“What happened?” he demanded while surveying the area. He didn’t see anyone, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t danger.
“A guy tried to grab me. He had a hold of my arm, but I dropped to the ground. He had a knife. He lifted it when I screamed. He was getting ready to grab me again when he heard you running and took off that way,” she gasped as she pointed to a small trail.
Chad didn’t want to leave her alone, but he had to try to catch the guy. If this was her stalker, he could get him behind bars, where he belonged.
“Go back to the park, now!” he demanded, then took off down the trail. He hoped for once she would actually listen to him. He didn’t want her on the secluded trail. He needed her surrounded by the other people at the park – feeling she was safer among a crowd.
As Chad quickly followed the trail, he heard the sound of twigs breaking ahead of him, and figured the guy had about a hundred yard lead on him. It should be no problem to catch him. Picking up his pace, his weapon still drawn, he listened for any changes in the guy’s pattern. If twigs stopped breaking, or there was a sudden silence, he could adjust his own stride, but the perpetrator wasn’t even trying to hide his departure.
Chad began to hear the sounds of cars and people and realized they’d made a large loop and were going to break out of the trail in a minute. If this guy got into a large crowd, Chad could too easily lose him. He picked up his pace, but when he heard the snapping of twigs stop, he knew it was too late.
He pushed himself even faster and quickly ran into the grassy field surrounding the park. People were milling about, but he didn’t see anyone running. He surveyed the area, seeking anyone who was out of place. He swiped his hand across his forehead, frustration making him want to yell.
He turned toward the swings, where he saw Bree walking to her car. Good, she was fine. He moved in the direction of the parking lot. The guy had to be there somewhere. He had to holster his gun so he didn’t have someone calling the cops. He could easily explain himself, but by the time he got out an explanation, the perpetrator would be long gone.
Just when he was about to give up and head back to Bree, he saw a black car pull quickly out of a space. The windows had dark tints, but the driver’s side was slightly down, allowing the top of a man’s head to be visible.
He knew it was his guy. Racing to the car at full speed, he saw the man’s head turn as the car tires squealed, peeling out of the parking lot, nearly hitting a family, who jumped out of the way at the last second. Chad came close to the car when a note fluttered out the window, then the driver peeled out and was gone. There was no way he could catch him.
Chad glared at the vehicle without a license plate, making it impossible for him to turn the plate numbers in to the police. He jogged over and grabbed the note the man had thrown out. He was afraid to read what was written on it.
Fury coursed through him as he lifted the note. What the hell did the guy want with Bree? The freak had touched her, nearly managed to abduct her. Chad was acting like a love-sick boyfriend instead of her bodyguard.
A bad feeling began stirring in Chad’s stomach. The danger was seemingly gone, but he’d learned from his many years of service to never ignore his gut instincts. He headed quickly toward Bree, feeling an urgency in his movements.
Chad was halfway across the parking lot when a shot rang through the air. Several people screamed, as bodies dropped to the ground – parent’s quickly throwing their bodies over their children.
Chad reached Bree and threw himself in front of her, while dragging her behind a large car. Once he made sure she was safely down, he poked his head out and looked for any sign of the shooter. He couldn’t see anyone. They must have a sniper, which meant they weren’t safe anywhere. He needed to get her to safety.
Chad could feel Bree trembling beside him – maybe she finally realized the amount of danger she was in. It wasn’t the time to lecture – he had to get her to safety first. There was an eerie silence through the park. Every few seconds he could hear the choked sob of some of the terrified people, who’d only been out for a nice time with their families. He had to move – they were too vulnerable where they were.
“I’m going to lead you through the cars. We’re bait where we are. You need to follow directly behind me, and when I say move, don’t hesitate,” Chad whispered with authority in his tone. Bree nodded, her eyes huge in her pale face.
“They don’t care who they hurt, do they,” Bree practically sobbed. She was far more terrified for all the innocent children around the play area than she was for herself. She didn’t want to die, but if a child got shot because of her, she’d never be able to forgive herself.
“No, they don’t. They want us, not the kids. We just need to get you out of here right now.”
“Not us – me,” she replied.
“Look, I’ve been in far worse situations in other countries. This is a piece of cake, comparatively. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Just do what I say and we’ll get out of here,” he said with confidence. His commanding voice had a way of soothing her. She put her complete trust in him and nodded her head.
As they began to move, they made it three cars forward without further shots fired. Bree could see her car about five spaces down. She didn’t know how they would get in and get away without getting shot, but they had to have a goal in mind, and right then, that goal was her car. If they could somehow reach it, then everything would be okay.
