Page 50 of Her Noble Protector

“If you do what I tell you to do, I’ll give you some water. Nod if you understand me.”

Lisa nodded.

“Nothing’s going to happen to you. You’re going to be just fine. All you have to do is be cool for a couple of days, then we’re going to send you back to your people. Do you understand?”

Lisa didn’t move, she waited.

“Nod, goddammit.”

Lisa jumped. Then she nodded. “Can I have some water?”

He thrust a bottle of water into her chest. She tried to grab at it, but her hands were tied together, so when she went to grab for the bottle it dropped to the ground. Tears of frustration welled behind her blindfold. She breathed through her nose, thinking of Alaska and everything she was capable of. Dammit, she used to climb mountains. She had rescued people. If all she had to deal with was a blindfold in a hot room, she could deal with this.

Breathe.

“For fuck’s sake, what’s your problem?”

Lisa didn’t say anything. She didn’t want to make the man mad, but she wanted the water.

“Can you help me with the water?” she asked carefully.

Strong hands grabbed her arms and she felt a tug, then her hands were free. “There, maybe you can hold a bottle of water now.” He thrust the bottle into her hands. She touched it and identified the cap, then twisted it off. She took a long pull, then another.

“That’s enough. We’re going to take you someplace else with a bathroom. Don’t have one here, so don’t be drinking too much.”

She had two days before she was going to be released to a murderer. The coil of fear started slithering through her belly.

Then she felt it, and she wanted to cry. With the blindfold on, Lisa felt herself getting dizzy and she gritted her teeth so it wouldn’t happen. She’d spent damn near two months being tired, dizzy, and helpless as she spiraled into despair. With Raiden, Cami, a few good meals, and some sleep she was finally coming out of it, and she was not going to sink back into it now!

Nobody had tried to rape her. Nobody had attempted to kill her…yet. Raiden was out there and he was a SEAL, he’d saved her before. She had two days before the murderer was coming back for her so there was still hope. She’d come back from the edge before, she could do it again.

Someone grabbed her feet and there was another tug, then she realized that her legs were no longer tied together. “Get up.”

She was yanked up by her armpits again into a standing position. The world spun and she gagged. The water bottle fell to the floor.

“Don’t vomit on me!”

“Don’t move me around so fast when I’m blindfolded,” she shot back.

He yanked her across the floor then pushed her down. She was now on some kind of soft chair or sofa. “Stay there.”

“How long have I been here?” she asked.

She felt him sit beside her on the couch. He didn’t answer her. Then she heard the distinctive sounds of a kid’s video game. If she had to guess it was Grand Theft Auto. How appropriate.

As soon as she felt herself sinking into the cushions, she stopped herself. She pushed upright. She was not going to allow herself to do one thing that seemed like giving up. She was going to stay alert. Behind the blindfold, she conjured up Raiden’s face like she had seen him the other night under the stars.

“Lisa, you are special.”

She held onto those words.

* * *

“Talk to me,” Raiden demanded.

“The van was stolen. It was found abandoned outside of Tucson.” Lydia Archer answered as she looked up from her laptop.

Just looking at the beautiful Hispanic woman seated in Lisa’s home made Raiden’s heart hurt.