Page 21 of Abducted

“Don’t be. Maybe one day I’ll retire, buy a farm or start my own business. For now, I like the bachelor life.”

Aha.He was single. A thrill raced through her. Hope expanded in her chest.

“How have you stayed single since college? I find that hard to believe.”

She twisted in her seat. Her hands locked in her lap. “It’s simple. I haven’t found anyone that I wanted to date seriously. I, too, enjoy being single.”

Cal laughed.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “What’s funny about that?” He shook his head, his lips tight. “Nothing—nothing at all.”

She pinched his forearm. “Tell me, don’t back down.” He caught her hand as he twisted out of her reach. His hand covered hers, those long, strong fingers dark against her pale ones.

He let go.

“It’s just that your idea of a single life is very different from mine.”

She folded her arms in front of her chest. “How so?”

“I still have sex. A lot of sex.”

She pursed her lips. Yeah, big difference. No wonder he’d thought it so funny. “Oh. Well, that’s nice for you, I guess.”

He laughed again. “I’d like to think I’m not the only one who enjoys it.” He slanted a salacious grin at her. Her toes curled. “You’re turning red.” He reached over and tugged a lock of her hair. She leaned out of his reach.

“Just keep your eyes on the road.”

He pinched her knee between his thumb and forefinger, then moved his hand back to the console. She couldn’t talk about sex with him. It made her picture it. In her experience, sex hadn’t been phenomenal. But with Cal…the fantasy made her nerve endings tingle.

They were quiet the rest of the drive. It was early afternoon by the time they made it through traffic and to the west end of Seattle. The sun set low over the mountains, its golden rays scattered across the sky, beyond the heavy clouds. He turned into an older neighborhood along the coast of Elliott Bay. She loved this area. But she hadn’t envisioned Cal living here. A lot of the homes were old, historical even.

He turned down a long driveway that led to a sprawling rancher. He’d done a nice job with the landscaping, though it was a little overgrown in some areas. Likely a by-product of his busy career.

“This is beautiful. How long have you lived here?”

He pulled into the first bay of the three-car garage and turned off the engine. “I bought the house about five years ago. It was built in the seventies.”

She got out of the truck while he got her shopping bags from the back seat. He paused to insert a key into the access door to the house and swung it open.

“I did a complete remodel,” he continued. “Just finished it last year.” He switched on the hall light that brought them to a walk-through butler’s pantry, and exited in the kitchen. She trailed behind him, admiring the cool travertine tile that transitioned to hardwood once they reached the kitchen. He flipped on more lights.

“Sonofabitch,” he growled.

She looked up. “Oh my God.” A gasp sounded from her throat. She covered her mouth with her hand. The house was trashed. Kitchen cupboards hung off their hinges, and shattered dishes littered the counter and floors. The fridge and freezer doors were wide open. Water lay in puddles on the gorgeous hardwoods. The open-concept living room was in shambles. The stuffing from the couch cushion looked like popcorn had exploded around the room. Holes littered the walls like the end of a baseball bat had been shoved through them.

He stormed through the main area, taking in the damage.

“W–who would do this?” Her fingers trailed along the crisp white quartz counters. Before the intruders, the home would have been gorgeous. Cal rubbed a hand over his head. The muscles in his jaw worked.

“They must have found out I never completed the job.” A vein bulged and pulsated in his throat. He didn’t say it specifically, but they had come here and destroyed his home because she was still alive. Had they been looking for him? Or her?

He dropped her shopping bag on the floor next to the couch. “Come here. I want to look around, and they could come back.”

She came to his side and rested her hand on his arm. His bicep flexed beneath her touch.

“I’m so sorry, Cal.”

He shook his head. “It’s not your fault.” His hand fell to the back of her neck. “Come on, stay close.” His fingers closed around hers as he led her down the extra-wide hallway. Artwork that hung on the walls had thick slash marks through them, broken pieces of glass from a tall mirror at the end of the hall scattered the floor. The only thing that hadn’t been destroyed was the hardwood floors.

---