“How far are we from the city?” It hadn’t even occurred to her to ask where they were.
“Under two hours. We’re just outside of Mount Vernon.” He turned to face her again. “We’ll meet Nate and Ethan at my house, and Ethan will stay there with you.” She shuffled across the room and met him at the table. He handed her a mug while she sat. She’d grown up in Seattle her whole life, but had only been to Mount Vernon a handful of times.
“That’s the best compromise you’ll get, so don’t push it.” His eyes were warm and not as distant as last night. She smiled as she accepted the cup.
“Fine, but I can’t wear your clothes anymore. I need something else.”
He placed a plate with half a dozen pieces of toast and a plastic container of precut fruit on the table.
“No problem, we can stop somewhere on the way.” He polished off a piece of toast in three bites. She nibbled on the crust of one.
“We can’t risk going to the mall. It’s Monday, and by now, someone could have discovered you’re missing. It won’t be long before your face is plastered all over the news.”
She swallowed hard. A wave of nausea roiled in her stomach. The harsh reality slowed her breath.
“You okay?” Cal watched her closely, his eyes heavy with concern.
“I’m fine. I’ll take anything that will fit.”
He nodded. “If you want to shower before we go, hurry up. I want to get on the road before people are out looking for you.”
“If it’s okay, I’ll just shower at your house once I have fresh clothes.”
“Fine with me. We can leave after we get packed up.”
They packed up the food that was left over and the rest of their belongings. Cal knelt on the floor in front of his duffel bag. He pulled a black object from it and slipped it into the waistband at the small of his back.
A gun.
Her breath sucked in.
“Sorry, you’re probably not used to seeing these.” He stood and lifted the bag to his shoulder. “I always have one on me. But don’t worry, the safety is on, okay?”
Of course, he would have a gun. It made sense, but the fact that he needed one sent a tremor down her spine.
She nodded.
They stopped at a boutique on the way back to the city. Cal had thought it would be best if they avoided shopping where someone could spot her. She picked out some leggings and long-sleeved shirts, and when Cal wasn’t looking, a couple of bras and panties. Cal insisted she buy a few extra outfits in case it took longer than planned to get her life back on track. Her feet were bare, but thankfully the store was empty. She grabbed a simple pair of black flats and met him at the line of registers.
Without hesitation, he pulled out cash and paid for her purchases.
“I’ll pay you back as soon as I have access to money.” He took the bags from her fingers as they left the store.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not hurting for money.” He tossed her bags in the back seat, then opened the passenger door for her. The gesture came without hesitation. Her eyes landed on his. “Hop in.”
“I didn’t expect chivalry from you.” She hadn’t meant it as an insult, but it sounded that way. His eyes clouded, but his smile didn’t fade. Separate worlds. They were from separate worlds.
“Glad I could surprise you.” He waved at her again. “Let’s go.”
He closed the door and came around to the driver’s side as she buckled up.
“What led you to become a freelance security contractor?” she asked as he started the truck and pulled out onto the street. The words rolled over her tongue, unfamiliar to her idea of careers. The title itself was complicated and gave nothing away to indicate what he claimed to do. His hand held loosely to the top of the steering wheel, his right hand resting on the console.
“I was in the military, and then I advanced to recon. I was good, and when I learned I could contract myself out, that seemed like the right fit for me.”
He made it sound so simple. “What do you do, exactly?”
“I take jobs and assignments that are sometimes organized by the government, sometimes private requests. In some cases, it has me out of the country and in very dangerous situations.”
She couldn’t imagine that kind of life. His life was so strange, almost like an alien’s. Her hands fumbled in her lap. She wanted to keep the conversation moving and she needed the distraction. No matter how hard she tried not to think about it, it surged from her subconscious. Someone wanted to kill her. Two nights ago, she could have been dead.
His fingers went to the cruise control. He eased his foot off the pedal and stretched out his long, jeans-clad legs. She let her eyes trail down his body, and her gaze stopped on the bulge at the front of his pants. Her pulse hitched.
Cal cleared his throat, loud and deliberate.
Her eyes shot to his face.
He was grinning.
She bit her lip and turned to look out the front window. Her cheeks burned. But not nearly as bad as the fire that had started in her belly.
“I’ve tried to be selective about the jobs I take. I’m getting older and don’t have the same mind-set I used to have.”
She turned back to look at him. “How old are you?” He didn’t look older. His skin was nicely tanned, his body beyond fit and toned.
“Thirty-two. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do, but I don’t want to die doing it.”
“Don’t you want to have kids? Get married someday?”
He kept his eyes on the road, but his mouth twitched fondly. “I’d love a couple of kids, but I would never subject a wife and a family to my lifestyle. It wouldn’t be fair.”
“You just said you wanted to slow down.”
“Slow down, not retire.”
“You’re giving up so much of your life for your career.” She bit her lip after the words left her mouth. “I’m sorry, it’s really none of my business.” She folded her legs in the seat, getting comfortable. He pulled onto the highway.
“Don’t be. Maybe one day I’ll retire, buy a farm or start my own business. For now, I like the bachelor life.”
