Chapter 15
Blood pumped furiously through Connor’s veins as he weaved between cars. Evelyn’s voice might have been hard to hear, but the fear had been clear as day when she’d muttered Gabriel’s name.
Gabriel had acted brazenly. Showing up at Evelyn’s was a risky move. Connor shouldn’t have left Evelyn alone. Her apartment was so damn close, but the bumper-to-bumper traffic and idiot drivers made it farther away than the fucking Golden Gate Bridge.
An eerie quietness continued to mock him through his phone, and he threw it on the seat beside him. He pounded his palm against his horn. Not that it helped. He swore it made the jackasses driving in front of him move even slower.
Evelyn’s building came into view, and his gaze zeroed in on people bustling down the sidewalk and cars parked along the street. He scanned the faces for Evelyn, but she wasn’t anywhere. Then he saw it. A man in a brown uniform putting someone in the back of a silver sports car.
The man straightened and glanced in Connor’s direction. He stilled, and his smirk tightened. He turned and ran toward the driver’s door.
Gabriel!
The sonofabitch had put Evelyn in the back of his car, but why wasn’t she fighting back?
He revved his engine to hurry the jackass blocking him.
Connor needed to do something and fast. One vehicle stood in between him and Gabriel.
If he got out of his car and ran, he’d never get to Gabriel before he drove off with Evelyn.
But the turn signal of the truck in front of him indicated the driver was waiting for Gabriel to move so he could take his spot at the curb.
He had to get to Evelyn before it was too late.
Slamming his foot against the gas pedal, his car lurched forward and crashed into the truck in front of him. The driver swiveled around with a raised fist and shouts of rage.
Connor ignored him, his gaze focused on Gabriel. The bumper of his car shoved the tailgate of the truck, his tires spinning against the loose gravel on the street as all the horses under his hood moved the helpless pickup forward.
The front of the truck crunched into Gabriel’s car, pushing his front tires onto the sidewalk. Pedestrians shouted at him to stop, but he revved harder. He had to stop Gabriel from leaving, and this was the only way he could do it.
Gabriel jumped from the driver’s side door and sprinted down the sidewalk.
Connor slammed on the brakes, threw the car in park, and ran for Evelyn.
The man from the truck he’d rear-ended opened his door as Connor passed and grabbed the back of his shirt, yanking him backward.
His feet skidded against the ground, and he twisted around to face whoever the hell kept him from getting to Evelyn.
“What’s your problem, man?” the driver screamed. “I’m calling the cops.”
“I am a cop, so back off.” Connor towered over the man and jerked away from him. “Call an ambulance. Now.”
He searched the sidewalk for any sign of which way Gabriel had disappeared as he continued toward the car.
Shit! Gabriel was nowhere in sight, and he couldn’t waste time asking the confused pedestrians which way he’d run.
No way Evelyn would have gone with Gabriel so easily.
He needed to get to her. If the asshole had hurt her...
He reached the back of the sports car and opened the door.
Evelyn lay on her back, sprawled across the backseat.
Connor ducked his head into the car and hovered over her still form. He did a quick scan of her body, but no marks or wounds gave evidence of what had happened. He pressed two fingers against the side of her neck.
Please, God, let there be a pulse.
A slow, thready rhythm beat against the pads of his fingers. She was alive, but something kept her from opening her eyes or reacting to his presence.
Lowering his knees to the floor of the car, he squeezed beside her and cupped her cheek with his palm. “Evelyn? Can you hear me? It’s Connor. I’ve got you. You’re safe. Can you open your eyes for me?”
The rush of adrenaline fled his system and made room for fear. His heart threatened to burst through his chest, and he fought to keep from letting his emotions spin out of control. He needed a clear head, and Evelyn needed medical attention.
A screeching siren competed with the blasting horns and chattering throng of people behind him. Relief loosened his rigid muscles a fraction. “Help’s on the way, Evelyn.”
A tiny flutter of movement shook her eyelids. She groaned and moved her head, pressing her cheek against his hand. Her brown ponytail spilled against his fingers, exposing her neck. Two red marks marred her smooth skin, as if someone had pressed prongs into her.
Or a taser.
Fury roared to life inside him. The asshole had tased her. If that wasn’t bad enough, he’d shot darts into her neck instead of just touching the unit to her skin.
