Page 36 of Valor (Long Hot Summer: Christian Romantic Suspense #2)

LANI

My head is cloudy, and my vision isn’t much better. The sedative has worn off, but whatever drug I’m being pumped with now has made it feel as though the blood in my veins is lead. It’s impossible to move much, but even as I try to break free of the restraints binding my arms and legs, I know I’m not strong enough.

Where am I?

I try to look around and get an idea of my surroundings, but it’s pitch black. I can’t see anything but a sliver of light beneath a door straight ahead. The putrid stench of chemical cleaner fills my lungs, likely adding to the underwater feeling I’m currently experiencing.

The door opens, and light assaults me. I have to close my eyes for a moment, only to open them slowly so they can adjust. There’s no pain, the drugs are taking care of that, but as I look down at myself, I get an image of me in a hospital gown, bandages on my arms and legs, which are held down using Velcro straps.

I’m lying in a bed with rails, and an IV pole stands beside it, a bag of saline hanging from the top. A tube runs from the bottom of the bag into a catheter in my arm.

I try to tug my arm free, but someone dressed all in black, a ski mask and sunglasses on their face, comes into view. I jerk away as best I can, but they withdraw a syringe with clear liquid inside and head straight for my IV.

“No, please. What is that? What are you doing?” I demand. Everything swims around me, and panic kicks my heart rate up despite the drugs. “What is that?” I ask again. “Who are you?”

They don’t respond.

“Why are you doing this? If you want money, I can get you money. Please just let me go.” Tears stream down my cheeks. I struggle against the bindings, but I’m helpless. Completely and totally at the mercy of my abductor.

They clean the line with an alcohol wipe, then flush it with a saline syringe.

“Please, stop,” I plead, tears slipping down my cheeks. I struggle against the hold, trying desperately to get free. “Please, stop. I don’t know?—”

They inject the medicine, and seconds later, my mind begins to cloud all over again, my thoughts running together. I try to hold a rational thought, cling to anything that will keep me grounded, but everything blurs. Gibson’s face swims into view. His smile. His touch. Kiss.

The stranger leans in and shines a light in my eyes. I try to blink the brightness away, but my movements are too slow. As they remain leaned in, checking my pupils, the chemical smell is momentarily replaced with the scent of fresh flowers.

They step away and shut the door, plunging me back into blackness.

And then—there’s nothing.