Bulletproof Billionaire by Mallory Kane

Author:Mallory Kane [Mallory Kane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin Books
Published: 2004-02-07T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Adrienne faced an impossible choice—Seth's life or her mother's. She couldn't abandon her mother, but neither could she lead Seth into Jerome's deadly trap.

As the day waned, she stepped out the kitchen door, too tense to stay cooped up inside. In the shaded courtyard, the sunset gave a rosy glow to the tiny waterfall that bubbled into a stone pool filled with golden koi.

Water lilies and philodendrons spilled over the rocky edges. A canopy shaded the wrought-iron table and chairs, and protected numerous other potted plants that lent the tiny fenced area the feel of a lush tropical hideaway.

She sat on the side of the stone koi pond, trailing her fingers in the water, enticing the koi to the surface to investigate. Their mouths tickled as they tasted her fingertips and determined that she wasn't food.

Usually, playing with the fish soothed her, but today, she watched the fish with a growing unease.

She was trapped in her world as surely as the koi were trapped in theirs. She'd heard that the little golden fish grew as big as their environment would let them, but that if they were kept in a tiny place, they would remain tiny, tied forever to their boundaries.

Adrienne felt the same way. Small, helpless, tied to this house and the men who controlled her.

Agitated, she picked up the tin of fish food and shook it over the water. Two fish, one with a black tail and one with a stripe, made a beeline for the floating food, nipping at each other. As they fought, vying for the best position, a third fish, smaller and solid gold, zipped around them and while they were distracted, snapped up the morsels of food.

The two larger fish approached the little gold one. She hovered in the water for an instant, between the two, then flipped her tail and swam toward the striped fish.

"Good girl," Adrienne whispered. "Using them to take care of yourself."

The actions of the fish gave her pause. The little fish had hung back, biding her time, as the two larger black and gold fish sparred. She ended up siding with the larger, more protective fish.

But even with the protection of the striped fish, the little gold koi was still trapped. Every victory, even the smallest, had its price.

Tony had promised her freedom. But was the price too high? Was she willing to put Seth's life on the line to protect herself and her mother?

Seth could take care of himself—her mother couldn't, the logical side of her brain reminded her.

But the illogical side, the side that couldn't wait to see him, that needed the protective comfort of his strong arms around her, was just as persuasive. She couldn't let the mob ambush him. She had no doubt Jerome was capable of killing Seth just to placate his wounded ego.

And what if Tony was lying? He lied as easily as he breathed when it suited him. Would Jerome ever really let her go?

She paced back and forth in front of the koi pond, her thoughts in turmoil, her belly in knots.

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