Page 75 of Protecting Josie
“Damn, woman. I’m thinking I can probably talk to Kevlar and get off early.”
“That’s what he said,” Josie blurted.
It took a second for her words to sink in, then Nate threw his head back as he laughed.
“Seriously, I love you,” he said, when he had himself under control once more.
“I love you too,” Josie returned.
“I wish I had time to throw you over my shoulder and take you back to bed,” he sighed. “But you have that live press conference in an hour, and I need to throw away the eggs I started and make new ones, then get to work. But tonight? When I get home…”
His words trailed off, and Josie’s imagination went into overdrive.
Nate kissed her once more, hard and deep, before standing up, adjusting his cock in his pants, then heading back to the stove.
Josie watched with a dreamy look on her face as he washed his hands, threw the now-ruined eggs into the trash, and cracked two new eggs into the pan.
They lingered over their goodbyes that morning. After telling each other how they felt, it was as if they were embarking on a brand-new part of their journey as a couple. And she supposed they were.
With Nate, she didn’t feel as if she was less than other women, something she’d always experienced before. She’d always been the odd man out, so to speak. The one without close girlfriends, without a ton of experience when it came to men. The woman who hadn’t traveled much or done anything interesting.
And now she was a member of the I’m-part-of-a-couple club. It felt fantastic. More so because it was Nate who she was with. She didn’t worry that he’d cheat on her, or talk trash about her to his buddies. He was who he was—a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is, considerate partner.
Later, after the press conference she’d transcribed, and after she’d made herself a sandwich for lunch, Josie was sitting at the table, returning texts from Remi and Wren about the special package she’d retrieved from the mail room in the apartment complex, and advising Caroline on the best hotel on the Vegas Strip to take Wolf to for an impromptu mini-vacation, when there was a knock at the apartment door.
Surprised because she wasn’t expecting anyone, Josie put her phone down on the table next to her computer—and the very skimpy, very see-through, white, could barely call it a piece of clothing that had been delivered—and walked to the door.
Looking through the peephole, Josie saw someone standing a respectable distance away. She always got annoyed when people stood so close, they were almost touching the door. The person had their back turned, and she didn’t recognize the short-haired blonde.
Keeping the chain on, she opened the door. “Hello?”
In a move so fast, Josie wasn’t able to back up, the person turned and kicked the door as hard as they could.
The chain broke and the door flew backward, hitting Josie in the face. She let out a surprisedoofand stumbled, tripping over her feet and falling on her butt to the floor.
Looking up, Josie stared into the barrel of a gun.
She froze. Every muscle in her body just refused to work. She should be running, screaming,something. But terror held her immobile.
“Get up,” the woman ordered.
Now that Josie could see the person’s face, she recognized her immediately.
Genevieve. Ayden’s sister. She was wearing a blonde wig and a pair of oversized sweatpants that made her look as if she weighed fifty pounds more than she did. And she was holding a pistol, aiming it right between Josie’s eyes.
“I said,get up,” Gen snarled. “Unless you want me to put a bullet in your brain right this second. Because I will. I don’tgive a shit if you die right here. But my mom has plans for you and wants you alive. So get the fuck up. Now!”
All the words that had returned since her rescue were once more stuck in her throat. It enraged Josie that when she was scared, her ability to speak deserted her.
Moving quickly, she got to her feet, only to have Gen grab her upper arm and give her a hard shake. All the while, keeping the barrel of the gun pointed at her face. “Don’t try anything,” she warned. “We’re going to walk to my car, calm and easy. If you scream or do anything to draw attention to yourself, I’ll happily shoot you. Understand?”
Josie nodded. The last thing she should do is get into a car with Gen, but she also believed the woman when she said she’d blow her head off. And Josie didnotwant Nate to come home to see her brain matter in the parking lot or splattered in the foyer of his apartment.
She, more than anyone, knew that as long as she was breathing, she had a chance of rescue. Nate and his friends would come for her. And it was that thought that gave her the strength to walk alongside Gen without struggling.
She let the woman lead her to a four-door sedan that Josie had never seen before. She got in on the driver’s side and scooted over to the passenger seat. She stared straight ahead, and her ex-boyfriend’s sister started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.
Bile formed in Josie’s throat, but she swallowed it down.
