Page 91 of Zain

Zain bounced his knee as his friend whipped them around corners. He might have fallen into this team, but right now he couldn’t ask for a better man to help him find Dana.

Both of them cared about her. Both of them would protect her with their lives. Both of themwould take a bullet for her.

Both of them loved her.

His heart constricted. Holy shit. He was in love with Dana.

CHAPTER 27

Dana’s body jostledgently, rousing her from sleep. Her head pounded as though someone were operating on her brain without an anesthetic. She squinted against the light filtering in through her eyelids, willing the darkness to take hold of her again. It didn’t.

Had she been tased again? She fought to grab hold of memories, but they slipped through as if her mind were made of Swiss cheese. She inhaled a slow breath, burning her nasal passage. A rush of recollection hit her—just like the floor had earlier.

Shit, the bastard had given her a bloody nose and likely a concussion. Both of which would surely be the least of her worries after they arrived wherever he was taking her. She swallowed and focused on slowing her breath so she could assess her surroundings.

The low humming told her she was in a car, and musty fabric laidbeneath her cheek. Her hands were behind her back. She moved her wrists to confirm they were still wrapped with tape.

Hysteria took hold of her psyche. The need to jump up and attack the driver was almost too great. But she’d have a really hard time doing much without the use of her hands. She had to think and figure a way out of this mess.

Maybe they were returning her to Zain. Maybe all of this was some stupid scheme to get what they wanted from him and they had no real intention of killing either of them. Maybe—

She bit back a scoff.

Nope, these people meant business. They’d kill her the second the vehicle stopped.

She cracked open her eyes. Brilliant sun beamed through her lashes. She let her eyes acclimate before opening them the rest of the way.

Pain exploded across her forehead. Everything above her shoulders was in agony. A groan hovered at the back of her throat. She lay on the back seat of a car, her head directly behind the front passenger seat.

As she shifted her gaze to the driver, hate infused every fiber of her being. The brooding bastard stared out the windshield, two hands loosely on the wheel. A gun sat on his lap, the black metal handle just visible. His body was slumped, and the ashen shade of his profile made a little flurry of happiness strike her.

At least she’d done a shitload of damage. Dude needed a doctor ASAP, and if she had anything to do with it, she’d make sure he never saw one.

A call came over the speaker. He swiveled his head back to glance at her, and she quickly closed her eyes. Fear swirled inside her chest. She fought to keep her breathing even and her face relaxed. When she peeked at him again, he was facing the road.

He punched the button on the steering wheel. “Yeah.”

She relaxed her muscles a fraction. He probably wouldn’t answer the call on Bluetooth if he suspected she was conscious.

“Where are you?” The chilly female voice sliced through the interior of the vehicle.

“Ten minutes or so from Weeks Falls.” He spoke laboriously and unevenly.

A sense of foreboding crept over her skin. The water in that area was unpredictable. A great place for a lone hiker to “slip” and die. Alarm fell over her shoulders with the weight of wet fleece.

“What’s wrong with you?” the woman snapped. “You sound sick.”

“Not sick,” he groaned. “She fucking stabbed me. Lost a lot of blood.”

Seconds stretched. “Well, it’s a good thing I sent you backup. Keep the woman hidden until my team takes care of Zain. My guys are trained to make this look like an accident.”

“I could’ve fucking finished this myself. I’m a professional.”

“Maybe,” she said dryly. “But Zain’s a Green Beret, for god’s sake. I need to make sure this is done impeccably. Neither of them can survive.”

“Is this going to affect my paycheck?”

“Of course not. Look at them as reinforcements. They’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

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