“You already refilled all the salt and pepper shakers, rolled silverware, and prepped the menus for tomorrow.You’re good.Go.Home.”She grips both of my arms gently, then pulls me in for a hug.
“Only if you’re sure.”
“I am.”Her expression darkens slightly.“Are you sure you won’t take me up on the offer to have Ed drive you home?”
“Positive.I’ll send you a text when I get home.”With a smile, I retrieve my purse and head for the door.“See you tomorrow,” I call back.
“See you then.”
She locks the door behind me as I step onto the dark street, and I remain where I am, illuminated by the light coming through the windows, until I’m absolutely sure that I’m alone.
Even now, as I make the walk home, though, I can feel eyes on me.The late-night settles around me like a thick blanket, shielding me as I move along the empty street, but the awareness is there.
A tingling in my veins.
“Hey, Pepper!”
I glance over at the nickname, just in time to see Sawyer jog toward me.He’s wearing a pair of baggy shorts and a tank top, his skin slick with sweat.The sight of a familiar face removes the rest of my nerves.
“Hey, Sawyer.Late-night run?”
He smiles and stops running to fall into step beside me.“I needed to wind down from the day.”
Jack was here this afternoon, arriving at the coffee shop while Sawyer had been there visiting with Anastasia.My guess is that’s what led to this late-night burn-off.Poor guy.I genuinely feel bad for him.
“You know, you should just tell her,” I say.
“Tell who what?”But the grin on his face tells me he knowsexactlywho I’m talking about.“I don’t want to ruin what she has for something that is probably just better left to the imagination.”
“You think a relationship with her is better left to the imagination?Because of her or you?”
He snorts.“Me, obviously.Anastasia is perfect.”
Laughing softly, I shake my head.“You have it so bad.”
“Eh, I—” but he’s cut off when a pair of bright headlights blind the both of us.“Hey, man!Ever heard of low beams!”Sawyer yells into the darkness.Right before the tires squeal to a stop.Every ounce of Sawyer’s mood shifts, his body tensing.It’s like I’m watching him transform from man to soldier in the blink of an eye.“Run, Katelyn!”he bellows, turning to shield me as he shoves me back toward the diner.
I take off, my legs pumping.
But I don’t make it far.
A heavy body slams into me, taking me to the pavement.I’m flipped over onto my stomach before I can so much as scream.A hand clamps over my mouth, and my gaze finds Sawyer in the headlights, fighting off two masked men.He drops one to the ground, but a third rushes up, something in his hand.
The muffled sound of a gunshot fills my ears, and Sawyer stiffens—sinking to his knees.
“No!Help!Sawyer!”I try to scream, but the hand over my mouth is firm.One of the men rushes toward me, blocking my view of my new friend.I thrash, adrenaline pumping through my veins as my hands are zip-tied behind my back and a gag is shoved into my mouth.
Still, I continue to fight even as I’m ripped to my feet and thrown over a shoulder.
“We have to hurry!Someone could have heard that!”one of the men orders as I’m rushed toward what I now see is a white, windowless van.
Sawyer is thrown in first, blood saturating the front of his shirt.Then I’m tossed in next, landing right beside him.He groans, his breathing ragged.
The doors are shut, and a soft light illuminates the inside of the cabin.One of the men removes his mask and grins down at me, one of his front teeth missing.There’s a large scar on his face, somehow making him look even more menacing.
“Hey there, pretty,” he says, then reaches forward to run a finger over my face.
“Touch her, and I’ll cut that off,” Sawyer snarls.