Alana’s room.
The door was ajar.
He’d shut it only minutes earlier. He was sure of it. Of course, that wasn’t enough reason for concern since this was a hospital where doctors and nurses came and went all the time. Jack peered into the room and spotted the empty bed.
“Alana?” he called out.
Nothing.
He shoved the door wide open and looked around. There was no sign of her. He checked the bathroom, but she wasn’t there, either.
Damn. Had she escaped after promising him that she would stay put?
Furious that he’d believed her, he went back into thehall and saw Dr. Bartolo coming out of one of the other rooms.
“Where’s Alana?” Jack asked.
The doctor lifted his shoulder. “She’s not in her room?”
Jack cursed again. He’d only left her five or six minutes ago, and he’d been certain that she would sit there and wait for him to return with Joey.
Which is exactly what she would have done.
He stopped and considered that. Alana might have an overwhelming need to escape so she wouldn’t be returned to the mental institution, but he was betting that need was paltry compared to the desire to see her son.
And that meant something was wrong.
He pulled out his cell phone and called his deputy. Reyes answered on the first ring. “I need you back at the hospital. Especially the parking lot. We might have a situation with Alana Davis.”
“What’s the problem?”
“I have a bad feeling her brother might have decided to force her to go with him.”
He shoved his phone back into his pocket so his hands would be free. In case of what, he didn’t know. Five minutes wasn’t that long for Sean to have gotten her out of there, especially if Alana was trying to fight him off, which she would be doing.
They might still be in the building.
But they wouldn’t be for long.
Jack glanced around and spotted the nearest exit. It was at the end of the corridor and led to a waiting room. It was usually a busy place, so he looked in the opposite direction. At the emergency exit. Not much foot traffic there, and it led directly to the parking lot.
Oh, man. That bad feeling got a lot worse.
He raced toward the exit and threw open the door. The hot, muggy air engulfed him. So did his concerns as he picked through the sea of cars and saw something he didn’t want to see.
Alana.
A big, hulking guy was in the process of cramming her into the backseat of a tan four-door Ford.
Jack drew his gun and barreled down the steps. The position put him at ground level. He could still see the man, but there was a row of cars in between them.
“Sheriff Jack Whitley,” he called out to identify himself. “Don’t move.”
The man practically threw Alana onto the seat and reached for something. The handle on the driver’s-side door. Hell.
He wasn’t going to stop.
“Rethink that,” Jack yelled. “Because I’ll shoot. You’re not leaving with her.”
The man froze and eased his hands into the air. Surrendering. Thank God. Jack didn’t want a shoot-out in the hospital parking lot where Alana or an innocent bystander could be hurt. The man didn’t seem to be armed. At least there wasn’t a weapon visible in either of his hands. However, that didn’t mean he didn’t have one hidden inside his bulky shirt and jeans.
“Who are you?” Jack demanded.
With his gun ready and aimed, he started toward the Ford. He could see Alana, but she didn’t appear to be conscious. Maybe that’s why she wasn’t moving.
Hopefully, it wasn’t something more serious.
He didn’t take the time to blame himself for not realizing she was at risk. But he would do that later. After he’d stopped the kidnapping or whatever the heck this was.
“Who are you?” Jack repeated when the guy didn’t say a word.
But Jack had hardly finished the question when the man dropped to the ground. He was fast, a blur literally jumping down out of sight.
Jack’s body was already primed for a fight, and that caused his adrenaline to soar.
The door was ajar.
He’d shut it only minutes earlier. He was sure of it. Of course, that wasn’t enough reason for concern since this was a hospital where doctors and nurses came and went all the time. Jack peered into the room and spotted the empty bed.
“Alana?” he called out.
Nothing.
He shoved the door wide open and looked around. There was no sign of her. He checked the bathroom, but she wasn’t there, either.
Damn. Had she escaped after promising him that she would stay put?
Furious that he’d believed her, he went back into thehall and saw Dr. Bartolo coming out of one of the other rooms.
“Where’s Alana?” Jack asked.
The doctor lifted his shoulder. “She’s not in her room?”
Jack cursed again. He’d only left her five or six minutes ago, and he’d been certain that she would sit there and wait for him to return with Joey.
Which is exactly what she would have done.
He stopped and considered that. Alana might have an overwhelming need to escape so she wouldn’t be returned to the mental institution, but he was betting that need was paltry compared to the desire to see her son.
And that meant something was wrong.
He pulled out his cell phone and called his deputy. Reyes answered on the first ring. “I need you back at the hospital. Especially the parking lot. We might have a situation with Alana Davis.”
“What’s the problem?”
“I have a bad feeling her brother might have decided to force her to go with him.”
He shoved his phone back into his pocket so his hands would be free. In case of what, he didn’t know. Five minutes wasn’t that long for Sean to have gotten her out of there, especially if Alana was trying to fight him off, which she would be doing.
They might still be in the building.
But they wouldn’t be for long.
Jack glanced around and spotted the nearest exit. It was at the end of the corridor and led to a waiting room. It was usually a busy place, so he looked in the opposite direction. At the emergency exit. Not much foot traffic there, and it led directly to the parking lot.
Oh, man. That bad feeling got a lot worse.
He raced toward the exit and threw open the door. The hot, muggy air engulfed him. So did his concerns as he picked through the sea of cars and saw something he didn’t want to see.
Alana.
A big, hulking guy was in the process of cramming her into the backseat of a tan four-door Ford.
Jack drew his gun and barreled down the steps. The position put him at ground level. He could still see the man, but there was a row of cars in between them.
“Sheriff Jack Whitley,” he called out to identify himself. “Don’t move.”
The man practically threw Alana onto the seat and reached for something. The handle on the driver’s-side door. Hell.
He wasn’t going to stop.
“Rethink that,” Jack yelled. “Because I’ll shoot. You’re not leaving with her.”
The man froze and eased his hands into the air. Surrendering. Thank God. Jack didn’t want a shoot-out in the hospital parking lot where Alana or an innocent bystander could be hurt. The man didn’t seem to be armed. At least there wasn’t a weapon visible in either of his hands. However, that didn’t mean he didn’t have one hidden inside his bulky shirt and jeans.
“Who are you?” Jack demanded.
With his gun ready and aimed, he started toward the Ford. He could see Alana, but she didn’t appear to be conscious. Maybe that’s why she wasn’t moving.
Hopefully, it wasn’t something more serious.
He didn’t take the time to blame himself for not realizing she was at risk. But he would do that later. After he’d stopped the kidnapping or whatever the heck this was.
“Who are you?” Jack repeated when the guy didn’t say a word.
But Jack had hardly finished the question when the man dropped to the ground. He was fast, a blur literally jumping down out of sight.
Jack’s body was already primed for a fight, and that caused his adrenaline to soar.
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