Aha. He was single. A thrill raced through her. Hope expanded in her chest.
“How have you stayed single since college? I find that hard to believe.”
She twisted in her seat. Her hands locked in her lap. “It’s simple. I haven’t found anyone that I wanted to date seriously. I, too, enjoy being single.”
Cal laughed.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “What’s funny about that?”
He shook his head, his lips tight. “Nothing—nothing at all.”
She pinched his forearm. “Tell me, don’t back down.” He caught her hand as he twisted out of her reach. His hand covered hers, those long, strong fingers dark against her pale ones.
He let go.
“It’s just that your idea of a single life is very different from mine.”
She folded her arms in front of her chest. “How so?”
“I still have sex. A lot of sex.”
She pursed her lips. Yeah, big difference. No wonder he’d thought it so funny. “Oh. Well, that’s nice for you, I guess.”
He laughed again. “I’d like to think I’m not the only one who enjoys it.” He slanted a salacious grin at her. Her toes curled. “You’re turning red.” He reached over and tugged a lock of her hair. She leaned out of his reach.
“Just keep your eyes on the road.”
He pinched her knee between his thumb and forefinger, then moved his hand back to the console. She couldn’t talk about sex with him. It made her picture it. In her experience, sex hadn’t been phenomenal. But with Cal…the fantasy made her nerve endings tingle.
They were quiet the rest of the drive. It was early afternoon by the time they made it through traffic and to th
e west end of Seattle. The sun set low over the mountains, its golden rays scattered across the sky, beyond the heavy clouds. He turned into an older neighborhood along the coast of Elliott Bay. She loved this area. But she hadn’t envisioned Cal living here. A lot of the homes were old, historical even.
He turned down a long driveway that led to a sprawling rancher. He’d done a nice job with the landscaping, though it was a little overgrown in some areas. Likely a by-product of his busy career.
“This is beautiful. How long have you lived here?”
He pulled into the first bay of the three-car garage and turned off the engine. “I bought the house about five years ago. It was built in the seventies.”
She got out of the truck while he got her shopping bags from the back seat. He paused to insert a key into the access door to the house and swung it open.
“I did a complete remodel,” he continued. “Just finished it last year.” He switched on the hall light that brought them to a walk-through butler’s pantry, and exited in the kitchen. She trailed behind him, admiring the cool travertine tile that transitioned to hardwood once they reached the kitchen. He flipped on more lights.
“Sonofabitch,” he growled.
She looked up. “Oh my God.” A gasp sounded from her throat. She covered her mouth with her hand. The house was trashed. Kitchen cupboards hung off their hinges, and shattered dishes littered the counter and floors. The fridge and freezer doors were wide open. Water lay in puddles on the gorgeous hardwoods. The open-concept living room was in shambles. The stuffing from the couch cushion looked like popcorn had exploded around the room. Holes littered the walls like the end of a baseball bat had been shoved through them.
He stormed through the main area, taking in the damage.
“W–who would do this?” Her fingers trailed along the crisp white quartz counters. Before the intruders, the home would have been gorgeous. Cal rubbed a hand over his head. The muscles in his jaw worked.
“They must have found out I never completed the job.” A vein bulged and pulsated in his throat. He didn’t say it specifically, but they had come here and destroyed his home because she was still alive. Had they been looking for him? Or her? He dropped her shopping bag on the floor next to the couch. “Come here. I want to look around, and they could come back.”
She came to his side and rested her hand on his arm. His bicep flexed beneath her touch.
“I’m so sorry, Cal.”
He shook his head. “It’s not your fault.” His hand fell to the back of her neck. “Come on, stay close.” His fingers closed around hers as he led her down the extra-wide hallway. Artwork that hung on the walls had thick slash marks through them, broken pieces of glass from a tall mirror at the end of the hall scattered the floor. The only thing that hadn’t been destroyed was the hardwood floors.
He stopped in his tracks. Her nose bumped into his shoulder blade. “There’s glass everywhere.” He turned and scooped her up in his arms.
“I can step around it,” she protested. He ignored her and skirted around the glass. When they were safely in the master bedroom—his room—he set her back on her feet. The intruders hadn’t spared his personal space. Clothes scattered the floor, a dresser lay on its side on the floor, and a large chunk had been taken out of the wall. The massive California-king mattress lay flipped over against the far wall.
“Why would they do this?”
He paced around the room, into the master bath and out. His hands balled into tight fists at his sides. “They were looking for the money.”
“Money? What money?”
Thump, thump, thump!
Cal jerked his head up. “Someone’s here.” He pulled her farther into the room, his hands firm on her shoulders. “Stay here and don’t come out until I come and get you.”
Her breath sucked in. She nodded.
“Lock the door.”
He shut the door behind him. Her hands shook as she clicked the lock. She backed away from the door, her eyes riveted to the solid steel device.
He had a dead bolt on his bedroom door.
Chapter 11
Cal pulled his Glock out of the waistband of his pants and advanced on the front door.
Thump, thump, thump!
