"I don't understand."
"I know. I'm sorry about that." He takes another step forward. "This will be easier if you don't fight."
That's when I see the cloth in his hand. White. Small. Innocuous.
And suddenly every crime procedural I've ever watched, every self-defense tip I've ever read, every instinct I have is screamingRUN.
I drop the book and bolt.
But he's faster.
His arm wraps around my waist before I make it three steps, lifting me off the ground like I weigh nothing. I open my mouth to scream, but the cloth is already covering my face, and there's a smell that’s sweet and chemical and wrong.
"Shh. Easy. I've got you."
His voice is gentle. Calm. Like he's soothing a frightened animal.
I try to fight. Try to kick, to claw, to do anything. But my limbs are getting heavy. The world is tilting. Going soft at the edges.
"Don't fight it," he murmurs against my ear. "I'll keep you safe. I promise."
The last thing I register is the feeling of being carried, held against a chest that's solid and warm, and the distant thought that this is exactly like one of my books.
Except in my books, I always knew the heroine would be okay.
I'm not sure about me.
Then everything goes dark.
***
I wake up to softness.
That's the first thing I notice—whatever I'm lying on is comfortable. Expensive-feeling. Not the metal stairs in the alley or the cold ground.
The second thing I notice is the headache. Dull, throbbing, sitting right behind my eyes.
The third thing I notice is that I have absolutely no idea where I am.
I sit up too fast. The room spins. I catch myself on the edge of what turns out to be a massive bed with white sheets and about seventeen pillows.
The room is huge. Floor-to-ceiling windows showing a city view I don't recognize. Modern furniture that probably costs more than my entire apartment. Soft lighting from lamps I didn't turn on.
This is not my apartment.
This is not anywhere I know.
Panic hits like ice water.
"You're awake."
I spin toward the voice and immediately regret it when the room tilts again.
He's sitting in a chair by the window. Still wearing the black coat. Still watching me with those intense blue eyes.
Scary Hot Regular.
Who drugged me in an alley.
