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from his head. Now or never, he screamed to himself as he ducked and swung out. He
managed to land a punch to Jeffries chin a moment before the gun slammed against
the side of his head.
Luke was still reaching for Jeffries when he slid to the gravel below. No, not this
way, he said to himself just before losing consciousness.
* * * *
Luke s head lolled to the side as he fought to open his eyes. For several
moments he caught snatches of his surroundings before his eyes fluttered shut
again. House, he knew he was in a house.
Wake up! I don t have all day!
Luke tried once more to focus. Jeffries face was the only thing in his line of
vision. No thanks, he d rather go back to sleep.
A kick to his knee caused Luke to cry out in pain. You sonofabitch!
Do I have your attention? Jeffries asked.
Luke tried to reach for his injured knee, but couldn t move his hands. He
looked down to find both arms tied to a chair. Untie me.
Jeffries cackled. Sure, buddy, anything you want. He laughed again before
holding a wicked looking hunting knife in front of Luke s face. This belongs to your
boyfriend, so I think it s only right we use it for our little game, don t you?
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CONFESSIONS Carol Lynne
77
Fuck you! Luke tugged against the restraints, trying to free himself. He
hissed when the sharp blade made a cut across his forearm.
Jeffries laughed and shook his finger. Now calm down so I can tell you the
rules of our game.
It wasn t hard for Luke to see he was at Jeffries mercy, so he stilled. I don t
like games.
You ll like this one. Jeffries pursed his lips. Well, maybe not, but I ll like it.
He held the knife up once more. Now, here are the rules. I m going to ask
questions. Every time you don t answer, I get a point. If you answer with one of your
typical smartass remarks, I get a point. Oh, and by the way, I m keeping score on
your body. So& shall we begin?
Luke had no doubt Jeffries would kill him once he had the information he
wanted, so what was the point of playing? No way in hell would he give Priest up. If
Luke was going to die, and least he could do his best to keep Priest alive.
Where exactly is your boyfriend? Jeffries asked.
Probably fucking your mamma. Luke gritted his teeth when Jeffries drew the
blade down his calf.
Wrong answer. Jeffries reached for a T-shirt on the nearby bed and wiped the
blood from the knife. Let s try again. Where. Is. Priest?
Luke shook his head. When the cold steel sliced across his upper arm, Luke
fought to keep his reaction hidden. He may not be able to stop his own death, but he
refused to give Jeffries the satisfaction of knowing how much pain he was in.
Stupid man, Jeffries admonished. I ll find him anyway. Do you really want
Priest to know you suffered like this? What do you think that ll do to him?
Luke tried to think of the situation from Priest s point of view. He hated to
admit it, but Jeffries was right. It would probably crush Priest to know Luke had
been tortured until he d drawn his last breath.
Okay, let s try a different question. Priest has files that I need. Tell me where
he keeps them, and I ll think about letting you live long enough to see your lover
once more. Jeffries smiled. That is, until I remove his eyes from their sockets. I
want him to hear your screams before I kill him.
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78
When Luke didn t answer right away, the blade dug deeper into his skin as it
sliced down his chest. Blood began to flow from the wound. At the rate Mr Sadistic
was going, Luke would be dead before he had a chance to see Priest anyway.
Still, Luke knew if he had any chance of survival, it would be with Priest s help.
Before Jeffries could inflict another wound, Luke made a decision. He has a storage
unit somewhere. I heard him mention it, but I don t know where it is.
Jeffries wrapped the T-shirt around the blade of the knife. Using the cloth as
protection for his hand, Jeffries lifted the knife. The heavy handle swung down,
landing a blow against Luke s head.
* * * *
Priest arrived at the pub an hour early. He sat away from the windows with his
back to the wall and ordered a cup of hot tea. For hours, he d thought of nothing but
Luke and the situation they d found themselves in.
The waiter returned with his tea. Can I get you anything else?
Priest shook his head, his thoughts on the phone in front of him, the desire to
talk to Luke overwhelming. The need to hear Luke s voice, more than anything,
helped convince Priest his feelings were indeed genuine.
In the past, the men he d slept with hadn t invaded his thoughts once he d left
their beds. It was different with Luke. Not only had the memories of his brief
encounter with Luke driven him to buy a house and return to Cattle Valley, but the
more time he spent with Luke, the more he wanted.
Once again, he tried to picture himself settling down in Wyoming. The
domestic side of such a life didn t concern him. The professional aspect did. Finally
giving up, Priest picked up the new prepaid phone and called Luke.
The phone rang four times before it was answered. It s about time you called
to check in with your toy, Jeffries said.
Priest s heart skipped a beat as his hand tightened around the phone. You
have no fucking idea what you ve just done, he growled.
I m afraid I do. You see I find myself in a bit of a jam, and since you haven t
responded to any of my calls, I saw no other way to get your attention.
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CONFESSIONS Carol Lynne
79
You re dead, Priest announced. Never in his life had he wanted to kill
someone, until now.
So is pretty boy here if you don t do what I tell you to do. You see, poor Luke
didn t hold up well under interrogation. I would let you talk to him, but he s
indisposed at the moment.
The thought of Jeffries laying a hand on Luke further fuelled Priest s rage.
There was no doubt in his mind Jeffries would end up dead, but Priest needed to
ensure Luke wouldn t be harmed further until that moment. What do you want?
Why, you, of course. Oh, and the files I know you keep after doing a job. I ve
searched your entire house and can t find them, which tells me you re storing them
somewhere else. Your little boyfriend confirmed it.
I don t know what you re talking about. I destroy files once the job has been
completed. It was a lie, of course. Priest had an entire storage unit full of file
cabinets in a small town in Iowa. The only file he hadn t had time to store was the
one on Alhena and that was taped under the seat of the minivan.
I m not a fool, Priest. I know you think of those written orders as a get out of
jail free card.
Priest needed to stall Jeffries. Why d you turn traitor?
Traitor is such an ugly word. I prefer opportunist. There was a lot of money to
be made that the agency wasn t taking advantage of. I saw a need that wasn t being
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