Page 83 of Hearts and Hidden Secrets

CARSON

We drove north out of the city, eventually turning in at a well-hidden driveway.

There was a gate. And woods. Lots of woods.

The driveway wound up to the front of a huge, sprawling one-story house.

I watched Jonah and his brother. Neither seemed worried about me studying our location.

Jonah took my hand again and led me inside. My heart sank. There were armed guards all over, a huge and expansive lawn, and trees.

There were so many trees everywhere. Inside, the house had more trees in a center atrium, and even sort of a yard. If I hadn’t been brought here against my will, I would’ve thought that was super cool.

The front entryway was glass, and with glass doors opening to that atrium area, I could see all over the house. The kitchen was to the right, a living room across, and the room on the left looked like a library. There were a couple bedrooms. This was my dream house.

Fuck these guys. Just fuck them and their obvious extreme wealth.

Tanner’s phone buzzed, and he halted.

Jonah turned back, waiting.

“I gotta go,” Tanner said.

Jonah’s hand flexed against mine, holding tight for a second. “What do you mean?”

Tanner was still focused on his phone. “I need to go meet the guy for the phone.” He looked up, grinning as his gaze found our entwined hands. “I’ll be gone the night. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”

Jonah snorted, taking me down the hallway to the left. “That’s literally nothing.”

“Not true, little brother.”

Jonah tugged me forward through a myriad of hallways and took a left that seemed to go into an entirely different building.

He pulled me into a back bedroom, and then through to the bathroom, which included the biggest shower I’d ever seen.

It took up the entire side of the bathroom, and except for the tile against the wall, everything was clear glass.

Not the smoky glass to help with privacy—this was totally clear.

There was no privacy at all in this bathroom.

Jonah dropped my hand, stepped into the shower, and turned it on, ducking past the waterfall showerhead.

He tested the water, waiting until a bit of steam began to rise, then came back out.

“Strip,” he said.

I closed my eyes, because no way was this happening to me. Not me. This was a scene from a movie or something. But when I opened my eyes, he was still there, still waiting, and the look in his eyes was set. He was not messing around.

“No,” I croaked, stepping backward.

“Take your clothes off. Now.”

I shook my head again. “No. This is not happening.”

“I’m a doctor. I don’t give a fuck about nudity. Strip now, or I will strip you. I have to see if you have a tracker or not.”

A what? I frowned, but he wasn’t wasting any more time.

He came forward, taking my hand and spinning me. He trapped me against his body, and in the next second, my shirt was up and off. One snip, and my bra was gone. He ran his hands over me. He was moving fast and efficiently, but thoroughly.

A tracker.

He thought I would have a tracker on my body?

What kind of world did he live in?

I broke away, holding my hands out toward him. “Please stop.”

This was so humiliating. I was burning up.

A flash of sympathy flared in his eyes. “If you have a tracker, I will find it. You have no option here.”

He didn’t care. My integrity was nothing to him.

Gah. I stepped back, some of my fight starting to fade, but dammit .

I undid my heels, tempted to throw them at him. But I didn’t, because I was half naked. I didn’t want any body parts rubbing against me right now.

The pants were next.

I unbuckled, wiggling them down, and stepped out of them. My thong was next. I tried to hide myself with my hair, but that was greasy from the nightclub. “Are you going to check my vagina?” I meant that as snark, but when he was quiet, I looked up. “I was joking.”

He wasn’t listening. He circled me, looking over my body.

He bent forward, looking at certain angles, and I realized he was looking for any bumps on my skin. He thought the tracker might be in me, but he was checking without touching me. I swallowed a sour taste in my mouth, refusing to be grateful for that small kindness.

After a moment, he stepped back and nodded toward the shower. “Go.”

I stepped inside, and mannnnnn , the water felt nice .

I turned towards the spray, giving him my backside.

When I turned back around, he was gone. My clothes were gone, too.

Fucking fucker fuck.

Grabbing the shampoo, I studied it. No clue what brand it was, but I was sure it cost $500 a bottle. I was tempted to empty the entire thing on the floor, but something told me he wouldn’t care.

Or notice.

Once I’d finished showering, I sat on the bed, a huge towel wrapped around me.

Jonah returned, carrying a pile of folded clothes, and placed them next to me. “Put those on.”

He went to a dresser and pulled out a pair of socks.

I frowned but reached for the clothes. He had found me underwear, leggings, a bra, and a yoga top. There was a sweatshirt on the bottom, and damn—I would’ve loved to buy that sweatshirt if I found it in a store. It was the softest material I’d ever felt, and it was off-white. Cream.

I dressed, pulling everything on.

That’s when I realized the socks weren’t socks. They were a yoga type of shoe that looked like socks. They were comfortable. Holy crap . Rich people always got the best stuff.

“When does the interrogation start?” I asked.

He watched me with hooded eyes from across the room. “Tell me why you’re here, why you were at Bresko’s.”

I frowned. “I thought you went through my phone.”

“I want to hear it from you, in your words.”

There was a look to him, like he was analyzing me. Maybe he was.

