Page 28 of Protection for Rowan

Shine pulled up the forecast. “It flooded a week ago about twenty miles away, and now we’re looking at another potential flood here. It would be devastating to be trapped in that. Once those rains start, we’ll lose the upper hand. Instead of moving like normal, we’ll be just trying to survive.”

"Plus, the target may run if it floods here. People are twitchy." Griz pulled on his beard. "We're in a bad spot if we don't move right now."

Squat grumbled. “I don’t like either option.”

“We’ll be stuck here for longer,” Sharp said.

Jay shrugged. “Maybe we should be stuck.”

Sharp closed his eyes. “I know. I just don’t like delaying.But rushing would be just as bad. We can’t go now because we’re not set up. This area isn’t used to rain. If we get three inches tonight like the weather is predicting, we’ll be screwed. I know this isn’t good, but we don’t make the weather, and we can’t stop it, either. We need to pause and see what happens. Once the storms clear and the water goes down, we can make our move.”

They all grunted, knowing that was the best course of action. They didn’t want to delay this mission, but that seemed like it was the best way to proceed.

Shine knew that meant he would be away from Rowan for longer, but if they went in right now, they might not make it back. The weather was too unstable. Normally, they wouldn't delay because of rain, but this part of Africa only received three inches or fewer of rain a year, and they were expecting at least two inches in the next thirty-six hours. It would be a shit show, and they could end up being trapped in a dangerous flood. The military might do crazy stuff, but they weren't willing to push them into beginning an operation that would fail.

He wished he could contact Rowan and tell her what was going on, but that wasn't how this worked. His team would be in lockdown mode, trying to make sure no one knew they were close. If the target got one whiff they were lurking, he might take off. They would have to wait months or maybe a year to find him again. Though Shine didn’t want to be here longer than they needed, he would have to wait to return to Rowan.

Chapter 21

Rowan checkedthe lock on the door again before heading to bed. For some reason, she felt off, like maybe someone was watching her. She’d felt that way all day. There was no way anyone had been watching her all day long. She was making it up, had to be.

She pushed the weirdness away as she pulled the covers up, wishing Shine was with her. She missed him so much. Tears gathered in her eyes. Since meeting Shine, she'd been too emotional. In her work, she had to stay detached, or at least somewhat detached.

With her thumb, she wiped the tears from her eyes. Shine had opened her to deep emotions, and she welcomed them, but those emotions were uncomfortable. Having so many feelings was unsettling. Normally, she kept them bottled up inside. It was easier to control when she didn't really feel anything. But with Shine in her life, she was feeling everything.

She punched her pillow, trying to get comfortable enough to sleep. Maybe she should just get up and readsomething. That usually helped her when she couldn’t sleep.

Rowan stretched then grunted, deciding it would be better to get out of bed rather than spend an hour tossing and turning.

She heated water for tea and grabbed a study she needed to read when she heard something at her door. She paused, fear filling her. Why was someone trying to break in?

Her pulse raced, and her muscles clenched. She'd left her phone in her bedroom, which had seemed like a good idea at the time so it would charge while she slept, but she hadn't grabbed it when she'd gotten up to read.

Another round of fear hit when she realized she would be asleep right now if she hadn’t felt off. At least now she had a chance to fight back. The thought got her moving, but it was too late. The door opened, and she screamed.

She spun and tried to run to her room and grab her phone, but she slipped, going down hard on one knee. She let out a screech as she heard his heavy footfalls drawing closer.

Rowan glanced over her shoulder, panic clogging her throat. He was on her. His hand pulled at her shoulders, and she tried to fight, but it was no use. He was stronger.

He pulled her to him, his chuckle chilling her to the bone.

“You’ll do what I say or pay.”

The voice. She recognized it. She didn't have a chance to say anything before pain blossomed on the side of her head, and everything went dark.

He'd done it.He had her in the trunk, and he was on the way to the cabin. Charles's throat tingled with excitement. The feeling rose, and for a moment, lights flashed in front of him. He took his foot off the gas pedal and slowed as he forced himself to calm down.

The last thing he needed was to get into a wreck with her in his trunk. He prided himself on operating in a cool and calm manner. That was the only way he’d get his job back. She had to see that he could handle pressure.

He thought about stopping for a milkshake, which usually calmed him down fast, but he pressed on. Getting Doctor Kays to the cabin was paramount. Then he could leave and get a milkshake and gather his thoughts.

For the rest of the drive, he fantasized about how he would prove to the doctor that he could handle his job. Once she saw how in control he could be, she would sign the paperwork granting him his old job back.

When he had his job back and was at work, he would show Kaminski exactly who was smarter. No doubt, he would be able to prove he was smarter, and he would not only get his job back, he would replace the jerk. It was totally unfair that they hadn’t given him the promotion. He deserved it more than Kaminski.

Charles was so deep into his fantasy about beating Kaminski that he almost missed the exit. He needed to keep it together. Sure, it would be satisfying to show Kaminski who was boss, but he had to get Doctor Kays to sign off on his paperwork first. Once she realized the mistake she'd made, he could get back to work, and everything would be okay.

He stopped in front of the cabin and sighed. Step one of his plan had worked. He had the prize. Now, all he had to do was get her inside and set up. He'd used his drill to place a U bolt into the floor and had enoughchain she could reach the bathroom, the kitchen, and the couch. When he had to leave her alone, she could take care of herself, but she wouldn't be able to leave the cabin. The chain was a better solution than his first thought of securing her to the bed. If he'd done that, he would have had to stay at the cabin all the time. This way, he could come and go, but she wouldn't be able to escape.

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