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Frustrated tears stung her eyes and she blinked them back, trying to gather her wits. She was a trained government employee. She wasn’t supposed to be in this position. And why the hell were these men here anyway?
She heard one of them rummaging through her dresser and in moments her eyes were blindfolded and something covered her mouth, making her gag. Nausea rose up, causing her stomach to convulse. She forced herself to calm down enough that she wouldn’t throw up and choke to death.
No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t fight off the sizeable man who abruptly hoisted her into his arms.
“Grab that blanket and cover her and let’s get the hell out of here!”
She offered up a fervent prayer of thanks when the blanket was thrown over her naked body. At least she was covered now.
“Don’t fight me or I swear I’ll knock you out,” the voice snapped. “We don’t want to hurt you, but we have to get you out of here fast. You’re in danger.”
Danger? What the hell was he talking about? She was in no danger. Or she wasn’t until these two broke into her house. They were trying to save her? From what? From whom?
This was all bullshit. And if he thought she’d lie compliant in his arms while he kidnapped her, then he was one can short of a six pack. She wriggled against him, arching her back and kicking out with her feet in the hopes he’d drop her and she could run. Because if he let her loose, she knew this area well and she could damn well outrun just about anyone.
If she just could get loose.
“Sonofabitch! It’s like trying to hold a slippery eel in my arms!” he hissed to his companion. “Hurry the hell up and get the fucking door open.”
Once out the front door, the one holding her sprinted, jostling her up and down and slamming her against his hard chest. His grip on her was like being bound in steel and despite her struggles, she couldn’t budge. She heard the sound of a car door, and soon she was being pushed across cold leather seats and belted in. One of them slid next to her and held her still, wrapping one leg over hers and gripping her arms so she couldn’t move. The doors shut, the engine fired to life and they peeled away.
Harlee shook so hard her teeth chattered. Nausea built in her stomach as adrenaline surged through her system. She couldn’t throw up now. It was time to force her body to relax. She needed to think rationally and the only way to do that was with a clear head. She wasn’t dead yet, so there was still a chance to escape unharmed.
Focus on your surroundings. You can’t see, but you can still hear.
She tried to memorize each turn they made, but there were too many. She listened for any unusual sounds but the roar of blood in her ears blocked out anything but her own jackhammering heartbeat. Her mind was a jumbled mess of panic and what ifs, making it difficult to concentrate.
She lost track of time, of turns, unable to guess how long it had been since she’d been taken. It felt like hours had passed but she knew it hadn’t been that long. Terror rose within her. The gag made her mouth dry, she was dying of thirst and even worse, she had to pee. Sweat poured off her body, no doubt due to the rush of adrenaline from being so harshly awakened and kidnapped. And her entire body trembled.
Why did they take her? Yes, she worked for the government, but she was only a psychiatrist. Was this about the vampires and lycans? Hell, no one outside the government knew they existed. Then again, maybe this had nothing to do with her work. But if not, then what?
God, none of this made any sense.
The only good thing out of all of this was that they hadn’t hurt her yet.
Yet.
No, they’d covered her with a blanket and carried her out to the car. Other than holding her in place, gagging and blindfolding her, she was intact. She’d just have to wait and see what they had planned, but she wasn’t about to sit back and let them call the shots. As soon as possible she’d make a run for it. She’d rather die trying to escape than suffer whatever they had in mind. And if it was about the lycan and vampire studies they’d done, she’d never reveal the location of the lab.
They were climbing. She felt the angle of the vehicle change as they started upward, her head falling against the headrest. She tried to imagine the parts of the area nearby that would have such steeply sloping hills but didn’t know whether they had headed into the mountains or the city. Damn.
Being blindfolded and traveling in the backseat of a car while it wound around narrow roads was not helping her stomach at all. She tried to breathe slowly, but she was so damn sick she just knew she was going to toss her cookies any minute.
Finally, she heard the crunch of gravel and the vehicle slowed to a crawl, then stopped. This was her chance, maybe her one and only chance, to escape. When she heard the car door open and felt the seatbelt release, she tensed, waiting for her opportunity. When he reached for her legs, she pulled back and kicked hard. She heard the whooshing sound of indrawn breath, but God almighty it was like kicking stone! Her shins stung from the impact of pushing against his steely chest.
They grasped her ankles and jerked her across the seat. Taking a deep breath and fighting with all her might, she writhed against the hands that forced her from the car before she was once again lifted into arms so powerful that her pitiful fight made little impression.
A whirring engine sound grew louder, wind whipping her hair against her face. A chill bit into her skin and she shivered as one of them carried her closer to the roaring noise. She was placed inside a helicopter and strapped in, one of them holding her tight against him again, eliminating any chance of making a run for it.
Her stomach lurched as they lifted off. After it rose, she pitched backward as it flew at breakneck speed toward its destination.
Good God, had they mistaken her for someone else? Someone important? Who the hell would go to this much trouble to kidnap her?
After a quick, nauseating ride, the helicopter dipped then slowed, finally, blissfully landing. The loud whir grew softer and she was once again hoisted against a body too strong to fight. Not that it stopped her. He might be bigger and harder than her, but she’d make sure that whoever carried her had an unpleasant experience. She even managed her first smile since this entire episode started when she dug her elbow into his rib cage, rewarded with his groan and a curse.
Throughout the trek outside, then inside while riding on the elevator, she fought, kicked, growled and dug her fingernails into his hands until she drew blood. Tension made his muscles taut but he never said a word nor did he retaliate by striking her or hurting her in any way.
But dammit, she couldn’t get free and she couldn’t see! And her mouth was cottony from the stupid gag and she still had to go to the bathroom.
