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Crossing the dunes, she looked around, surprised Rhett wasn’t right there waiting with his sexy smile and irresistible embrace.

“Rhett?” She looked up and down the beach as she moved closer to the incoming tide line. She didn’t see him anywhere. Something felt wrong in the pit of her stomach and she told herself she was being silly. A wife for barely a day and already worried over her husband’s whereabouts.

Rhett wasn’t like that. He was honorable. He gave his word and kept it. She really needed to tell him she was in love with him. Not because he’d helped, but because her heart was his. And would be forever.

She walked a bit past the point where he’d found her so upset over Luca and saw something in the sand at the water’s edge. Not something. A person.

“Oh, no!” She rushed forward, willing it to be anyone but Rhett, despite the familiar shirt and khaki shorts. “Rhett!”

He was face down in the incoming tide. “Oh, no.” Shecalled his name, repeating it like a chant as she tried to rouse him.

What had happened between sending the message and now? Had he passed out? He was too young for a heart attack. Too healthy for any major physical concern. She fell to her knees beside him. Running her hands along his neck and shoulders down his back, calling his name the whole time.

She couldn’t see any wounds, but face down in the surf like this, the incoming foaming edge of the water coasted right into his mouth. She had to move him. Hoping there wasn’t an injury she couldn’t see, she pushed and shoved until he was on his back.

“Rhett, honey. Wake up. Rhett!” She patted his face, gently at first then with a little more force. She checked for a pulse. Still there, weak but steady. His breathing was shallow, but he was alive.

She moved around, determined to drag him back from the water. With his clothes soaked through and his muscular build, she fell on her backside. Getting up, she tried again, fell again. Torn between running for help and leaving him there, staying won out. She wouldn’t leave him to drown. She’d call for help and stay right here.

She fished her phone out of her pocket and with trembling hands she pushed the emergency icon on the work phone.

Before anyone answered, strong arms banded around her body, coiling around her waist and breasts like a snake, drawing so tightly she couldn’t breathe. A strong hand latched onto her throat, squeezing until she saw stars.

Luca. No one else would do this.

“Hello, my darling.”

Those horrible arms hauled her back from Rhett’s lifeless form. He was still too close to the water. If he didn’t wake up, he could drown. She kicked and twisted to no avail.

“Say goodbye to him, Trina. You’re my bride now.”

The tension around her waist eased and she wriggled, trying to scream. Something damp covered her mouth and nose. Fabric that smelled wrong. She tried to scream but could only gurgle. Every effort to escape made her weaker.

Luca had drugged her.

She heard him muttering about proper weddings and the life he deserved. And then she blacked out.

Rhett sputtered as water hit the side of his face, rolling into his ear and across his cheek, then back again. Saltwater sprayed across his lips. He turned away and spit the water out of his mouth into the sand.

He tried to sit up only to have the world spin out from under him. His entire body was one big ache, starting with his head. His mouth was dry and his vision blurry. He rubbed at his eyes and looked around. How the hell did he get out here on the beach? The last thing he remembered was a text from Trina. She’d asked him to meet her for a sunset walk on the beach before they met with friends.

“Trina!”

Twilight was spreading across the sky. The first stars were already sparkling in the sky. “What the hell?”

Everything inside him went cold. He reached for his phone but it was gone. He either dropped it in the water or…

Gallo.

Yes, he was supposedly at the airport, but this kind of setup had that bastard’s fingerprints all over it.

Rhett had a shadowy memory of being shoved down into the wet sand. A heavy hand on his head and a knee on his back.

Gallo did this. Lured him out here, attacked him, and then what? Did it matter? The only reason was Trina.

He had to find help. Make sure she was all right. He shoved himself to his feet. Staggered as the world pitched and sloped away. Not cool. Hauling in deep breaths, he struggled to form a plan as he worked his way back to the pub.

First, confirm Trina was safe. Then he could figure out how Gallo managed this. Rhett couldn’t let Gallo get within shouting distance of his wife. As soon as he found Trina, they would file a restraining order. Blacklist Gallo’s passport. Whatever it took to keep her safe.