Holding his Hostage - Amy Gamet Page 0,24
my night vision goggles.”
He went back into the storage cabinet hidden behind her bed, her eyes focusing on the dark shape outlined by the light vinyl flooring. She gasped. “Is that a gun?”
“Yeah. I saw something outside. I want to check it out.”
Fear shot adrenaline into her bloodstream. “Is somebody out there?”
“I don’t know yet.” He huffed. “I packed my gear so I’d have easy access. How much stuff did you put in here after that?”
“Just what we needed. There isn’t that much.”
“This is more than I pack for a month.”
“A bachelor and a family of four require a very different amount of stuff. Besides, you’d probably wear one pair of cargo shorts the entire time.”
His voice was muffled. “That’s called efficiency.” The sound of something falling down rumbled from inside the cabinet, then he backed out butt first. “Got it.” He stood. “You stay here. Lucas is awake. I’m going to send him back to you on my way out.”
“You’re going out there?”
“I’ll check out the windows first, but yes. It’s probably just an animal.”
“Really?”
“Not unless that animal has a cell phone. I saw a light.”
She balled her hands into fists. “Then why are you telling me it’s an animal?”
“Because I don’t want you to worry.”
“Then why did you tell me you saw a light?”
“Because I didn’t want to lie.” He winked before pulling the goggles over his head, the action just barely visible in the dark room. “Probably just a neighbor out for a walk. I’ll lock the camper door behind me. You stay here.”
Her heart was hammering hard. Had they been followed here from Sloan’s house despite all their precautions? It didn’t seem possible, yet somehow Bannon had found them at the bank in Hyde Park, and that had seemed impossible too. Someone was out there. Maybe it was a park ranger or one of the other campers. Yes, surely, that must be it.
Please, God, let that be it.
Lucas walked into the room and scampered onto her bed. “Sloan has a gun!”
“I know. It’s okay. He’s in the military.” Or at least he used to be. Not that it mattered, if they were all going to die.
We’re not going to die!
She had to stop this. Lucas needed her to be calm. She leaned back on the pillows and opened her arm for her son to cuddle with her. “Watch out for your sister.”
“Sloan really likes brownies.”
She was straining to hear outside. “That’s good.”
“But he really likes to cook.”
“Okay, then, he should make himself some brownies. Now be quiet.”
“I told him you make good brownies.”
“That’s Betty Crocker, but thank you.”
“Who?”
“Never mind. I want to be able to hear.”
“I don’t think he’d mind taking out the trash. He didn’t really say.”
“What are we talking about?”
“Sloan.”
“And his never-ending love for brownies and trash?”
He shrugged. “I like him.”
She frowned, grateful he couldn’t see her face. She’d seen this coming a mile away, Lucas’s quick attachment to Sloan as predictable as the weather. She pulled him closer, wishing she’d given him a better father in the first place, a man he could emulate and love and have that love returned. A man to play baseball with and bake brownies. David had tried, but none of it came naturally to him and he would just get upset.
Stop it.
Being this close to Sloan was getting to her. No, kissing Sloan had made her lose her mind. A week ago, that man was a painful memory; now here she was, wondering if maybe—just maybe—they could have a future together.
And that was insane. One kiss did not a future make. It was for old times’ sake, a necessary evil to satisfy their curiosity so they could move on in different directions. Except it didn’t feel evil at all. It felt heavenly.
God, when was the last time she’d been so aroused? The simple touch of his hands on her body and she was desperate for more. What would it be like to actually date him again, to have him in her life and in her bed whenever she wanted him there? To make love and to flirt, to talk deep into the night like they had when they were teenagers?
The kids liked him, at least Fiona and Lucas. She’d been trying to prevent that, yet here they were. Maybe she should embrace it. Let him truly be a part of all their lives and just see what happened. She frowned. He’d already broken her heart once. Did she really want him to break her kids’ hearts, too?
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