Angel in the Shadows by Amy Deason

fingers brushed lightly against his, sending a shiver through her. Bringing the glass to her lips with a shaky hand, she was all too aware of his eyes following its progress.
    The cold water slid down her throat, soothing the feeling of broken glass. She closed her eyes in relief, releasing a sigh of pure gratitude. She couldn’t remember having tasted anything so wonderful. Opening her eyes, she looked up to see Seth watching her, a guarded look on his face. Studying him, she saw he was tall, just over six feet. The charcoal suit was gone, replaced by a black sweater and pants that didn’t quite hide a lithe, muscular frame. He possessed the kind of presence and good looks that would make any normal woman look twice. And she did. It shocked her how she could possibly be regarding him in female appreciation. She was held captive against her will and instead of figuring a way out, she was focusing on his masculinity like some teenage girl. What was wrong with her?
    “Where am I?” she asked, steering away from the insane thoughts going through her mind.
    “Somewhere safe,” he said, taking the glass from her, careful not to touch her fingers.
    “That’s comforting,” she muttered.
    “And, of course, your comfort is my primary concern,” Seth replied caustically.
    Madison scowled at him, wishing she had the glass back. This time she wouldn’t miss. “What were you doing with my cell phone?” she asked, her voice husky with renewed anger.
    “Gratitude is not your strong point, is it?” Seth questioned with exaggerated politeness.
    Feeling her temper flare, she glared up at him, trying to burn a hole right through him. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she started, her sharp tongue reacting before her brain could stop it. “Thank you for dragging me into a dark closet, kidnapping me . . .” Suddenly she had an unbidden memory of his lips on hers.
    “You kissed me!” she exclaimed sharply.
    A slight frown creased his fine features. “Yes, I’m afraid I had to. It was the only way to distract you from the syringe.”
    “Yeah, right,” Madison snorted sarcastically. “Wait, what syringe? What did you do to me?”
    “Believe what you want. You didn’t seem to want to come along peacefully so I had to help you along. Wait, Ms. Sinclair, did you just snort?” he questioned, a tight smile on his full lips.
    Not bothering with an answer, she crossed her arms over her chest and stared up at him as defiantly as she could. “You didn’t answer me. What are you doing with my phone?”
    Seth gave her a blank stare and tossed her the cell phone. “Here, I’m done with it. But I’m afraid you won’t be able to make any calls.”
    “You just watch me.” Madison opened it, not quite believing that he would give the phone back to her that easily. Then she realized why he had parted with it so quickly. “What did you do to it? It won’t work,” she demanded. Her anger was threatening to bubble over.
    “I told you, you wouldn’t be able to call anyone. I took the liberty of removing the battery.”
    Furious, Madison stood up from the bed abruptly, all fear aside. She was going to kill him, or at least try to. Before she could take even one step in his direction shooting pain raced up her leg and she stumbled, dropping to her knees.
    “Would you like some help?” he asked politely, standing still and watching her calmly.
    Not even bothering to look at him, she picked herself up off the floor. Gingerly, she stood on her ankle, testing it. “Go to hell.”
    “Don’t be ridiculous. Sit down and let me look at your ankle.”
    “I don’t think so.”
    “I’m not asking,” he replied shortly.
    She considered her options. There weren’t many and the ones she did have didn’t look good. So rather than fight him and risk getting knocked out again, she reluctantly took a seat on the side of the bed.
    “That’s better.” Seth knelt down in front of her, grasping her bare leg and drawing it closer to him. His