If she was strong enough to argue with him and fight with the locked door, she was strong enough to tell him her source. His finger hovered over the communication link before he pulled it back. As soon as he demanded answers, shed know it was him keeping her locked away. What would he do with the information at half past one in the morning anyway? Better to wait, to learn more about her. Hed prefer to find a way to handle this without exposing himself to a lawsuit or criminal charges.
It was a relief when she ducked into the bathroom and out of his sight, ending his one-sided debate.
There was no way for her to escape. Shed accept that soon enough. Fortunately for him, there wasnt anyone else to hear her screaming, though he hoped she didnt do that again any time soon. The woman had excellent projection and stamina. Rubbing his aching ears, he returned to his search into her background, looking for anything that made her a target.
He glanced up at the monitor when she emerged from the bathroom. Shed let her hair down and hed bet the clip was tucked in her bra or somewhere she thought to use it as a weapon. Fair enough. When she brushed a finger under her nose, he zoomed in on her face and cursed himself. Shed been crying. In the one place where she knew he couldnt watch.
What had he done here? After a few hours, he was already dangerously close to feeling guilty about locking her in the safe room, even if it was for her protection. Guilt didnt suit him. He assessed and took action according to mission parameters. That philosophy had served him well in the field and equally well in his civilian endeavors. It would serve him well as he tracked down the blackmailer.
Parker pulled the tie from his tuxedo collar, wrapping and unwrapping the length of fabric around his knuckles. Hed mined her school records from high school through college. Shed made straight As through a tough course load peppered with every form of drama club and literature classes. According to her first résumé out of college, shed held lead roles in some of the stage productions. He supposed that went along with being the daughter of a powerful force in Hollywood. Those details trickled down and eventually disappeared as she applied for jobs that took her away from Southern California. Shed had an interesting journey to her current post as a producer.
Nothing in the first layers of her background pointed to motive for kidnapping. His mind followed the logic back to his first theory that the scarred mans attempt to take her was connected to the blackmailer and the source feeding the media lies about Parkers team. It wasnt the least bit uplifting.
Satisfied she was alert and out of immediate danger, he felt better about leaving her unattended while he made the quick trip over to her place. She wouldnt be comfortable in that dress indefinitely. Hopefully a gesture of goodwill in the form of clean clothes would be a step in overcoming her justified anger.
With a sigh, he synced the app that would let him keep an eye on her and this condo through his phone. As he changed clothes, he decided the only silver lining was that she didnt seem to remember hed been around when the scarred man grabbed her. He didnt expect that to last much longer.
* * *
BECCA PACED THE length of the room, considering her options. In the bathroom, shed taken the clip from her hair and broken it in two pieces. One was inside her bra, the other tucked into her garter. She wanted to be prepared if her captor came in and tried something. As weapons, the pieces wouldnt cause much damage, but they might buy her a few precious seconds to get away.
She loosened the zipper on her dress, wishing she could take it off. Although the little black dress was considered a wardrobe staple, perfect for every occasion, she
was ready to be done with it. What she wouldnt give for yoga pants and her threadbare college sweatshirt. And some thick socks. Her sheer stockings did nothing to protect her feet from the cold tiled floor.
It was a peculiar experience for her to not know the time. Her entire life revolved around her daily routine. Good grief, she wanted to know the day. Was anyone looking for her yet? Had a ransom been issued? Would her captor be demanding payment from the network or her family? She supposed that depended on the reason for taking her captive. If the goal was money, hed be better off dealing with her directly. She could just imagine her dad ignoring a critical voice mail or email because he had a movie to finish or business to handle.
Tears threatened once more. Hed always been tough, though she knew he loved her. They loved each other. The gap had just become too wide after her mother died. Flattened by his grief, hed never quite made it back to really connect with her. They hadnt had a real conversation in months, and that last one hadnt been uplifting for either of them. She hoped that terse exchange wouldnt be their last.
Her stomach rumbled and she decided to make use of the basics her captor had stocked. Finding peanut butter in the cabinet and bread in the refrigerator, she used a spoon and made a sandwich. Good thing I dont have a peanut allergy, she said, raising the sandwich to the camera. Did you check my medical records? She poured another glass of water from the tap, not ready to trust the chilled bottles.