If they had come back hoping to find him, they’d be really fucking sorry. A quick look out the side window revealed Nate and Ethan’s tall forms. He exhaled and swung the door open. “Dammit, I thought you guys were going to call.”
Nate entered first, his height almost equivalent to Cal’s. Ethan was about an inch taller. The three of them had served in recon together, before each had branched out into different careers. Nate preferred the intensity of putting drug dealers and sex traffickers behind bars with the FBI. Ethan, on the other hand, was still figuring out his career choice. He’d been the last of the three of them to leave recon, and had just left the FBI.
“I sent you a text. You didn’t get it? Lana’s face is all over the news.” Dammit. He hadn’t checked his phone since their last bathroom break.
“No, I didn’t. Sonofabitch.”
Ethan whistled. “What the hell happened here? You get in a tussle?”
“No.” Cal shut the door behind them. “We just got here. This was waiting for me.” He spread his arms wide as he led them through the foyer and into the common area.
“Motherfucker,” Nate breathed.
Cal grimaced. He didn’t want to estimate the damage, but the smashed seventy-inch TV screen made him cringe.
“Only possessions, right? It can all be replaced.” Ethan clapped him on the back. Had Cal been a smaller man, the force would have jarred his shoulder. It didn’t. “Good thing you’ve got lots of dough. Don’t worry, bro. I know a great team that can come in and get this place back in order. You won’t even know it happened.”
“Thanks, appreciate it.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“Where is she?” Nate circled around the living room before meeting them back in the kitchen.
“In the bedroom. I was on edge when I heard the door, so I left her back there. Didn’t even occur to me it would be you guys already.”
Ethan grinned. “Have you forgotten how fast we’re used to moving?”
The mention of their military days brought a wave of nostalgia. Despite the shitstorm around him, he didn’t miss that life. He saluted Ethan, and headed down the hall to retrieve Lana.
He tapped lightly on the bedroom door, “Lana, you can come out. It’s just Nate and Ethan.” He heard the dead bolt turn, and the door slowly opened.
She stood in the doorway, her hair tumbling around her shoulders, her big blue eyes wide and cautious. Her hands fidgeted in front of her. His insides twisted with guilt. He hadn’t meant to scare her.
“It’s okay, honey. I doubt whoever broke in will be back. But still, we’re going to leave soon and check into a hotel.” He reached for her. She inched closer. Her face was pale, and she trembled beneath his hands. Guilt tightened his gut. God, he wished he could erase that flash of fear on her face. His arms ached to wrap around her, to slow her rapid breathing. But doing so would be playing with fire. She nodded slowly, and her throat bobbed on a swallow. He cursed under his breath. Screw it. He pulled her to his chest, tucking her head beneath his chin.
A soft sigh escaped her lips. Her body relaxed against his. He smoothed his hands gently down the slim curve of her back. He dipped his head, inhaling the soft scent of her hair. She smelled like coconuts, the same shampoo he’d used. Only it was different on her. Her own sweet smell mixed with it and tickled his nostrils. Her hands gripped the material of his shirt.
Unbelievable. He was getting hard just from the smell of her. God, he couldn’t take it anymore. Being around her was torture. It was affecting his health and his sanity. If he didn’t find a release soon, he’d explode.
“Let’s go
.” He eased her away and led her down the hall.
By the time they reached the common area, all signs of fear had vanished from her porcelain face. She wore not a hint of makeup, her hair fell in wild waves around her shoulders, and she still wore his large sweatshirt and the sweatpants from this morning. Her spine straightened, her chin lifted, and she smiled warmly.
Ethan and Nate each reached for one of her hands for introductions.
“It’s so nice to meet the both of you.”
“Pleasure is mine.” Ethan winked at her.
“You’re even more beautiful in person.” This came from Nate. Lana smiled demurely. The bastard was hitting on her. Cal cracked his neck from left to right and shot Nate a look to kill. Nate ribbed him in the side with his elbow and leaned in to whisper, “Got your panties in a bunch, did I?”
“Go fuck yourself.”
Nate chuckled and fell back into step behind Lana and Ethan as they moved around the living room. They were surveying the damage, and their constant pacing put Cal on edge.
While the three of them chatted, Cal pulled out his phone. He would need to get a hotel room for at least a couple of nights. He made reservations, making sure to book a large one-bedroom suite so Lana would have her own bed. He would take the pullout. The room price had been staggering, but he’d chosen one of the city’s finest hotels. Tight security was of the utmost importance. He hoped they could get through the lobby without anyone recognizing her.
“Alright, the room is booked,” he announced. “I’m going to pack a few more things, and then we can get going.”
Everyone nodded, but they still continued to talk. Nate said something to Lana that made her cover her mouth as she let out a delicate laugh. When she wasn’t looking, Cal pointed a warning finger at Nate. He raised his hands in an “I’m innocent” gesture. Fucking prick.
Nate wouldn’t swoop in on Lana. That he was sure of. Nate was a loyal friend, and he’d had Cal’s back for more than a decade now. He just enjoyed getting a rise out of him, and dammit, it was working.
Abducted Page 7
