Richard saw the change in her eyes. She didn't want to die. Good, that survival instinct would keep her from having to be killed early. Maybe he could make her into his slave and keep her for months instead of weeks.



She was different. This girl knew she had to please him. She wanted to be here. Sure, he'd believed that before but not like this time. This time Delanie Skhye was his and she wanted to be.



Her pupils dilated as she stared into his eyes, it was one of the key factors of attraction. Any idiot knew that. Her cheeks flamed pink too. Oh boy, she wanted him. Few of the women he took ever got to this point. They fought the circumstances. They fought the pain. Delanie would welcome it.



"Tell me what I want to hear."



She hesitated, making him wonder if he'd been correct about her feelings.



"Tell me."



The smile she displayed blew him away. This was what he dreamed about. This was the type of situation he'd been searching for. Someone who wanted him. Someone who would do what he wanted.



"I'm not sure what you want to hear, but I think it might be something about the way I feel."



"More."



"I want you. You're nothing like the others I've known."



"More."



"I'll do whatever you want."



For a brief second he wondered if she was lying. He thought he'd heard hesitation in her voice, but her face told a different story. She wasn't acting, no one was that good. No, the bitch wanted him more than she could contain.



Undoing her hands would be stupid, but what could the scrawny thing do to him. He would be able to handle the girl if she got too uppity.



He ruled her, that much he knew. With out any hesitation he undid the ropes binding her arms. He pulled her to her feet, and drew her near. The desire surging through his body felt good, almost better than any of the women before.



After their first fuck he would tie her to the main mast and teach her how to beg. Just the thought of her begging him to split her crack with his rod made him jumping crazy with lust.



He unzipped his pants, pulling them down around his thighs. Her gasp caught him off guard. For a moment he couldn't reconcile the disgust on her face with the love he knew she had for him. With one hand he reached down to prepare himself while he grabbed for her pants. "You won't be needing these."



The blow caught him off guard. He stumbled, grasping for any rope or line he could find. His hands slipped as she pummeled him again. This time her knee found his crotch and pain echoed through his body fuzzing his brain.



****



Sam knew Delanie was dead. That was the only logical conclusion anyone could make. The killer had her. He took her away and no one knew where they were. Simple as pie, but painful as shit.



He kept going though. He wouldn't give up. Not now. There was still a chance at finding her. Maybe in two or three hours he would stop searching on his own and bring in the big dogs. Media, private planes and his own security force. They would comb the islands, search the seas and find the bastard.



He didn't want to think about what the guy was capable of but he'd heard about Amanda and it was bad. She'd been messed up beyond belief. The guy wouldn't think twice about hurting another.



They already suspected that he'd killed other women. Bill had suggested that there were around five or more. All he knew was he needed to stop this guy from getting to any one else.



How Bill did this kind of shit day in and day out amazed him. Bill was one man who didn't need to work. He could be taking it easy hitting the links every day, but no, the man had scruples. He had integrity and a drive that kept him honest. Sam knew he wasn't like Bill. He would have blown up or gone bad. The pressure of catching people who thought nothing of murdering others would bake his insides and turn him into something horrible.



Sam checked his watch. Another hour had flown past and still no sign of Delanie. It was time to call in help. He picked up the radio mic ready to tell Bill he was going to call in help when he saw a sailboat having trouble.



The mainsail was half up and almost knocking the soul occupant into the water. He watched as the person fought the riggings. The sail dropped and she fell back on her butt. Sam grabbed the binoculars and saw it was a woman. Where the hell was her help. No way had she made it out this far without someone to help her.



She kept her back to him as she pulled twice on the outboard motor's start cord. He could tell when the engine took because she fell again. Not someone who knew how to sail and she needed help before she killed herself.



Lucky for him she was headed in his direction. He let up on the throttle and let the engine idle. Had this been any other time he would have found her situation humors. Right now he was annoyed beyond belief that some bubble-headed blond was having so much trouble that he needed to save her from herself.



As she pulled closer something nagged him. She looked like someone he knew. Hell, the woman looked like Delanie.



The boats moved closer. He squinted and pulled up the binoculars. Holy hell, it was Delanie. He waved his arms and yelled her name but doubted if she could hear over the noise of her boat. She cut the throttle turned to him. Her face erupted in to a huge smile. She abandoned steering the boat and ran to the side. She waved her arms furiously and shouted at him before looking into the water and diving overboard. He threw out a line as she swam the twenty feet separating them.



He was too stunned to say a word as he pulled her aboard and kissed her. He broke the kiss and searched her body for marks, he found angry red rings rimming her wrists and a welt on her face, but otherwise she looked good.



She pulled him down into another mind numbing kiss, holding on tight. He never wanted to let her go.