He raced down the hall toward the stairwell, where Rebecca was struggling against the strangers hold, fighting to stay on this side of the door.
Parker charged forward.
Halt, the man ordered. This is not your concern.
Parker skidded to a stop, trying to place the clipped accent. Still fighting, Rebecca glowered, pointing an accusing finger at him, her mouth opening and closing on words she couldnt get past her captors throat-crushing arm.
Let her go, Parker said, taking another step. The man pressed a syringe to her neck. Rebeccas body arched violently and then went limp. No! Stop! Parker shouted, advancing once
more.
The mans mouth twisted into a nasty gap-toothed smile and as he wrestled Rebeccas body into the stairwell, Parker saw a pale scar bisecting his cheek from lip to temple.
Parker leaped into action again. The stranger couldnt have her, not when she was Parkers best chance to identify the person trying to blackmail him and discredit his team. He plowed through the door and straight at them.
Startled, the man shoved Rebeccas limp body at him and raced up the stairs. Parker eased her to the floor and pressed his fingers to her neck. Finding a pulse, he started after her assailant, only to hear the fire alarms go off. He didnt believe for a second that there was a fire, but he was the only person who had good cause to doubt the alarm.
If he left her there, the accomplice could grab her or she might be injured by people fleeing the building with the false alarm. Scooping her up and over his shoulder, he hurried down the stairs, as voices of frightened people heeding the alarms and emergency lights filled the stairwell.
Knowing he couldnt wait at the valet stand with an unconscious woman over his shoulder, he headed for the parking area. Come on, kid, whered you put my baby? Pressing the panic button on the extra fob in his pocket, he waited for the response. When the lights flashed and the horn sounded, he hurried over to the Spyder and punched his code into the panel on the door.
Settling her into the seat and fastening the safety belt, he checked her pulse again before closing the passenger door and sliding into the drivers seat. The engine rumbled at the press of the start button and he maneuvered out of the parking area before it clogged with staff and guests escaping the hotel.
Just a producer, huh? Parker snorted as he followed the path of least traffic resistance away from the hotel. Someone wants you as badly as I do.
This latest unexpected development bothered him. Was the goal chaos or was there a logical end game? All of his training warned him he was dealing with two opponents with different agendas, yet it seemed quite a coincidence that they would attack at the same time.
What he needed was more information from her and about her. He wouldnt get the first until she woke up. There was no telling how long that would take, or if shed be cooperative when she did. If he could find a safe place for her to sleep off the drug, he could use the time to dig deeper into her past for a possible kidnapping motive.
At the next opportunity, Parker shifted his route to head west. There was a property with an ocean view that he kept as a rental under the company name, complete with a safe room. Initially hed planned to live there and hed handled every detail of the security measures as an exercise to see what could be done more than because he feared a home invasion or an attack.
The rental, currently empty, would be their safest bet. He drove around for half an hour until he was sure he wasnt being followed. When he carried Rebecca inside, he took her straight to the safe room and tucked her in on the love seat, covering her with a cashmere throw.
He removed her high heels and cleared the safe room of items she might use against him. He removed any tech that could be used to communicate with the outside world. He didnt want her giving away their position to hisor herenemies.
With a little luck, in a few hours shed wake up and they could have a calm conversation without any extra ears or distractions. Armed with information, they could go their separate ways and never have to speak to each other again.
Chapter Three
Becca came awake slowly, her eyes gritty and her throat dry as she tried to get her bearings. The lights were dim and she had the immediate impression of being in a pleasant small sitting room. Someone had removed her shoes, tucked her in and covered her with an incredibly soft throw. The gesture left her wary rather than comforted. What happened?
Easing herself upright, she found herself on a love seat upholstered in deep burgundy leather so smooth it felt like silk to the touch. Not Bills house. She didnt recognize the space, couldnt name a single friend who had a room like this. Where were her shoes?
Hello? Her throat was dry enough that she sounded like a frog. How long had she been here? She called out a couple more times, receiving no answer.
Fear trickled down her spine, a chill under her skin that burned as questions burst through her clouded mind. Where was she? Who brought her here? Why?