Page 101 of Holiday Hostage
We stopped at a steak place and enjoyed massive cuts of sirloin steak before he drove me home and helped me haul my supplies inside.
I wouldn’t take a third of it with me, but he’d had too much fun helping that I hadn’t been able to tell him no.
“That was fun.” He sounded surprised as he set the last of the bags in my living room.
“It was.” I collapsed on the couch and kicked off my shoes. “I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. Thanks, Dad.”
He patted the top of my head. “You’re welcome. I’m heading home. Call if you need anything.”
“I will.” I grunted and stood, following him to the door for the second time today.
Once he reached the end of the hallway, I closed and locked the door before eyeing the bags and shaking my head.
“What am I supposed to do with all this?”
A creak sounded from my bedroom.
The hairs on the back of my neck lifted.
I stood still and listened for several seconds.
When nothing else happened, I forced out a shaky laugh and headed to the hall closet to grab my suitcases.
A door slammed outside my apartment.
I jolted hard while trying to open the closet door and almost smacked myself in the face. “Fuck.” I gripped the door and reached inside to roll out my suitcase. “Calm down, Payton.”
The creak in my bedroom sounded again.
Anger surged, and I grabbed the baseball bat I kept in the corner behind my door.
Just in case, Dad had said that when he put the bat in my hands the day I moved in.
I pushed the suitcase into the living room, where it fell open because I’d forgotten to close the zipper, and raised the bat to my shoulder and crept toward my bedroom.
Cold sweat gathered on my temples and upper lip.
I searched the living room for my phone so I could call the police.
Only idiots investigated strange noises without protection and backup.
What if it was nothing but my imagination?
The threat of embarrassment was nothing compared to being kidnapped again.
I stopped next to the couch and bent to grab my phone.
An arm slammed around my waist, a second covering my mouth.
Fuck. Too late.
The familiarity of the hold told me everything I needed to know.
He’d found me. Damn it.Damn it.
Reed and the others couldn’t save me this time.
I kicked and flailed, putting every ounce of my training into effect.
