Cal stirred the oatmeal slowly, scowling at the thick, cold excuse for a breakfast. Rose ate quickly, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. "They're not bringing anything better," she said, scraping her spoon against the bottom of the bowl. "You may as well give in and eat it."
He grunted and pushed the bowl away. "I'm not half hungry enough to be tempted by that."
"Fine. I'll eat it," Rose said briskly. Between bites, she added, "Starving yourself won't get us out of here."
"And what makes you an expert on the way to get out of an abduction?" He leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I'm not an expert on anything," she replied. "I'm just not stupid enough to think those two give a damn what happens to us as long as we're still technically alive when they hand us over to whomever hired them. And we both know someone hired them; those two couldn't possibly have planned this all by themselves."
"You seem quite sure of yourself. But I suppose spending over a decade among vice-ridden degenerates has that effect on even the most well-bred women," he said coolly.
Rose's hand tightened around the bowl; her mouth twitched. Finally, she smiled sweetly. "I haven't spent so much time in the presence of a vice-ridden degenerate since the last time I saw you."
*****
"You haven't even touched your food." A pout lingered on the edges of Amanda's tone. "Refusing to eat is a bit rude, don't you think?"
Jack speared a piece of fruit with his fork. He chewed silently, tasting nothing. It was cold and heavy in his stomach. He put the fork down. "I'm sorry," he said. "I just—I can't. Thank you for the meal, but—" He shook his head. "Until I find Rose, I don't care if I eat."
Amanda leaned back in her chair. She studied him, letting her gaze roam over his face slowly. He had the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen; eyes, she realized with a start, she could drown in if she wasn't careful. "What do you think happened to her?" she asked.
"I don't know," he said with a sigh. "There's no reason for anyone to take her. We don't have anything. We don't piss anyone off." His hands curled into fists on the table. "It doesn't make sense. Someone coming after your husband I get, but Rose?"
"Why would someone come after Cal?"
Jack groped for words, realizing his mistake. "Because he's a successful guy," he said. "He has enough money to make kidnapping him worthwhile."
"You're right about that," Amanda said. "It's more than worthwhile. Though I must admit I wouldn't be terribly shocked if this was all because of one of his business dealings going wrong."
"They go badly enough for someone to hold this kind of a grudge? I thought he did well."
"Oh, he does. He does incredibly well. The same doesn't always happen for the other men involved, I'm sorry to say."
"So, he uses people," Jack said. He shook his head. "He gets what he wants, and it doesn't matter what happens to whoever helped him get it. Can't say I'm surprised," he added in a murmur.
Amanda tilted her head and leaned toward him. "What makes you say that?" she asked.
Jack brushed a stray lock of hair away from his face. "Look, I don't want to sit here and insult your husband," he said. "I don't know you, but you seem like a nice woman, and—"
"But you seem to know him," she interrupted. "How? And don't say it isn't true. I can tell from the way you talk about him. You've met before."
*****
Rose wiped her face one last time. Crumpling the damp handkerchief in her fist, she leaned back against the wall, exhausted. Her breath came in ragged gasps. Her dress clung oppressively to her sweat-soaked skin. "I can't do this," she whispered. Bells rang in her ears. "It's so hot…"
Cal lifted his head from his crumpled jacket. His shirt was untucked but buttoned; his shoes were scattered on the other side of the room with Rose's. "Wasn't it you who said our hosts' generosity didn't include giving a damn about our comfort?" he asked.
"Wasn't it you who got me into this?"
"You don't know that." He let his head fall onto the jacket. Closing his eyes, he said, "Maybe they really wanted you, too."
"And why would they want me? A gutter rat's whore isn't worth the trouble it takes to abduct her," Rose said coolly. "You, however, are worth something. What doesn't make sense is why they think I am."
"So, I was right?" Cal couldn't resist. He opened his eyes just enough to see Rose's face turn to stone. "He didn't marry you?"
"He married me the night we landed in New York." She clasped her hands and pressed her knuckles to her lips. A small silver ring shone in the dim light. "I've never been away from him for so long," she said quietly.
"I'm sure he's fine," Cal said. "He isn't a child—oh, God, don't tell me you have a half dozen brats together."
"We don't have any children," Rose hissed. She drew her knees up to her chest and hugged herself. "And that isn't the point."
*****
Jack walked quickly, shoving his hands in his pockets. The sun beat down on his head, but he didn't notice the heat. The pounding of his feet on the sidewalk created a soothing hum in his ears, blocking out the questions. He didn't realize Amanda had followed him until her hand was on his shoulder. He spun around, fist already in the air. Amanda's eyes widened; she stepped back with a gasp. His arm dropped. "What are you doing?" he blurted out.
"It was my intention to ask if you wanted to conduct our searches together," she said icily. "But I can see your aversion to me quite plainly."
"I wouldn't have hit you," he said. "I'm sorry. I—" He hid his hand in his pocket. Gazing past her, he said, "I don't hit people. Though I'm starting to reconsider that."
Jack!
He tensed at the sound of Rose's voice.
Amanda watched, confused, as his eyes narrowed and he scanned the people around them. "As I was saying," she began slowly. "It might be beneficial to work together. With your instincts about people, and my resources, I'm sure we could—" He continued to stare past her. "Mr. Dawson?"
"But we wouldn't be looking for the same thing," he said. "There's no reason to think Rose and Cal are together. This is just a coincidence." Yet even as he heard himself say it, doubts began to creep in. How could he be so sure? "Why would anyone interested in ransoming Cal take Rose, too?" he asked. "What would be the point? They haven't spoken in over a decade."
"Perhaps these people don't know that," Amanda said slowly. "Perhaps they think there's something to gain by making her a part of it."
"But the people controlling the money don't care about her," Jack pointed out. "I care about her. And I have nothing. If all they want is money, she wouldn't be valuable to them." Talking about Rose as though she were a thing made him feel sick. "But she's everything to me," he said softly.
*****
A cloud of dust swirled around the chair as Brian dropped into it. He rested his feet on the scuffed table, stirring up more dust. "So, what do we do now?" he asked.
Martin didn't look up from his newspaper. "We wait for Dex to tell us what to do next," he said. "You fed them, right?"
"Yeah, I fed them," Brian said. "What did you think I was doing?"
"It took you so long, I began to doubt whether or not you could find your way back up here. And that girl already got her claws in you once."
Brian scowled at the scratches on his arm. "She was lucky," he said. "If she does it again—"
Martin's voice was hard. "You know we can't hurt them. Not while they're still worth something."
"Who said anything about hurting her?"
Martin's frown deepened. "Just don't touch her.”
*****
Despite the sweltering heat in the basement, Rose couldn't stop shivering. She curled into a ball, wrapping her arms around herself. Each breath made her head ache more than the last. A hard knot filled the pit of her stomach. "Jack," she whispered, closing her eyes. "Where are you?"
The hard floor melted away, replaced by the feather mattress she and Jack had filled by hand. Jack's arms held her tightly, warming her to the core. He nuzzled her neck. "There you are," he said sleepily.
"I couldn't find you," she murmured. "I woke up in the strangest place—it was—"
"Shh…" He kissed her temple. "You're with me, where you belong. And if you get lost, I will always find you."
"Jack—" Rose's eyes snapped open.
Cal's hand hovered above her shoulder. "I didn't even touch you," he said.
She sat up slowly. "I'm here," she said. "With you." She shivered, cold once again. "It was a dream."
*****
Jack shot up with a gasp. His damp hair lay flat against his head. Beads of sweat dotted his bare chest. Rose's scent filled the air. "She was here," he said. He looked down at his empty hands. "I felt her."