“No sweat.” The other woman stood. “In the meantime, I’m going to go take a hot shower and relax in my room for a bit. See y’all in a bit.”
Following her lead, Jenna stood and bid the other two women goodbye before heading for the stairs. At the hospital back home, she always tried taking the stairs as much as possible. More convenient than a gym, and a hell of a lot cheaper.
As she exited the stairwell, she made her way down the third-floor hallway. When she got to her room, Jenna slid her keycard into the electronic reader, surprised when the pressure from her hand forced the door to open slightly.
What the hell?
Glancing back down the hall, the only sign of life Jenna found was a housekeeping cart parked outside a room several doors down. Her mind worked backward to earlier, when she’d left to go downstairs for the mandatory meeting.
Did I not pull it closed all the way?Jenna pressed a palm against the door and pushed. Still standing on the hallway side of the threshold, she peeked her head into the dark room.
“Hello?” She waited but got no response.
With another glance to each side, Jenna reached into her purse and pulled out the pepper spray she’d packed alongside her clothes. Taking a hesitant step forward, she thumbed the red tab to unlock the safety clip and held the compact cannister out in front of her.
“Is someone there?” She looked around the room as she moved.
The modest bathroom was on her left, and with the shower curtain pulled to one side, it was clear no one was hiding in there. On her right was a built-in closet with a sliding, mirrored door.
Heart in her throat, Jenna shifted the pepper spray into her left hand. Using her right, she slid the metal door away from her. Minus some hangers, an iron, and an ironing board, the tiny space was empty.
You’re just being paranoid.
In a loud rush of air, her lungs released the breath she’d been holding. Stories about vanishing nurses had obviously left her spooked, but she decided to go ahead and check the balcony, anyway. Just to be safe.
Focusing on the closed, floor-to-ceiling curtains directly in front of her, Jenna started for the other side of the room. The second she cleared the corner of the wall where the closet was located—the one next to the nearest of the two beds—she realized her mistake.
A strong hand flew out from behind the wall, covering her mouth. Her attacker wrapped his other arm around her waist, the other hand muffling Jenna’s screams as she fought and struggled to get free. The guy let out a few low grunts but didn’t budge.
The spray! Use the damn pepper spray!
Mentally smacking herself for having momentarily forgotten it, Jenna spun the canister’s opening around, nearly dropping it in the process.
With thoughts of those missing nurses swirling throughout her head, she pointed the nozzle toward the man behind her. Turning her head to the left and shutting her eyes to avoid accidentally hitting herself, Jenna squeezed the trigger and released the burning liquid.
The man behind her yelled. He immediately dropped his arms and stumbled away from her, his back hitting the wall behind him. Not taking any chances, Jenna ran forward a few steps before turning back around and pointing the spray at her attacker once more.
With his head down and his palms wiping at his eyes, the jerk growled against the pain. “Pepper spray? Really?”
What did you expect, dickwad?
Fear and anger poured through her as she stood her ground. “That’s right, asshole! And there’s more where that came from if you don’t get out of my room right this second!”
“Holy hell, woman. To think I was worried about you.” The would-be kidnapper coughed and spit before releasing a low chuckle. “Christ, I forgot how much that shit hurts.”
Even though the man’s words were strained, and he was struggling to catch his breath, Jenna could’ve sworn she recognized his voice. With the dusk’s light seeping in through a narrow break in the curtains, she took a few seconds to study the intruder more closely.
He was tall. Brunette. His black t-shirt stretched across muscles that seemed to go for days, and his denim jeans hugged his taut thighs like a second skin. If she didn’t know any better, she’d almost think he looked a lot like…
No. No way.
Keeping the spray aimed at her target, Jenna slowly sidestepped to the lamp resting on the small table on her right. Not taking her eyes off the intruder, she fumbled a bit before finding the light switch and turning it on.
A sudden, dull glow illuminated the room—and the man standing before her.
With her heart thrumming wildly, Jenna said, “Show me your face.”
Still grimacing in pain, the blinking man began to slowly raise his head. Sniffing, he used the back of his hand to wipe his red, watering eyes before bringing his pained gaze to hers.