FOUR

      Reality embedded itself deeper and deeper as Elle gripped the edge of her seat so hard that her knuckles began to ache.

      Agony awaits.

      What did they mean by agony? What had these men planned for her?

      The thought of death alone was scary enough. But to think about dying slowly, painfully, was enough to make panic begin to quake inside her.

      She’d heard stories about people who’d been tortured. She’d always felt immune from the reaches of people who inflicted pain like that. But was anyone immune? Not really. It was simply that no one wanted to face the reality that something like that could happen to them.

      Would even Denton be able to protect her? She believed the man to be capable, but no one was superman. All it would take was one wrong move.

      She was right with God. She wasn’t afraid of being dead. It was the dying part that got to her.

      Finally, the vehicle seemed to slow and merge in with the flow of traffic. Her heartbeat eased some. The reality of the situation wouldn’t leave her, though.

      “Where’d you learn to drive like that?” Her voice had lost any sense of perkiness it may have once had. Even with some effort, her pitch still sounded dull.

      “I’ve had some training.”

      “What did you do before you worked for...what did you call it? Eyes?”

      “That’s right. Iron, Inc. is our real name, but everyone who knows about us calls us Eyes. I was a Navy SEAL for a while before the CIA recruited me.”

      “You were a spook?”

      He smiled. “I’d tell you what I did for them, but then—”

      “Let me guess, you’d have to kill me?”

      “Smart lady.”

      She pushed herself back into the seat, her head beginning to pound as her limbs throbbed. That’s what happened when adrenaline pulsed through her uncontrollably only to wither over and over again, she supposed. “Tell me about Eyes.”

      “A friend of mine, Jack Sergeant, started it several years ago. We do contract work, a lot of it for the Department of Defense, but we also work for local law enforcement agencies, as well as for citizens.”

      “I see. It sounds dangerous.”

      “Depends on the job.”

      “And what’s your job there? Bodyguard?”

      He chuckled. “No, I’m actually the assistant director.”

      “This must be serious if my dad hired the assistant director.”

      Denton’s nonanswer seemed to be answer enough. Elle chewed on her thumbnail as they rolled down the road. Everything still seemed so surreal. Was this really happening? Maybe it was a nightmare and she’d wake up any time now.

      She knew she wouldn’t, though.

      “Why don’t they just ask for money?”

      Her question seemed to surprise Denton. “What was that?”

      “If they know I’m a senator’s daughter now, why don’t they simply demand money? Isn’t that what they’re ultimately after? Why go through all this trouble to threaten me?”

      “That’s the question we’re trying to answer, Elle.”

      They pulled onto the lane that led to her family’s home. Tonight, the drive seemed eerily quiet. It was just because everyone else was at the reception, she told herself. It’s where she should be.

      Denton pulled up at the gate. Elle unbuckled her seat belt and leaned forward, feeling like safety was finally in sight. “Just pull forward and I’ll wave to Jimmy. He’ll open the gates for us.”

      Denton crept closer, but the gates didn’t move.

      Denton gripped the steering wheel. “You think he stepped away for a minute?”

      “I doubt it. He’s very dedicated to his job.”

      Nausea churned in Elle’s gut. Something was wrong. She knew it. She could tell that Denton knew it, too.

      He put the car into Park and pulled the gun from its holster beneath his jacket. He glanced in the backseat at her. “If anything happens to me, Elle, I want you to get into the driver’s seat and get out of here as fast as you can.”

      Reality hit her like cold water in the face, causing her hands to tremble. “Denton, why are you talking like that?”

      “Just do what I say, okay? Lock the doors when I get out.”

      “You’re scaring me. Can’t you just stay in the car? Call the police?”

      He locked gazes with her. “Everything’s going to be okay. I just need to check things out.”

      She nodded, even though all her instincts told her to do just the opposite.

      “Did you hear me, Elle?”

      She started to nod again, but instead cleared her throat. “Yes, I hear you.”

      Denton climbed from the vehicle and Elle hit the lock button almost before he was even out. Her heart raced as she watched him approach the guard station. Where was Jimmy? Why wasn’t he at the gate like he always was?

      Lord, I don’t even have the words for the situation. My heart is just crying out to You. You know my prayers even when I don’t.

      With the skill of someone who had done this a million times before, Denton checked his surroundings, moving swiftly but purposefully.

      Capable. Denton was capable, Elle reminded herself. It would be different if it were her out there looking for Jimmy while trying to keep one