Page 33 of Abducted

“Yes.” Her voice wavered. “Are you?” Her hand closed around his elbow.

Was he? No one had ever asked him that before. He took her fingers in his hand. God, she was so sweet. “Of course, honey. I’m used to this stuff. You’re not, though.”

“You might be used to it, but you seem different, rattled.”

Rattled. That was a damn understatement. Yeah, he was used to violence. He was used to killing people without blinking an eye. He wasn’t used to a gun being pressed to a woman’s temple. And not just any woman… but Lana. The way her eyes had darkened in her white face was an image that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Stark fear had etched the fine lines of her face, the look of death at her door. He made a fierce vow that he would never allow her to be in that position again.

“I’m fine. It’s just adrenaline. It will pass.” Not that he would ever fully recover from almost losing her. A vise closed around his heart. In those moments, his world had crashed around him. The thundering of his blood had been deafening. All he could see was her fear, and all he could think was that he couldn’t live without her.

Her fingers squeezed his. She was reassuring him? “Where are we going to go now?”

Good question. He navigated the dark streets lazily, staying off the main avenues of travel. “We need to get off the road. I don’t want to take any chances until I get my hands on Will.” His fingers itched on the steering wheel. That sonofabitch would have a much worse fate than Stamos.

“Who’s Will?”

“The man who hired Stamos. I’m suspecting he’s just another middle person, but someone hired him and I’m going to find out who.”

Lana shifted in her seat. “Where are we going to go? It’s almost two a.m.”

“Nate is an early riser. He’ll be up in a few hours. But it wouldn’t hurt for us to pull over somewhere and close our eyes until then.” Nate wouldn’t mind if they showed up at his door now, but if he started talking about everything that had gone down at the hotel, he would feel the need to track down Will immediately. And as much as he wanted to do that, they both needed some sleep. “I know a secluded place we can park near the beach. This time of year, we won’t have to worry about the high school kids who like to party there.”

Lana’s hand covered her mouth on a yawn. “I am quite tired. I wouldn’t mind resting.”

“We’re not far, about ten minutes. Why don’t you recline and close your eyes?”

She fumbled for the lever and the seat stretched back. Her legs curled up tightly on the seat. Cal kept his eyes on the road. Who the hell was he kidding? He wouldn’t be able to sleep. His mind kept turning, churning up possibilities and suspects. It was Tuesday now. In a few hours, Nate would be able to follow up with the background checks on the list of people Lana had given him. His gut told him he was missing something—a piece of the puzzle. The answer was right under his nose, he could smell it. Maybe he needed to question her more, but not now. Her breathing slowed. One glance at her made the tension in his shoulders ease. She looked so comfortable. He loved sleeping with her. More than he should.

A few minutes later, he pulled down a long gravel road and into the deserted beach’s parking lot. A few lone streetlights scattered the parking lot. He parked at the far end, nearest the trees, where they were shrouded in darkness. When he turned the engine off, Lana stirred and sat up.

“Go back to sleep, babe. I’m just getting out to get some blankets from the back.”

“You have blankets?”

“Yeah. I keep an emergency bag with food, water, blankets, and extra clothes. Do you need anything?”

“A blanket would be nice.”

“Sure thing.” He slid out and opened the rear driver’s side door. From the bag he kept beneath the back seat, he took out a blanket and a couple of sweaters for pillows.

Lana turned to him when he climbed back in the driver’s seat. “You can’t sleep there. You won’t have any room with the steering wheel and pedals. Switch seats with me.”

She was right. Even with the seat fully reclined, he wouldn’t be able to move his knees or stretch out his legs. “I have a better idea. How about I sleep in the passenger seat and you sleep on top of me?”

A small smile touched her lips and warmed her tired eyes. “Okay.”

Once they moved around, she settled on his lap. A sweater pillowed under his head, and a blanket covered their bodies, keeping the heat in. It was tight with both of them in one seat, but her ass nestled on the side of his thigh, her side tucked between his arms, and her face rested on his chest. He exhaled a pent-up breath. Just the feel of her smaller, lithe body against his released his tension—most of it. His dick still throbbed, but only one kind of a release would cure that. The soft beating of her heart slowed his to a normal rate.

She was good for him.

Admitting that to himself put a hole in his gut. How had he let his guard down? He hadn’t. Lana had wriggled her way into his heart, and there was no turning back.

“Cal?” Her voice, filled with trepidation, cut through the silence of the night.

Beneath the blanket, he stroked his hand over her hip. “Mmm?”

“Are you sleeping?”

He let out a breathy chuckle. “I’m not now, no.”

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