by Anna Blakely
Gracie and Sarah both turned their heads to their right, the same direction Nate and Kole were facing. A black panel van was gaining speed at a rapid pace.
And it was coming straight for them.
Her eyes shot to Nate, who looked as scared as she felt. Though, she could barely hear him, Gracie knew exactly what he was saying. Nate was screaming at them to run.
“Sarah, move!” Kole yelled so loudly his voice cracked. Both men were waving their arms, telling them to get out of the way as they pushed their way through the growing crowd of people.
Feeling as though everything was happening in slow motion, Gracie grabbed hold of Sarah’s sleeve and propelled her forward as they started to run. But the van was already right up on them.
She could hear Nate and Kole hollering for them and shouting orders. People screamed from the sidewalk, but Gracie’s sole focus was on trying to get herself and her sister as far away from the van as possible.
They were almost to the curb when it stopped directly behind them. Gracie turned her head to see what was going on and screamed.
A man in a black baseball cap and all-black clothing slid open the side door and jumped out. In a hail-Mary move, Gracie pushed Sarah as hard as she could, hoping to at least get her sister to safety.
People who’d gathered to see what the commotion was all about scattered now, trying to get out of the way. Gracie saw Kole grab hold of Sarah and felt a moment’s relief from knowing her sister was safe.
At the same time, Nate drew his weapon and pointed it directly at her. No, not at her. At the man now pulling her back toward the van.
“Gracie!” Nate screamed at the top of his lungs . “Let her go!”
More Criminal Minds episodes ran through her head. She’d seen enough to know if she got into that van, she was as good as dead.
“Don’t worry about the lawyer,” the driver yelled at his accomplice. “This is the one we wanted, anyway. Just get her into the van and let’s get the hell out of here!”
Oh, God. That voice. It was the man from her apartment. Gracie was sure of it.
With renewed motivation, she began to fight with everything she had. Gracie kicked and twisted her body, trying with all her might to break free from the man’s tight grasp.
Her arms flailed about as she attempted to slap her assailant as hard as she could. Any place she could.
The only thing she managed to do was knock the guy’s hat off his head. For some reason, though, that small act seemed to enrage him.
“You bitch!”
In a surprising move, he spun her around so she was facing him. Trying to commit every detail of his angry face to memory, Gracie didn’t see his fist as it swung toward her head.
The last thing she heard before a blinding pain exploded across her temple was Nate’s voice as he screamed her name.
Chapter 8
“Gracie!”
Gun drawn, Nate watched in horror as the bastard trying to kidnap Gracie reared his fist back and punched her hard in the side of the head. Protective instincts unlike any he’d ever felt before reared up and took over.
With his pulse racing and heart pounding, Nate pushed his way through the crowd of gawking people. He’d never wanted to pull his trigger more, but there were too many innocent bystanders to risk taking a shot.
“Get out of the fucking way!”
He continued to shove people aside who were just standing there, watching like it was some sort of goddamn reality show. By the time he got to the curb, the man had already slid the door shut, and the van was speeding off.
Nate’s eyes shot down to where Kole was hovering over Gracie. His heart damn near stopped when he realized she wasn’t moving.
“Sarah’s inside. I’ve got Gracie,” Kole yelled. “Go!”
Running as fast as his feet would take him, Nate followed the van down the street. Horns honked, and the sound of sirens grew louder and louder, but he didn’t stop. Not until he realized his efforts were futile.
The van was too fast and had covered too much ground. Not caring that he was still in the middle of the busy street, Nate stood there a minute, catching his breath as the van peeled around a corner two blocks down and vanished.
His gut churned, and his chest ached, knowing the men who’d just tried to take Gracie from him had gotten away. At least the fucker didn’t get her in the van before they took off.
Gracie.
Tucking his gun into his waistband, Nate sprinted the rest of the distance back to where she was. Once again, he found himself pushing against several strangers’ shoulders to make his way to the woman who had, in a week’s time, managed to become one of the most important people in his world.
Finally clearing the group of people, Nate looked down at one of the most beautiful sights he’d ever seen. With Kole by her side, Gracie was sitting up and talking.
“Gracie?” he choked out her name.
A set of gorgeous, terrified eyes rose up to his. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. His chest tightened as he realized she was struggling to keep it together.
Crouching down next to her, he did his best to keep his own voice calm and steady. It was nearly impossible, given the fear and rage still threatening to consume him.
Very slowly, Nate brought his hand to where she’d been hit. To her credit, Gracie only flinched a little. Thankfully, she didn’t completely pull away from his touch.
Brushing some hair back so he could get a better look, Nate literally had to bite his tongue against the stream of curse words threatening to fly out of his mouth when he saw the nasty bruise already forming on her cheekbone.
“Are you okay?”
“Y-yeah. I think so.”
Her voice was small and shaky, but just hearing it again sent a wave of relief coursing through his system.
“Ah, thank Christ.”
Nate blew out a loud breath as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He couldn’t deny the bit of satisfaction he got from feeling her hands on his back, gathering his shirt in her fists.
Not caring in the least that they were surrounded by a bunch of people, they sat like that for several seconds, each holding on to the other as tightly as they could.
