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HAILEY BLINKED IN CONFUSION as she woke up. Her head throbbed, although not quite as intensely as when she’d been injured in Bagram. She groaned as she shifted, then gasped in horror as she realized she was tied to a bed.
“Help!” she called out weakly.
She heard a dark chuckle coming from somewhere, and then the door to the room she was in opened. There was no light on, only what was coming in from the hallway. How much time had passed? Where was she?
Her stomach churned as she saw Black moving toward her. He wasn’t holding a gun anymore, but something about the way he moved seemed off. Was he on something?
“I couldn’t do it,” he said, walking closer to her. She smelled the alcohol on his breath and wondered how much he’d had to drink. “No matter how much of a cut they offered to pay me, I couldn’t shoot you. You’re just too goddamn pretty to throw away like garbage.”
“What do you want?” she whispered. “Please let me go.”
“I can’t do that,” he slurred. “I would love to fuck you though.”
She gasped and pulled at the restraints on her wrists. Her arms were tied to the headboard, but her ankles were merely tied together. If he got close enough, she could lift both legs and kick him. He paused and swayed slightly on his feet. She was positively terrified, but at the moment, she was actually thankful he was as drunk as he was. He seemed too inebriated to rape her.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked.
“Money. He blackmailed me because he knew about my drinking problem.”
“Who?” she asked in confusion.
“Dave. The IT asshole over in Bagram. He was feeding intel to the enemy—fucking traitor. I figured it out, but he blackmailed me when he found out I’m an alcoholic. It’s a disease you know,” he said, stumbling as he moved closer to her. “A disease,” he repeated.
“So you...what? Thought you’d kill me?”
“I had to do whatever he wanted,” Black said. “I have to admit, you’re way too pretty to kill though. You’ve got that creamy pale skin, a nice rack—fuck, I’ll love seeing what’s under your clothes. I’ll keep you here until Dave comes.”
“This is crazy!” Hailey said. “You’re going to get arrested.”
“Probably,” he agreed, slurring his words. “I’ll lose my job, get thrown in jail.” He shrugged, stumbling even closer. “I might as well have a little fun with you before they lock me up and throw away the key.”
“No!” she cried out as his hand landed on her leg. “No!” she shouted again. She tried to kick him in the face like she’d planned, but he was already pinning her legs to the bed, surprisingly strong for how drunk he now was.
“No one can hear you, angel,” he said.
She struggled against him, screaming, and then his hand covered her mouth, his face hovering close to hers. She smelled the booze on his breath, and tears streamed down her cheeks. This was it. He was drunk but clearly strong enough to pin her down. To hurt her.
Struggling against him, she tried to buck him off of her. He shifted slightly, his head falling toward her neck. She screamed again, his heavy weight holding her down, and realized he’d passed out right on top of her. She pulled at the ropes binding her wrists, desperately trying to get free.
She could barely get a deep breath with his weight pressing down on her, and she wondered how long it would take for him to wake up. Crying in earnest now, she struggled harder against the ropes. They bit into her wrists, but she didn’t care, she wasn’t going to stay here and let him attack her when he sobered up.
Minutes ticked by, and she struggled against his dead weight. She had to get away before he woke back up. She had to. There was no way she was going to lay here tied to the bed while a crazy guy raped her.
Trying to slow her breathing, she used her lower legs to see if she could get him off of her. Maybe if she could kick him to the side enough, she could push him right off the bed.
A sudden crash upstairs had her freezing in shock, and then she heard footsteps thumping around. “Help!” she yelled. “Help me! Please! I’m downstairs!”
It felt like hours passed by, but she knew it could only have been minutes. She heard voices and movement, and she prayed it was someone here to help her, not one of this guy’s friends or something. Someone came running down the hall, and the light in the room she was in flicked on. She squeezed her eyes shut at the sudden brightness, and then she cried out in shock as Black was ripped off of her.
“Ghost! She’s down here!” Ethan bellowed. She opened her eyes as she met Ethan’s concerned gaze, blinking against the light. “Are you all right?” he asked gruffly.
