Free In Enemy Hands by Michelle Perry

that he was taking a sociology class.
    Nick sighed. “I suppose I can. We were almost finished here anyway.” He frowned at Dante. “If you have any questions about anything, ask Ronnie.”
    That’s exactly what Dante intended to do.
    So far, all of Dante’s fishing with Nick had turned up nothing. Nick wanted him to protect Nadia, but he was very vague about from whom. This whole situation felt off in some way, and Dante didn’t like it.
    One thing was becoming crystal clear, though. Nick Branson wasn’t the kind of man you messed around with. Although Dante was still puzzled by Nick’s relationships with his family and bodyguards, he’d glimpsed the coldness behind those dark eyes. Dante didn’t have to guess what would happen if he was caught trying to kidnap Nadia. Nick Branson would kill him without hesitation.
    Nadia slipped up behind her stepfather and linked her arm through his.
    “I’m going for a swim,” she announced. “Ronnie said he’d go with me. Waynie, are you coming?”
    “Would be a nice day for a swim, but I can’t,” Waynie said grumpily. “Mr. B is going to work on my computer for me. It’s started freezing up again. I guess
Dante
will have to go in my place.”
    Nadia glared at him emphasis, and Waynie dropped his head. He sighed. “I’m going to boot it up now.”
    Branson’s eyes narrowed. As Waynie shuffled inside the barracks, the corner of Branson’s mouth twitched. He snagged Nadia’s ponytail and gave it a gentle tug. “You think—you’re a clever girl, don’t you?”
    She stared up at him with twinkling green eyes and an impish smile. “Apparently not as clever as I thought.”
    Nick laughed and seized her in a brief, fierce hug. Then he kissed the top of her head and shooed her away. “Go, before I change my mind, you little sneak.”
    Dante watched with amusement. Whatever Vandergriff thought about Nick, he was wrong about one thing. Nick loved Nadia. He felt the connection between them. But Nick wasn’t the real threat—the meth dealer was. He was going to have to remember that.
    A laughing Nadia pushed Dante toward the barracks. “You heard what the man said. “Go change. Ronnie and I will meet you behind the house.”
    Inside the room Nick had assigned him, Dante remembered he didn’t have any shorts in his duffle bag. He hadn’t exactly figured on a pleasure trip. But Nadia was waiting, so he sat on the edge of the bed and sawed the legs of his blue jeans off at mid-thigh with his pocket knife.
    He found her in the backyard, adjusting her ponytail holder. A white bottle of Coppertone peeked out from the loose waistband of her shorts and, when he drew closer, the wind carried her sweet coconut smell to him. Her tan glistened in the sun, and once again Dante’s mind filled with thoughts he had no business thinking.
    “Hiya, handsome,” she said with a wink. “I hope you don’t mind us stealing you away. Nick’s had you busy for hours, so I thought a rescue mission might be in order.”
    Dante grinned. “Thanks. A swim sounds great. But where’s the pool?”
    “Pool?” Nadia scoffed. “You’re not in New York, mister. We do things different around here.”
    “Nadia, you do have a pool,” Ronnie pointed out, and Dante jumped. He hadn’t even noticed the bodyguard standing there. Man, he really had to focus.
    She wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, but what good’s an indoor pool in the summer? I like to feel the sun on my skin, the wind in my hair—”
    “You just like to make me freeze my ass off in that running water,” Ronnie grumbled. He lifted the digital camera slung around his neck, snapped a picture of the big oak tree at the corner of the house, and headed to the woods.
    Nadia slid her hand in his, and Dante felt a little jolt at how good it felt there. How natural. He thought about Nick’s stipulation, but he couldn’t bring himself to pull away from her. Instead, he gripped her hand tighter.
    Trailing behind Ronnie, they entered the