The prospect of them making love fueled all kinds of scandalous scenarios in her head, but he was right. They had priorities. She saluted. “Aye, aye, Cap.”
He grinned. “Call your parents and tell them we’ll be heading out first thing in the morning, so your daddy doesn’t gut me when we get back for not letting him know. I’ll call my parents too.”
While he returned to his office to do whatever gathering his crew entailed, she called her parents, filled them in, and assured them she’d be fine. Then she went back out to the porch and took a seat. She still wanted to shoot the man on the boat for his rude interruption, but she set her anger at him aside and allowed her mind to savor the memories of Torr’s kisses. She could count the number of times she’d been with a man on one hand, and not one of those encounters came close to what she’d experienced in those passionate moments out on this bench. Even now her lips felt kiss-swollen, and there was a lingering heat in her nipples and between her legs. What might it feel like to spend a night with him and his talented hands? The man knew his way around a woman’s body, and she was glad about it. She knew it was silly and immature to assume they’d have a future together—after all, they’d known each other less than a week—but there was something growing between them, and she didn’t find anything immature in wanting to see what the future might hold.
He stepped out to join her about an hour later. “Okay, I have everything locked down, so let’s run by your place and get your things.”
The sun was just setting. “Can we watch the sunset? You have such a great view. I don’t get to see it this way from my condo.”
“Sure.”
She patted the open space beside her, and he took her up on the invitation. He eased her into his side, and she cuddled close. “You’re a nice man, Torr the Brave.”
“And you’re very gorgeous, Lady Librarian.”
She looked up, and he gave her a soft kiss. Then he said, “Now watch the sunset and stop tempting me.”
“Yes, Captain.”
It was dark when he drove her to her place. He parked, and they both walked to her condo. The light from the motion sensor above the door came on as they neared. Keys in hand, she was about to push the one she needed into the lock when she felt a sharp sting in her upper back. “Ow!”
Torr slapped at his neck. “What the hell?”
Jasmine’s world began spinning. She sensed herself falling. “Torr?” she called out weakly, but never heard his response because her world went black.
When Jasmine regained consciousness, she was in the dark, and she was so disoriented it took a few moments to realize she was in a moving car. As she tried to clear her muddled brain to make sense of where she was and what was happening, the memories of her last few moments with Torr swam to the surface, and she froze with alarm.
“Ah, Ms. Ware. I see you’re awake.”
Taylor. He was driving.
Her stomach roiled. She thought she might be sick. “Where’s Torr?”
“Facedown on the concrete where we left him. He isn’t invited to this party. At least not yet.”
Only then did Jasmine notice the man seated beside her and the one up front next to Taylor. Three against one. Not good odds, and she had to clear away the cobwebs so she could think. Her concerns for Torr had to take a back seat to her own predicament. If he was alive, she was certain he’d be trying to find her. But for now, she was on her own.
Her head was pounding. “What did you knock me out with?”
“Just a mild tranquilizer courtesy of a dart gun. Sometimes old technology is the best. Would you like water?”
“Yes.” She hoped it would help ease her headache and wipe away the brain fog.
The man beside her handed her a bottle of cold water. As she sipped, she contemplated a way to turn the bottle into a weapon, which made her think of her purse and her SIG. The crossbody was still over her shoulder.
As if reading her mind, Taylor said, “And I relieved you of your weapon. I know it’s rude to go through a woman’s purse, but I had to confiscate your phone. I was surprised to find a gun in there also.”
She growled silently. “Where are we going?”
“To see the Vernons, now that I know their destination.”
“I heard you assaulted the pastor.”
“Sometimes people need to be convinced that telling me what I need to know is in their best interest.”
“And why am I here?”
“To be bait.”
“And that means?”
“You’ll see. Just sit back and relax. We have a long ride ahead of us.”
Long enough for her to escape or for Torr to find her. Either scenario worked for her.
The clock on the dash showed midnight. She and Torr had left his place a bit after sunset, which at this time of year was around 9:00 p.m., so she’d been unconscious for close to three hours. And what did he mean by her being bait? Since she had no answers, all she could do was wait, formulate an escape plan, and hope for the best.
Torr came to in a hospital bed, disoriented and with a painfully throbbing head. Seeing his parents and brothers in the room was a surprise, as was the concern on their faces. He shook his head to clear his brain and stared into the thunderous face of Rick Ware. He stilled. Ellen Ware was beside her husband, along with a woman who bore a remarkable resemblance to the famous singer Terri Swan.
He closed his eyes again. “What happened?” Everything roared back, and he shot up straight. “Where’s Jasmine?”
“We don’t know,” her mother replied. “Terri swung by Jas’s place to say hi and found you unconscious by her front door.”
He threw aside the sheets and blankets and began untaping himself from the IV. His mother snapped, “Lie down!”
“Mom, I love you, but no time. Mr. and Mrs. Ware, I’m so sorry. You can gut me later, but help me get the hell out of here so I can go find Jasmine.”
There was much shouting and yelling after that. His mother demanded he lie down. His dad yelled for him to listen to his mother. Rick Ware roared. Ellen attempted to calm her husband. His brothers, Ion and Kelvin, looked on silently and shook their heads with concern.
A nurse stormed in. “Everybody shut the hell up! Now! This is a hospital, not a WWE event!”
You could hear a pin drop.
“My apologies, ma’am, but can someone please release me?” Torr asked, still removing his IV. “My lady’s been kidnapped, and I need to find her.”
“You aren’t going anywhere right now, sir.”
When two members of his command team dressed in flight suits entered the room, Torr was so happy to see them he could’ve kissed them both. “Get me out of here.”
His second, a short Black woman named Linda Green, handed him a stack of papers. “We have your release paperwork right here, Captain.”
He took them and began signing. “Good. Where are my clothes?” He was so worried about Jasmine, it was difficult to breathe. The look of fury on her dad’s face didn’t help.
Green said, “Doctor said you’re not to fly for at least four hours.”
That directive made him curse under his breath.
Another nurse entered. “I need to check your vitals before your release.”