Rescuing Jenna - Anna Blakely Page 0,8
turned to Adrian, and how his actions while serving as an undercover government agent greatly contrasted the man she knew existed deep inside. The world may not have seen it, but Jenna did.
He was a good man who’d done some not-so-good things. However, the not-so-good had been government sanctioned, and he’d single-handedly rid the world of many horrible, evil human beings.
As she always did when thinking of the frustratingly sexy man, Jenna felt conflicted.
On the one hand, Adrian was a killer. Something she—a nurse who’d taken an oath to do everything in her power to keep people alive—struggled with.
On the other hand, by taking the lives he had, Adrian had saved countless others. Innocent men, women, and children. He’d nearly died saving her best friend’s life, so how could she not see the good in him?
I wonder if he sees it.
But that still didn’t excuse the way things went down between them. Leaving before she woke up? That wasn’t cool. Not cool at all.
Clapping erupted around her as Taylore had finished her spiel. Jenna looked around, realizing she’d completely zoned out the rest of whatever the woman had said.
Damn it, Jenna. The man got what he wanted and moved on. Knock him off that freaking pedestal you put him on and do the same!
The annoying voice was right. She’d already spent way too long pining away for a man who didn’t want her. And aside from his profession—one straight out of an action-adventure movie—Adrian Walker was no different than any of the other jerks she’d dated.
Keep telling yourself that.
Ready to smack her subconscious into next week, Jenna spared a quick glance to her right. Marie stared back at her with a knowing gaze.
“Don’t worry.” Marie smirked. “A friend of mine is part of the staff we’re replacing. I’ll fill you in on all the B.S. rules and policies over dinner.”
Jenna frowned. “Dinner?”
The Kansas City native chuckled. “Did you hear anything Taylore said?”
“Not really,” Jenna admitted.
Shaking her head, Marie chuckled. “We’re all having dinner in the hotel restaurant in a couple of hours. I’ll come down early and make sure the four of us get a table together.”
Feeling chagrined, Jenna nodded. “Thanks.”
“No sweat.” The other woman stood. “In the meantime, I’m going to go take a hot shower and relax in my room for a bit. See y’all in a bit.”
Following her lead, Jenna stood and bid the other two women goodbye before heading for the stairs. At the hospital back home, she always tried taking the stairs as much as possible. More convenient than a gym, and a hell of a lot cheaper.
As she exited the stairwell, she made her way down the third-floor hallway. When she got to her room, Jenna slid her keycard into the electronic reader, surprised when the pressure from her hand forced the door to open slightly.
What the hell?
Glancing back down the hall, the only sign of life Jenna found was a housekeeping cart parked outside a room several doors down. Her mind worked backward to earlier, when she’d left to go downstairs for the mandatory meeting.
Did I not pull it closed all the way? Jenna pressed a palm against the door and pushed. Still standing on the hallway side of the threshold, she peeked her head into the dark room.
“Hello?” She waited but got no response.
With another glance to each side, Jenna reached into her purse and pulled out the pepper spray she’d packed alongside her clothes. Taking a hesitant step forward, she thumbed the red tab to unlock the safety clip and held the compact cannister out in front of her.
“Is someone there?” She looked around the room as she moved.
The modest bathroom was on her left, and with the shower curtain pulled to one side, it was clear no one was hiding in there. On her right was a built-in closet with a sliding, mirrored door.
Heart in her throat, Jenna shifted the pepper spray into her left hand. Using her right, she slid the metal door away from her. Minus some hangers, an iron, and an ironing board, the tiny space was empty.
You’re just being paranoid.
In a loud rush of air, her lungs released the breath she’d been holding. Stories about vanishing nurses had obviously left her spooked, but she decided to go ahead and check the balcony, anyway. Just to be safe.
Focusing on the closed, floor-to-ceiling curtains directly in front of her, Jenna started for the other side of the room. The second she cleared the corner of the wall where