in the closet.”

Colton sat down on the opposite end of the sofa, turning slightly toward her and laying one arm along the back. “I’ve slept in worse places. Don’t worry about me. I have a sleeping bag out in the truck.”

Maddie drew in a deep breath. If she was going to do this, she had better get on with it. There was no telling how long it would be before the sleeping pills took effect, and she didn’t want to spend the entire night waiting for him to pass out.

She pushed herself to her feet. “I—I’m a little nervous about what will happen to me tomorrow. I probably won’t sleep a wink, worrying about it.” She moved to a small built-in cabinet beside the fireplace and opened the doors, revealing several bottles of hard liquor and some small glasses. She took two glasses down and selected a bottle of Kentucky bourbon from the shelf. Turning slightly toward Colton, she held up the bottle. “I’m going to have a small glass. It will calm my nerves and help me sleep.” She hesitated. “Will you join me, or are you on duty?”

She could feel his eyes narrow in speculation, as if if was trying to figure out what she was up to. Finally, he shrugged.

“Just a splash for me, no more.”

Maddie turned quickly away, lest he see the relief on her face. If he’d chosen not to have the drink, she would have had to come up with another plan. Swiftly, using her body as a shield, she surreptitiously dumped the contents of the shallow cap into his glass. She splashed a liberal amount of bourbon on top, and then gave the liquid a quick stir with her finger, hoping the garish design painted on the outside of the glass would effectively disguise any sediment that might remain. She poured two fingers for herself and carried both glasses to the couch, settling herself back on the cushions.

“Cheers,” she said, and handed Colton’s glass to him. She took a sip, deliberately not looking at him as he quaffed the entire shot in one swallow.

“Whoa!” he gasped, as he set the empty glass down on the table beside the couch. “I’ve never been much of a bourbon drinker, and now I remember why. That’s awful.”

Maddie looked guiltily at her own drink. He’d definitely noticed the bitter taste of the pills, and she hoped he didn’t suspect it was anything more than the cheap brand of bourbon. What if he picked up the empty glass and examined the residue that must surely be visible on the bottom? What if the powder hadn’t dissolved sufficiently for him to ingest much? What if it didn’t even work? She needed to leave tonight if she was going to have any chance of saving her brother.

“Hey. You okay? You’re not going to cry again, are you?”

There was no mistaking the genuine alarm in Colton’s voice, and Maddie struggled to push down the guilt she felt at deceiving him. She raised her gaze to his and forced herself to smile.

“Of course not.” She gave a shaky laugh. “I’m as well as can be expected, considering tomorrow I’ll be thrown into prison, and who knows when they’ll let me out?”

He gave her a tolerant look. “They’re not going to throw you in jail, Madeleine.”

Maddie couldn’t help it; her eyes blurred with sudden tears that had nothing to do with acting. “I think they will. I’ll lose my job. I’ll lose everything.” She bent forward and rested her forehead in one hand. “What was I thinking?”

“Hey.” Colton’s voice was low and warm. Before she quite knew what he was doing, he took her half-empty glass from her hand and set it down beside his own. Then he was tugging her gently into his arms. “Tell me what’s going on. Tell me why you were planning to rob the diner. I’m pretty sure any bank would work with you to settle an outstanding debt. So come clean and tell me the truth.”