Page 53 of Abducted

“Tanner is an ass, and I know everything stacks up against him right now…but it doesn’t add up to me.”

Nate leveled her with his stare. “How so?”

“Well, for starters, I don’t see how he would benefit from my death. He has more money than he knows what to do with, so it’s not an inheritance battle. Was he mad that I pushed him away and told Grace after he attacked me? Sure. But what would killing me do except leave him as a primary suspect?”

Nate held out the bowl of chips, and she shook her head. He dove in again. Geez, these guys could eat, she was still stuffed from the four pizza slices. Adrenaline sure worked up an appetite. “Thing is, men who commit murder don’t think logically like we do. Unless you can think of anyone else, he’s our strongest lead.”

She let out a deep sigh, and a dull throb started across her forehead. Fatigue had settled in, and the last thing she wanted to do was spend one more minute talking about her possible enemies. She let the subject drop, and they chatted a bit more until she excused herself for bed. She wanted to be alone. She had a lot to think about. Before she scooted off to the bedroom, she refilled her glass of wine and said good night to Nate.

She climbed onto the neatly made bed and switched on the TV. A shower would feel heavenly. Goose bumps raced over her skin. No, she would wait for Cal. She took a swig of her glass and flicked through the channels. She settled on an old sitcom and got comfortable. Her father had loved this show. A pang of guilt formed in her chest. She hated that she couldn’t call him, that she couldn’t alleviate his and her mother’s pain. God, they’d be frantic.

Pain spread through her chest. They’d always been so protective of her…so fearful. For both of them, this would be a nightmare come true. It wasn’t fair that she couldn’t reach out to them. Even just a simple phone call would make a world of difference. They wouldn’t understand what was happening, but if she could lift their terror even a little bit, it would be worth it.

She chewed her lip. Could she chance a phone call to her mother? Surely there would be no way to trace her here unless her mother was being watched. Her gaze shifted to the cordless phone on the nightstand. Her fingers itched to lift it up and make the call. No. Cal was risking his life for her. The least she could do was not make things worse. She’d suggest reaching out to them later, and maybe he could find a safe way to ease their minds.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Maybe Cal would come home with good news and all this would be behind them tonight. The first thing she’d do would be to call her parents.

Her body warmed with each sip of wine. Its gentle effects took the edge off of her nerves. God, she hoped Cal was okay. A minute later, the slamming of a car door echoed outside the bedroom window. Then another. That couldn’t be Cal already. She looked at the clock. He’d been gone only a couple of hours. She scampered off the bed. Her foot snagged the blankets, sending her forward. She caught herself on the nightstand. Shit.

Two and a half glasses of wine had done her in.

Rufus’s ferocious bark and his nails scattering across the floor pierced the calm of the cabin.

She edged the curtain away from the window. It was Ethan’s truck. Relief spread through her muscles. Cal was home. A thrill raced over her. She downed the last bit of wine and waited. Her palms grew damp.

The front door opened and closed. Cal and Ethan’s voices reached her ears. She should go out to greet him. Two ideas tickled her thoughts. She could crawl under the covers and pretend she’d passed out—or she could be waiting for him, naked in the shower.

She’d opt for the latter.

A giggle rumbled in her throat. She tiptoed to the door and placed her ear to it. The guys were talking. She gnawed her lip. God, she hoped they weren’t planning on chitchatting all night. Cal’s voice echoed down the hall.

“I’m going to check on Lana.”

She shot away from the door and scurried to the bathroom, leaving the door wide open. She pulled her shirt over her head, revealing her white lace bra. Her fingers hooked into the waistband of her pants just as he entered the bedroom.

“Lana?”

“In here,” she said, her voice trembling. She moved her pants down her legs, exposing the matching panties. He rounded the corner.

“Jesus—” he breathed. His hands caught the door frame. She shimmied her pants down over her knees and stepped out of them, her eyes locked with his. A red tinge tinted his cheeks. Heat swarmed in her belly.

Her foot caught the edge of her pants. She pitched over, and a yelp squeaked out as she landed to the oak floor with a thump, her ankles still tangled in her pants.

“Shit, are you okay?” Cal crouched next to her. He helped her to a sitting position.

A laugh erupted from her throat. “That was sexy, wasn’t it?” Her eyes watered, and her body shuddered on every chuckle. Cal smiled from ear to ear. His cheeks creased. He folded his arms over his chest, a sly glint in his eyes.

“You’re wasted.”

She covered her mouth, but the giggles leaked out. “No, I’m not.”

“Liar. You have a habit of falling over when you drink, don’t you? How much did you have?”

“Two glasses.” She struggled to pull the tangled material off her ankles.

He lifted his eyes to the ceiling and shook his head. “Two glasses of wine and you’re on your ass.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “What do you mean, I ‘have a habit’?”

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