Bewildered by her sudden outburst questioning his sanity, Adam could do little more than gaze at the perfection of Abigail's stunning face, because words sure as shit had abandoned him at the moment. His eyes skimmed the line of her tilted defiant chin, the bright blush of anger warming her cheeks, and the fullness of her lips turned down into a condemning scowl. Even now, devoid of the heavy make-up she normally wore for work, with her hair whipping wildly about her face being thoroughly ruffled by the wind buffeting them from the opened top of the Jeep, and with her eyes flashing daggers his way...she still managed to steal his breath away. He couldn't take his eyes off her, but, unfortunately, watching where they were going was prudent to him not ending up killing them by driving the car off the fucking road.

"Are you out of your mind?" she demanded, enquiring about his mental status once more when her first question went unanswered.

"I assure you, my thinking capability is healthy and sound," he ground out, turning his attention back to the road. He gritted his teeth in annoyance. It was a rather futile attempt, he kept sneaking sideway glances in her direction despite his effort to keep his attention facing forward.

Those eyes of hers had always bewitched him from the moment he met her, and continued to be his Achilles's heel. That mouth always transfixed his attention. That stunning multi-colored hair. So shiny and silky looking, with a natural wave as it rippled down her slender shoulders, teasing the tops of her breasts. It begged for a man's hands to delve into the thick tresses, to bring it to his nose and smell the heavenly fragrance...to wrap it around his hand and pull...

Adam gave himself a severe mental shake. Now was not the time to have those particular kind of indulgent thoughts. But once the seed was planted, other thoughts took root and sprouted. To his increasing annoyance, his flesh soon followed suit and he found himself squirming in his seat while she seethed in anger beside him.

He sighed heavily. He was Adam "fucking" Steele, for Christ's sakes. Nobody dared questioned his decisions. But, one look at her face, and she had the ability to make him second guess himself. He was confident, controlled and in charge of all that pertained to him. Usually. But he couldn't deny he'd been less than practical when it came to her. A woman had never weakened his abilities before, until this waitress from Brooklyn came charging into his life, and proceeded to wrap it around her little finger causing him to question everything, including his decision making process.

"Turn this car around, Adam. Now."

Her voice shook with emotion, and he glanced over in her direction. The fear radiating off her was palpable. Sucking in a deep breath, he released it slowly as his mind churned. He predicted there would be some reluctance on her behalf about returning to California, which was exactly why he purposefully neglected to tell her where they were going. But, he had not foreseen the unadulterated dread his plan to bring her here would instill. An unsettling feeling made him tighten his grip on the steering wheel.

He was a business man. An extremely successful business man. And as such, he'd been known to take the occasional risks. Granted, they were always well informed risks. Adam had to admit, his decision to bring her here had been less calculated, boarding more on going out on a limb. Still, his gut told him he was right about this, and his gut instincts had never failed him.

"Abigail...," he began calmly.

"Don't you dare Abigail me!" she shouted, slamming her fists on the dashboard. "Do you have any idea what you have done?"" Her head frantically twisted from one side to the other, and then over her shoulder as she looked out of each of the Jeep's windows. "I'm from California!"

"I am aware," he said a bit sharply. Clenching his jaw, he instantly regretted his tone. Swallowing back his temper, he reached out and seized one of her anxiously fluttering hands. Entwining his fingers through her trembling ones, he started to rub slow circles with his thumb over her cool skin in small soothing gestures. It was wholly his fault she was angry. He should have predicted her less than enthusiastic reaction to finding out where they were going. After all, if he had learned one thing since knowing Abigail, it was under all that sweet beauty, there lingered a hellcat with one hell of a temper. A small smile twitched the corner of his mouth. A hellcat with some serious claws who wouldn't hesitate to knock a man on his ass.

"Then why would you bring me here? This is ground zero. His stomping ground." Her eyes once again timidly looked over her shoulder as if she expected to see the devil himself to be chasing after them.

"Nobody is following us, I assure you."

"How do you know?" she snapped irritably, whipping around to face him.

Cocking an eyebrow, he lifted their clasped hands, and gently tapped the review mirror. "I also have two side mirrors at my disposal that I am more than capable of monitoring."

"Oh." Some of her fluster calmed as she settled back in her seat, but her body language was unyielding as ever. "Why Adam? Of all the places we could have ended up, why would you bring me here?" There was a sad expression on her face when her gaze left the windshield to shoot somber grey eyes at him briefly before facing studiously forward once more. A look that ripped his fucking heart out of his chest.

