Page 9 of Lethal Game

"You were very courageous to fight the way you did, Alisa."

She was touched by his words, by the admiration in his blue eyes. Another odd shiver ran down her spine as their gazes held. "I think you're giving me too much credit," she said.

"I'm not. Did he say anything to you?"

"He just told me to get in the car and shut up. It sounded like he had an accent. You must know who he is by now. Where is he? Is he in jail?"

"He's in surgery. His name is Victor Kashin. Does that name ring a bell to you?"

"No, but I don’t know why it would. I've never seen him before. Is he a…criminal?" she finished, not wanting to say predator or rapist because that just made the memories worse.

"I haven't had time to find out everything about him, but I will."

"Why do you think he was trying to take me with him?"

"I don't know. It's possible he wanted to use you as a cover. We were looking for the vehicle he drove into the parking lot earlier in the day. We didn't know who the driver was until now. He must have seen the increased security and decided to switch cars and grab someone else to make him look like part of a couple."

She thought about his answer. "Would he have let me go after he got away? If I had gotten in the car?"

Jason shrugged. "It's better not to speculate."

He was probably right, but she couldn't help herself. "If he was driving the vehicle you were looking for, then he must be connected to your person of interest?"

"Possibly."

"Can you tell me more?"

"I can't."

"You can't or you won't?" she asked.

"Both," he said bluntly. "Sorry."

She frowned. "Well, can you tell me if this other person is going to be a threat to me?"

"I believe you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. He needed a vehicle, and you crossed his path."

"So, I was just unlucky."

"But lucky in the end," he reminded her.

"This man you're looking for must be dangerous if the FBI is involved. Is it possible he's still in the hospital? My mother is a patient upstairs, and if something is going on in the building, I need to get up there as soon as possible."

"There's nothing going on. The building was cleared."

"Then why are you still here?"

"I wanted to talk to you, to make sure you were all right."

She knew he was only talking to her as an FBI agent to avictim, but it still felt nice to have someone who wanted to make sure she was okay.

He reached into his pocket and handed her a business card with a handwritten phone number on it. "This is my personal cell phone, Alisa. If you remember anything else about the attack, please call me."

"I've told you everything I know."

"Sometimes minor details come back later when you've recovered." He stood up. "Take care."

"I'll try."

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