Page 22 of Guarding Her Heart
Jenny laughs, “Don’t be offended. All coffee is bad if you compare it to Kate’s coffee at the Bean & Bagel. Please?” she pleads.
I sigh heavily in mock protest, “Fine.” I pull into the packed parking lot and realize there’s not a spot open. “Are you sure you need this coffee?”
“Let me give you a bit of advice. Don’t ever come between a girl and her coffee,” she looks at me with her eyebrows raised.
“Noted.” I pull the truck against the building in the back. “I’ll wait here since there’s no parking.”
She smiles at me, “Great. Do you want anything?”
“Just you.” I put the truck in park and then I turn to give her a heated look.
That’s when the barrel of a gun is pointed at my head through my truck window.
“Awe. Isn’t that sweet.” Richard sneers. “Make a sound or move an inch and I’ll blow his head off.”
My mind is racing, calculating, trying to determine what my best move is to get Jenny out of this, but nothing’s coming. We’re hidden behind the building so no one can see us, and he’s got a gun to my head. I’m at the disadvantage sitting in my truck as Richard is standing just barely behind the window. Jenny is frozen in her place.
“What do you want, Richard?” Jenny’s voice is calm and soothing.
He shakes his head, “Too late for that now, babydoll.” Jenny tries to keep the grimace from her face when Richard calls her that, but I can tell immediately it’s a nickname she hates.
Richard cocks the revolver. “Get out of the truck, Jenny, and come around to me. Slowly, or I’ll blow his brains all over this pretty truck and you’ll never see Navy boy again.”
She looks at me and I can see the pure terror in her eyes immediately. “Do what he says, Jenny. It’s fine.”
She looks to me and then back to the gun. “Richard, we can talk about this. But let Ethan go, first. We’ll go in and have coffee and talk, I promise.”
Richard laughs, “She still has her coffee addiction, huh? Good to know some things never change. I’ll keep that in mind.” He pushes the barrel of the gun against the back of my head and I’m trying to figure out how the hell to reach around to grab it without it blowing off my head.
“I’m not going to tell you again, Jenny. Get out of the truck and come around to me. NOW!”
I watch as Jenny’s tears fall down her face, staining her cheeks as she opens the passenger side door and starts to climb out. “I love you.” She whispers to me.
I want to tell her I love her, too, but then, everything goes dark.
“Buddy, are you okay?” I can feel my arm being shaken.
My head is killing me, but everything comes flashing back to me in an instant as I open my eyes.
Jenny.
Looking around my truck, I don’t see her, but I do see her purse.
“Dude. Are you okay? You were passed out,” some guy says to me as I try to climb out of my truck. “You should wait for EMS. They should be here any minute. Have you been drinking?”
I grab the guy by his shoulders, “Did you see a woman get out of my truck and go with another guy?”
This guy looks confused and shakes his head. “No. I came out to my car and found you slumped over your steering wheel.”
“Fuck!” I yell, which does nothing for my head that’s pounding.
I grab my phone out of my back pocket and scroll through my contacts until I see the pound sign.
“West,” the voice comes over the speaker.
“He got her. He fucking got her.”
“They’ll be at your place in twenty.” Fitz hangs up as I make a last ditch effort to find Jenny by going inside of the café.
