Rescuing Jenna - Anna Blakely Page 0,46
the steering wheel. “Adrian’s survived things most people wouldn’t. He’ll make it through this, too.”
Jenna studied the man’s odd expression. He seemed confident in his statement, but at the same time he looked worried. And the tone of his voice…
It was almost as if he were trying to convince himself that Adrian would be okay, rather than her.
He lost so much blood.
For the millionth time since it happened, Jenna ran through the steps she’d taken to stop the bleeding. The homemade tourniquet had seemed to help. Between that and the speedy arrival of the EMS crew, he should make a complete recovery.
Of course, that was assuming the surgery to remove the bullet went off without a hitch.
It’s only a flesh wound. They’ll go in, extract the bullet, and sew him back up. Easy peasy.
Looking out the passenger window, Jenna mentally replayed those words over and over, until her pulse slowed, and her breaths steadied.
She glanced down at her watch and wondered if he was already in surgery. She’d wanted to go with him so badly, but contrary to what they showed in the movies, most EMS departments didn’t allow third parties to ride in the back with the patients.
Too much liability.
That meant she was relying on Ben to get her to the hospital, and he’d needed to stick around to tell his officers how he wanted the crime scene to be processed. By the time he was finished delegating and giving orders, the ambulance was already long gone.
Chomping at the bit to get there, Jenna turned back to Ben and asked, “How close are we to the hospital?”
“It’s not far.” He kept his eyes straight ahead. “But I need to make a quick stop first.”
He’s making a stop? Now?
“I don’t mean to be rude, but do you think you could just drop me off at the hospital and then go do whatever it is you need to do?”
“I told Adrian I’d watch over you.
As they approached an upcoming street, Ben flipped his blinker and pressed his foot against the brake.
“I’ll be surrounded by hospital staff the entire time,” Jenna assured him. “You could even ask one of the security guys to watch over me while you’re gone.”
“This will only take a minute.”
Jenna pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth to keep her frustrations inside. She understood the man was in charge of an entire police department and probably had other responsibilities that needed his attention, as well.
Knowing these things did nothing to ease her anxiety.
I need to be at the hospital. I need to find out Adrian’s status, and I need to be there in case something happens.
Doing her best not to let her emotions take over, Jenna drew a deep breath in through her nose and let it out slowly.
One quick stop. That’s what he’d said. Surely, she could handle that.
The car turned onto the side street. Her brows pulled together when she realized they were driving through a residential area.
An unsettling feeling began to seep in.
They went down two blocks and turned right. After driving another block, they took a left, and after passing several more homes, they turned right, again.
It was a dead-end street with only two houses—one across from the other.
The one on their left appeared empty and had a for sale sign posted in the front yard. The house to their right had its windows boarded up, and the overgrown grass and foliage around it made the home’s abandonment obvious.
Ben turned into the driveway of the house listed for sale. The large, double door to the attached garage began to open, revealing a dark SUV parked inside.
As soon as there was enough clearance, Ben slowly pulled his car into the empty space on the right. The garage door closed behind them, essentially locking them inside.
Jenna’s pulse skyrocketed. Alarm bells filled her head.
This isn’t right. We shouldn’t be here.
Just then, two large, intimidating men exited the SUV. They wore matching black suits, and both were carrying guns.
Jenna’s eyes flew to Ben’s. “What’s going on?”
She’d been hoping he’d say something—anything—to explain what was happening. Instead, she found a gun pointed directly at her chest.
Oh, god.
“Ben?”
“I’m sorry, Jenna.” He held his pistol steady. “I didn’t have a choice.”
He didn’t have…
“Choice with what?” Confusion and fear assaulted her. “Ben, what the hell are you doing?”
Beads of sweat formed on the man’s forehead. “He threatened my family. My wife and two daughters. I had to protect them.”
Through the windshield, Jenna watched the other two men closely. One stood guard