Deep Rising (An Outside the Lines Novel) (Entangled Select) by N.R. Rhodes Page A

him. Physically, the man embodied everything she found attractive. Powerful build, strong will, quick intellect. Emotionally, she thought he had a few screws loose. Realistically speaking, until she figured out what was up with her brother, anything she might or might not feel in response remained completely irrelevant.
    The undeniable chemistry, the dangerous circumstances…had she fallen into some twisted James Bond movie? Knowing how they all ended, she hoped she wouldn’t become a Bond girl. The ladyloves of 007 tended to die.
    Jared moved directly to the front desk. Hanging back, Lana absorbed her surroundings. The hotel exhibited sleek lines and stylish architecture. Large, gaping arches opened to winding patios that curved around the main building. She could discern the ocean in the distance and a set of stairs leading to it. Aside from a cluster of lounge chairs and several sailboats that had been dragged onto the sandbanks, the beach appeared deserted. Drifting offshore, a handful of people straddled surfboards. Small cabanas perched like coconuts on the sand.
    Modern, expensive decor. A sophisticated, trendy hotel. As one passing guest raked Lana from head to toe with a sneer, “exclusive” was the next descriptor to flash in her mind.
    Her running sneakers and warm-up outfit might be considered out of place in this tropical environment, but she’d dressed for Washington weather. Jared, on the other hand, had changed clothes while aboard the jet. He wore suit pants, a silk shirt open at the neck, and a light, stylish dinner jacket. A heavy, diamond-encrusted watch weighted his left wrist. He retained the gun, she knew. The jacket must have been specifically tailored to conceal it.
    Jared crossed back to her and clasped her hand. “Let’s go.”
    He marched through the lobby, and Lana had no choice save to follow or be dragged along.
    “We’re staying in the main hotel,” he said. “There are bungalows on the beach, but we’ll be safer and a lot less visible inside. Stay in the room. Stay out of sight. Don’t go traipsing down to the pool. We aren’t on vacation.”
    “I didn’t think we were.”
    He grunted and hauled her to the end of the hallway. Rather than take the elevator, he opened the door to the stairwell and, with her scampering behind him, he jogged up the concrete stairs to the third floor. Leading her down the hallway, he stopped in front of the last room in the corridor. Lana noted another stairwell and a set of service elevators along the short wall opposite the room.
    “Wait here,” he ordered.
    She watched him insert a magnetic key into the lock and slip into the room. The door closed behind him. She stared at the polished wood and listened intently for any sounds of a struggle. As the seconds dragged on, she grew edgy. What was he doing? Could someone actually be inside? She raised her hand to knock, and paused with her knuckles an inch from the door. She didn’t want to distract him. Glancing surreptitiously down either length of the hotel corridor, she didn’t note anything out of place. A single housekeeping cart obstructed the desolate hallway. The woman manning the cart, a thin, dark-skinned islander, noticed Lana and waved.
    “Are you locked out of your room?” the woman called.
    “No,” she replied. “I-I’m just waiting for my husband.”
    The maid nodded and grabbed a handful of towels before disappearing into another hotel suite.
    Lana turned back to the door. “Come on, Jared,” she whispered nervously. “What’s keeping you?”
    Thoughts of the perils he might face sent shock waves of fear coursing through her, and she paced back and forth before the door. She scanned the hallway for routes of escape and considered her options. Not many sprang to mind.
    Jared exited a few minutes later.
    “It’s clean,” he said.
    What if it hadn’t been ? Lana wondered. What then ? But she didn’t ask because she didn’t think she could handle the answer.
    “You’re