Page 31 of Abducted

Brrring, brrring, brrring!

Cal bolted out of bed. Lana shot to a sitting position and rubbed her eyes. A glance at the clock showed they had only been asleep for twenty minutes. The shrill alarm continued. Cal was yanking on his jeans.

“What’s going on?” She clasped the covers to her chest and stood. Speakers crackled overhead. “This is not a drill, please exit the building. Repeat, this is not a drill.”

“Fire alarm.” Cal yanked a long-sleeved shirt on. “Get dressed—and stay here.” He came to her then, pressed a hot, firm kiss to her lips, and turned away. She reached for him, but her hand closed around air.

“Wait”—she scrambled to find her clothes—“I’m coming with you.” The alarm echoed through the room, piercing her ears. She dropped the blanket and pulled her clothes on.

Cal opened the bedroom door. “I’ll be right back, babe. Stay here.” His voice was stern and unwavering.

He closed the bedroom door behind him.

CHAPTER 13

Cal believed incoincidences as much as he expected pigs to fly. A fire in the hotel they were staying at, hours after he had tracked down the name of the person who’d invested in Lana’s murder, was not a coincidence.

He held the Glock at thigh level as he approached the door. He paused to look through the peephole. The bright lights showed nothing but the hallway. His fingers slid the cool metal chain, unlocking the door. He opened it and stepped out, keeping his gun drawn but out of sight. To his left, a few people were exiting their rooms; to his right, an older couple hovered in the doorway as he did. In the hall, the alarm was deafening.

They needed to get the hell out. When he shut the door and turned, his body slammed into Lana’s much softer one. He hadn’t heard her approach over the constant blare of noise through the speakers.

“I told you to wait,” he said, as if reminding her would send her back. Whoever had started the fire could be on their floor now, looking for them. He could protect her a hell of a lot better if she wasn’t right beside him.

Her lips pursed. “You left. I didn’t know where you were going.”

“You should know I wouldn’t leave you. We have to move, now.” He was glad to see she was fully dressed in the clothes she’d worn before he had left, plus one of his sweaters. He slipped his shoes on and passed her hers. “I need you to promise you’ll do exactly as I say.”

Her eyes rounded. “You don’t think this has anything to do with me, do you?”

“There’s no doubt in my mind.” He shoved his Glock into the waistband of his pants. His mind shifted gears. He couldn’t worry about anything right now except getting her out safely.

“Hold on to me, stay right behind me, and keep your face down.” He pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her hair. She nodded, her eyes dark with worry. He took her hand. Her soft, cool fingers jolted him. She wasn’t trained like he was. She was vulnerable—and a fucking target.

He looked out the peephole again. This time he saw people racing hurriedly down the hall to the stairwell. He opened the door and stepped out, scanning the floor both ways before leading Lana after him.

“Whatever happens, don’t let go of my hand.” He raised his voice over the shriek of the alarm. Her fingers tightened in response. Once they reached the stairwell, people would be frantic, and a tight space filled with scared people was dangerous.

He ushered them down the hall, weaving around people with big eyes, shouting to their family members and children. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lana hesitate, wanting to stop and help. He gave a light tug to her hand and shoved open the stairwell door.

People swarmed, herding down from the twenty stories above them. They were on the eighth floor. Lana’s fingers stiffened in his. Her other hand grasped his elbow. He led them into the crowd and down the stairs. The elevators would be shut down. The only way their pursuers would be able to reach them would be by stairs. There were two main stairwells on either side of the building. They would be searching both.

“Gun—he’s got a gun!” A woman’s terrified scream echoed throughout the stairwell, rivaling the alarm. He looked up at the flights of stairs. A few floors above, another woman screamed. People flocked, shoving each other out of the way. Cal’s eyes landed on a bulky man dressed in black, a knitted black mask over his face.

Cal’s pulse slowed.

The man’s eyes found Cal, then zeroed in on Lana. His brain moved into overdrive. He grabbed Lana, shoved her in front of him, and pushed people out of the way, barreling them down the stairs. Lana moved swiftly. Her hand gripped his like a vise. A glance upward showed that the predator was only a couple floors up.

Cal had to take him out.

At the next floor, Cal opened the door and shoved Lana into the hallway. He held tight to the metal handle blocking the jaws to the stairs, and faced her. Her face was pale, her blue eyes hauntingly sharp to the contrast of her white skin. “You need to run.”

Her breath sucked in, and she shook her head firmly. “No, you said to stay with you.”

“Lana, don’t argue. Run down the hall, stop at the ice machine, there will be an inlet. Wait for me there. I need to get rid of this guy.”

She swallowed. Screams pierced the air. He was close. “Go!”

She turned and ran. Her hair flew out around her like a parachute. The door yanked beneath his grasp. He gripped tighter. The person on the other end jerked on the door with determination. A fist slammed into it next. A look over his shoulder showed Lana slowing as she rounded the corner to the ice machine inlet.

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