The sirens grew closer, and the heavy slam of a door alerted him to the ambulance’s presence. He didn’t want to leave Evelyn, but he needed to tell them what happened and get the police here to canvas the area. He pressed his lips to her temple and whispered, “I won’t be far.”
Straightening out of the car, he pushed his way through the crowd and marched over to the EMTs.
He grabbed his badge from the back pocket of his jeans for their inspection.
“I’m Detective Mitchel. There’s a woman in the back of the silver sports car.
Her pulse is weak, but I noticed slight movements from her a second ago.
The two prong marks approximately an inch apart on her neck, as well as her lack of motor functions, indicate a taser wound. ”
One EMT retrieved a bag from the ambulance while the other hurried toward Evelyn.
Connor grabbed his phone and called dispatch. He needed uniforms here ten minutes ago to hunt down Gabriel.
A deep baritone answered the phone. “911, what’s your emergency?”
“I have an attempted abduction in Astoria. Suspect fled on foot. Need assistance in canvassing the area and interviewing pedestrians.”
“Right away, sir.”
Connor disconnected the call and turned to face the crowd now pressing around him for answers. He held his palms in the air. “I need everyone to stay here and answer some questions. Did anyone see the man who ran from the car and which way he went?”
The man from the truck he’d rammed into stepped forward. “What about the woman? Is she all right?” Concern softened the heavy Brooklyn accent that had attacked him moments before.
“She better be.” Connor glanced back toward Evelyn.
The EMT had lifted her to a seated position on the edge of the seat with her feet dangling out of the car door. Fear pinched her face, and she darted her gaze around like a scared animal searching for escape.
He rushed to her and dropped to his knees in front of her. He covered her trembling hands with his, placing them on her lap. “Are you okay?”
“Did you get him? Did you get Gabriel?” The frantic plea in her voice broke his heart.
“Not yet, but we will. He can’t weasel his way out of this one.”
A crooked smile played on her face, and he crushed her to his chest.
“Sir, we need to examine her. You need to step back.”
Connor ignored the woman hovering beside him. He’d step back in a minute, but right now he needed to hold Evelyn in his arms. “Don’t worry. We’ll nail his ass and find Monica.” Excitement coursed through his veins.
Gabriel had slipped up. They would finally catch him and find his sister. And once this nightmare was behind them, he’d never let Evelyn out of his arms again.
Evelyn couldn’t stop her teeth from chattering even as she burrowed into the warmth of Connor’s chest. Her muscles ached and needlelike pricks attacked the palm of her hand. She breathed in his scent and fought against the terror still trying to paralyze her.
Waking up in the back of a strange car alone had been one of the scariest moments of her life, but she wasn’t alone now. Now she had Connor’s strong arms around her, keeping her safe. And she never wanted to leave.
He rubbed his large palms up and down her spine. “The paramedics need to look at you.” He pulled away and she couldn’t stop the whimper in her throat as she hauled him back to her. She wasn’t ready to let him go.
“I’m fine. I don’t need to be looked at. I just want to get out of here. I have to get upstairs. Abbie’s all alone.” She spoke into the soft fabric of his shirt, hoping the muffled sound took some of the panic from her voice.
“Okay, I’ll have someone sit upstairs until we’re done here, but you have to let them look at you.
” Connor kissed her temple and pivoted to her side, sliding his arm from behind her back to rest around her shoulders.
“Can you stand? It might be easier if we can get you to the back of the ambulance.”
She nodded and swallowed hard as she tried to catch her breath. She could comply with the medical professionals this time. This wasn’t the same as before. She wasn’t a terrified teenager who’d just gotten the crap beaten out of her and was forced to lie to everyone about what had happened.
She was an adult, she was strong, and she was fully capable of walking to an ambulance and letting the paramedics check her injuries. She tried to stand, but her muscles wouldn’t cooperate.
Connor kept one arm wrapped around her and tucked the other behind her knees. With one swift movement, he straightened to his feet and headed toward the ambulance.
The siren had stopped, but the flashing red light continued to slash into the night sky.
People stared at her, mouths open. She bit her top lip, but it wasn’t enough to stop the tears trickling from her eyes.
She turned her face against him and let the moisture seep into his shirt.
For the first time in her entire life, Evelyn felt completely safe.