He couldn’t respond.Nothing worked but his mind.Even that was confused and off-kilter.
The crackling stopped.
Air slammed back into his lungs.He drew in a ragged gasp.
One clear thought emerged in his rattled brain.
Alana.Have to get to Alana.
He willed his body to move.Muscles spasmed, but they were too weak—dead weight.
The taxi disappeared around a corner.
Too late.
The cab was gone.
“Chase, what the hell?”Trevor leaned over him, studying his body, his gaze narrowing.“Oh, shit.Carson,” he yelled, “someone nailed him with a taser.”
Carson and the valet raced past Chase and Trevor, disappearing out of Chase’s range.
Trevor reached behind Chase and yanked on something that amplified the stinging sensation that had started the whole incident.
Chase groaned.
“Can you move?”Trevor asked.
“Not,” Chase managed to move his fingers, “much.”He stared up into Trevor’s eyes.“Alana?”
Trevor shook his head, his lips forming a thin line.“Carson couldn’t get into the cab fast enough.You went down before I knew what was happening and...she’s gone.”
Chase tried to rise, his body feeling like it weighed a ton.“Son of a bitch!”
This was not the plan he’d envisioned.He should have been with Alana.
“What do we do now?”Trevor asked.
“Get me up,” Chase grunted.
Trevor slipped an arm beneath Chase’s shoulders.
Carson appeared on Chase’s other side, breathing hard.“Whoever fired the taser is long gone.”
“As is Alana,” Chase said through gritted teeth.
Between Carson and Trevor, Chase rose from the ground, his legs twitching, the muscles not quite ready to hold him.
His friends half-carried him into the hotel.With each step, his muscles and resolve strengthened.By the time the elevator reached his floor, he could manage on his own.
The elevator dinged, the door slid open and Chase stepped out and strode toward Alana’s room, where her father waited.
“What’s the plan?”Trevor asked.
His jaw hardened.“Either I’ll meet with Delgado at midnight, or we come up with a better plan.”
Chapter9
As soon asthe vehicle took off, Alana knew she was in trouble.