Adam hesitated, struggling on how to approach the touchy subject. As confident as he was in his judgment, he'd never had to deal with a woman he cared for looking at him like a snake that had slithered up next to her. Dammit. He plowed a frustrated hand through his hair, before placing it back on the steering wheel. He couldn't afford the time to critique his decision making skills. Right now, he would just have to rely on his first instincts and trust he had made the right call. The only way to convince her was to give her what she'd expect from him, arrogance and taking absolute control over the situation. Or, as she had referred to it many times in the past, bring out his Big Bad Wolf persona. Given the circumstances, it will be easier to beg forgiveness later than ask for permission now.

Though he felt remorseful for causing her stress, there was a reason behind him choosing California, and he could not allow her reactions to cloud his confidence. He needed to take control before her anxiety overtook them both, and prove he had her best interests at heart. Admittedly, he'd rather assert his authority in other ways. He yearned to be able to gather her close, and kiss the worry away until she was breathless and trembling. Gripping the steering wheel until it squeaked in protest, he cursed under his breath. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't. Somebody had to drive the fucking car.

"I brought you here because this is the last place your stepfather would look for you. I dare say by seeing your reaction, he is also aware of your trepidations of coming back, and would assume you would avoid returning. As we speak, the jet is being refueled, and will be flown to another destination far away from our present location where it will remain until we have need of it again. You are far safer here than anywhere else, I guarantee you." As he spoke, she tried to pull her hand away from his, but he kept a vise like lock on it refusing to let it go.

"You don't get it." She blew out a sharp breath, tilting her head up to stare at the sky through the opened top. "Here, it's not just him we have to worry about. He was a top ranked LAPD officer with high security clearance. Every police station and patrol car has an 8x10 glossy of me stapled or glued to their dashboards from Northern to Southern California, and probably every surrounding state." She waved her free hand emphatically in the air. "They all know who I am. What I look like. They've all heard the sad sob story of poor Dean Swanson's missing stepdaughter. Every good cop will be searching for the long-lost, beloved child of their brother in blue. And every bad cop he's blackmailed or who is on the take, will be searching right beside them to pay their debt to him or for leverage. If we so much as get pulled over...if I get recognized...we're sitting ducks. That's it. Game over for the both of us."

"Then I shall have to do my best to be an upstanding citizen, and not do anything that would draw undo attention to us or get us pulled over." Adam stifled the smile sneaking across his lips. "But, you hardly need to worry, baby. To borrow the words of Raymond Babbitt, I am an excellent driver." He chanced giving her a small wink which only deepened her frown.

"Not funny, Adam," she said flatly, giving a shake of her head. Bringing their clenched palms to her chest, she gave him an imploring plead. "Please listen to me. If something should bring their attention to us, then you are in serious danger. If one of the good cops gets their hands on you, you will be arrested and are probably looking at years in jail on trumped up charges. There's undoubtedly a fake warrant for your arrest circulating around right now. But...but if one of those assholes who don't have a conscious catches us...they won't hesitate to kill you to get you out of the way. It's too risky. Please. Please, let's go somewhere else. Anywhere else but here."

It was hard to refuse her, particularly when she was staring at him with such a beseeching expression, but he set his jaw and denied her impassioned plea. "We're here because I know this is where I can keep you the safest."

With an annoyed huff, she managed to yank her hand out of his grasp. "So much for being in this together. Apparently, my opinion only matters when I am supporting the ones you've already made. Once again, it's your way or the highway, Mr. Steele. Only this time, your stubbornness could get you killed."

A blaze of anger flashed through him. "We are in this together," he growled. "Never forget that, baby. Where I am taking you is completely secure. Nobody knows this place. It's entirely off the books of Steele Industries and untraceable."

"I don't care how off the books you think it is. You don't know Dean like I do. I left everything behind and got the hell out of California for a reason, and never returned for those very same reasons, Adam. There are eyes everywhere here, you can't avoid them. What part of that scenario are you not understanding?"

