Evans Creek Book 2: In Good Hands

Chapter 41

Suzie stared.

"To see if all of your energy and sass followed you into the bedroom?"

She didn't speak.

She didn't move.

Hell, at the moment, she couldn't even remember how to breathe.

"Alas," Jack sighed dramatically and squeezed her hand again. "There just isn't the time to show you just how very special that you are."

She sat still as stone.

Waiting.

Straining to hear him over the thundering in her ears.

"No," He patted her leg and opened his door. He paused with one leg out and gave her a look. "I'm afraid that thanks to your tummy trouble, we are a little behind."

Suzie couldn't even manage a nod, so she gave another slow blink.

"Breathe, darlin." Jack chuckled. "We need to get a few things from the house before we go."

"We?" she choked as she tried to speak and breathe at the same time.

"Yes." He gave her a heart-stopping grin and she blinked.

How could she possibly still think him handsome?

"I've decided to keep you after all."

---

Suzie sat in the car, after he closed the door and struggled to process what just happened.

Fear was foremost on her thoughts.

And disbelief.

As frightening as it was to be kidnapped by a murdering bank-robber, she couldn't even describe what it felt like when he said that he was going to keep her.

This wasn't real.

It was something straight out of one of those cheesy romance novels that she liked to read.

She was definitely a damsel in distress. And it most certainly looked grim.

But she had a long way to go before she was rescued. After all, she'd just been given a reprieve.

And in the books, it was always at the very last possible second, that the hero crashed in to save the day, and carry off the damsel to their happily-ever-after.

If only.

She closed her eyes, rested her head against the head rest, and focused on taking slow deep breaths. Jack didn't seem to be in a hurry for her to get out of the car. She could hear him getting things out of the trunk.

She had a reprieve.

Get it together.

She had a second chance to do this right.

Jack said he was keeping her, didn't he?

She jumped when Jack slammed the trunk shut.

Keep your wits

"Come on, Darlin'. Time's a wastin'." He called as he lifted the garage door.

Another car.

She watched numbly as Jack went in to the garage and took the lid off from a mason jar full of screws. He fished around in the jar for a minute and pulled out a set of keys.

Unmoving, she watched him open the trunk and move some bags into it. With the trunk still open, he turned slowly and gave her a look.

"Unless you'd rather be left behind."