Ah, yes. Your team. Be sure to tell Turner I said hello.
Another, ear-piercing gunshot blasted through the air. Kat had screamed and cried, certain he’d just shot Zade in the head like the other man.
But as the drugs kicked in, the last thing she remembered seeing was Zade’s apologetic and pain-riddled face as he sat helpless in that car, bleeding and calling her name.
God, she hoped Matt had found him, and he was going to be okay. She couldn’t bear the thought of the sweet man dying, too.
Later—she had no idea how much time had passed—she’d woken up here, in this room. The industrial-looking space wasn’t overly large. About twenty by twenty if she had to guess. And minus her, it was completely bare.
As she sat there, fighting a migraine and staring at the concrete block walls, Kat covered her mouth to stifle her forceful sobs. Her shoulders shook as more tears fell. This time, they were for Zade. For herself. And for the life she and Matt never had the chance to explore.
Mostly, she cried because she knew he’d blame himself. The brief conversation between Zade and Walker ran through her aching mind again.
My team will find you, Walker. And they will kill you.
Ah, yes. Your team. Be sure to tell Turner I said hello.
The fact that Matt knew who this man was somehow made the situation even worse. Kat didn’t understand how, but she knew in her gut the two had a history. A bad one.
By the time her cheeks had dried and she couldn’t cry anymore, Kat thought her head would explode right off her shoulders. She’d finally said screw it and had gotten up a few minutes ago to check the room’s only door. It was solid steel and, no surprise, was locked.
The one good thing about the cool, dank space…it was dark. Light was the worst thing for a migraine, so she was grateful for the silence, at least. Not much of a silver lining, but at this point, she’d take what she could get.
Though it was hard to think past the pain, Kat did her best to remain calm. When that man came back, she wanted to be alert. Focused. Ready to take advantage of any opportunity that might present itself. The opportunity to be free.
An hour or so later, the door opened, and the man called Walker returned. For the first time since he’d taken her, Kat got a really good look at him.
He wasn’t the monster her mottled mind had created. Actually, wearing jeans, black boots, and a black t-shirt, he looked quite…normal. Handsome, even.
The cotton t-shirt strained as it covered a muscular chest and set of large, defined biceps. Standing a little taller than Matt, his sharp, symmetrical features, light brown hair, and a close-cut beard covering a strong jaw made Kat think this was a man most women would swoon over.
Not this woman.
“Hello, Doctor Marsh.” He slowly moved closer. “Or, may I call you Katherine?”
Seriously? The guy kills one man, shoots another, and kidnaps her, and he’s worried about pleasantries?
Standing, Kat pressed herself as far back against the wall as she could. “I don’t give a shit what you call me, as long as you let me go.”
Walker’s light blue eyes glimmered as he smiled. “You’ve got spunk. I like that. I’m Adrian,” he introduced himself as he made his way closer. He stopped directly in front of her.
“Adrian,” Kat tried it on her tongue. “That’s a fairly normal name for someone who is anything but.”
He tilted his head to the side and smiled. “You remind me of another woman. One I met not long ago.”
“Lucky me.” Kat didn’t bother asking what happened to that poor girl. She didn’twantto know. One thing she did have the desire to learn, however, was, “Where am I?”
“Iran. Tehran, to be exact.”
The man’s matter-of-fact answer was like a punch to the gut. “I-Iran?” she stuttered. Holy shit. She was in even more trouble than she thought.
Rather than answer the redundant question, Walker raised his hand toward her face. Kat jerked her head away quickly to avoid his touch. She grimaced from a particularly painful throbbing the movement caused.
Adrian frowned. “I wasn’t going to hit you.” He almost sounded offended she’d think otherwise. “You were hurt in the crash. I can tell you’re in pain, and I wanted to check to see if you needed medical attention.”
Kat’s heart thumped unforgivingly inside her chest as she forced herself to remain still while he examined the wound. She watched him closely, his blue eyes assessing the damage to her scalp as if he actually gave a damn.
“W-why do you care?” She struggled to keep her voice steady. “You’re just going to kill me, anyway.”
