Ilsa sat at the small outdoor table brooding over her situation. She had started her trip with a companion who deserted her a week ago. Marcie had seemed like the perfect solution to her dilemma at the time. She appeared to be a quiet, easily manipulated female. Just what Ilsa needed to make her plan work. What had started as a great adventure, turned into a nightmare. Her dream had broken down into bitter failure.
Twirling a strand of her dark brown hair around her fingers, Ilsa’s extraordinary grey eyes filled with tears as she gazed at the desert shadows. How could she continue her trip alone? To succeed she needed another woman with her, someone she could control. She had thought Marcie was that person. Ilsa felt nothing but betrayal and fought her tears, refusing to let them fall. Self-pity filled her small body and she hated the feeling of helplessness that washed over her.
This trip had been the culmination of her dreams. Left alone at a young age, she had learned the hard lessons of survival. The early years were spent in near poverty and Ilsa had done many things she was not proud of, to bring herself to her current state of affluence. Oh yes, she had wealth now but what a price she had paid. What Ilsa needed most was security and she had planned carefully to achieve her goals.
No one knew her true background and she would never have been accepted if the facts of her past were revealed. After years of struggle she was now a highly paid legal secretary to the city’s most successful attorney. She was stylish and sought after for her beauty and intelligence. Ilsa made sure she was seen in all the right places, with all the right people. She had learned how to charm her way through any situation.
The dream, her final triumph, was marriage to a man of great wealth and power. Only then could she put her past behind her at last. Ilsa cared little about love; it was not a part of her plan. Love just muddied the waters. Respect, control and power were her only mission. The right husband would fulfill this obsession of hers. She had targeted a highly placed government official in another country and had carefully cultivated their relationship. Their union would become a reality in the coming month.
Traveling half way around the world alone was not considered proper, she needed a traveling companion. Ilsa had to be careful in her selection and Marcie had seemed the perfect choice. Then, stating she was homesick, Marcie had left her. Ilsa was now alone in an unfamiliar country.
Ilsa could not continue her journey. It just was not done. How would she ever find another woman to meet her needs? As she continued to sit and brood over the mess her life had become, her eyes met those of the single occupant at the next table. The woman looked dejected and even a little fearful. Taking a chance and acting on impulse, Ilsa approached the table and asked to join her. Could it be she had found Marcie’s replacement?
Being careful not to appear too aggressive, Ilsa used her charm to put the woman at ease, discovering her name was Cassandra and she was stranded with no means to get home. Excellent, the perfect solution to her own problem. With her goal once again in sight, Ilsa outlined what she expected of Cassandra as they shared a meal. Because Cassandra had no place to stay Ilsa took her back to the suite at the Hotel. She wasn’t about to lose her now.
Feeling in control of her life once again, Ilsa was lulled into a sense of well being and let her guard down. The lateness of the hour, combined with the uncomfortable heat, left a feeling of drowsiness. There was no warning when she was struck from behind and collapsed in a heap on the floor. Through the intense pain she heard the door to the room open and the voices of Cassandra and Marcie as they congratulated each other on another successful robbery.