Kaytlyn sighed. “Have I told you that I love you?”
“Not today.”
She smiled and eased in closer. “I love you, and I can’t wait to be married to you. The little one and I want you in every part of our lives.”
He wrapped his hands around her stomach, cradling her abdomen. The bump looked even smaller under his large hands. At five months, she wasn’t showing very much, but the doctor assured her the baby’s growth was right on target. “Did you hear that, little man? Mama says I get to be your daddy.”
Kaytlyn hadn’t known it was possible to be this happy, nor that she would see a man as tough as Cameron be so sweet and adorable. “You’re too cute.”
“I don’t think anyone in my life has called me cute.”
She laughed. “What does your mom call you?”
“Handsome,” he said, pumping his eyebrows.
“I’m sure she does.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, and his hands slid from her abdomen around to her back. “Handsome,” she whispered, going onto her tiptoes and pressing her mouth to his.
Cameron responded—oh, how he responded—but he pulled back much too quickly. “Drink your tea; we can’t be late for your appointment. We’ve got a plane to catch.”
Kaytlyn laughed. “It’s our plane, love. I think it will wait for us.”
He took her suitcase in one hand and gestured to her to eat. “Okay, but the sooner we get through the doc and the shopping, the sooner I get to be married to you.”
She shook her head and laughed, taking a bite of the toast and then a sip of the tea. While she didn’t love the flavor, it was so thoughtful of Cameron to bring her tea and toast like he had those horrible weeks she’d been sick. She downed it without saying anything, smiling over the top of the teacup at him the entire time.
They arrived at the doctor’s office, and Tyler and a redhead guy—she could never remember his name—followed them into the office. Cameron did a sweep of the patient room she’d be using and then gave her one quick kiss and said, “We’ll just be in the waiting room.”
Kaytlyn squeezed his hand. “Shouldn’t be too long.”
“Good.” He nodded to the nurse and walked out, pulling the door closed behind him.
“Who’s the hot military guy kissing you?” the nurse asked.
“My fiancé,” Kaytlyn said proudly.
The nurse did a double take as she put on a blood pressure cuff. “Weren’t you recently married and then engaged to a … Tyler?”
Kaytlyn nodded. “It’s been quite an eventful few months.”
“Sounds like it.”
The door swung open and Kaytlyn looked up at two men in scrubs. Neither of them was her doctor. Sometimes medical school students did rotations, but these two looked … far too rough. The one guy had tattoos everywhere, making him look like a horrific Halloween costume. The other guy was bald and had arms like tree trunks, and there was a leering look in his dark eyes. She hated to be judgmental, but a shiver went down her spine.
The nurse had her back to the door as she finished listening for blood pressure. The men moved quickly into the small room. One brought his elbow down on the nurse’s neck, knocking her to the ground.
Kaytlyn screamed, but the other one had his hand over her mouth so quickly that barely a squeak escaped. She struggled to free herself. The bald guy held her fast as the tattooed dude plunged a needle into her upper arm.
No! Cameron! Would he even know what had happened to her? Would he know how deeply she loved him? There was no doubt in her mind that Jessica had hired these men, and if the medicine they’d given her didn’t kill her, she’d be dead soon anyway.
She slumped against the bald guy, and the world went dark.
Chapter Fifteen
Cameron paced the waiting room. Tyler and Jeb kept giving him smirking looks. He’d challenge them to a sparring match, but he was too happy to fight today. He had a perma-grin on that wouldn’t go away, and he could hardly believe all the happiness that was his. After the doctor and shopping, he’d have a ring on his dream woman’s finger, and they’d grab some lunch and hop on a plane. They were detouring to Colorado to ask her dad’s permission, but then it was on to Grand Cayman. Tomorrow, he’d be married. To Kaytlyn.
The waiting seemed interminable. He perked up when he heard a shout, and he started forward. Suddenly, the doctor burst out into the waiting room and yelled, “You!” pointing straight at Cameron.
Cameron reared back, pointing a finger at himself.
“They’ve taken Kaytlyn!” the doctor screamed; then he turned and ran back down the hallway, and the door fell closed behind him.
