Special Forces Father - By Mallory Kane Page 0,55

called him—kept a firm hold on her arm. “Let me go!” she cried, hearing the slurring mumble of her words, almost incomprehensible to her own ears. She jerked her arm but it was no use. All she earned for her effort was the feeling that, if he wanted to, Bent could dislocate her shoulder with almost no effort.

The woman eyed the way Bent was holding her, then crossed her arms and stared at him. “Well?” she asked him.

“What?” he grunted.

“Are you going to let her see the kid?”

At the woman’s words, Kate’s sluggish mind perked up and she almost cried out. But then a thought occurred to her. If she could keep them thinking that she was overwhelmingly drowsy for a while, maybe she could gain an advantage over them. She did her best to show as little reaction to the thought of being able to see Max, to hold him, as she could.

“Hell, I don’t know.”

“Come on, Bent. I’m getting sick of being a babysitter. After a while that whining can get to you. Let’s lock them in that back room and we can have the bedroom back.”

Kate tried to see the man’s face by barely opening her eyes to a slit, but when he turned toward her, she closed them again and just stood there, swaying slightly, as if in a stupor.

She felt and heard Bent shift. “She might try to get out the window,” he whispered.

“I don’t think so,” Shirley said. “These bedroom windows are the tiniest windows on the planet, and they’re over six feet off the ground. She wouldn’t drop the kid that far and she’s not going to leave him.”

“There’s nothing but woods and bushes outside that window, too,” Bent agreed. “Hey, Doc,” he said to her.

She lifted her chin slightly and opened her eyes as if each lid had a two-pound weight attached to it.

“Wanna see your kid?”

Don’t react too much, she warned herself. Slowly she opened her eyes and squinted at him. “Max?” she whispered, letting all the longing that had been building in her for the past two days color her voice. “Max?” She opened her eyes wider. “Where is he?”

“I knew you could wake up if you wanted to.” The man’s words were so flat and cool that Kate was afraid he was baiting her. That he wasn’t going to let her see her son after all.

“Please,” she begged.

“Go ahead,” he said to the woman. “Put them in that back bedroom. Make sure there’s nothing in there she could use as a weapon.”

“Way ahead of you, Bent darlin’,” the woman said sarcastically. “There’s nothing in there but piles of clothes and a stack of empty boxes.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah. Check for yourself if you don’t believe me.”

“Okay. Get the kid and his stuff. Not the train. That’s metal. I don’t want her to have anything she could use on the window or on us.”

Kate waited, hardly daring to breathe as the woman went into the bedroom. Kate could hear her talking to Max. As heavy as her limbs were from the sedative, Kate had to use all her willpower not to go tearing through the door to her son. She held it together until she heard the woman say, “Honey, want to see your mama?”

Then she heard Max’s shriek and she couldn’t be still another second. “Max!” she cried and started to run toward the door, but she’d forgotten the kidnapper’s hand on her arm. She jerked against his grip.

Then Max appeared in the doorway, his big dark brown eyes wide as saucers, his mouth open in a huge, excited grin. “Mommy!” he shrieked. “Mahmm-eee!” He threw himself at her.

“Maxie,” Kate cried and held out her arms and she bent down. Max ran, nearly knocking her over.

“Mommy! You’re here!” He wrapped his little arms around her neck and pushed his face into the curve at her neck and shoulder.

“Max,” she whispered, pushing her nose into his baby-fine, sweet-smelling hair. For a long time she just crouched there, holding him, reveling in the familiar, sweet smell of her little boy. Then she opened her eyes and met the woman’s gaze. She had kept him clean and fed and as happy as he could be without his mommy. Kate gave the woman a nod. Shirley raised an eyebrow and sniffed. She looked away.

“Okay,” Bent said. “That’s enough. Get up.”

Kate closed her eyes again and pressed her nose against her baby’s hair.

* * *

WHEN TRAVIS GOT to the warehouse, it was after eight o’clock. Ryker