Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense March 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Dana Mentink (good fiction books to read .txt) 📕

They weren’t gone, not really, but at the moment he would have sawed himself in half if it would have comforted her. He pulled a blanket around her and held her to his chest while she cried.

“Cops are right behind us. We’ll get you to a hospital.”

“They’ll come,” she cried. “They’ll find me.”

“No,” he said, holding her face and urging her to look at him. “They are gone. You are safe.”

For now. The words seemed to help, and she gulped in a steadying breath while he pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. Kenny and good old Uncle Leonard were still out there, probably celebrating how close they’d gotten to making good on their threat. One enemy had morphed into two.

As he held Laney close and reassured her as best he could, the National Park Service vehicle careened into view.

Go ahead and celebrate, Kenny, he thought grimly. It’ll be time for you to pay up soon enough. He would make sure that they were locked up if it was the last thing he did on this planet. They would never touch Laney or the baby ever again.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Laney opened her eyes to a startling brightness. A creamy wall held a whiteboard with strange notations and check marks next to a name, her name, Duke, Laney. There were numbers there, and marks and initials, some kind of checklist. A medicinal scent tickled her nostrils. She blinked hard, trying to place herself in space and time. Her head pounded and muscles ached everywhere, as if she’d been put through the tumble cycle of the dryer.

A calloused hand covered hers. Beckett stood over her, haggard, a hole in his T-shirt and a shadow of stubble on his chin. Why hadn’t he shaved? Memories trickled in from a nightmare, running, terror, faceless strangers pursuing. No, not a nightmare, she realized. She bolted upright, a scream on her lips.

“It’s okay,” Beckett said. “You’re safe. The NPS had you flown to a Las Vegas hospital.”

“Hospital? The baby…” she croaked, hands flying to her stomach, noting the IV taped to her hand. Why couldn’t she remember what had happened?

“Muffin is fine. You are too.” He flashed her a tenuous smile. “Minor cuts and bruises and mild dehydration. They were worried about shock and the pregnancy. Just precautionary to transport you here.”

Precautionary… She relaxed a notch. Still, she touched the swell of her tummy, just to reassure herself. “Kenny’s uncle came after me. I sprayed him with insect repellent.”

Beckett’s smile kindled some light in his eyes. “I know. Couldn’t be prouder.”

She squirmed, feeling her cheeks pinken. She wished he would not look at her quite so closely, but he was outright staring, and there was nowhere for her to hide unless she pulled the covers over her face.

He held a cup with a straw to her mouth. “How about some water? Hydrating, remember?”

She sipped gratefully to ease the dryness in her throat. As much as she was fearful to know the answer, she asked anyway. “Did they catch…?”

“No.” His mouth firmed into a line. “Kenny and his uncle are still at large, but they won’t be for long. Jude’s going to meet with us when you’re back home.”

Still at large. The bottom dropped out of her stomach. She wriggled her toes. As much as she felt careworn and tattered, the thought of lying in a hospital bed evoked downright helplessness in her spirit. “When can I get out of here?”

He smiled. “Maybe in a couple of hours.” His cell phone rang. He answered and covered the phone. “It’s Dr. Irene. I called her when we got here. Probably woke her up, but the doctors were giving me so much information and I couldn’t understand it all. Are you up to speaking with her?”

Laney nodded and he put the phone on Speaker.

“Laney, I’ve spoken to your doctor,” Irene said, without preamble. “Like I told Beckett, everything is fine. Baby’s heartbeat is strong, and your blood pressure is perfect too. Both of you are going to be okay, do you understand?”

Laney laughed. “Yes, ma’am, but why do you sound like a medical drill sergeant?”

There was a long sigh and then her tone gentled. “Sorry. I was just so worried when Beckett called. He was freaking out.”

Beckett grimaced. “I wouldn’t say freaking out. Maybe highly concerned.”

Irene ignored his comment. There was a little break in her voice when she spoke. “You are not only my patient, Laney—you’re the first friend I ever had in this town.”

Laney’s heart warmed. Irene had moved from a big city and found the ponderous quiet and minimal people contact hard to adjust to. Not like Laney, who had immediately embraced the desert culture, from the ferocious heat of the summer, when travelers were nonexistent, to the cooler autumns, which brought the gush of tourists that would sustain them through the inhospitable seasons. But Death Valley was an acquired taste for some people, including Irene. She was constantly in a state of motion, as opposed to the natives, who paced themselves. Judging from the collection of travel and fashion magazines in Irene’s waiting room, she might be still making that adjustment.

“I’m okay, like you said. Sore all over, but ready to go home.”

“What can I do from here? I offered to come to Las Vegas, but Beckett said you might be returning home today anyhow. How can I help in the meantime?”

“Can you please go and make sure Herm is taking care of Admiral? He does a pretty good job, but he’ll have his hands full running things without Beckett and me, and he might forget about my poor old doggy. Admiral will sleep until dinnertime if he’s allowed to.”

She laughed. “Smart dog. Of course I will. I was there at the hotel, after my run, when Beckett called me. The guests were talking about what happened. Willow said she didn’t get your text in time. She feels terrible.”

“It’s okay. Beckett found me.” She pressed down a shiver as the memory swam in: Beckett arriving by