“I really wanted to be there with you today. You can ask your grandfather about our meeting.”
“I will.”
“Where are you? I’ll pick you up.”
I rattled off the street, hung up the phone, and walked over to apologize to Bryan and Garvin, who were just doing their jobs.
“Did you enjoy the Food and Craft Loft?” I asked.
“It’s cool,” said Bryan. “I’m going to take my girl there.”
“Me too.” Garvin smiled.
I told them they could go home because Kain was coming to pick me up. After they confirmed it with him, the bodyguards took off. The police verified everything was just a misunderstanding and left the drugstore. Making my way out to the front entrance, I stood and inhaled the fresh air, but the nerves of the whole experience still clung to me.
My intuition was right. Someone had been following me,watching me. I wished Grandpa had told me so I wouldn’t be terrified, assuming it was a stalker.
“No! Someone help me!” shouted someone from the parking lot.
I hurried toward the shouts and saw a man grabbing an old woman’s purse. She wouldn’t let it go, and he shoved her to the ground.
“Hey! Stop it!” I ran over, crouched, and grabbed the old woman’s arm. “Are you okay?”
When the old woman didn’t reply, I looked at her. A sly smile slid onto her face. As I stepped away, something sharp stabbed into my neck. The man who had shoved the woman wrapped his muscular arms around me. I punched and kicked him, using the self-defense techniques I’d learned, but my body went limp. I couldn’t lift my arms, much less punch him.
“Help!” I screamed, but my voice came out garbled.
The old woman I tried to help covered my face with a cloth, and the man tossed me into his white van. My foot hit something sharp, but my body was too numb to sense anything. The woman ripped off her wig, revealing the face of a man.
But I lost consciousness before I could study his features.
Chapter Forty-Four
Kain
After dropping off Harry, I drove by the entrance of the drugstore but didn’t see Eva. I slid into an empty parking spot and called her. When it immediately went to voicemail, a sense of dread rolled through my stomach.Where is she?
I sent her a text and called Bryan. “Did you see Eva?”
“She was still inside the drugstore when we left,” Bryan said. “Do you need us to go back?”
Something was off. I got out of the car, glancing around. “Yes. Eva’s not here.”
A startled old woman in a wheelchair approached me. The look on her face told me she had seen something horrible.
“I’ll call you right back, Bryan.” I hung up and met the woman halfway.
“Excuse me. Can you please call the police? Two people just kidnapped a woman.” Her lips trembled. “They took her in a white van. Hurry.”
My body went rigid upon hearing the words. Fear squeezed my heart as time fluctuated, tossing my mind into discombobulation.
Vengeance grew inside me like a malicious monster with its claws digging into my lungs, stealing my breath. Its fangs pierced into my heart and mind, destroying my sense of logic. I wanted to kill whoever had taken her from me.
Don’t panic. Eva needs you.
I took a breath to remain focused. “Thank you.” I studied the woman who had grown pale. “Will you be okay?”
“I’m fine.” She waved a hand, seeing my desperation. “Go find her.”
