Free Uneasy Alliance by Unknown Page A

don't know yet."
    "Any idea who?"
    She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut in despair.
    "Where were you going when I arrived?" The questions weren't brutal,
    merely unrelenting. Abby was already regretting her decision to tell him
    the truth.
    "Somewhere. Anywhere. I just wanted to get out of town. That second
    photo and the note arrived early this morning. All I've been able to think
    about for the past few hours is getting away from this apartment. I need
    time. Time to think. Time to draw whoever it is out into the open where I
    can deal with him."
    "You're sure it's a him?"
    "No, I'm not even sure of that. But I thought that whoever it is would try
    to find me and in the process I might discover who was making the
    threats."
    "Did you think about going to the police?" he asked calmly.
    "No!" She swung around to face him. "No, not yet. Not until I've had a
    chance to deal with it on my own. I don't want Cynthia hurt unless there's
    absolutely no alternative. She's going to be crushed if she sees those
    pictures and someone tells her I had a fling with her husband! Oh, Torr, I
    can't do that to her. We're so close to each other. I don't want her hurt. I'll
    do anything to prevent that."
    "Including paying off a blackmailer?"
    "There must be a way of stopping him!"
    "Or her," Torr reminded her mildly.
    "Or her," Abby agreed bleakly.
    There was silence in the room as Torr contemplated the information
    she had supplied. He had his answers now, Abby thought uneasily. What
    would his reaction be? For the life of her she couldn't read his hard face.
    The amber eyes were clear and steady but as unfathomable as always as he
    watched her tense expression.
    "All right," Torr finally said.
    Abby stared at him blankly. He had obviously come to a decision but
    she was helpless to guess what it might be. "All right, what?"
    "If you want to make a run for it and see who follows, I'll let you."
    She flinched, a little taken aback. Somehow, after demanding all those
    explanations, she hadn't expected Torr to simply withdraw and let her
    resume her plans. Was he going to abandon her now? Why had she let him
    force her into telling him the whole story? Proudly she tilted her head.
    "Goodbye, then, Torr. You've detained me long enough."
    One of the rare flashes of humor lit his amber eyes. "Detained you?
    Lady, that's only the beginning. My next step is to kidnap you. Since you're
    all packed and ready I guess there's no point hanging around. Let's go."
    "What? Go where? Torr, what are you talking about?" she demanded
    seethingly, torn between relief and sheer outrage.
    "You want to disappear for a while and see who comes looking, right?
    Well, I've got a place you can disappear to. I'll be along to help look over
    your shoulder so we don't get taken by surprise by whoever's sending you
    these." He scooped up the photograph and the note and got to his feet.
    When Abby failed to move he frowned warningly. "Don't dawdle, honey.
    We've got a long drive ahead of us."

FOUR
    « ^ »
    Abby sat tense and withdrawn as Torr guided the BMW out of Portland
    going east along the interstate that paralleled the mighty Columbia River.
    For several miles the river formed the border between the states of
    Washington and Oregon, cutting a majestic swath through a spectacular
    gorge. The densely forested mountains rose skyward on Abby's right and
    the river surged toward the ocean on her left. It was a wonderfully scenic
    route and at any other time she would have been thoroughly enjoying
    herself. But today being on the floor of the gorge gave her a sensation of
    being trapped.
    Or perhaps it was the knowledge that she was confined in a car with a
    man she barely knew, a man who was trying to take over her life, that gave
    her the trapped sensation.
    Then again, maybe being a victim of blackmail always made you feel
    that way. Her fingers clenched into a knot in her lap.
    "I'd tell you to stop worrying except that I don't think the advice would
    do much