Adam jerked the Jeep to the shoulder of the road, and brought it to a jolting stop. Snatching his glasses off his face, he leveled her with a hard look. "I understand more than you think, Abigail. You constantly questioning and underestimating my abilities is getting rather tiresome, so let me explain things to you in a way you might comprehend. You fled in blind fear, with no plan, no support, no resources, and no way to protect yourself. Ever since then, you have continued to run blindly for seven long years. I know you want it to end. I want to end it for you, but we will accomplish nothing if you don't trust me. I would never bring you here if I wasn't a hundred percent convinced of your safety. I apologize for not discussing this with you, in hindsight, I should have, but it doesn't detract from what I am trying to accomplish. You either trust me, or you don't. Which is it?"

"I do trust you, but this..." She shook her head as her voice faltered. "I need to get my life back, but you can't achieve that by just taking over everything and making all my decisions for me."

A sharp pang of hurt pierced him. Glancing up in the rearview, he saw the long line of vacant highway they had traveled down. But, sadly, the distance was only a mirage. He hadn't moved ahead when it came to her believing in him. She might say the words, but she didn't fully trust him. Not yet anyway, and he was no longer positive she ever would. Like potholes in the road, there were some wounds too deep to be covered. Adam let out a heavy sigh. There was no sense in trying to convince her of it now while sitting out in the open like they were. The only thing he was going to achieve was make them the sitting ducks she had accused him of. Bowing his head, he slipped his glasses back on, and gave her a tight smile.

"That's where you are mistaken, baby. Making your decisions is exactly what I'm going to do, whether you like it or not." When she opened her lips to protest, he cut her off with an angry slash of his hand through the air. "I'm going to get your life back for you, and that entails keeping you alive the best way I know how so you can enjoy it. If afterwards, you choose to live that life without me, so be it." With a furious jerk of his hand, he tromped on the clutch and shifted the Jeep. Spewing a rooster tail of dirt behind them, he pulled back onto the road with a quick jerk of the wheel.

Tension filled the cab of the vehicle to the point it was stifling, despite the wind blowing freely as they both sat in stubborn silence for miles. Adam thrummed his fingers petulantly on the steering wheel. Unable to bear one more second of the oppressive quiet, he flicked the radio on. Jay-Z's 99 Problems came blaring through the sound system.

If you're having girl problems I feel bad for you son. I got ninety-nine problems but a bitch ain't one...

Adam snorted under his breath, not missing Abigail's arched brow thrown in his direction. Jay-Z, my man, you have no idea how many problems I have going on, he thought to himself. Keeping his focus resolutely on the road, he watched as acres of vineyards on either side flew by. It was another clear, beautiful day in Napa Valley, not a cloud dared to mar the magnificence of the blue sky. Adam chanced a quick glance at Abigail who was sitting stiffly staring regimentally straight ahead while Jay-Z continued to rap about having two choices. Pull the car over, or bounce on the devil and put the pedal to the floor. Adam sighed, and pressed the accelerator.

There may not be a cloud in the sky, but there were plenty of storm clouds brewing in the fucking car. A fleeting sensation of being lost came over him as he scanned the road ahead watching for the turn off that would lead them to their destination. He wasn't directionally lost, he knew exactly where he was going, but he was at a loss of what to say to break the wall slowly being built between them. He could feel the weight of each brick sealing him away from her, and it laid heavy on his heart.

He had meticulously gone over every possible location he could tuck her away for a while to lay low while Hathaway regrouped. The unexpected appearance of Hanover had thrown a proverbial wrench into Logan's attempt to bring Dean out into the open. Now they had another psychotic bastard to deal with, and no idea where either of them were. It seemed like the best move to get her the hell out of New York, but he wanted to be smart about it. Any place where they would have to flash ID's or physically check in, had been immediately determined too chancy, as were his numerous other properties dotting the globe.

Every holding he had, could be obtained in a damn Google search. Except this one. There was no paper trail to associate him with the property, and it would make it impossible for Dean or Hanover to follow if they should get lucky enough to trace the correct plane and pursue it back to California. It all sounded infallible.

He sighed heavily, that is...until you actually brought her here you asshole, he scorned himself. In a blink of an eye, he added one more problem to the ninety-nine he already had.

"You make me crazy, you know that?"

The whispered statement snatched his attention. Glancing over at her, he saw Abigail had finally twisted in her seat to face him. Leaning over, he switched the radio off. "That was not my intention," he said carefully, not wanting to upset her further.

She laughed, her hair tossing wildly as the sun danced on the mahogany locks. It was both a beautiful sound and a stunning sight.