Jake’s booming voice spread over the crowd. “Let us through, please.”
“Come on, guys,” Matt offered Jake support. “Give us some room.”
Gabe wasn’t quite as polite with his request.
“You heard ’em. Back the hell up.”
“Gracie?” Sarah came bolting through an open space. “Oh, thank God!”
She pulled Gracie from Nate’s arms and into her own. “I was so afraid I’d lost you again.”
“I’m okay, sis. I-I’m okay.”
“What the hell are you doing out here?” Kole scolded his fiancée. “I told you to stay inside until it was safe.”
Sarah glared at Kole. “I saw the van drive off and I wanted to make sure my sister was okay.”
“I’m fine.” Gracie wiggled herself out of Sarah’s tight embrace. Both women stood, and the men followed suit. “He just hit me and then jumped b-back into the van and t-took off.”
Nate’s eyebrows shot up at the flippant way she’d just described what happened to her.
“He just hit you?”
Gracie turned to him, wide-eyed. He started to reprimand her, but Jake’s sharp tone stopped him.
“Carter.” Nate’s boss gave him a look that said he needed to back off.
Pressing his lips into a hard line, Nate inhaled a deep breath through his nostrils to keep from shouting at the damn-fool woman.
He was about to suggest they go inside and away from the crowd when another loud, authoritative voice rose over the others.
“Officer Warren, I want you and Reynolds to clear all these people out. Get them behind the tape. Now.”
“Yes, sir.”
Nate recognized the detective giving orders as he approached them with purpose, the man’s frustrated gaze zeroing in
on him and Jake.
Ah, hell.
“The second I heard a report of two gun-wielding cowboys trying to stop an attempted kidnapping at this address, I knew Jake McQueen had to be involved.”
“West,” Jake greeted the detective with a handshake. “Gotta admit, man. I’m glad you’re the one they sent.”
The detective let out a snort. “Nobody sent me. Like a dumbass, I volunteered. You’re welcome, by the way.”
“Detective,” Nate offered his hand.
Eric West was a detective with the Dallas Police Department. He also happened to be the twin brother to Derek West, Alpha Team’s technical analyst. D was a total jokester, but a literal genius. Especially when it came to computers.
“Carter.” The man shook his hand, then offered it to Kole. “Jameson. We really need to quit meeting like this.”
Eric had been the detective assigned to Sarah’s case when she was attacked.
“You know, Nate, my brother said you’re almost as smart as he is. But, given your choice of employer, I’m inclined to think you’re both idiots.” West turned and gave Jake a smartass grin.
“This one’s big, Eric.” Jake looked back at the man grimly. “This was an attack on one of my people. Tried to take her right here, in front of our building, in the middle of the fucking day.”
To the detective’s credit, he lost all traces of humor and got down to business. “Tell me.”
More than ready to get Gracie away from all the stares, Nate asked, “Can we continue this inside? I don’t want her out in the open any longer than necessary.”
Eric’s gaze shifted to Gracie. When he realized who the victim was, the man softened his expression. “Miss McDaniels. Like I said, I’m Detective West. It appears trouble has found you, again. Are you hurt? Do you need medical attention?”
“N-no.” Gracie shook her head then winced. “No ambulance. I just…” She glanced up at Nate. “I just w-want to go h-home. Or…crap. I g-guess I don’t really have a h-home right now, do I? That’s okay. I c-can go s-somewhere else. Somewhere other than h-here.”
She was rambling, and her words were beginning to stutter. Recognizing the signs of shock mixed with an impending adrenaline dump, Nate didn’t wait for the detective’s permission.
Wrapping an arm around her trembling shoulders, he started to guide Gracie toward the building’s entrance.
“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you inside.”
Boasting no argument, Detective West and the others followed them into the building and back into R.I.S.C.’s office. Once inside, Nate took Gracie into Jake’s office for some privacy.
To the detective, he said, “Give us a minute?”
Compassion filled the other man’s eyes. “Sure.” To Gracie, West said, “Take your time. I’ll get the others’ statements, then come back and talk to you. That sound okay?”
“Sure,” Gracie nodded and tried to smile.
With Sarah by her side, Nate looked to Gracie. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
Not waiting for a response, he headed for the break room to get some ice from the freezer. Grabbing a clean dish towel, Nate wrapped the cubes up and twisted the cloth at the top to hold them in.
When he returned to Jake’s office, Gracie was in near melt-down mode.
“I-I don’t understand this. I d-don’t understand any of it. I haven’t d-done anything w-wrong. I don’t know those m-men. I have n-no idea what they w-want.” Wild eyes found his as she silently begged him for answers he didn’t have. “W-why is this h-happening?”
Nate slowly walked over to where she was sitting and pulled up a chair next to hers. Facing each other, he carefully pressed the makeshift ice pack against her swollen cheek.
“I don’t know why those men are after you, Gracie. But I can promise you, we are going to find out. In the meantime, I need you to trust that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe.”
“I-I believe you.”
“Good girl.” Looking up, he started to say something to Sarah, but Gracie interrupted him.