“There’s too big of a gap between the last car and yours. Give me the key. I’m going to make a dash for it. I’ll get in and pull up to you. As soon as I pull up I want you to get in the back door and lay down on the floorboard. We’re going to haul ass out of here. No looking back,” he told her. Her gut clenched with fear. She didn’t want them to separate – not even for a few seconds.
Chad dashed away before she could argue any further. She knelt shakily next to the small red car, but stayed focused. She watched as he neared her car – keys ready. A relieved breath escaped as he opened the door and started to climb in.
Then another shot rang out and she watched in horror as his body jerked and he was slammed into the side of her car. She watched, paralyzed with fear, as a crimson stain spread across the back of his shirt.
Where was he hit? Was it fatal? He dropped to the ground and a guttural growl crept from her throat. Who were these people? Why were they targeting her – and why did Chad have to take a bullet meant for her?
She watched a man in black step from between a van and truck about fifty yards away. He was heading straight for Chad - she knew he planned on finishing what he’d started. He wanted to make sure Chad was dead. She couldn’t allow that to happen. If he wasn’t fatally wounded already, she certainly wouldn’t hide while he was murdered right before her eyes.
Bree jumped up, exposing herself to the people after her. She looked around with frantic eyes, then locked gazes with the man stealthily approaching Chad.
“I’m right here, you coward,” she yelled. He smiled in satisfaction and his direction changed. Refusing to stand there and make it easy for him, she knew she had to lead him away from all the innocent people – away from Chad.
She turned and started sprinting toward the road. She moved in a zigzag pattern, like she’d been taught to do if someone was chasing after her with a weapon. She ran faster than she’d ever thought she could.
She heard the thundering footsteps behind her and knew he was gaining speed. She thought she heard Chad cry out for her, but she knew it had to be her imagination. She wanted him to be alive so badly, she was starting to imagine his voice. It was in those terrifying moments of fight or flight that she realized how much she was falling for Chad.
He’d managed to seep into her life without her permission. He was protective and loyal, stubborn and charming, strong, yet gentle. Please be okay, she silently cried.
Bree heard the squealing tires only seconds before a hand clamped around her waist. Maybe it was Chad, maybe he hadn’t gotten hurt. She knew better, but she had to hold onto hope.
There was a creaking sound as a sliding door was thrown open, then she felt her body flying upward as she was roughly shoved inside the moving vehicle. Through terror filled eyes, she looked at the three men, all wearing black masks and smiling in triumph.
She opened her mouth to scream, when a filthy hand was slammed across her lips. She automatically gagged from the vile taste of the disgusting fingers on her. She had to fight to not throw-up. She began shaking uncontrollably as she realized the hopeless situation she was in.
Chad was probably dead. She was being kidnapped to be taken, who knows where, and she may never get to see her family again. What a fool she’d been thinking she was invincible. She should’ve listened to her father.
Bree refused to give the men the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She glared at each one of them as the vehicle quickly sped down the road. Each mile they traveled, she knew the chances of rescue became increasingly more difficult.
One of the men gripped her hair and yanked her head back, a leering smile on his face.
“I’d love to have a little taste of you,” he said, his eyes filled with lust. She shuddered, realizing there were worse things than death.
“Pete, knock it off. You know the orders,” another guy growled. Pete looked at her with frustration. She had a feeling if it were just the two of them, she’d be in a much worse situation than she already was.
Pete leaned closer and inhaled the scent of her hair. She pulled her head back as much as she could, with his hand still gripping her hair, and spit in his face. She’d rather he punched her than lay his lips anywhere near her. His eyes widened in rage and she thought she may have just run out of time.
“Enough,” another man shouted. She felt another hand press over her mouth, but this one was holding a cloth. Suddenly the world started turning black and her last thought, before passing out, was how she hoped Chad made it out alive.
Chapter Six
Chad struggled to his feet. His shoulder was on fire, but it looked like the shot had gone right through. He quickly cleared his mind and refocused, knowing he had to get to Bree. His wound was forgotten as he did a search of the parking lot.
He turned in time to see a couple of burly men haul her into a large black van and tear down the street. He jumped into her car and threw the keys in the ignition, only to come up with nothing. He cranked the key, and again nothing.
Chad slammed his fist into the dashboard, causing a huge crack, and a curse to fall from his lips. The bastards had dismantled the engine. How could he have been so stupid? They’d walked right into a trap. He was trained to avoid these kind of situations. The lack of any activity over the past month had made him grow lax in his job – that and the fact he was falling for Bree.
He would find a way to get her back. He’d done this a million times over on missions. He briefly thought about hot-wiring the car next to him, but the kidnappers were long gone. He was better off calling for help.
Chad grabbed a sweater from her back seat and compressed his wound. He didn’t have time to pass out and he would if he lost too much blood. Next, he made a phone call to George Anderson. He wasn’t looking forward to the other man answering.