Page 83 of Point of Contact

That would lead them right to Reed's parents. And there was no way she'd put them in danger.

So she darted around the mailbox and took off down the road, screaming at the top of her lungs, hoping if she made enough noise a neighbor would call the cops and she might stand a chance.

But the guy who grabbed her wasn't the only one in the van. Two more men wearing white tactical gear ran after her, their long legs making it easy for them to close the distance between them. The first one to reach her tackled her from behind, taking her to the ground. He managed not to slam her full-force into the packed snow, but it still knocked the wind out of her and sent her face-first into a clump of filthy snow.

The other guy reached them half a second later. "Don't hurt her. We'll never hear the end of it."

The guy pinning her in place grunted as she bent one knee, sending her foot swinging in an arch that brought the heel of her boot right into the crack of his ass. "I'm trying. But in case you haven't noticed, she's a fucking handful." He managed to grab her hand right as she tried to claw at his eyes, gripping her wrist and wrenching her arm behind her back as his knees clenched together at each side of her thighs, making it impossible to move her lower half. "I could use a fucking hand."

Courtney narrowed her eyes at the guy who came closer, reaching for her like he hadn't learned anything from his buddy’s struggles. The minute his ungloved hand was within reach, she twisted, craning her neck as far as it would go before sinking her teeth into the meaty muscle at the base of his thumb.

The other guy howled as he struggled to free his hand from her mouth, but she held on as tight as she could. The longer she managed to lay out here in the middle of the road, the better her chances were of being saved.

And someone would definitely try to save her. After a lifetime of being alone with no one having her back, knowing Reed would come for her only made her fight harder.

So, while she had number two by the hand, she lifted her upper body away from the snow. Bending back at the waist, and ignoring the protest of her abs, she clenched her free hand into a fist and sent it flying at his face. The impact with his nose was satisfying as hell. As was the almost immediate trickle of blood down his face. She finally unclenched her jaw, smirking as he fell backward.

The guy on top of her immediately snatched her fisted hand and jerked it around to meet the one he still held at the small of her back. “I know this probably isn’t the right time, but if things don’t work out with you and Reed, I’d love to take you out sometime.”

She went still at the mention of Reed’s name. They said it like they knew him. And it sent the chill biting her exposed skin straight to her gut.

This was bad. Worse than some thugs coming from Miami to finish her off.

Her wide eyes moved over the two men, taking in their white tactical gear and the arsenal of weapons at their waists and thighs. They were definitely not the same caliber as the men who blew up her house.

She yelped as the man holding her hauled her to her feet. He wasn't overly rough, but it was clear she was in deep shit. Shit that wasn't even hers.

He pulled a zip line from his waistband, looking at it a second before dropping it to the ground and grabbing his cuffs. "These will be more comfortable." He locked them into place around her wrists, finally glancing at his buddy on the ground. "Get up. We gotta go."

The guy spit in the snow as he stood, his saliva tinted pink. "I think she broke my nose." He swiped at the blood freezing on his face, smearing it up one cheek with the sleeve of his coat.

The prick holding her looked his friend over, grinning. "Oh, she definitely broke it. You're going to have to get it set when we get back to headquarters."

Courtney shifted her eyes, looking the guy at her side up and down, taking in everything about him as a possibility began to form. Everything about him seemed familiar. Not necessarily his face, but what he wore. The way he carried himself. The weapons and gear covering so much of his solid body. The earpiece nearly hidden behind the stretch of his white hat.

They looked almost identical to the guys at Alaskan Security.

But that wouldn't make any sense. Why would anyone from Alaskan Security do this?

The guy holding her pulled her toward the van, dragging her along as her mind raced.

Maybe Alaskan Security really was tired of her bullshit. Maybe they weren't as excited about having her living on-site as they acted.

Maybe they were going to try to send her back.

She needed someone to help her. Someone who carried a lot of weight. Someone these guys were likely to listen to. "I want to talk to Heidi." The guy dragging her along tried to urge her into the van, but she stiffened her legs, refusing to go easily. "I said I want to talk to Heidi."

He let out a heavy sigh. "I have a feeling you will have the opportunity to talk to Heidi soon."

His admission sent her stomach sinking. They didn't want her here but were too chicken shit to say it to her face. To Reed’s face. They must not know how well-versed she was in the art of being rejected.

All the fight went out of her, and she was scooped up and dropped into a seat. Buckled in as they took off down the road.

Might as well get this over with. Might as well figure out where she could go from here. Her options were pretty slim.

Reed needed his job at Alaskan Security to take care of his parents. Needed the income it provided. And since she was no longer alive as far as anyone knew, she couldn't access any of her money to help him. That meant he would have to decide between her and his parents. And there was only one choice to be made.

She slumped down, sick to her stomach at the thought of losing Reed. Losing his parents. Losing what she'd wanted so much for so long.

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