My Hard-hearted Hero

Chapter 3 √

He could tell at once that she hadn't slept. Those big brown eyes were puffy and red rimmed, and she had that jumpy, unfocused look of deep exhaustion.

Good. He hoped she'd spent the last few hours agonising over her plight, wondering who this monster who held her at his mercy. Her hoarse greeting dashed those fond hopes.

"Good morning, Zach."

He paused in the act of unlocking the handcuffs. Well, there was one source of amusement gone. Ashton's little play toy was just full of surprises.

"Morning, Yana." He might accede to her wishes and call her Ariana. Perhaps while ice skating in Hades.

"Sleep well?"

"I had more pleasant ways to occupy my time. Like calculating the prison sentence for kidnapping."

She drew her left arm down and cradled it against her chest, wincing slightly.

He curled his fingers around the handcuffs to keep from reaching to soothe that raw abrasions on her left wrist. If he found it hard to summon the ruthlessness he needed to deal with Ariana Lancaster, all he had to do was remember what she'd some to his brother.

"You're out of uniform, Rambo." She said.

Her eyes were hard and glittering. He saw that at some point during the wee hours, raw loathing had replaced her previous terror. That was fine with him.

He knew she must be trying to figure out a way to get her weapon. That's what he'd be doing.

"Don't even consider it," he said.

"This whole place has been Yana-proofed. You won't find a knife anywhere. Nothing made of glass. Ditto for heavy, blunt objects. Of course, you could try to strangle me with a lamp cord. That would be kindly entertaining."

Starting down at her, he laid out the options.

"It's up to you how we play this, sweetheart. Personally, I'm not one for the traditional, heavy handed approach. Nonstop interrogation. Bondage. Threats. No sleep. No privacy. That way is quick, but brutal, and creates more problems that it solves, if you ask me."

He saw comprehension dawn, and almost laughed at her expression of stunned disbelief. She sat bolt up right in the bed.

"You're trying to deprogram me!"

With her glossy brown hair in disarray and lively color flooding her face and throat and those magnificent full breasts straining her gown with each agitated breath, she looked like a vision out of a teenager's wet dream. At that moment he couldn't blame his brother for losing his head over this woman.

"Took you long enough to catch on. Now, I'm sure Lucas has filled your head with horror stories about deprogramming. And you know what?" He grinned.  "They're all true! It's not something you want to experience. Take my word for it."

She groaned. "I don't believe this."

"Lucky for you, I'm a civilized fellow. I prefer to hold off on the rough stuff and just sit back and give you a chance to come to your senses. It'll take time, but hey " he shrugged " I've got time. It all depends on you, Yana. On whether you behave yourself. "

"Behave myself!"

"Cooperate and we'll do this that low impact, hands off way. Plenty of satisfying quality time for you and me, discussing the finer points of your incredibly moronic and self-destructive decision to join Lucas commune. Who knows? You might even end up thanking me."

Her expression said, Don't hold your breath.

"Of course, if you choose to fight me or try to escape, we do this old-fashioned way. He dangled the handcuffs over her. Easy for me. Not too fun for you. Think about it."