Texas Cowboy's Protection, - [books you need to read .TXT] 📗
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She felt around in her pockets and then remembered she’d had it out after calling her mother. Since it wasn’t on her person, she figured it was probably back in the mud.
Bouncing around, she did her best not to make a peep. Her skull felt like it had been cracked open. She felt around and winced when her fingers landed on a lump the size of a golf ball.
Where was she? In town? She’d only been back in Gunner for two nights but she’d grown up here and visited often. There wasn’t much about the area that could throw her for a loop. Could she risk a glance without giving herself away?
The main thing she had going for her right now was that the driver had no idea she was awake and alert.
The SUV slowed to a stop. A stop sign? A red light?
With her hands in front of her, she could open the emergency hatch. She’d read somewhere a long time ago that if someone was abducting her to make the biggest racket as fast as she could. Lying low was a bad idea. If the person got her to a different location it would be secure and would drastically cut her chances of survival or escape.
The thought of being stuck in a home or building with no escape, no chance to see her daughter hit Gina hard. This was not happening. This could not happen. Everly was not losing both of her parents.
Determination fueled her next bold move. She popped up, saw the dark-eyed man’s gaze grow wild in the rearview mirror. She pulled the trunk latch and the door opened. A beeping sound alerted the driver. He already knew.
Those dark eyes of his burned into her memory as his gaze bore into her. He turned his head to one side and she caught the outline of his profile through the ski mask. She focused on details. Hooked nose. Long chin. Tall forehead.
He stomped the gas pedal. She tucked and rolled out the SUV.
The hard concrete pounded her shoulder. She tucked her chin to her chest to keep her head from slamming the pavement. Sheer luck and good timing had her out the back before he could speed up enough to cause severe damage to her when she exited the vehicle.
Brake lights filled her vision as she looked back.
She heard him shift into reverse.
The SUV came speeding toward Gina in reverse. At the intersection, a blue king cab truck roared through the red light. Pain shot through her left ankle as she pushed to her feet.
Sheer will power kept her upright as she hopped sideways to avoid colliding with the SUV. At the same time, the truck rocketed toward her. The driver swerved before hitting her, using the massive truck to block the SUV from careening into her.
The truck took impact before the driver in the SUV must’ve jammed the gearshift into Drive. He sped off.
Ankles still cuffed together, Gina tripped and fell. Her left side screamed at her. The pain so great her breath came out in bursts. She’d hit the pavement hard, same side as before. Her head felt like it might split open even though she’d managed to keep it from smacking the ground. She was certain she’d sprang her wrist in the fall while trying to catch herself. But she’d escaped her abductor. She was alive.
The driver shot out of the vehicle. All she could see was a mass of muscle and determination racing toward her. The sun was to his back, making it difficult to make out who he was.
And then his face came into focus. Isaac Quinn? It took a second to register. Last she’d heard he was still overseas, serving his country. Her heart hammered at the sight of him. She chalked it up to the fact he’d just saved her life and not their past that inconveniently came roaring back. Memories flooded her of the unbreakable bond they’d had as teenagers. The attraction that not one man could measure up to since. And the way he used to look at her, like she’d been the missing piece to his complicated life.
“What happened? Are you hurt?” At six-feet-four-inches, Isaac towered over her. Recognition seemed to dawn as he took a knee beside her. Those serious blue eyes of his felt like they saw right through her. Black irises surrounded by the kind of pale blue that could only be found on a perfect cloudless summer morning. “Jesus, Gina. Is that you?”
She nodded as she brought her hands up to remove the tape covering her mouth. He helped her peel it off.
“What’s going on? What just happened?” It was probably the fact that she’d almost died today but Isaac’s strong male voice wrapped around her. His gaze intensified on her. “Do you know that jerk?”
“No.” Her mouth hurt. Her ankle throbbed. She tried to catch her breath through the sobs. “That man. I don’t know what happened. He came out of nowhere. There was a dog. A Labrador retriever. He’d been shot or stabbed. Then, I heard someone behind me and…”
She had to take a moment to breathe. The urge to cry was a tsunami building in her chest. Let the flood gates open and there’d be no stopping the waterworks. She refocused her attention to slow the wave of emotion building.
Normally, she wouldn’t notice how blue her rescuer’s eyes were or how carved-from-granite his jawline was while she was in the middle of an emergency. But she needed a distraction to stop her emotions from overflowing, and that’s all this was. Nothing else. Besides, it was difficult to ignore those intense blue eyes when they were focused on her no matter what else was going on, especially when they belonged to Isaac Quinn.
“Did you get a good look at him?”
“No.” She tried to sit. Moving hurt. “What time is it?”
“Six forty-five.”
Relief flooded her. Only a few minutes had passed. At least she hadn’t been knocked out for long. She skimmed her body. All her clothes were intact. Running shoes still on. She shivered at the thought of what her assailant could have done to her and was damn grateful the opportunity had presented itself to escape. Having Isaac show when he did was nothing short of a miracle.
“I’m calling Griff.” Isaac’s soothing timbre washed over her, settling her nerves a notch below panic. His cousin, the sheriff, would need information from her to investigate the case and stop the jerk who’d abducted her from hurting another soul.
“Yes. Call 911. Get help. Please. And a vet. Someone needs to get over to the Labrador.” The words rushed out and she winced in pain as she tried to stand. Moving was a bad idea.
“Jesus. What did that bastard do to you?” Fury radiated from Isaac as his gaze skimmed over her. “Never mind. That’s not important right now. You need medical attention.”
“I’m okay. I just want to go home to my daughter.” Trembling, she hated how shaky her voice sounded. Granted, she’d just been through an ordeal like nothing she’d ever experienced. It would be too easy to give into the terror threatening to overtake her. Being afraid would give that jerk too much power over her. She did her level best to tamp her fear down.
“It’s not a good idea for you to go anywhere until you’ve been medically cleared, and Griff needs to know what just happened.” Isaac’s gaze surveyed her and she could tell he was assessing her injuries.
“What if he comes back?” Saying those words out loud caused her body to shiver.
“I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. He’d be stupid to challenge me.”
She glanced around. They were in plain sight. Helpless against a bullet. “Can I sit inside your truck? I’m not comfortable being out in the open like this.”
“I’ll help you up.” He wrapped his arm around her waist to support her. She leaned some of her weight on him. Warmth shot through her and electricity pinged at contact. Isaac had grown into one hell of a man. He’d filled out, too. She didn’t want to notice how his muscles stretched and released underneath the thin cotton material of his shirt. Or how strong he’d become. Or how much that masculine voice of his affected her.
How long had it been since she’d seen him? More than ten years. Too long, an annoying voice in the back of her head chimed in.
A lot had changed since high school. But some events would always stay with her. Her first crush. Her first kiss. Her first rejection.
Cell phone to his ear, Isaac said the words that made this nightmare feel even more real. “This is an emergency. We need an ambulance right away.”
Isaac stood, arms folded over his chest, watching as the EMTs worked on Gina. He’d already given his statement to Griff.
Right now, all he could
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