In the Arms of Danger

SIX

Cory stepped back to the stairs and met her gaze. He nodded. "She's still asleep."

Letting out her breath, Taylor leaned her head on the door, squeezing her eyes closed as tears streamed down her cheeks. As Cory entered the study again, he slipped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his body.

She stiffened, not wanting to touch any more of him than necessary. His attention dropped to her mouth. His brows creased as he touched her bottom lip with his thumb.

"You're bleeding."

She dabbed her tongue at the corner of her mouth, grimacing at the tangy metallic taste of blood. "I must have bit my lip."

His eyes met and held hers. For a brief second, tenderness darkened the gray depths and anger lines disappeared from around his eyes. Then he scowled and pulled his hand away.

"I see you didn't stay on the floor as I'd asked," he snapped.

"What is going on around here?" Her father's voice boomed through the room, fear making his tone unsteady.

Cory left Taylor's side and she breathed easier, yet his warmth disappeared, leaving coldness in its place. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around her middle.

"Mr. Mitchell, I believe someone just tried to shoot you, or someone in this room," Cory said.

She sucked in her breath and swung her gaze to his face. Cory's narrowed eyes stayed on her father.

"Mr. Mitchell, in the threatening letters you've been receiving, have they mentioned anything about your daughter or grandchild?"

Her father raked his fingers through his graying brown hair and nodded. "The last one suggested if I didn't change the way the gaming tables ran, the lives of the ones I loved would be at stake."

Lifting her hand to her throat, she gasped. "Why didn't you tell me this?" Her voice came out in a squeak. The situation was worse than she'd first thought.

"Because up to this point, they were all just threats." He flipped his hand through the air. "As you well know, I've received these kinds of letters for many years and nothing has ever come of it."

Cory folded his arms across his chest. "What do these people making the threats want, exactly?"

"Oh, the normal crap." Leland scratched his head. "For me to make the slot machines give out more money. To make the card games less difficult. Some poor losers actually believe I should make gambling easy." He held up his hands. "They're asking for things I have no control over, yet they expect me to snap my fingers and adhere to their wishes or else they'll hurt my family." Closing his eyes, he rubbed his forehead.

"So you think this person is just one of the sore losers from your casinos?" Cory's tone suggested he didn't believe a word.

Her father shrugged. "I have nobody else to suspect."

Taylor walked to her dad and laid a hand on his arm. "That's probably who it is, although this time it happens to be a real demented person."

He placed his hand over hers and squeezed. She glanced over at Zack, who remained by the window keeping watch. Blood continued to drip from his hand, yet he didn't seem to notice. What a brave man, he was.

Cory grimaced and rubbed his shoulder. When he pulled his hand away, blood clung to his skin.

She hitched a breath. "Cory. You've been shot."

He glanced at his arm. "The bullet just grazed me. I'll be fine."

Her father nodded in Cory's direction. "I think we need to get him bandaged before he loses any more blood."

While Zack and her father conversed in hushed tones over at her father's desk, she located the first aid kit. Cory proceeded to take off his shirt to bare his injured shoulder. She couldn't keep from staring at his massive chest and the ripples of hard flesh. When her heartbeat took on a different rhythm, she hurried and focused on Cory's arm. He kept his gaze adverted.

Taking a deep breath, she applied the gauze and bandages. While silence lagged between them, images of their last time together flitted through her mind. Although she thought she knew Cory, she really hadn't. He'd led her to believe he was a different man back then, a sweet, passionate, tender man who would not shoot and kill another person out of spite.

She hadn't wanted to become involved with Cory. She'd just been to Bermuda to have a good time. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would have fallen as quickly as she had for Cory. He'd been so much fun and the most tender and caring man she'd ever been with. In her mind, the sun rose and set on that sexy male.

Until someone told her he was a cold-blooded killer. She didn't believe the person who'd told her, the man she thought of as family, until she saw Cory kill another.

The scene flashed before her eyes and she paused while wrapping the bandage around Cory's arm. Memories flooded her, those she wished she'd never remembered.

After she'd witnessed Cory shooting a man, later in the day she'd seen him holding a black-steel gun as he pointed it at the figure of another man walking on the shore below where he stood. The sun had just dropped on the horizon, causing shadows. Cory followed him along the edge of the cliffs for a few terrifying minutes, as if waiting for something to happen.

The helplessness of that particular moment that had happened so long ago, spread over every inch of her body and she shook her head, focusing on bandaging Cory's arm. Why hadn't she listened to her head and ran away from the cliffs sooner? Then she wouldn't be plagued with the horrific events from that awful day.

She'd never forget the way his gaze had narrowed on his target, his jaw firm, lips thinned. Terror sparked inside her so much she couldn't scream. Then a shot had rung through the still air from the grove behind her. Gasping, she'd ducked and covered her mouth. Cory hadn't pulled the trigger, so who else was out here with a gun?

When the bullet hit Cory, his body jerked and swayed toward the cliff's edge. Blood spread quickly from the bullet wound in his back. He teetered on the ledge before plunging into the rapid waters below.

Tears had stung her eyes, blocking her vision as paralyzing fear stiffened her body. She should have gone to the edge to try to help, but couldn't. Guilt ate at her. She'd been intimate with this man for almost a month, but each time she thought about the incident, bile rose in her throat from his treachery.

For several days afterward, she'd dreamt he hadn't died. In her dreams, he tried to kill her. She'd awakened in a pool of sweat and her heart pounded a million beats a minute.

Now her dream had come true. Cory was alive and in the same room with her. She paused and swallowed the lump of emotion ready to choke her.

"Ouch."

She snapped to attention. Cory's eyes shot an accusing glare at her.

"I'm assuming you haven't bandaged someone's arm before," he retorted.

She glanced at her handiwork and inwardly groaned. Apparently, she hadn't noticed how tight she'd wrapped him.

"Sorry." She loosened the gauze.

Once she was done, he stood and slipped his shirt back on. He nodded at her. "Thanks."

"Uh, sure."

Zack stepped next to her and held out his bloody hand. "Is it my turn, Doctor Taylor?"

She grinned. "Of course. Have a seat." She motioned to the chair.

Out of the corner of her eye, Cory moved in the direction of her father. Hopefully, he wouldn't mention anything about their past. Obviously, her father didn't know, and she'd like to keep the whole thing a secret. After all, it was really just a bad dream.

"Hey." Zack's voice snapped her focus back to him.

She smiled. "Hey yourself."

"What's up with you and Agent Double-O-Seven?" His voice lowered to a whisper.

Her heart sank. Did he know? She forced the smile to remain on her face so she wouldn't give away her true thoughts. "What do you mean? I just met him."

He arched a bushy brownish-blond eyebrow. "Oh, really?" He shook his head. "I've been reading people's expressions and body language for years, and I can tell the two of you have met before. So what's up?"

"Nothing is up. Like I said, I don't know him."

"Yah, and I'm Superman."

She c****d her head. "Well then, Clark Kent, shut up so I can bandage your arm."

He chuckled and cupped her face. "I just want you to know I'm here if you need someone to talk to."

Her chest tightened. Dare she trust Zack? No. Not with this secret. He was too close to her father. Unfortunately this was something she would probably take to her grave.

How much longer would that be?