Cameron’s world imploded. Kayt. No! He had the presence of mind to yell, “Jeb, get the car! Tyler, you’re with me,” before bursting through the door after the doctor. Luckily, the nurse had buzzed it open, or he would’ve ripped it off its hinges.
He saw the doctor running down the hallway toward a back door. Nurses were watching in confusion. “Call 911!” Cameron yelled, pointing at the nearest nurse.
The doctor disappeared out the back door. Cameron was through it seconds after him, in time to see a black Tahoe squeal away from the parking lot.
“There!” the doctor screamed. “That’s the man I saw carrying her.”
As the car sailed past, a bald guy with a satisfied smirk on his ugly face tilted his chin up at Cameron. Cameron pulled his pistol out from the holster hidden on his back. He only carried when they were out of the house, but thankfully, he hadn’t let his guard down today. He shot at the left tire several times, but the bullets didn’t penetrate. He didn’t dare shoot anything else for fear of hitting Kaytlyn. Yet if the tires were bulletproof, the vehicle would certainly be. Whoever Peter and Jessica had hired to kidnap Kaytlyn had good equipment.
Tyler was right next to him, shooting at the tires as well. The doctor cowered, covering his head with his arms.
Jeb squealed to a stop next to them in the Porsche Macan. Cameron yanked open the passenger door and scrambled in, Tyler jumped in behind him, and Jeb floored it after the Tahoe.
Cameron’s hand was shaking so badly, he could hardly transfer his gun to his left hand and retrieve his phone from his pocket with his right. His eyes were locked on the Tahoe speeding away in front of them. His stomach was clawing its way out of his throat. Focus. He needed to focus and save Kaytlyn. There was no other option, because without her, his world would end.
“Don’t lose them,” he said tightly to Jeb.
“Don’t worry, sir. I almost made the NASCAR circuit.” Jeb grinned, and the Porsche tore after the Tahoe.
Cameron dialed, and soon the call was picked up.
“911. What’s your emergency?”
Cameron swallowed hard and tried to speak evenly. “My fiancé, Kaytlyn Klein—I mean, Tarbet—has been kidnapped. The suspects are in a black Tahoe, Idaho license plate, 5B 82952.” They were close enough that he could squint and see it, but his grip on the phone was slipping. He’d never been so unsettled and shaky. “We are heading northwest on Warm Springs Road.”
The lady tried to interrupt, but he said shortly, “The only persons who would want to kidnap Kaytlyn are Jessica and Peter Humphreys. I request you send officers to their home and offices, and any vacation properties they may own.”
Cameron couldn’t handle speaking anymore. He handed the phone to Tyler. “Talk to her.”
Tyler took the phone, and Cameron registered that Tyler was answering questions about who they were, how the abduction happened, and what relation Jessica and Peter were to Kaytlyn. Cameron was laser-focused on the car in front of them. Every muscle was tense, and he wanted to jump out of the vehicle and sprint to burn off some energy.
They were traveling almost straight west on Warm Springs now. The road wasn’t as well-maintained and occasionally they slid on an icy spot, but Jeb was every bit as good of a driver as he’d claimed he was. They were keeping pace with the vehicle in front of them, but the men had cle
arly seen them and knew they were following them. Did they hope to lose them in the mountains?
The road became more twisted, snow-packed, and lined with thick trees covered in white. Cabins were dotted throughout this area, and the hot springs were nearby. Cameron kept waiting for the whine of sirens to be following them, but he didn’t hear them yet.
Tyler stopped talking, and Cameron whipped around. “What?”
“Dropped the call.” Tyler returned the phone, his face more serious than Cameron had ever seen it.
Cameron pushed out a breath. “They should be coming, though.” But none of them had to say it. This area was remote, and that Tahoe could take any number of back roads and the police would have no clue where they’d gone.
At that moment, the Tahoe did turn off the road in front of them and sped up a winding, snow-covered dirt path. Cameron heard Jeb curse, but he spun off the road and followed them. They followed their tracks as they took several more turns. Far too much time passed as they traveled farther into the woods. Luckily, the sport utility was four-wheel drive, so it could handle the road okay.
Cameron clenched his jaw and muttered a prayer in his mind. He could hardly stand to think of his Kaytlyn in some kidnappers’ clutches. He was convinced it was Jessica. It could be someone else wanting a ransom, but why did it seem like they’d almost allowed them to follow?