“I-I don’t know w-why I’m sh-shaking so b-badly.”
“It’s just adrenaline, sweetheart. It’ll stop soon. You just have to ride it out, okay?”
“Ok-kay.”
God, his heart hurt for her.
To Sarah, he asked, “Can you take over for me?”
Nodding, Gracie’s sister slid over and took the ice pack from his hand. “Sure.”
“Y-you’re leaving?”
Goddamnit. He fucking hated the fear still consuming those beautiful eyes.
“I’m just going in the other room. I need to let Detective West know what happened out there. I’ll come right back once I’ve given him my statement. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Do not leave this room,” he ordered both women fiercely.
He couldn’t give a shit less that he was stepping up and taking charge. His woman had nearly been taken from him, right before his very eyes.
The thought had Nate’s steps faltering.
No, no, no. Gracie wasn’t his. She was a friend. A friend he cared about in a friendly way.
Ignoring the tiny voice calling bullshit, Nate walked swiftly to where Detective West was waiting.
Fifteen minutes later, he’d gone over everything he could remember about what had happened. Kole also gave his official statement, and then West asked Nate to go get Sarah, so she could tell him her side of things.
Full of nervous energy, Nate left the room. With his own adrenaline still pulsating through his veins, he was tempted to make another stop at the men’s room.
Since that didn’t work out so well for him last time, he bypassed it and went straight to Jake’s office.
Gracie watched her sister as she walked out of the room, leaving her alone with Nate. He shut the door, presumably to give them some privacy.
The guy’s face was a sea of emotions. As she looked up at him, she recognized anger, concern, and…fear?
“Are you okay?” Her question came out much softer than she’d meant for it to.
Nate gave her a humorless smirk as he shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
“I’m better.”
And she was. The pounding in her head had quieted to a dull ache, and the intense trembling had subsided.
When he continued to stare without saying another word, Gracie realized he was probably waiting for an apology. One that was well-deserved.
Standing, she laid the ice pack down onto the cushioned seat and began to say what needed to be said.
“I’m really sorry, Nate. We never should have left the building without one of you. Or, at the very least, we should’ve checked with you beforehand.”
She waited, but he remained silent. Okay. Apparently, more groveling was going to be required.
Stepping toward him, Gracie continued nervously. “I-I know it wasn’t very smart of us, and you and Kole have every right to be upset. It’s just that, I was exhausted from going over everything with Jake and the others and then doing the sketch with Zade. Sarah mentioned coffee and I…”
She let her voice trail off, hoping he’d say something. Instead, he began walking slowly toward her, the muscles in his strong, sexy jaw bulging as he moved.
Stopping mere inches from where Gracie stood, Nate stared into her eyes, but remained silent. The look he was giving her was so intense, she half-expected steam to start shooting out of his ears.
“Okay, look,” she said defensively. “I get that you’re upset, but we just wanted to go grab a quick coffee. That was all. I mean, you saw us, right? We were coming straight back. Yes, it was probably stupid, but you can’t seriously stay mad about this forev—”
The rest of the word was cut off when Nate grabbed the back of her neck and slammed his mouth down onto hers.
A tiny squeak escaped the back of her throat just before he used his tongue to pry her lips apart. Assuming she was forgiven, Gracie op
ened her mouth and let him in.
Standing in the middle of their boss’s office, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tightly as Nate began to devour her. He took, and she gave.
It was the most sensual, raw-emotions moment of her entire life.
When he was done feasting, Nate pulled away slowly and rested his forehead against hers. They remained locked in each other’s arms, their chests heaving in sync as they attempted to catch their breath.
Regaining some control, Nate lifted his head. His eyes locked onto hers when he said, “I thought I’d lost you.”
He sounded different. His voice was low, and there was this darkness to it she’d never heard before.
“Nate?”
“You scared the shit out of me, baby.” He swallowed hard and shook his head back and forth slowly. “Don’t ever do that, again.”
Baby? Completely thrown by his behavior, Gracie was still trying to figure out what the hell was going on when there was a knock at the door
They both turned, and when Kole walked in, she expected Nate to pull away from her touch. Her insides did a little cheer when he didn’t.
Gracie knew they should be focused on what had just happened outside, rather than making out in Jake’s office like a couple of teenagers. But, hey. Life was short, right?
Her scattered thoughts took her back to before. Instead of Nate’s hands on her back, it was that man’s, and he was trying to take her away from everyone and everything she cared about.
Her breathing picked up, and her body shivered from the terrifying memory. Of course, Nate noticed.
Misunderstanding, he dropped his arms and took a step back. Gracie wanted to explain, but not with Kole there.
She could tell her sister’s fiancé was surprised at the intimate embrace she and Nate had been sharing, but rather than comment on that, he said, “Uh, sorry to interrupt. West needs Gracie’s statement. When she’s done with that, Jake wants us all to meet back in the conference room.” His eyes slid to Gracie’s. “You, included, honey.”
“Okay,” she agreed nervously.
“Be right there,” Nate told his friend.
After another assessing glance at Gracie, Kole left the room. Nate turned to her, his expression softer than before.