Dangerous Melody Read Free

them and pulling a chair over to wedge against the wood. “Going to have company in a few minutes.”
    “What are you doing?” she demanded again.
    He rounded on her. “Looking for Maria.”
    “I haven’t seen her,” Stephanie said.
    Tate’s broad shoulders tensed. “Why areyou breaking down the door?”
    “Because...” What should she tell him? She was searching Bittman’s house? And what would be a reasonable explanation for that? She had to get Tate to leave. Bittman was clear that no one should know about her father, or there would be deadly consequences. “You’ve got to go, Tate.”
    He folded his arms. “Not until you’ve explained why you’re bent on smashingdown this door.”
    She sucked in a deep breath. “It’s not your concern.”
    “There’s a guy coming up the stairs in about another minute to throw me off the property. Bittman knows about my sister, and now I see you’re involved with him somehow, so I’m making it my concern.”
    Stephanie’s stomach tightened, and a sense of urgency nearly choked her. She moved to him, putting a hand on hissolid chest. “Tate, please. You need to leave.”
    He gave her that slow smile, a shadow of the crooked, cocky grin from the time before everything had fallen apart between them. His hand touched hers gently. Then he moved off, sat in a high-backed leather chair and put up his booted feet on the pristine table. “I don’t think so, Steph.” He stretched his arms behind his neck, giving her thatgrin. “Fuego Demolitions is between contracts right now. I’ve got all the time in the world.”
    The outer door began to shudder as someone yanked the knob.

TWO
    S tephanie felt a scream building as she ran to him and grabbed his wrist. His hands closed around hers, callused and strong. She knew it was going to be impossible to move him, but panic overrode her common sense. “Tate...”
    A fist pounded on the door.
    “Open up,” shouted an unfamiliar voice.
    She looked wildly at Tate.
    He shrugged. “Bittman’s security guy.I guess he made it out of the birdcage.”
    She had only moments. Tate or no Tate, she had to get to her father. Stephanie ran to the scarred door and screamed through it again. “Daddy,” she yelled. “Answer me.”
    The words electrified Tate. He was on his feet and next to her in a second. “Your father’s in there?”
    “I’m not sure, but I’ve got to know.”
    He grabbed her arm. “Steph,what’s going on?’
    “Get out of my way.” She shook him off and picked up the chair again.
    He stopped her hand for the second time, pulling a pocketknife from his jeans. “Faster,” he said, applying the blade to the hinge.
    The pounding on the door was loud now, then it stopped abruptly. A crash of wood on wood made Stephanie jump. “He’ll be through in a minute.”
    “Me, too,” Tatesaid, popping loose the pin.
    Stephanie saw the outer doors to the suite beginning to weaken under the assault of a foot or shoulder. With a crack, a booted foot came through a ragged gap.
    Tate lifted the door free, and Stephanie tumbled in with Tate right behind her. There was a king-size master bed in disarray, sheets and blankets twisted. She ran into the adjoining bathroom, whereshe found a small basin and some bandages. Heart thundering, she returned to the bedroom to find Tate examining something.
    He held up a pair of plastic restraints.
    Her heart plummeted. The crack of wood in the outer room meant the security guy was nearly through.
    She ran to the bed and felt the covers. “They’re still warm.”
    His eyes locked on hers. “Got to be another way out.”
    Running into a sitting room that adjoined the master bedroom, they found it, a rear door partially ajar.
    Stephanie didn’t wait another moment; she slammed through, Tate behind her. She heard him pull the door closed, but there was no way to lock it from the outside. Their pursuer would be right behind them.
    She found herself running down a hallway that ended in a