They wound deeper and deeper into the mountains, until suddenly they rounded a final bend. There was the Tahoe and a nice cabin, two stories, with lots of windows to take in the view of the snow-covered pine trees cascading up and down the mountainside. The Tahoe appeared deserted, and everything around the cabin looked the same, but there were tracks leading through the thick snow. Had they unloaded Kaytlyn and gotten her inside that quickly?
Cameron found himself putting a cautious hand on Jeb’s arm. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t want to talk, as if they could hear him.
“Do you feel like we’re being set up?” Tyler asked from the back seat.
“Definitely,” Cameron said. “What weapons do you two have on you?”
“Nine mill and a knife,” Jeb grunted.
“Same.”
Cameron opened the center console of the Porsche and took out three semiautomatic Glocks. At least they’d have a backup weapon. “Back around the trees so they don’t see us getting out,” he instructed Jeb.
Jeb slowly reversed and parked behind some thick tree and foliage cover.
“Okay,” Cameron said. “We have no idea what we’re facing. I’m going in. You two take cover outside. If I’m not back out in five minutes, you find a way in.”
They both nodded and silently crept from the vehicle, plowing their way through knee-deep snow, hiding in the trees as they made their way to the cabin. Cameron assessed the cabin and considered how he could best enter. Kaytlyn was in there, and it seemed like the kidnappers wanted him in there too. He was going to give them their wish and then some. He cocked his gun and started his approach.
Kaytlyn felt like she was coming out of the fog of anesthesia from the dentist’s office. Her head ached, and she couldn’t move. She blinked and tried to open her gritty eyeballs. A large, open room came into focus as sunlight streamed through lots of windows, almost blinding as it bounced off the snow. Beyond that was a myriad of snow-laden pine trees.
Slowly turning her head, she saw two men sitting at a table nearby. Recognition and fear rushed back quickly. Baldy and Tattoo Guy from the doctor’s office. They’d drugged her and brought her to some cabin? She wanted to yell and scream for help, but from the rugged look outside, this cabin was a long way from a neighborhood. She strained to pull her hands free, but they were tied behind her.
Where was Cam? Did he even know she’d been kidnapped? Her stomach was pitching with horror as the bald guy glanced up and then grinned at her. “She’s awake!” he hollered.
A door opened and a thin, blond woman strode out. Jessica. Apparently the fifty-million-dollar settlement had been too easy, a decoy. Kaytlyn took slow breaths, praying desperately and trying to act like she wasn’t horrified to see Jessica here. Her former friend didn’t look like herself anymore. She’d lost weight and her face was haggard and her eyes terrifyingly cold.
Jessica strode right in front of her and slapped her hard across the face. Kaytlyn’s head flipped back, and pain radiated through her cheek and jaw. Jessica leaned in close, sneering at her. The hatred she obviously felt for Kaytlyn was so strong it oozed from her. “Thought you’d won, didn’t you? You should’ve known I’d never back down. That money is mine. You don’t deserve it.” She raised her hand as if to hit her again.
“Touch her and I’ll cut out your heart,” a deep voice said from behind Jessica.
“Cam!” Kaytlyn yelled, relief as strong as her terror rushing through her. She strained to be free of the restraints.
Cameron stood there in the doorway, so tall, handsome, and perfect. He’d found her. No one could ever hurt her with Cameron around.
He stalked into the room with a gush of cold air, a pistol aimed at Jessica. Baldy and Tattoo Guy had sprung to their feet and were aiming their own guns at Cameron.
“Let her go and I might let you live,” Cameron said.
Jessica smiled easily. She pulled out a knife.
Cameron shook his head. “Don’t you dare touch her.”
“I’m just cutting her free.”
Cameron weighed his options, looking at each of her captors in turn. Baldy and Tattoo Guy were definitely a force to be reckoned with and appeared to know how to use the guns in their hands.
“Carefully,” Cameron cautioned. “You cut her, even a tiny slice, and I’ll make you wish you were never born.”
Kaytlyn’s heart thumped faster as Jessica came behind her and did indeed cut her hands free. She stood quickly, intent on getting to Cameron’s side as fast as possible.
