She looked from the window. The supply boat was anchored by the jetty. If she could get onto it and hide, she could get far enough for Juan to no longer have a physical hold on her. Getting the damn thing off her neck would be tricky, but that was a different problem, one she’d solve once she’d escaped.
With new determination, she went downstairs and started walking. The nearer she got to the barrier Juan had pointed out, the stickier her palms grew. Her step almost faltered when she reached the invisible line, but she pinched her eyes shut and rushed forward, mentally preparing herself for the assault. She took one step, and another, and another, until she stood on the other side of the line.
Nothing happened.
Relief washed through her. Laughter shook her shoulders. Juan had bluffed. It was just a psychological game the bastard was playing with her. The boat and freedom were so close now.
Her sandals hit the wooden boards of the jetty hard. Only a few more yards. She was home free. Another step, and then a force slammed into her body. Pain sliced through every muscle and bone, pulling her apart. It held without easing until she thought her arms would be torn from her chest. Screaming was impossible. Her jaw was locked tightly.
Shaking and convulsing, she went down on her knees. It felt as if her brain was being scrambled in her skull. Her fingers and toes curled inward, and her muscles cramped. Just when she thought she was going to die, the current of pain lifted. She fell backward as if she’d been held by an elastic band that had snapped. Laying on the sand, she was unable to move, her muscles paralyzed.
Footsteps sounded on the jetty. She could hear, see, and breathe, but she couldn’t lift a finger. A guard dressed in a black suit appeared above her, his head blocking out the sun as he peered down. Another face joined his. Fear made tears leak from the corners of her eyes as she stared up at Juan, but she couldn’t even use her hand to wipe them away. The guard nudged her with the tip of his shoe as if testing some distasteful creature to see if it was dead.
Juan’s expression was closed off. “I told you it would hurt.” He tilted his head. “What else did I tell you?”
She couldn’t speak even if she wanted to.
“I said the second time would kill.” He pulled a glossy card from his shirt pocket—a photograph—and dropped it on her stomach. “Get up.”
She blinked, unable to obey.
“Pick her up,” Juan said to the guard.
The guard hooked his hands under her armpits and pulled her into a sitting position. Juan crouched down, putting them on eye level. Picking up the photo, he held it in front of her face. A strangled whimper escaped her lips as she stared at the picture of Matt. The photo had been taken from a distance. Her brother had been staring at the pavement as he’d walked, unaware that his image had been snapped. Fear greater than any she’d experienced before coiled through her insides.
Juan leaned in, his breath hot on her face. “If you pull another stunt like this, he’ll die. Do you understand?” Tracing her jaw with his thumb, he continued, “You seem incapable of speaking right now, my sweet, so blink once if you understand what I’m saying.”
She blinked, sending the fresh tears that had welled up in her eyes rolling down her cheeks.
Juan straightened. “Take her to my room.”
The guard lifted her like a rag doll into his arms and carried her across the sand.
Chapter 9
The guard dumped her unceremoniously on Juan’s king-sized bed.
Removing the belt of a man’s silk gown that hung on the back of the door, Juan threw it at the guard. “Tie her hands to the bed.”
Life was slowly returning to her limbs, but not enough to fight, yet. She lay helpless while the guard secured her wrists above her head to the iron bars of the four-poster frame.
“Thank you,” Juan said when the job was done. “You can go now. Send Rod over. Tell him to bring his tools.”
Asia’s body shook. What did he have in store for her?
Her voice returned with stuttering spurts. “Can’t … keep me.”
Juan walked to her side and placed his ear next to her mouth. “What was that?”
“Against … my will.”
He straightened and sighed. “I wasn’t going to punish you more. I thought the shock was a lesson well enough learned, but now you don’t leave me with a choice.”
She twisted in the constraints.
He tapped her nose. “Think of Matthew when you feel rebellious.”
That made her stop.
A knock fell on the door. A man with a big stomach and gray hair entered, carrying a doctor’s case. She’d noticed him among the guests but had never seen Juan speak to him.