Page 11

The fiery fluid rested in her stomach, nausea tossed it around. Oh god, what had she done? A loud buzz started in her ears, her vision blurred. Greg’s arm pulled her against him.

“You’re okay, just have some of this.” He lifted the cocktail cup in her hand until she sipped.

A voice roared over the nearby speakers, rattling her nerve endings. Her cheeks went numb. She needed to sit down, to close her eyes for just a minute.

Greg led her away from the crowd, his laugh echoed in her ears. “Let’s get you out of here.”

No, no, no.

She wasn’t ready. She just needed more time, maybe some water.

She planted her feet in the sand and leaned back against the pull of his arm.

Her resistance shook her balance. She stumbled backwards.

Greg’s face was replaced with the black sky speckled with bright stars.

Her butt thumped into the sand, jarring her.

Sand and sky wavered in front of her, swirling together into one messy cocktail.

She squeezed her eyes tight and pressed her fingers to her temples.

She needed to pull herself together. Mind over matter.

Rough hands snagged her arms and hefted her to her feet.

Greg’s throaty laugh rumbled against her side.

“You’re fine.” He towed her through the sand and into a small break in the trees.

A million vehicles littered the grass. Keys rattled in the night, and the metallic clink made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

Her eyes dragged across the deserted parking area.

She sucked in a deep breath of the muggy air as he led her to a large white truck.

Panic reverberated through her bones and tears burned her eyes.

This moron could be the man who’d taken Hanna.

But dammit, if she went with him while she was wasted, she wouldn’t be able to defend herself.

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. She’d had a plan, a solid one.

All she’d had to do was have him get her alone and stay sober so she could slip him the pills and get a confession.

And this bastard had blown it to smithereens.

She stopped a few feet from the passenger door and brushed his arms off. “I’m sorry, Greg. I drank too much and I’m feeling pretty sick. I’d better go back to my hotel.” She took a step back, but his arm snaked around her shoulders.

“Not to worry, hon. We’re at the same place, remember? I’ll give you a ride.”

Bile slammed against her palate. She wrestled out of his arms and took a step back. “No, I—”

His hand gripped her shoulder and he shoved her against the truck.

Her head knocked against the window and her vision swam, bringing back the intense pain from the asshole who’d attacked her in the alleyway last night.

Her breath came out in sharp pants as her knees buckled.

Darkness closed in around her and her muscles went limp.

The slam of a door snapped her eyes open.

Her gaze swept around her, taking in the black interior of his truck.

The warm scent of leather filled her nostrils.

Oh god, she’d passed out. Saliva pooled beneath her tongue and she took a shaky breath through her nose.

A glow from the interior light spilled over his tall form.

His baseball hat kept his eyes shadowed, but illuminated a scar across his long, thin nose.

“Relax, we’ll be there in five minutes.” His tone was as slick as oil, and his smile stretched into a thin, salacious line.

He started the ignition and pulled out of the grass. She pressed her back against the seat and closed her eyes. She had to get sober. She’d never be able to fight him off like this.

Her heart pounded in her chest and her chin quivered.

If she let him take her as another victim, she’d never save Hanna.

She’d fail. The truck bumped over the ground until he pulled onto the road.

Her body swayed involuntarily with every turn.

Her gaze landed on her purse, still looped over her shoulder. She wet her lips. Yes!

She opened the flap and pulled out the slim, metal canister, keeping it low against her thigh.

Her mouth went dry and she kept her gaze ahead.

He’d hear if she opened the cap now, but if she waited until he got out, he could still attack her.

She’d have to move quickly and mace him before he got out of the truck, then she’d be able to run.

He turned and a small motel filled the windshield. He shifted into Park and released his seat belt.

She popped off the cap.

His head snapped toward her. “What the—”

She aimed the nozzle at him and fired. A stream of spray sailed through the air, connecting with Greg’s face.

Her shaky motor skills had also coated the aerosol over his seat and steering wheel.

He screamed and lunged at her, one hand shielding his eyes.

His fist closed around her wrist, knocking the can from her fingers.

“You fucking bitch! I’ll kill you!”

Crash!

Glass pelted through the air, covering Greg and stinging her bare legs. A long, thick arm came through the driver’s side window and grabbed Greg by the throat. She pressed her side against the door, her fingers groped for the door handle as the arm pulled Greg through the window.

A guttural cry sounded from Greg’s throat as the monster dropped him to the ground. The flash of a large, dark form crossed over the now open window as the man attacked Greg.

A low scream sounded in her throat. Were they being mugged? She had to escape. Her fingers found the door handle and she yanked it open. She tumbled through the air and landed on the ground, pain shot through her knees and palms but she staggered to her feet.

Sickening crunches of bone against bone sounded through the air followed by sharp, agonized grunts. She made a dead run across the parking lot, her weak legs wobbled and her hair flew in front of her eyes.

