Cobb (Lighthouse Security Investigations #9) - Maryann Jordan Page 0,91

blinked awake, the world fuzzy as she rolled over in bed. She tried to remember what she had been doing. Was I drinking? Did I take cold medicine? None of the reasons for her grogginess made sense, but she stretched slowly, wiggling her fingers before rubbing her hand over her face. She winced in pain as a knot was found on the side of her head. Did I fall?

With some difficulty, she pushed to a seated position, finally focusing enough to look around, startled when she didn’t recognize her surroundings. The room was not large, but it was clean. The bed she was sitting on was a thick, foam mattress on a fold-out cot, the type that hotels would offer for a guest if an extra child’s bed was needed. It was also clean. There were no windows but two closed doors.

Memories slowly came back. The crash of metal on Tate’s side of her car. Blood trickling down his face and his legs trapped in the crushed door. More sounds of crunching metal as the other vehicle was rammed. Drew racing toward them with a gun in his hand. And the last thing she remembered was Jorge at the top of the fence, a look of barely controlled rage on his face.

Taking a deep breath, she stood with effort, her head still woozy. With her hand gliding along the wall for support, she opened one door, glad to see that it led to a small but clean bathroom. Having no idea if anyone would come in to get her, she quickly used the toilet and washed her hands, then splashed cold water on her face to help chase the cobwebs away. She stared into the mirror over the sink, not surprised by her disheveled appearance. She lifted a shaky hand to run her fingers through her hair in an attempt to tame the thick waves. Her complexion was more pale than usual, and her blue eyes seemed larger on her face.

Turning away from her reflection, she walked gingerly back into the bedroom. Trying the other door, she wasn’t surprised to find it locked. What do they want with me? She’d hoped that finding the mini drive from Caesar and giving it to Jorge would have ended the threats against her. But then if they don’t know I did that, they’ll still consider me a threat.

Looking around the room, her mind ran wild with scenarios, most from movies or TV shows. Try to break the lock. Look for an escape route. Hide behind the door and hit whoever walked in.

But with nothing in the room to use to break the lock she had no way to escape, and with nothing to knock someone out her imaginations were futile. Tired, she sat down on the small bed and leaned her back against the wall. With no idea how long she might be held captive, or how much time had passed that she had been unconscious, she decided she might as well get comfortable.

The image of Jorge settled front and center in her mind, and a shiver ran down her spine at the memory of his face right before she lost consciousness. Her fingers drifted up, feeling the lighthouse charm on the chain underneath her shirt. “I can find you wherever you are.”

Somehow, she imagined that he would be able to do that even without the location sensor in the necklace. But knowing it was around her neck, she breathed easier. He will come. Whether an avenging angel, fire-breathing dragon, or ancient warrior… he will come.

A jiggling noise came from just outside the door before it opened. Gasping as she looked up at the sudden sound, she tilted her head to the side in confusion. “What are you doing here?”

“You just couldn’t keep your nose out of it, could you?”

26

“She’s in Ciudad Juarez.”

While not surprised, hearing the words from Rank shot adrenaline throughout Cobb’s body. Blanking his mind as best he could of all extraneous emotion, he barked, “Get me the location.”

It only took a few more seconds for his fellow Keeper to add, “The Grand King Casino.”

“I fuckin’ knew it,” he growled, looking across the room as Drew, Tate, and Bray readied for their accelerated rescue mission. Dark pants, dark long-sleeved shirts, dark knit caps, dark boots. Tate’s forehead had three stitches but he had no concussion. After the firefighters cut him out of Josie’s car, they realized how lucky he had been. The metal had crushed the driver’s side, trapping him,