Web Of Darkness. HELEN BROOKS

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      ‘I know you,’ she interrupted shakily, ‘and that’s precisely why I’m not getting in there with you.’

      ‘Think again.’ His smile was more like a snarl, the finely shaped lips drawing back over white strong teeth menacingly. ‘You are verging on charges of defamation of character, assault, causing an affray in a public place. Need I go on?’ The blue eyes were merciless. ‘A women’s prison is not the best place to spend Christmas, Miss Gordon, but it can be arranged, if you insist.’

      ‘You wouldn’t…’ As she stared up into the hard face her deep brown eyes widened with horror as she saw the coldness in his narrowed blue gaze. ‘You would, you’d actually do that?’

      ‘Too true.’ He let go of her arm abruptly, sliding into the shadowed depths of the car as he left her standing, trembling, on the pavement. ‘You have a choice, Miss Gordon, and you will make it in the next ten seconds. You can either get in this vehicle so we can discuss your outrageous behaviour privately, or we can let the whole matter be put in the hands of officialdom. Which is it to be?’ The deep voice was merciless.

      She gnawed her lower lip for a second as she stood shivering in the cold evening air. ‘Where are you going to take me?’

      ‘That’s my business.’ He leant forward to fix her with the piercing eyes. ‘Time’s up, Miss Gordon, no more sweet persuasion.’

      ‘You leave me with no choice,’ she said bleakly, flinching as he laughed harshly.

      ‘Dead right.’ He moved over to the opposite side of the car as she clambered in miserably, and as she sank back she was immediately enveloped in the deliciously expensive smell of fine leather, discreetly exclusive aftershave and the unmistakable aura of fabulous wealth. ‘Now.’ In the close con-fines of the car he suddenly seemed enormously big and for the first time her senses registered the ex-ceptionally broad shoulders, well-developed chest and sheer breadth that went with extreme height. ‘Are you going to give me your address?’

      ‘No.’ She forced herself to look full into the rugged dark face. ‘I am not.’

      ‘Very well.’ He turned his head and spoke to the driver, giving an address she had never heard of, before snapping the glass partition shut with a definite click. ‘Don’t forget, I did ask,’ he drawled sardonically.

      ‘Now just hang on a minute.’ The apprehension and fear she had been trying to hide for the last five minutes burst forth. ‘You can’t kidnap me.’

      ‘Kidnap you, Miss Gordon?’ The firm lips drew back in an unmistakable sneer. ‘Why on earth would I want to kidnap such a disagreeable, patently unstable person as yourself? I have enough aggravation in my life without seeking more.’

      ‘Where are we going, then?’ She ignored the in-sults for the moment; there were more important things to hand.

      ‘You’ll find out soon enough.’ He settled back in the luxurious seat and closed his eyes. ‘I have had just about all I am going to take tonight so I suggest you keep that nasty little mouth closed until we reach our destination. Why I am even bothering to try and find out what this is all about I don’t know. I must be mad.’

      ‘You know what——’

      ‘Be quiet, Miss Gordon.’ He didn’t open his eyes as he spoke but the tone was enough to shut her mouth with a little snap. He was formidable. Her heart thumped against her chest wall so hard she was sure he must hear it. He was powerful and dangerous, and the sudden realisation that she had grabbed a tiger by the tail drove all lucid thought from her head for a few minutes as sheer panic had her glancing desperately out of the car window. Could she jump out at the next traffic lights? He couldn’t exactly chase her through the streets of London.

      ‘Baines has locked the doors automatically, on my instructions.’ The deep, gravelly voice made her jump and as her eyes shot to his face she saw that the eyelids were still firmly closed. ‘Lie back and enjoy the ride, Miss Gordon. You are in my clutches now, whether you like it or not.’

      ‘I don’t!’

      ‘Good.’ He shifted slightly as he spoke. ‘Consider it a down payment on your penance.’

      ‘My penance?’ she squeaked disbelievingly. ‘Now just look here; I don’t know what you’ve got in mind but——’

      ‘That’s probably just as well.’ He was quite un-moved, lying back in the seat like a great, dangerous black cat. ‘No one crosses me and gets away with it, Miss Gordon. Bear that in mind.’

      She glared at him silently as the car sped on in the night traffic, although it was quite wasted on the closed eyes. He was a very masculine man. Her gaze idly wandered over the rugged, hard features and thick, straight black hair that had touches of silver above the ears. Strong, vigorous, probably very virile…

      She stiffened with horror at the path her thoughts had traversed on to. What on earth was she thinking? She couldn’t care less if he was the most virile man on earth—this was Kane Steel, the original rat on two legs. So what if he was handsome? She loathed him, hated him…But then he wasn’t really handsome, was he? She found herself contemplating the relaxed face again. No, not at all, really, and yet there was something, a magnetism, a breathtakingly dynamic attractiveness, that was all male and more compelling than any pretty-boy looks. She shook her head at her own treachery. There was nothing good about this man, nothing at all, be it looks or anything else.

      As the big car ate up the miles she began to feel more and more worried with each passing landmark. This was ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. If they didn’t stop soon she would start screaming and banging on the glass partition until the driver stopped. She was a grown woman of twenty-four years of age, for goodness’ sake, not some skittery schoolgirl who couldn’t say boo to a goose.

      ‘Had you eaten?’

      ‘What?’ She started so violently as the deep voice spoke that she completely missed what he had said.

      The amazingly compelling eyes opened and fixed her with their arctic blueness. ‘I asked if you had eaten. Before your wonderful performance in front of Wapping’s finest.’

      ‘It wasn’t a performance, it was…’ Her voice trailed away as she couldn’t think of a suitable comparison and she stiffened in outrage as he smiled coldly, his face full of burningly acidic contempt.

      ‘I am not surprised your actions leave you speechless,’ he said with icy biting humour. ‘I can assure you they had exactly the same effect on me.’

      ‘Huh!’ She eyed him balefully. ‘Well——’

      ‘I said, had you eaten?’ There was a note in the resonant voice now that suggested she had better reply, fast.

      ‘No, as a matter of fact,’ she said tightly, her eyes flashing her hostility and dislike. ‘Although what it’s got to do with you——’

      ‘Spare me.’ He cut off her words with an irritable wave of his hand as he turned to look out of the window. ‘We’re here.’

      ‘Where’s here?’ she asked warily, her gaze widening as the beautiful car drove between two wide-open gates set in a high brick wall and journeyed on down a huge gravel drive towards an enormous house in the distance.

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