A Misunderstanding, but Also a Fact

Did she come alone?

How many people had the other side sent?

How much had they learned about Isaac's group from the traces left at the scene?

Once those questions arranged themselves in his mind, Isaac began to move in silence.

Whatever information he wanted—and whether she would give it willingly—first required him to capture the rider alive.

The woods gave him ample cover. His long black hair blended into the shadows instead of flashing like conspicuous blond hair. He shifted gradually until he was hidden behind a large tree on the path her current course would force her to take.

Thud-thud-thud-thud... thud-thud-thud-thud...

The horse's four hooves struck the earth in a steady rhythm. Maintaining that pace through the forest suggested the rider knew these trails well.

Calculating the perfect instant would have required a high-speed computer, and none was available.

Isaac had to trust his own judgment and choose the best moment to knock her from the saddle.

Otherwise,

the attempt could become troublesome.

Hidden behind the tree, Isaac watched the horse approach. Just before its head reached his position, he pivoted, took two strides from the opposite direction, and launched himself at the rider.

Maggie's eyes flew wide.

She stared in disbelief at the man who had appeared from nowhere and lunged toward her.

Her hand darted toward the baseball bat in her saddlebag, but before she could reach it, the handsome stranger drove her to the ground.

The combined force of their bodies hitting the earth left Maggie dizzy and unable to react for several seconds.

In that brief opening, the man straddled her lower abdomen and pinned both crossed wrists in one large hand. His grip felt like an iron vise; no matter how hard she fought, she could not break free.

Isaac stood about six feet six inches tall (1.97 m). His weight came not from fat but from dense, explosive muscle, putting him near 220 pounds—nearly 200 jin. When he settled that weight across Maggie's abdomen, the breath rushed out of her.

Her wrists were trapped, and her free legs gave her no leverage. She glared at him. "Let me go. Let me go!"

With his other hand, Isaac clamped her cheeks between his fingers. Pain and the pressure on her jaw silenced her.

Excitement flickered in Isaac's eyes. The violent impulses inside him were becoming harder to restrain, and he regarded women as an outlet for them.

Still holding her face, he forced three fingers into Maggie's mouth. Her eyes widened in disbelief, and his grip left her unable even to shake her head.

One corner of Isaac's mouth rose as his fingers worked against Maggie's tongue. "I don't want to kill you. If you understand, blink three times."

Bastard. I'll kill you.

Maggie burned with rage. No man had ever treated her this way.

She refused to heed his instruction.

"It seems you still don't understand."

"Nnnh..."

Maggie tried to cry out in pain, but with her tongue pinned straight, the sound came out flat and distorted.

Isaac leaned close and looked into Maggie's eyes. "Now, if you understand, blink three times."

Damn him.

She hated yielding, but she was powerless beneath him. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes as she blinked three times.

Isaac pulled his fingers from Maggie's mouth. Her wet, disheveled appearance made her look as though someone had ejaculated into her mouth. The image stirred him, but he restrained himself.

For all he knew, she might be promiscuous, and he had no intention of catching a disease.

"Tell me. How many of you came here?"

"A lot," Maggie said. "You'd better let me go, or you'll regret it."

"A lot?" Isaac frowned. "Where are they now?"

If a large force had come, the situation was dangerous. In his mind, these people were raiders like the gang that had attacked the lakeside camp in the valley.

"Let me go," Maggie demanded.

A dagger appeared against her neck. "You need to understand that you're in no position to bargain. Is that clear?"

He's really going to kill me.

Maggie had never faced a murderer, but the look in Isaac's eyes convinced her he would truly kill her. Fear took hold.