Baby Love (The American Soldier Collection 14)

Atlanta noticed how shy Nina was with the guys. Or how she played shy, maybe. He wasn’t certain, but when the young blond reached out and pressed a loose strand of hair away from her cheek, he’d had enough.

Freeman was on his heels.

* * * *

Nina was looking at some of the scarves on the display table and enjoying the atmosphere of the small town. People were very friendly, saying hello and asking if she needed any help finding something when three young guys approached. They were very attractive, and she figured close to her age, as they flirted with her and tried to make conversation. She was okay with that until one guy reached out and moved a strand of hair from her cheek. That was when she felt a bit on edge.

She lowered her eyes and tried to look back at the scarves.

“Damn, you’re really shy. What’s your name, honey?” he asked her, standing in her way so she couldn’t move past him.

She’d started to open her mouth when Atlanta stepped in and stood in front of her.

“Take a hike,” he said to the guy.

“What?” the blond asked.

“Atlanta,” she said to him, trying to diffuse an awkward situation.

“Take a walk,” Freeman added. They were a lot bigger and taller than the three men, and one look at them must have told the young guys not to mess with Freeman and Atlanta, especially with how intense Atlanta looked with his dark sunglasses on.

“If you’re not buying anything here, then let’s head to the store. I’ve got things to do at the house,” Atlanta scolded. She stared at him and wished she could see his eyes, but instead, she turned away and continued walking.

“You shouldn’t have come with us, then. Freeman said we had time to look around,” she said back to him, with little vigor. Atlanta sort of scared her, in a way. He was abrupt, bossy, and very controlling.

“Let her look around. We’ve got time.” Freeman gave her a soft smile. He was being kind, and that was the guy she remembered from Bailey’s that night. Although, she did remember meeting Atlanta, as well, and thinking he was pretty good-looking. But she wouldn’t admit to remembering them. They would think she was flirting, or maybe even interested in them. Atlanta seemed to just stare at her—or at least it seemed that way, but he wore those damn sunglasses all the time. She couldn’t tell what or who he was watching. She exhaled, and they walked further down the sidewalk.

“Can I go in here, Freeman?” she asked him as they approached a small clothing store.

“Sure. We’ll wait out here,” he said, and she went inside, but not before glancing at Atlanta and again wishing she could see his eyes.

About ten minutes later, Nina found a pretty dress that was on sale for fifteen dollars and decided to go check it out in the dressing room. Heading back into the fitting room to try it on, she glanced toward the door and no longer saw Atlanta or Freeman.

She had just stripped down to her panties and bra when she heard what sounded like police sirens coming from outside. She looked at the dress on the hanger and fell in love with the slim-fitting style but mostly the light green color. It had delicate lace along the bottom and dipped to a low V in the back.

As she started to step into the dress, she heard Atlanta and Freeman calling her name. “In here. I’ll be out in a minute.”

A moment later, the curtain pulled open, and she gasped as she dropped the dress and stared at Freeman and Atlanta. Both men just stared at her, and she reached down for the dress and placed it in front of her. “What in God’s name is going on?”

“Get dressed, quickly. We need to go,” Freeman said to her. He stepped away, but Atlanta stood there.

“Well?” he said.

Her eyes widened. “Get out, so I can get dressed.”

His eyes roamed over her body, and he slowly turned around but didn’t close the curtain. She didn’t see Freeman but could hear him talking on the phone, saying that they had her and were making their way out of the store then back home. She grabbed the dress after she pulled on her skirt and top.

“Ready, yet?” Atlanta asked, and Nina reached for her blouse to put it on. But he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the changing room.

“Wait, the dress—”

Freeman looked at the bench in the dressing room and grabbed the dress.

“Is everything okay?” the store clerk asked.

“Yeah, here. Keep the change and thank you,” Freeman said and gave her a twenty-dollar bill.

They didn’t say much to Nina. Atlanta held her hand still, and they practically hurried toward the parking lot and the truck. She did notice that both men kept one hand on their sides, and she knew they were carrying guns. She was scared and shaking by the time the truck door opened. Atlanta practically shoved her into the vehicle.