“I think that’s obvious.” His gaze raked over her. “You and I have some unfinished business, don’t you think?”
“What I think,” she said, “is that you are a sick son of a bitch.”
Rasmussen smiled. “I’m going to enjoy breaking you down, Kelsey. We’ve so much to…discuss.”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
He stepped closer. “But I have so very much to say to you.”
She took a step back. “For God’s sake, Ian, you have a chance to flee the country. Why don’t you just go?”
“Because I’ve waited six years for this moment. Some days, sitting in my cell, the only thing that kept me going was the thought of putting my hands on you. Of killing Vanderpol. I’m going to make this memorable for both of us.”
His words, the way he was looking at her, made her feel more frightened than she’d ever been in her life. “Don’t.” Glancing over her shoulder, she took in the sight of the two other men in the room. Both were armed, and she knew if she tried to run they would put a bullet in her back.
“Besides, I could hardly leave the country without saying goodbye to you, could I?” he said. “I’ve missed you.”
“You missed your freedom, not me.”
He continued as if he hadn’t heard her. “Do you have any idea what six years in a cage does to a man?”
“Please don’t hurt anyone else, Ian.” Her voice quavered, but she couldn’t help it. “You have the money to go anywhere in the world. Leave the country while you still can.”
“My entire life revolved around you!” he shouted abruptly. “I gave you everything. Everything! The penthouse. The Jaguar. My heart.”
“You don’t have a heart.” The words were out before she could stop them.
Something dark and frightening flashed in the depths of his eyes. Rage, she thought, and shivered.
“I’d even bought a diamond ring for you,” he said. “A lovely marquis-cut yellow stone from South Africa. It was one of a kind. Six carats. Flawless. I never got the chance to give it you.”
Leigh hadn’t known about the ring, but it didn’t matter. Whatever had happened between them six years ago was a mistake. A terrible mistake made by the starstruck twenty-one-year-old she’d been.
“I gave you everything,” he said. “Everything. And how do you repay me?”
Leigh took another step back. There were three ways out of the cabin. Through the front door. Through the living room window. Or through the door in the kitchen at the rear of the cabin. The urge to run was strong, but she knew there was no escape.
“You repay me by sleeping with the very man who would ultimately destroy my life.”
“You destroyed your own life.”
“How do you think that made me feel, Kelsey? I trusted you. You betrayed me.”
“You sold weapons to terrorists. Surely you had to know there would be repercussions.”
“I’m a businessman in a world economy. An economy where it’s all about supply and demand.”
Unable to control her anger, she blurted out, “What are you going to do, Ian? Shoot me in the back? Is that why you’re here? Is that somehow going to make everything all right?”
His smile chilled her. “You still have a temper, don’t you, my love? I always loved to see you angry.”
“The only thing you love is yourself.”
He crossed to her in two strides. His hand shot out so quickly, she didn’t have time to duck. The blow snapped her head back, sent her reeling. “You would be wise to keep your smart mouth in check,” he said.
Leigh shook off the dizziness and pain. She felt the sting of a cut on her lip and tasted blood. Tears burned her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall. She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.
“Go to hell,” she choked.
Without warning, his hand snaked out. His fingers clamped down on her arm like a vise. The next thing she knew she was being dragged toward the rear bedroom. Leigh fought him with every ounce of strength she possessed. She dug in her heels, clawed at the doorway as they passed through it. But her strength was no match for his.
Once in the bedroom, he kicked the door shut behind them and shoved her onto the bed. Before she could scramble off, he was on top of her, using his weight to push her back.
“Get off me!” she yelled.
She tried to twist away, but he was too heavy. She nearly gagged when his mouth descended. She turned her head, but he forced his mouth to hers. She struggled with all the strength she had to get free of him.
Then, surprising her, he rolled off her and rose. Leigh sprang from the bed, and they faced each other, the only sound their labored breathing.
“It’s too bad Vanderpol didn’t send you back here to sleep with me again.”
Despite the circumstances, the words hurt. “He would never do that,” she said.
“Ah, but he did the last time, didn’t he? His kind of love is…flexible, no?”
She hated that this man had the power to hurt her.