Great. The last thing he needed was Jenna’s self-proclaimed big brother trying to kick his ass. Then again…
Fuck it.
Limping over to where Gabe was standing, Adrian didn’t stop until he’d invaded the other man’s space. Letting the last chunk of his protective wall fall, he made his intentions clear.
“That’s right, Dawson. Jenna’s mine, and I’m hers. So you bet your ass I’m going to do whatever it takes to find her.”
“It’s like that?”
Damn straight. “Yeah.” Adrian nodded. “It’s like that.”
The two men stood nose-to-nose for the span of several seconds before Gabe cursed under his breath and looked away.
“Goddamnit.” The former SEAL locked his fingers behind his head as he paced the room. “You’re telling me, of all the men out there, she actually picked your sorry ass?”
“That’swhat you’re focused on right now?”
The pain and fear crossing the man’s face mimicked what Adrian felt to his soul.
“Jenna’s like a sister to me, Walker.” Gabe set his jaw. “Which means, I’ll do whatever it takes to find her, including beating your injured ass to get the intel I need. So if you know more than you’re telling me, you’d better spill it right damn now, or I swear to Christ, I’ll put a matching hole in your other leg.”
The guy’s brown eyes had hardened, and he looked like he wanted nothing more than to make good on his promise to shoot him. But that shit was going to have to wait, because Adrian had somethingheneeded to say.
“You’re not the only one who cares about Jenna.”Not even close.“So you can toss around all the threats you want, but like it or not, she’s mine. Way I see it, we can either work together on this, or I can do it on my own. Either way, Iwillfind her, and I will bring her home.”
“Or die trying?” Gabe’s quip held a sarcastic tone.
The joke was on him when Adrian stared back and vowed, “Or die trying.”
Chapter 11
Jenna woke with a start. She’d been dreaming of Adrian. They were together, and he was laughing. In her dream, he’d told her he loved her. He was about to kiss her when something ripped her from the blissful, unconscious state.
She waited in the dark, listening closely to try to figure out what it was. At first, the only sound filling her ears was that of her own, terrified heartbeat. But then she heard it again…a slight shuffle across the concrete floor.
Someone’s coming!
On instinct, Jenna tried sitting up in case she needed to defend herself, but the nausea and dizziness made her regret the decision instantly.
You’re handcuffed and weak as hell. What exactly did you think you were gonna do?
She squeezed her eyes shut, the metal cuffs biting into her tender wrists every time she tried shifting positions. They were wrapped around an old, metal pole. One that she’d tried—and failed—to pull and kick free.
But the damn thing wouldn’t budge.
The only thing shedidmanage to accomplish at all during her meager attempts to break free was to cut open the skin at her wrists.
At one point, Jenna had gotten so desperate to escape, she’d purposely continued with her futile efforts in hopes that the blood would allow her hands to slip free.
It didn’t work.
She lost track of time a while ago, finally giving up on even trying to figure out how long she’d been here. She’d also stopped screaming for help.
No one had come for her. There’d been no interrogation or demands. Nothing but the cold, musty darkness she’d been tossed into and then forgotten.
After murdering Ben in cold blood, the man had who’d been sitting next to her in the SUV had waited a few blocks before shoving a needle into the side of her neck. At the time, Jenna had been so lost in her thoughts about Adrian, she hadn’t seen the syringe until it was too late.
Sometime later, Jenna had woken up here, in what she assumed was a basement. Thanks to whatever drugs they’d put into her system, she’d had a massive headache and the worst case of cotton mouth she’d ever had.