Page 74 of A Captive Situation

Jake came from a different world. He was living in the world Clara sometimes thought she was living in, and the difference between reality and fantasy was sobering. Clara hadn’t learned that.

She wouldn’t, not if I had a say in the matter.

I hurried to get between them, pushing Jake backward as I walked in reverse. I brought my hands together and made a pleading look to everyone. “Give us a minute. Okay?” I didn’t wait for their permission,hurrying forward to shut the door. When it inched open again, I glared at them. “For real, a minute.”

Someone grumbled on the other side and someone laughed.

The door closed that last inch.

I had no doubt they had their ears to the door, listening as much as they could, and knowing that, I whipped back around.

Jake and the other two were watching to see what I’d do.

I didn’t want to talk to them. They were powerful and dangerous and I was suddenly so exhausted from everything that had happened over the course of the week. I dropped my gaze, focusing on Jake. Moving a little closer to him, I didn’t look up. “Can we go somewhere private?”

A strange stillness came over him. He reached forward, took my hand and led me outside. He threaded our fingers as we went down the back stairs.

I stopped after we went a few more steps. “This is good.”

Jake considered me as he stepped close to me, his jeans brushing against mine. He moved our hands to the side, his thumb rubbing over mine. “They’re still cleaning upstairs. We can talk in my truck.”

I shook my head, stepping back. “No. My family will freak, thinking I left again. We can talk here. We just have to be quiet.”

A resigned look came over him as his eyes flicked over my shoulder. “Right.”

There was movement behind me.

I started to look, but Jake held me firm.

What? My eyes went wide. Panicked.

Jake met my eyes, his face grim. He leaned in as I felt a pinch in the back of my neck, and he whispered, “I’m sorry, Sawyer. I really am, but I know there’s no way your family will let you go. We don’t have time.”

Not again.

Everything went black.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Sawyer

I came to with avengeance.

The asshole drugged me.

And kidnapped me.A-fucking-gain.

I was going to murder him.

I was going to find a shovel. Find him. Hit him in the back of his head with the shovel, and when he passed out, I was going to tie the asshole up!

Let’s fucking see how he liked it.

I wasn’t tied up or blindfolded anymore so I tore off the bed, going first to the bathroom. I winced when I looked in the mirror. A mess. A total mess. My hair was in disarray. There were red marks all over my face, neck, arms, shoulders. They looked like indents, like I slept too long on them. Bags under my eyes.

I groaned, not even remembering when I last got decent sleep. It was almost sad to say, but my life in Bear Creek had been boring, but it was just that. Boring. It was stable. Steady. Yeah, maybe my relationship with Beck had been stalled for the last few years, but therewas something nice in the predictability of knowing. I knew when I’d wake up. Knew what I’d eat for breakfast. Knew who would make me laugh at work, who’d make me roll my eyes, who’d annoy me. I knew the patients. I knew my colleagues.

Yes, they annoyed me. Always asking when I was going to get married.

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