Raven's Prey

home ground. And who would listen to a wild tale like mine?” She broke off, remembering sadly that she had not even dared go to her own family with the story. The ironic part of this mess was that her parents’ image of her was only a little better than the one Nick and Leo had fabricated. Had she approached them for help, her parents probably would have remembered the dreamy little girl who had woven exotic, romantic daydreams to amuse herself and wondered if Honor had slipped over the edge into some kind of permanent dream world. Pragmatic and down to earth, they had never understood her.
    “How did you wind up here?” Judd asked matter-of-factly.
    “As soon as I got home I grabbed the money from my bank account and packed a few things. Then I crossed the border into Mexico. Garrison and Prager don’t have contacts in Central America. I figured I’d be safer here than anywhere else while I tried to decide what to do.”
    “And then I showed up last night,” Judd concluded too easily. It was as if he were writing “The End” to the fairy tale she had just told him.
    Honor nodded unhappily. “I knew as soon as I saw you that mere weren’t too many likely explanations for another tourist in this backwater village.” Her fingers tensed painfully around the handle of her coffee cup. “I really thought I might have a chance here in Mexico. And least until my money ran out.”
    “Uh-huh. What were you going to do then?” he asked blandly.
    “I don’t know,” she admitted despairingly. The truth was she hadn’t been able to think that clearly as yet. “I suppose I’d hoped I’d eventually find someone who might pay attention to my story. I don’t know! It’s all been such a jumble and I’ve been frightened for so long. I decided I could stretch out my cash for quite a while. As you can see I’m not exactly living high on the hog!” She looked around the ramshackle room she’d been calling home.
    “No, you’re not, are you? How long would you have been content to live here, Honor? I should think you’d be grateful to me for coming along and taking you away from all this!”
    Suddenly she was on her feet, the resentment and fear spilling over as she confronted him. “Don’t make fun of me, damn it! It’s obvious you don’t believe me, but don’t you dare mock me like mat! It’s my life that’s at stake, you bastard! I can’t help it if you’re so damn pigheaded you bought that stupid story Garrison and Prager gave you. But mine is no wilder than theirs and I’m willing to pay you just as much to believe it. Since money is about all that seems to count with you, I should think you’d do me the courtesy of at least not laughing at me!”
    “Are you going to assault me again?” he asked calmly, eyeing her clenched fists and angry eyes. Her slender body was drawn into a taut, furious line and she did, indeed, appear to be on the verge of throwing herself at his throat
    Honor decided against that, knowing in advance that she didn’t have a chance of defeating him physically. But his obvious unwillingness to give even an ounce of credence to her story made some reaction on her part inevitable. Her life was on the line, she told herself in rage and panic, and this man was laughing at her!
    Without a second thought she hurled the contents of her coffee up into this face, the still-warm liquid splashing out to douse his cheek and drip down onto his shirt.
    There was an electric silence as Judd’s bird-of-prey eyes burned into her stricken, defiant features. Honor saw the attack coming before he had even moved, instinct warning her that he would retaliate. She swung on her heel and launched herself at the door.
    She didn’t even make it halfway across the tiny room. Before she had gone two running strides Judd was on her, reaching out to circle her waist with his arm and yanking her back against the hard, taut length of his body.
    “Oh!” The small exclamation came as the force of the impact made itself felt. She took a shuddering breath. His arm was like a steel band around her and there was no way on earth she could escape.
    “If you can’t get a reaction one way, you’ll try another. Is that it, Honor?” he demanded far top gently. “Is that what you crave out of life? The attention and reaction of every man who comes near you?”
    “Damn you!” she hissed helplessly, violently aware of the way her softly rounded rear was being forced against his thighs. The solid expanse