“Yeah, I’m good.” He rested the gun on the console between him and Josie. “You really think this is some sort of ambush? Maybe we should turn around.”
Except there was no room to turn. The road they were on was narrow and one-way. They were moving at a crawl. Josie sat tense in her seat, and Steve’s knuckles were white on the wheel.
“It’s probably—”
But as she spoke, she caught sight of a white van hurtling toward them down an alley at right angles to the road they were on. “Steve, speed up.”
“I can’t.”
They’d come to a standstill, and she looked out the front. A large blue truck was parked right in front of them, blocking them in. She peered over her shoulder. They were blocked at the back as well. They weren’t going anywhere.
How had they found her? She was wearing the reflector device. Or had they picked her up earlier and been following. Setting up the perfect ambush?
She looked sideways; the van was close though she couldn’t see anything or anyone through the tinted windshield. Reaching into her pocket, she pressed the panic button but knew it was too late.
Then the van slammed into them, and the SUV shunted to the side under the force of the blow. She was hurled sideways but held in place by her seatbelt.
She fumbled for the seat belt release as the SUV was shoved further until they were up against the building on one side. The van on the other.
They were in big trouble.
She grabbed her bag and pulled out the other pistol, flicked off the safety. “Are you two okay?”
“I’m fine,” Steve said. “Josie?”
“I’m good,” Josie said. “I think.”
“I hope so, because now is not the time to go to pieces.” Kaitlin cast her a quick glance, but she seemed to be keeping it together.
“I won’t.”
“Good. You’re doing great. We just need to hold them off until Rose and Dave get here.”
She slowed her breathing. The van was reversing, pulling away from them with the creak of tortured metal. A figure climbed out from the driver’s side of the van. Tall, with black hair.
“Shit.”
“What is it?” Steve asked, he was scrabbling under the seat for the pistol.
“They haven’t sent goons this time. They’ve come themselves. That is not good news.”
“He looks like you,” Steve said. “Who are these people?”
“I wish I knew.”
She raised the pistol as the door was wrenched open. She fired a shot, but he kept coming—body armor? A hand reached toward her and pulled off the reflector device. Pain burst in her head and her vision turned crimson. She tried to push them out of her mind, but they were too powerful, and she could feel her consciousness fading beneath the onslaught. And part of her just wanted to give in, to shut down.
She was vaguely aware of the man reaching inside and dragging her out of the SUV. Stumbling, she almost crashed to the ground but was held up by the firm grip on her arm. She tried to struggle but her limbs wouldn’t obey her, the pain relentless. Then she was being pushed into the back of the van. The man was looming over her, and the pain vanished as though it had never been. She had a single second to appreciate the sensation of being free from pain, then something jabbed her in the thigh.
Goddamn it, they’d drugged her.
Her mind grew dim, her limbs lethargic. She hovered for a moment on the edge of consciousness. Her last thought was of regret.
Kane!
Chapter 19
Kane felt like he’d been traveling for days. In fact, it was just over fifteen hours. But he would see her soon. Now he was so close, he longed to take off the reflector device and search her out. But there were two reasons why that was a bad idea.
