KIDNAPPED, A Romantic Suspense Novel Read Online Free PDF Page B

doesn’t mean he won’t attack you today.
    The voice made sense this time.
    A weapon. She needed something to use so she could escape.
    She opened her vanity drawers. Scissors. She knew she had a pair of them in here, somewhere. Or a razor. Didn’t she have one of those old fashioned, double-edged razor blades? Frantically she searched. Nothing. Where had they gone?
    A louder knock on the door. “It’s no use, Samantha. I got all the sharp items out earlier. Come out now.
    She hung her head for a moment. Then she took a deep, steadying breath and opened the door.
    Jake stood before her in his jeans, boots and a blue plaid shirt left by her ex-husband. Damn there wasn’t an inch of fat on the man. He looked like the poster boy for hard, dangerous and sexy.
    “Hope you don’t mind me borrowing this shirt.”
    She shook her head. “No, I don’t mind.” What was she going to say? Yes? He filled it out better than her ex ever had.
     
    His hand snaked out grabbing her by the arm. “Good girl. Now, come and look at Nicky.”
    He led her into her own living room.
    She jerked to a stop at the foot of her couch. Seeing the small body tucked beneath her ancient afghan, the dark hair matted to the child’s pale face, for a moment she thought it was Aimee.
    Pain, so real she almost crumbled to her knees filled her chest. She’d avoided caring for children in the ER for the past four years just to keep the anguish and grief buried. It was the only way she could get through each day. Last night she’d thought of the child as another trauma patient, one she needed to keep alive to stay alive. She worked in automatic mode in the interest of self-preservation.
    How was she supposed to care for him now? He reminded her so much of Aimee, lying there, pale and listless.
    “What’s the matter, Samantha?” Jake gripped her arm tighter and pulled her forward. “Is something wrong with Nicky?”
    Jake’s fingers digging into her arm and his harsh tone reminded her she had no choice but to care for the boy. Once again she shoved her pain and regret to the deepest part of her soul and forced herself into nurse mode.
    “Hey there. Did you sleep well?” She leaned down, laying her hand on his forehead, then the back of his neck. “He’s a little warm, but he doesn’t feel like he has a temperature.” She felt his pulse. She glanced at Jake. “It’s a little fast. Could be the start of a temperature, or just because he lost so much blood.”
    “Can he travel today?”
    “I don’t know.” She looked at the bandages across Nicky’s chest and abdomen. The boy tensed, trying to cover them with his hands. “Shh. It’s okay, Nicky, I just want to look. I promise not to make it hurt like last night.”
    Jake translated for her in that other language she now assumed was Russian. The way he called him Nicholai gave her a big hint. Whatever Jake said, the boy settled back against the couch, letting her look beneath his dressings.
    “It’s early, but there aren’t any signs of a raging infection this morning.” She smiled at Nicky. “Would you like something to drink?”
    Nicky looked up at Jake, then back at Sami. “Yes, please.”
    Definitely a Russian accent.
     
    Jake helped her stand, holding onto her elbow all the way into the kitchen. While she poured Nicky some water, he searched her cabinet drawers.
    “What are you looking for?”
    “Just checking which drawers have knives in them. As cute as you are this morning, I can’t have you escaping before Nicky and I leave.”
    She ignored the cute comment. “So, you’re leaving this morning?”
    “That’s my plan, but it hinges on one vital fact.”
    “Which is?” She carried the water to Nicky, helping him drink.
    “Whether or not I can trust my boss.” Jake leaned against the doorframe, she sensed his gaze following her movements.
    She tried not to think about how they had awakened. Despite her efforts, her body warmed under his gaze. She tucked the afghan once