Page 72 of Guarded from Corruption

Toward the closet.

No.

Then a silent, calming whisper in my ear. A reminder.

The tracker. It’s still there. Still hidden under the skin, right below my shoulder blade. Dante offered to take it out, to give me something I could wear instead, but after two abductions, I was fine with leaving it.

Niall will find me. He and his team. So I just need to hang on.

“Jade,” Dr. Regan grumbles as he keeps dragging me. “You’re heavier than I thought. You look so slender. But I’ll have to put you on a diet, I see.”

What?

This asshole.

White-hot anger floods through me, chasing away the cold fear.

Now that the effects of the stun gun? taser? are wearing off, I start wriggling around, trying to make it impossible for him to get a good hold on me.

“Shit,” he hisses. “Do you want me to drug you?”

No. But I’m not going to let him just do this, either.

My knee catches him in the thigh and he grunts in pain. “Fine. Drugs it is.”

But before he can do anything, the office door flies open with a splintering crash.

“Get your fucking hands off her.”

Niall!

He storms into the room, an avenging warrior with death in his eyes.

Not the gentle man he is around me, but the dangerous one he keeps hidden. The man who’s faced off against countless enemies to keep our country safe. The highly trained special forces soldier who’ll do anything to protect me.

Niall looks at me and his features go rigid. A storm of emotions move across his face. Worry. Guilt. Relief. Fury.

“What did you do to her?”

Dr. Regan is frozen, staring at Niall with wide, fearful eyes.

Honestly, I can’t blame him. Niall looks every bit the Green Beret he was, tall and strong and intimidating. While Dr. Regan looks like he might run on the treadmill twice a week if he’s lucky.

Niall storms toward us, vibrating with intensity. “Step away from Jade. Now.”

Now that Niall’s here, my fear is subsiding. Dr. Regan is no match for my boyfriend.

But instead of giving himself up like I’m expecting, the older man makes a last-ditch move. Face twisting with rage, he jumps up with the taser outstretched. “No! I’ll say you attacked me. It’s self-defense!”

I’m not sure how that’s going to explain me tied up on the floor.

Niall snarls at him, “There’s no getting out of this.” And he leaps forward, easily batting the taser—is it a taser or a stun-gun?—out of Dr. Regan’s hand. In that same fluid move, Niall slams him down hard enough to make the floor shudder.

Turning, Niall snaps at the small crowd of nurses gathered in the doorway, “Call the police. Now.” Then he pulls a wad of zip ties from his pocket and restrains the doctor in quick, precise movements, growling curses under his breath the entire time.

Once Dr. Regan is dealt with, Niall rushes over to me, dropping to his knees beside me. His expression softens. “Ah, Jade. Sweetheart. I’m so sorry.”

As he reaches for my gag, his hands tremble for a moment before steadying. “I’m so sorry,” he repeats, guilt seeping through each word. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I should have gotten here sooner.”

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