Jessica reached around her and held the knife right at her abdomen, stopping Kaytlyn in her tracks. A bedroom door behind Cameron opened and three men burst in. He whirled to face them, but they tackled him straight to the ground. Baldy and Tattoo Guy joined the fight, and for a moment Kaytlyn couldn’t even see Cameron at the bottom of the pile.
Kaytlyn didn’t dare move as Jessica held the sharp knife so tight to her stomach; she was sure that if she flinched, Jessica would cut her and hurt the baby. She watched in horror, crying out as Cameron fought valiantly, throwing one man off and into a nearby couch, slamming two men’s heads into each other. She heard a crack and a shriek as he wrenched one man’s arm so hard that it broke.
He sprang to his feet. A man leapt on his back and put a choke hold on him, but it didn’t slow Cameron down; he spun away from the men trying to grapple with him and dropped to the ground. The man on his back took all his weight and screamed out, releasing Cam.
She’d never seen anything as impressive as him fighting, but it was five against one and these men were obviously highly trained as well. Kaytlyn screamed out as all five of them, even the one with the broken arm, jumped on him as if on cue and pinned him to the ground. Four men each grabbed one of his limbs, pressing hard to secure his body, and Baldy squatted in front of him after he was sure he was secure. Baldy whipped a knife out and held it close to his face.
Cameron stared up at Kaytlyn, his eyes filled with devotion, and then he sneered at Baldy. “Try it. Your tongue will be gone before you know what hit you.”
Jessica laughed, long and low. “You’re in no position to be making threats,” she said.
“You’d be surprised,” Cameron growled.
A look of fear crossed Jessica’s face, but then the exterior door banged open and Tyler and their other security guy both walked in, followed by two more of Jessica’s henchmen. Tyler and their other guy had their hands up, and each had a pistol pointed at their heads.
Worry appeared in Cameron’s blue eyes; he hid it quickly, but it still set Kaytlyn’s gut churning. She wanted to inch away from Jessica’s knife and prot
ect her baby, but she couldn’t risk it. Seven men against their three, and they definitely had the upper hand. Kaytlyn bit at her cheek until she tasted blood, trying to hold in the scream.
“So,” Jessica said. “This is how it’s going to play out.” She finally pulled the knife from Kaytlyn’s abdomen, set it on the table, and pushed some papers and a pen toward her. “You’re going to sign these papers that make me the beneficiary of all my father’s assets upon your death.”
Kaytlyn grunted. “You’re so stupid. Nobody is going to believe I signed that voluntarily.”
Jessica growled and looked like she was going to slap her again, but her gaze darted to Cameron and she stopped as she saw the palpable fury in his eyes. He was pinned down by five men, and still he looked awe-inspiring and glorious, like he was going to win this battle. Kaytlyn had no clue how, but even Jessica must have known to fear him.
Jessica whirled back to Kaytlyn. “You just inspire men to give you everything, don’t you? The angelic face, the perfect body.” She rolled her eyes. “First my father and now Cameron.”
“Where’s your scum-ball husband?” Kaytlyn challenged. “He doesn’t support you?”
“Peter.” Jessica sneered. “Peter can’t get his hands dirty, and he has a soft spot for you a mile wide. Don’t think you’re special, he loves a lot of women.” She shuddered. “He doesn’t even know about this. He’s happy about the fifty million to further his political ambitions and sad that he won’t get to know his child.” She glared at Kaytlyn’s abdomen. “Stupid Peter is in Washington D.C., hiding his latest hooker, and he thinks I’m still in our Boise house fighting the flu—which is perfect, as my staff here also believe that lie and I’ve got plenty of alibis. Oh, Peter will be thrilled when I have even more money to help him on his road to the Presidency, but he doesn’t want to see how I’ll get him there.”
She shoved the pen at Kaytlyn, and her face turned even uglier. There wasn’t a trace of her former friend in that face. Kaytlyn had assumed Peter was the driving force behind Jessica’s scheming. He’d probably driven her there with his infidelity and twisted sense of right and wrong, but she could see that Jessica was now dark, twisted, and flat-out crazy.
Her Loyal Protector Page 12
