Stormy Vows - Iris Johansen [61]
“My lucky number,” he announced with satisfaction, parking directly in front of the door. “Everything is going to turn out just fine, little sister.”
Brenna hugged Randy's body to her nervously as Chadeaux indicated that she should get out of the car.
Chadeaux unlocked the door and pushed her in ahead of him, shutting the door behind him.
Brenna looked around her wearily. The room was small and shabby, with the regulation twin beds and the combination desk-dresser that was common to small-town motels everywhere. At least the room looked fairly clean, Brenna thought tiredly.
She laid Randy down on one of the beds, gently brushing a lock of hair from his forehead.
She turned to Chadeaux, and said, “It's past his dinnertime. He must have something to eat.”
“He's asleep,” Chadeaux said, with a shrug. “He'll be all right for a while.” He removed his jacket and threw it on the bed beside Randy. “In the meantime, we can come to an understanding.”
Brenna looked at him steadily. “I don't know what you expect to accomplish, but whatever it is, it's not going to work, Paul.”
A flicker of anger flashed in the shallow gray eyes. “It had better work,” he said malevolently. “Or you're going to be very, very sorry, little sister.”
“Stop calling me that!” Brenna snapped, her nerves raw and quivering from the worry and tension of the past hours.
“I'll call you what I please, bitch,” he snarled. “I've had enough of your insolence. Now you're going to do what you're told.”
With three strides he was across the room. His hands fastened with brutal ferocity on her slender shoulders, and he watched her face with savage enjoyment as he slowly tightened his grip until the pain was excruciating. She cried out in agony.
“Shall I tell you what you're going to do, little sister?” he said tauntingly. “You're going to sit down at that desk over there, and you're going to write out a complete account of Randy's birth, naming me as the father and Janine as the mother, and confessing all the details of Janine's little plot. You're going to give names, dates, and places, so that it will stand up in any court in the country.”
Brenna shook her head, her face twisted in pain from the grip that felt as if it were a medieval torture clamp.
“I won't do it,” she gasped, tears running down her face. “I'll never let you have Randy.”
“Dammit! You will!” Chadeaux snarled furiously, shaking her back and forth, like a dog with a rag doll. He spun her around, and twisted her arm behind her back as he forced her across the room to the desk. As he pulled the desk chair out, his grip loosened fractionally, and with a lightning movement Brenna jerked free and whirled away from him. She backed away, her breast heaving, her eyes wild with fright.
“Damn you!” Chadeaux swore furiously and charged after her, grabbing her once more by the shoulders and trying futilely to subdue her frantic struggles as desperation lent her additional strength. Their struggles had led them to the edge of the vacant bed near the desk, when Chadeaux saw a way of gaining the advantage.
Using the weight of his body, he overbalanced her and she fell heavily onto the bed, striking her head on the wooden head-board. Blinding pain was followed by a moment of darkness, and she went limp beneath Chadeaux's weight. With a swift, satisfied exclamation he pinned her arms above her head, holding her helpless.
He looked down at her in triumph, breathing hard. Suddenly his expression changed, taking on a lustful malevolence that frightened her more than his anger. His gaze went lingeringly over her tousled hair and the top that was now barely covering the tips of her heaving breasts. He ran his tongue over his full lips and his eyes narrowed into gleaming silver slits.
“Suddenly I'm not in a hurry for that affidavit,” he drawled thickly. “I think I'll just see if you're as good as your sister.” His mouth pressed down brutally on hers, bruising the soft inner flesh against her teeth, as she frantically moved her head from side to side to escape him.
“Get off her, Chadeaux.” The words were