“Are you a prostitute? Or what do they call themselves? Ladies of the night?” SynTanner asked bluntly. She giggled and covered her mouth as if she was a child in church and made the mistake of laughing.
“Not a prostitute. But I can do slut like things just for the pleasure of it. No charge,” she shrugged. SynTanner eyed her. What was this woman’s deal? She was too beautiful to be just giving herself away.
“You look like a delicate thing. You can handle a good raw fucking?” SynTanner asked. She just nodded, her eyes roaming all over his body.
“And you’d come with me? Just like that?” he asked.
“Yes!” she rushed out; her voice still soft. SynTanner was taken aback by the urgency in her voice. His instincts began to kick in. Years of police work was letting him know that something wasn’t right. Was this woman trying to get him in a compromising position. SynTanner had put a lot of criminals away. What if this was some type of revenge, she was seeking from someone he had arrested? Either way, SynTanner didn’t like the feeling he was getting.
“Just really what are you tryna do?” SynTanner asked her.
“I—I’m just looking for pleasure,” she squeaked. Her eyes averted to someone behind him. SynTanner stood, not liking that he may be ambushed. A man approached him from behind. SynTanner was poised to fight but the man walked straight by him and stood next to the woman.
“There you are. What the hell? I turn my back for a second and you’re gone,” he scolded.
“Sorry baby. I wanted a drink,” she replied. SynTanner tried to keep his composure. The little bitch. How was she tryna get her way in his pants but she was here with her man? The man put his arm around her waist.
“And who’s this? I hope you weren’t too chatty with him,” he said.
“No. He was just hitting on me but I stayed quiet,” she insisted. SynTanner just looked between them. What in the hell was going on?
“She’s a looker, isn’t she? I can see why you’d check her out,” the man said, looking at SynTanner. He held the woman closer to his body. Her eyes flickered down to the ground and the looseness of her muscles tensed. It was subtle, but SynTanner noticed it. The woman was uncomfortable.
“You should keep a tighter leash. A woman like that can get scooped up by anyone,” SynTanner said.
“Trust me. I will definitely keep her on a tighter leash,” the man looked at her as if he was threatening her.
“I didn’t mean that literally,” SynTanner declared, feeling uncertain about what kind of kinky shit was going on between the two of them. Still, he didn’t want her to actually be leashed.
“No worries. I know how you meant it. Anyways. Time for us to go home.” The man looked around the room. When he spotted who he was looking for, he made a signal towards the door. Still with the woman held tight against his body, he led her towards the exit. Just before she was whisked away, she looked directly at SynTanner. SynTanner gasped. Her eyes. They were wide and desperate. No. Something was wrong. SynTanner had seen too much to not know that look.
Napkin.She mouthed just as she was forced to continue on.
“Napkin?” SynTanner asked himself. What the hell? He looked at the spot where she had just vacated. There was a single napkin folded on top of the bar where she was leaning. When did she leave it there? She hadn’t ordered a drink. SynTanner snatched up the napkin and unfolded it. His back went bone straight as chills ran down his spine.
I’VE BEEN KIDNAPPED. HELP ME.The words were bold against the napkin. He didn’t miss a single letter. Now it made sense. She would have done anything to get him to take her away, even if it meant offering her body.
Cursing, SynTanner jumped off the barstool. He pushed people out of the way as he stormed to the front door. Bursting out into the humid night, he caught a glimpse of red material as she was forced into a dark SUV. It sped out of the parking lot with urgency. SynTanner stared at the license plate, etching the numbers and letters into his mind. His memory wouldn’t fail him. Still, a license plate number didn’t sit well with him.
Pick yourself up and do what you have to do. Your career isn’t over.Ryder’s words plagued him. In a split second, SynTanner made a choice. He’d been sidelined because of trauma but he wasn’t ready to retire. And he wasn’t going to let a kidnapper go. SynTanner bolted towards his motorcycle. If he rushed, he could follow the SUV the woman was thrust into, and he could save her.