Special Forces Father - By Mallory Kane Page 0,53
it. She didn’t dare do anything that might put Max in danger. She looked at the tablet in his hand. “I don’t want to be drowsy when I see my son,” she said. “Can’t you just blindfold me?”
He shook his head. “No way. I can’t risk someone seeing you with the blindfold on. Now take it or I’ll put you in the trunk.”
“No, you won’t. Somebody might see that, too.”
His face flushed. “Then I’ll shove the pill down your throat. Nobody’ll see that, will they?”
She shook her head. She picked up her glass and ran some water into it from the tap. She held out her hand and the kidnapper gave her the tablet. She swallowed the tablet.
“Okay,” she said. “I swallowed it.”
He grabbed her by the back of the neck. “Open up and let me see.”
She opened her mouth. He stuck a beefy finger in and swept between her cheeks and gums, the roof of her mouth and under her tongue.
Kate shuddered and did her best not to gag. She didn’t quite succeed.
“What?” he demanded, squeezing her neck as he grabbed her jaw in his other hand. He leaned in so close that his face was only about two inches from hers. She swallowed audibly. “You too fancy for the likes of me? You don’t like my taste?”
She closed her eyes.
“Open your damn eyes and taste this,” he grunted, then put his mouth over hers and kissed her with brutal force. He drew back and grinned at her. “What do you think about that?”
She felt dizzy and her eyes were getting heavy, but she managed to spit at him.
He jerked her backward by her neck, slapped her with his open hand. Then he fastened the handcuffs around her right hand again.
Tears sprang to her eyes.
“Watch out or I might have to really hurt you. Now let’s go get in my car. And don’t attract any attention. I don’t want to shoot anybody and I know you don’t want me to.”
Despite her fuzzy head and heavy eyes, Kate felt panic gushing up from her throat like an active volcano. She didn’t think the kidnapper would shoot anybody in the middle of a quiet neighborhood in daylight, but she couldn’t take the chance. She clenched her jaw and let him lead her out to his car. He kept her body close to his to hide the handcuffs from view.
He pushed her into the backseat just about the time the fuzziness covered her brain and her legs decided to give way. He locked the doors with the electronic key, then got into the driver’s seat and pressed a couple buttons on the console. “Gotta love child-safety locks.” He looked at her in the rearview mirror. “You have a nice nap, now. By the time you wake up, we’ll be there.”
“I’ll get to see Max?”
“If you’re good, Doc. If you’re good.”
* * *
TRAVIS GOT TO Kate’s house a few minutes after seven. When he pulled into the driveway behind her car, he noticed that all the lights were on, which seemed odd. Kate never left a room without turning off the light—never.
He went up to the front door and knocked. He didn’t want to use his key and take the chance of startling her, since she wasn’t expecting him. But when she didn’t answer after a second knock, he unlocked the door and went inside. Immediately, he knew something was wrong. Her left shoe was on the floor in the living room. He didn’t see her purse anywhere, but a glass sat on the kitchen counter. By itself, the glass wasn’t a cause for worry, but he saw something streaked on it. He walked over and looked closely at it.
Burning fear ignited at the base of his spine and coursed upward to his scalp. Travis had no doubt what had happened. While he’d been talking to Dawson, the kidnapper had come here and taken Kate. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes. Focus, he told himself. Anger didn’t accomplish anything. He could hear his sergeant’s yell.
Soldiers! Listen up. What’s your best weapon? These? He’d held up a rifle and a grenade.
No, sir! the recruits cried.
These? He held up his fists.
No, sir! they cried again.
Then tell me! he bellowed.
A clear and focused mind, sir.
Right now Travis wasn’t sure he could clear his mind, much less focus. All he could see was Kate, terrified and possibly hurt, in the hands of the kidnapper. He should have been here. He should have never allowed her