I sighed, so tired of all of this. I shrugged, sitting on the bed.

“I’m from here. Grew up here all my life, and my sister is getting married next weekend.

I’m a bridesmaid, or supposed to be one, and she called my boss and told her she’d gotten tickets to the Mustangs game tonight.

She got me a couple extra days off so I could come up early.

After the game, she wanted to go to Bresko’s. Said she got a VIP package from there.”

“Who do you work for?”

I frowned. “The lab. I don’t work for anyone else.”

“I’m not too familiar with Bresko’s, but with the exclusivity of it, I have a hard time believing a VIP package exists. So I’m asking again, who do you work for?”

I had nothing. No words. He knew who I worked for. “The morgue , in Texas .”

His eyes flashed. “Either your story checks out or we find out who you’re working for.”

“I don’t work for anyone else, just the lab. I’m not lying to you.”

Jonah’s eyes sparked, but it was dim. He was on low simmer.

And still gorgeous.

That wasn’t fair. The universe shouldn’t make men like him look like that.

“You’re doing this?—”

His phone buzzed. Text after text began coming through.

He stepped back, swiping open his screen. “Crowler…” He cursed, leaving the room.

This was my time. I had to try. I had to take it.

I had no idea when he’d come back, so I went to the window.

I opened it, holding my breath, but when no alarm sounded, I cranked it farther open and hauled myself through it. Thank goodness they didn’t have screens here.

Hitting the ground, I landed on a sidewalk, and I crouched down. I imagined myself as an amazing kick-ass female spy. I didn’t see anyone around.

Holy shit . I couldn’t believe this luck, but I was going with it.

The yoga socks/shoes/whatever the hell they were, helped as I took off, running down a hill. There was minimal sound. A few leaves crunched, but that was it.

No guards ahead, they were all off to the side. One was back behind me. I just moved where those guards weren’t, because I could see them. It was dark, but I could see their lights. They were walking. Probably a perimeter check? But so far, they didn’t know I was here.

I kept going, and thank God for the running I could do. Anyone tells you to show up early for work, ignore them. Be late. You never know when or how it’ll save your life.

I kept going and ran smack-dab into a few trees, their branches cutting my skin.

I kept my head down, running with an arm over my head to protect my face. It sort of worked. I was bleeding in a few spots, but I needed to get to the road.

Keep going.

Keep going.

I started to chant that phrase in my head.

Moving forward, stumbling, hitting a tree, and moving around it. Over and over.

I’d be black and blue by the end of this trek, but it’d be worth it.

Lord be with me today! Today, Lord! Right now! Today. Or tonight. I didn’t think he cared. Sorry, He cared.

Still, I prayed under my breath as I chanted in my head, and then I stumbled down a hill and— ALARM! ALARM!

Lights flooded the woods.

They switched on, one section at a time, and now I saw them coming.

WHO PUT LIGHTS IN A FOREST?! A freaking forest. My GOD!

The lights turned on behind me.

Switch .

Ninety yards away.

I took off, not caring what I was going to hit.

Switch .

Sixty yards away.

I sprinted, blood gushing down my face.

Switch .

Thirty yards.

I couldn’t see the road, but it had to be in front of me. Somewhere. It couldn’t be that far, could it?

BAM !

Switch.

The lights over me came on, and I heard a siren start.

They’d spotted me.

They probably had cameras installed along with those lights, but fuck them if I was going to stop and wait.

I kept going, and since I could see now, I could go faster.

But the yoga shoes/socks weren’t good for running long distance. They were letting me down.

I went another thirty yards before I heard the engines.

My heart sank, but dammit, I kept going. I hadn’t fought when they took me. This might be my last chance.

A four-wheeler appeared and parked on a ridge to my right. All four guards hopped off, spreading out in front of it.

I waited, but they didn’t do anything. They didn’t come for me. They just waited.

That wasn’t good.

Still, I kept running.

A second ATV appeared on the other side, and again, four guards got out, taking point in front of it.

Still waiting.

I heard another vehicle pull in behind me.

Another to the front.

And another, and another.

They were forming a circle, closing me in.

Those fuckers.

Seriously.

Goddamn fucking fuckers.

I kept on, tripping down another hill, and nearly ran into an ATV stopped in front of me.

A figure jumped down from it, pausing, but then making his way to me.

“Carson.”

No, no, no.

I kept going.

I tried for the left side, but the guards began moving towards me. Their guns pointed right at me.

“Carson.” He dropped his voice—trying to what? Be soothing?

Too late for that.

I tried right, and it was the same greeting. Guns pointing at me.

I stopped. I didn’t have superhuman strength or the ability to climb trees.

Game over.

Jonah came closer as I stood still, my head held high.

Not down. Never down. Fuck down.

I wanted to see what was above me and around me. I wanted to make note of what was out here, because this wasn’t the end. I’d try again, and I’d get free.

I would.

I wasn’t done.

I wasn’t out.

Jonah stopped next to me. “Are you done?”

I closed my eyes, my head tipped back. “Fuck you.”

He didn’t respond, but he took my arm, and his guards swarmed.