When Lightning Strikes

Killian sat on the bed, fully dressed, a tin cup of coffee

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in one hand. The blankets lay bunched up beside him, a tangle of grayed linen sheeting and charcoal wool.

Lainie swallowed hard, tried to appear rational and calm, even though her heart was slamming against her rib cage and her knees were rattling together.

She looked at him, knowing her lower lip was trembling but unable to stop it. "I-I need to leave now."

He cocked one great, winged eyebrow and took a sip of coffee. "Really?"

She heard the sarcasm in his voice, saw it in the glittering depths of his brown eyes, and surprisingly, it hurt. She told herself it didn't matter. He was nothing to her; less than nothing. One way or another, with him or without him, she was getting back to Fortune Flats. "Really."

"Want some coffee?"

"No, I do not want some coffee. I want to get out of here, now."

He set his cup down on the crate beside the bed. Swiveling to the side, he got up and walked slowly toward her. "You aren't going anywhere until we talk."

"There's no point in us talking. It won't get me back to . . ." At the thought of Kelly, something inside her seemed to give way. The meager hope she'd fabricated dissolved, left her empty inside. Suddenly and for the first time in her life, she didn't care about her pride or looking good or appearing strong. She was desperate and frightened and she didn't care if he knew it.

He saw her second of vulnerability and pounced on it like a hunting cat. "Back to what... to who? Your precious Joe?"

She wanted to have the inner strength to meet his penetrating gaze, but she didn't. "Home." Her voice caught on the word, trembled. "I just want to go home."

"You're not going anywhere, lady. Not until I get some answers about you."

"Answers?" She hurled the word back at him, hearing the rising edge of hysteria in her voice. "I don't have any goddamn answers for you, Killian."

He took a step closer. "You'd better have."

She spun away from him and backed up, putting as much distance as possible between them. Control was a thin, wavering strand that edged further and further from her grasp. She swallowed convulsively and tried to compose herself, but it was impossible. Her hands were shaking, her heart was pounding. All she could think about was Kelly, her precious Kelly, and getting home.

"Come here, Lainie," he said in a deceptively soft voice.

She glanced wildly around, looking for a way out. She had no answers to give him, none that he would believe anyway. Her fear accelerated, her breathing sped up.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a glint of silver. A second later, it registered.

A gun. Power.

Without thinking, she surged for the pistol and grabbed it. Spinning around, she pointed it at Killian.

He stopped dead. "Jesus, lady?"

What now? She needed something to make him vulnerable?just long enough so that she could get the hell out of here. Only one thing came to mind?and she wished it were something else. "T-Take off your clothes."

He didn't know what he'd expected her to say, but that sure as hell wasn't it. He couldn't help himself. He laughed. "What?"

"Take off your clothes and throw them to me."

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A smile quirked one corner of his mouth. "You don't need a gun to see me naked, Lainie."