“Fine,” she said. He clenched his jaw at the tears running down her cheeks but didn’t argue. He pulled a scary-looking knife free from his pants and then cut the ropes on her wrists as she cried.
“Shhh, Ghost is coming,” he murmured. “You’re almost free.”
She heard more people upstairs, shouting, and then Ethan moved to her legs, quickly slicing through the rope at her ankles. She sobbed as Ethan lifted her off the bed and into his arms.
“I’m coming!” Grayson yelled from down the hallway, and then Ethan was carrying her to him as she shook. He handed her off to Grayson without a word, and then Grayson was holding her close to his muscular chest and she buried her face against his neck.
“I’ve got you, sweetheart,” he said, his lips brushing against her hair. “You’re safe now, baby.” He carried her down the hallway while Ethan and some of the other guys dealt with Black. She didn’t even see who was with them, she was shaking and crying so badly.
“I’ll call an ambulance,” Jackson said quietly as they came upstairs.
“You’re okay, sweetheart,” Grayson said as he held her, trying to calm her down. “You’re safe now. I’m here. I won’t let anyone hurt her.”
He sank to the ground right there in the upstairs hallway, holding her tightly in his arms. She saw combat boots walking around, other men in camo uniforms, and she wondered how many men he’d brought with him. It didn’t matter though. Nothing mattered now that he was here.
Grayson’s large hand palmed the back of her head, holding her to his chest, and she shook and sobbed in his arms. “Did he hurt you?” Grayson asked, his lips at her ear. “I swear to God I’ll kill him.”
She shook her head against him.
“He didn’t touch you?”
She knew what Grayson was asking. Of course he’d touched her—he’d literally tied her to the bed. But he hadn’t raped her.
“No,” she said softly.
Eventually she heard sirens coming, and Grayson was murmuring soothing words into her ear. Her breathing eventually slowed as paramedics and police officers came through the front door. Blake called out orders, directing the officers downstairs, and the EMTs came rushing toward her.
“How did you find me?” Hailey asked, looking up into Grayson’s concerned gaze.
A woman was taking Hailey’s pulse, and someone else was examining the reopened wound on her forehead, but her eyes were fixed solely on Grayson.
“A buddy of mine tracked your cell phone. It was on the side of the highway, but Blake and some guys on base got Black Howell’s address. We came straight here.”
“He was supposed to kill me,” Hailey whispered.
Grayson stiffened, then nodded at Blake, who was still standing there. The other man clenched his jaw and crossed the room, no doubt going downstairs to talk with the police officers. It didn’t matter. They’d found her, and she didn’t want anything to do with the crazy man who’d kidnapped her earlier today. He could rot in jail for all that she cared. Grayson had saved her.
“We’re going to need to take you to the hospital,” one of the EMTs said. “We’ll get you stitched back up.”
“I’m going with her,” Grayson said. Without a word, Ethan crossed over to him, gripping Grayson’s arm to support him as he stood from the ground with Hailey still in his arms. Two of the other men walked over to them, Troy and Jackson, and the men briefly talked while the paramedics readied to go.
“You need anything, Ghost?” Jackson asked.
“Can one of you drive my truck to the hospital? I’m going in the ambulance with Hailey.”
Ethan spoke. “Give me your keys. I’ll drop your truck there and catch a ride back to base with one of the others.”
A second paramedic team arrived, going downstairs to treat the man who’d kidnapped her. Hailey shuddered, wishing they could leave him there so she didn’t have to see him again.
“I’ll get you out of here,” Grayson said, sensing her concern.
Blake jogged back upstairs. “The rest of us will meet with the commander back on base at seventeen hundred. Ghost, he said he’ll see you tomorrow.”
Grayson nodded, then turned and walked out the door with Hailey still in his arms. He jumped right up into the ambulance, not even bothering with the stretcher the EMTs were carrying back. She didn’t ask any questions, just closed her eyes and relaxed into him. She was safe now. She heard more people climb in and the murmur of voices as the back doors shut, and then the engine turned on, the siren wailing as they readied to drive to the hospital.
She didn’t move though, just buried herself further into Grayson. His scent and strength surrounded her, and there was no place on Earth she’d rather be than right here in his arms.
