Day 10 Dangerous Passions – 11 by Kylie Brant

Today we take a look at one of the more sinister stories in the dangerous passions box set. Kylie Brant takes tells us the story of a woman who escaped from the clutches of a wicked villain and to take him down once and for all. Her name was… “11”.

Mia Deleon escaped against the odds only to discover that no one would believe her-11 by .@kyliebrant Dangerous Passions http://bit.ly/DPAmzUS #DPBoxSet

Blurb

Eleven. For three long years that’s what she was called by The Collector, the sexual sadist who enslaved her.

Five years after escaping from The Collector Mia Deleon stops hiding and teams up with security expert Jude Bishop to track her former captor. Jude’s efforts to help Mia are complicated by the growing attraction between them. Because their race to trail the sexual sadist brings Mia ever closer to the man determined to see his collection finally complete….

A spec ops transporter for STORM Corps takes on drones, bad guys, and car chases on the coast of Italy—and falls for a beautiful scientist whose curves are far more dangerous than the road!

Dangerous Passions eBook box set releases March 3rd for the special price of $0.99! Preorder today!!

Amazon: http://bit.ly/DPAmzUS
Amazon UK: http://bit.ly/DPAmzUK
Amazon CA: http://bit.ly/DPAmzCA
iBooks: http://bit.ly/166itSE
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1z6xv1g

Teaser

“Mia?” He pushed open the door, took a step inside the small space. The flimsy shower stall’s curtain was closed. His hand rose midway in the air to open it. Then he heard a slight sound behind him and immediately realized his mistake. Cool steel kissed the side of his throat.

“I had a little time to think while you were gone. And I decided that you owe me some answers.”

“Not bad.” Jude’s tone, damn him, held a tinge of amusement. “I wouldn’t have guessed you were that fast. You opened the window, and hid inside it, right? Behind the shade?”

“I’m the one with the questions, remember?” Mia increased the pressure against his throat. He wasn’t taking her seriously, but he should. There had been a few others in recent years that had underestimated her, to their regret. Right now she was half convinced he’d sold her information to Four and the demon that had enslaved them both. Paranoia was running high, warring with reason.

“I’m not fond of knives.” The humor had vanished from his voice. “Normal enough reaction, after someone tried to peel my face off with one.” With the speed of a striking snake his hand came up to clamp her wrist, while he pivoted toward her. Anticipating his move she pulled away, kicking his half bent knee while he was turning and danced out of reach.

“Nice move.” The compliment was delivered with almost clinical detachment. “You shouldn’t attempt to use a knife in close proximity with someone so much taller. It’s too easy to be overpowered, and you’re limited by your shorter reach.”

“Am I?” Her tone was derisive, her gazed fixed on his. “And yet here I am, still armed.”

“Only because I’m more interested in eating than in hurting you.” He started for the door. Stopped when she deliberately stepped in his way.

“As I said, you have some explaining to do.”

He spread his arms. “You want to slice me up? Go ahead. Aim for a major artery. Any other place and you risk the chance that I just take it away and use it on you.” A moment ticked by. She didn’t move. “No? Then I’m going back into the hall to get the food I left out there. We can eat while we talk.”

She let him go because she didn’t doubt that he’d return. Either because he didn’t take her seriously, or because he was that confident of his own defensive abilities. Probably both. Still wary, Mia lowered the knife to her side but didn’t put it away. She wasn’t without defensive moves of her own.

He reentered the room, stopping to relock it before striding to the bed, paper bags in his hands. She watched as he removed boxes from the bags, spreading them across the bed before he rummaged for plates, chopsticks, napkins and plastic silverware. He knelt in front of the bed and nonchalantly filled a plate, as if used to having an armed woman standing near him, only degrees away from doing him harm. Given his personality, maybe it was a common occurrence.

“There’s no way Four found me without help.” Her stomach growled, a reminder that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. But she made no move toward the food. “I was too careful.”

Jude sat on his haunches, plate balanced in one hand while he expertly wielded chopsticks with the other. “You must have screwed up. Left a trail.”

The accusation had her fingers curling more tightly around the hilt of the knife. “Or you sold my information to her.”

He paused, the chopsticks midway to his lips. “Why would I do that?”

Mia jerked a shoulder. “The same reason people do anything. Money. Greed. Sex. Power. Pick one.”

“None of the above.” He continued eating, working around the different dishes he’d served on the plate. “You got complacent. It happens when people are on the run for too long. You must have let something slip to the wrong person. Made a phone call that could be traced. Left a cyber trail.”

She could have told him that complacency and carelessness set in only when people began feeling safe. Mia doubted she’d ever experience that particular emotion again. “Seems a lot of work when all she’d have to do is go to you. If you didn’t sell the information outright—and I’m not convinced you didn’t—maybe she hacked your computer files.”

He laughed at that, seeming genuinely amused. “Not a chance. And if she had she wouldn’t have found the information she was looking for there. You think I leave evidence that I provide services that some narrowly focused on the law might consider illegal?”

He had a way of setting her teeth on edge. “You’ll forgive me if that, coupled with your professed skepticism about my past doesn’t fill me with confidence.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t believe you. Exactly. I’m reserving judgment for the time being. Forget about that. All that matters right now is that I’ve found a fisherman who has agreed to get us to the Philippines. With any luck we can be back in the States in a few days.” He finished eating, then disposed of the garbage before stretching out on the sagging bed. “We have hours before we meet the boat. Don’t forget to close and lock the window.”

Mia gaped at him, vaguely insulted. He was sleeping? With an armed pissed off suspicious woman in the room? “You do appear to enjoy living dangerously.”

“If you were going to use that knife on me, you’d have done it already.” He didn’t bother opening his eyes. “And whatever doubts you might have, I’m your best chance of getting out of the country.”

Her fingers tightened around the hilt of the knife, but doubt filtered through her. Mia didn’t trust any man, but she distrusted Jude less than most. He didn’t have to like her. Or believe her. She just needed him to get her out of the country alive.
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