A voice boomed behind her but she didn’t slow. Fast footsteps scuffed across the pavement and she wheeled around as an arm locked tightly around her waist, dragging her against a hard wall of chest.

She pressed her hands against his abdomen and tilted her head back to take in her captor’s face. Sharp, ferocious blue eyes burned down at her. His dark eyebrows pinched together and his hard jaw locked.

“Ethan,” she wheezed. Her breath slowed and her muscles turned lax. A chill danced over her skin despite the warm air and her shoulders shivered. She sucked the humid night air in through her nose.

His face didn’t soften.

“Wh—What are you doing here?” She swallowed over the weight of nausea that forced its way up her throat.

His eyes darkened, resembling black coals that shone in the darkness.

“Rescuing you from another rapist, being you’re so hell-bent on self-destruction.

” Anger rippled his forehead and his teeth clenched into a snarl.

She opened her mouth and clamped it shut.

Her brain sorted through her muddled vocabulary but nothing, not even an insult, came through the thick fog.

Her head swam and her body wavered in his tight hold.

Oh god. Don’t pass out. Not now.

She planted her feet and met his glare. It took all of her energy not to teeter on her feet as she focused on her speech. “Why are you following me?” she asked slowly, using all of her strength not to stumble over the words.

He snorted, bent down, scooped her legs into the crook of his arm, and cradled her against his chest. “Because I’d prefer not to read about your dead body found in a bloody motel room tomorrow morning.”

Every ounce of fight left her body and she let her head drop to his shoulder. Later she could be mad and would make him eat those words. For right now, she needed to remain conscious and if that meant letting him win one round, so be it.

His hand gripped tightly to her thigh and the other around her back. Her body moved and swayed with every step and the heavy ball of nausea grew bigger and bigger. She squeezed her eyes shut and burrowed her face in his chest.

She sucked in a greedy breath of the faint hint of his cologne. It anchored her to him even more, and the tension in her muscles eased. In one swift movement, he lowered her to her feet. His hand stayed looped around her belly as he fished in his pocket for his keys.

Fire blazed up her throat and she lurched forward. Vomit shot through her lips, splattering to the ground.

“Shit,” Ethan hissed. His free hand swept her hair back and out of harm’s way.

His arm firmed against her stomach, keeping her upright as she bent over, wave after wave of liquid expelled from her body.

Moisture clotted her mascara together and tears coursed down her face with the force of her heaves.

“Shh. It’s all right, let it out.” Ethan’s warm breath tickled her shoulder, his words soft and coaxing. Her body shook violently; if it weren’t for his solid strength against her she would have crumpled to the ground like a wet towel.

“Guess I don’t have to take you to get your stomach pumped now.” His hand stroked down her arm, chasing the chill from that area of her skin. “Got it all?”

She swallowed and nodded. Saliva coated her tongue and she grimaced as embarrassment crept up her spine.

“Can you stand for a sec?” he asked.

Her hand clutched against his wrist for dear life, but she nodded. She’d stand if it killed her. Stepping over her large puddle of puke, he rummaged in the back of his truck and came out with a T-shirt and a bottle of water. “Here, clean up with this.”

Her hands trembled as she accepted the black shirt and pressed it to her mouth.

He moved behind her again, his large hand covered her hip, pressing her back to his front.

Her body jerked with every tremor and his other hand held out the bottle of water.

She took it and greedily gulped the cool, refreshing liquid.

“Okay now?” His voice was unwavering next to her ear, solid and surprisingly sympathetic.

She nodded again. He opened the passenger door, lifted her into the seat, and secured the seat belt across her chest. Her eyes closed and her body turned lax, as if just knowing she was safe was enough for her to slip into peaceful unconsciousness.

A moment later, the interior light flicked on and he slid into the driver’s seat. Her eyes fluttered open against the glow. She took a deep breath and rested her head against the door. Ethan’s rumbling voice permeated her senses.

She frowned and turned her head to squint at him. Annoyance lit his fiery blue orbs. God, he was hot. His lips moved slowly and a giggle erupted in her chest.

“Ethan, speak Linguish.” She laughed again. Oh god, she was slurring her words. His firm hand clasped her shoulder and shook her until she met his eyes again.

“Focus,” he ground out. “What the hell are you thinking, Riley?”

She winced at the harsh tone of his voice but her surprise quickly turned into a giggle. He cursed and mumbled something she didn’t catch.

“I’m taking you home,” he breathed.

Oh good. The sooner she was alone, and away from Ethan, the better. Heavy weights rested on her eyelids. A yawn broke from her throat.

She was definitely too old for this stuff.

She just needed to close her eyes. She rested her head back and let her eyelids seal together.

Her muscles sagged with every gentle rock and hum of the truck.

Ethan’s voice droned on. God, was he still talking?

Did the man ever just not talk? Her tongue itched to say this to him, but she lacked the energy.

Her body went slack in the warm seat, the low roar of the radio and Ethan’s voice lulled her to sleep.