"I'm sorry, Adam. I know you wouldn't do anything to intentionally hurt me. I...I overreacted." Taking a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders, sending him a brave smile. "It's hard for me. I've been on my own for so long...I've forgotten how to trust." Her smile faltered a bit, but she placed her hand on his chest. "I'm trying, Adam. I want to trust you, I do. I...I've just never trusted anyone before. And I'm sorry for doubting you. Can you forgive me?"

And just like that, his heart melted into a puddle of goo at his feet. Fuck, it was a good thing he never met this woman across a boardroom table during negotiations, he would have lost not only his heart, but his ass as well. Picking up her hand, he brought it to his lips and brushed a soft kiss across her knuckles. "I am going to do my best to prove to you that I am the exception, baby." Flipping her hand over, he let his lips linger on the inside of her palm. "Starting now with an apology of my own," he said quietly, enjoying her slight shudder from his kisses. "I should have told you what my plans were. From now on, I will keep you informed of any future strategizing concerning you and my plans for your safety."

"Thank you, Adam." Leaning back, she rubbed her forehead. "This whole thing is making me beeshey."

Adam chuckled. "We've been through hell these last 24 hours. We could both use a shower, a decent meal and some rest." And if there was a bottle of good scotch mixed in with any of that, he wouldn't complain, he added to himself.

"I thought you had other plans for when you got me alone," she said huskily, sending him a challenging look.

"Oh, baby, trust me. I have many plans for you when we are alone," he purred, nipping one of her fingers sharply, making her gasp before dropping their bound hands into his lap so she could feel just how keenly he intended to keep those plans. "And being alone with you," he added softly, "can't come fucking soon enough."

Reluctantly releasing her, he shifted down to turn off the main highway when he spotted their turn, and pointed the hood of the Jeep down a deeply rutted lane. He frowned at the condition of the road lying ahead of him. Gritting his teeth, he cursed as the four-wheel drive bucked and dipped over washboards more reminiscent of speedbumps and potholes large enough to snap an axel. He was forced to take a more sedate pace over the torturous dirt road as dust billowed behind them. After what seemed an eternity, he finally pulled up Stonebach's driveway.

Putting the Jeep in park, he switched off the engine and turned towards Abigail. A smile stretched his lips. She was leaning on the edge of her seat, her fingers clutching the dash as her wide eyes took in her first look at Stonebach's impressive façade. It wasn't long ago he'd been where she sat, taking it all in with wonder.

The winery had been built in the late 1800's as a barrel-aging facility, and was made of stone walls three to twelve feet thick. It had been meticulously designed to resemble an English Gothic castle gatehouse, including rusticated stone walls, arched windows and a massive intricately carved, vaulted wooden door for a main entrance. A large percentage of the building was in the process of being overtaken by creeping vines, spreading and reaching their greedy tendrils across the front. The bright green foliage a vibrant contrast to the white of the stone, adding to the mystic of the captivating presence of the winery.

Add the immaculately kept landscaping and the gnarled tangle of the vineyards stretching in every direction away from the house, and you couldn't help but be a little awe struck. Adam took off his glasses, and tucked them into his jacket as he observed the burgeoning plants in tidy rows reaching eagerly out with their vines towards the sun beating down upon them. He could see the small clumps of green fruit beginning to fill the ones nearest the winery. All signs of a good harvest in the making. His smile grew. He loved this place. The simplistic beauty, the smell of the earth...he drew in a deep breath, filling his lungs with the freshness of the dirt. This was his sanctuary, and now...it would be hers too. Finally, the two loves of his lives in the same place.

Author's Note:

Hello my darlings,

I apologize for the delayed updating, but I hope you enjoyed this latest installment of Bending Steele, and if you liked it, you will consider giving it a vote. I love hearing from you, and comments are always welcomed. I may not have the time to respond to each and every one, but know they are being seen.

Also, I want to give you a heads up. If you don't like this book, I am completely okay with that. Not everything is everyone's cup of tea, but...what I am not okay about is rudeness to myself or to my other readers. If you can not comment like an adult, then I will be forced to delete your comments and/or block you from being able to comment. I'm sorry to have to stoop to that level, but I really won't have people trying to bully me or each other. I have no patience for it.

Anyway, if you don't see any updates here, feel free to check out my other works When Roses Collide, Steal you Away, and FANGED.

As always, thank you for reading!

Sincerely,

K