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She gripped Eli tighter, whispering against his knit hat, “I’m sorry, sweetie.”
No, don’t you dare give up.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you leave,” the man said.
Did he just say I’m sorry?
She turned and was relieved to see a hospital security officer walking toward her.
“There’s a man with a gun—”
“Take it easy.” He put out his right hand as he approached, like he was calming a wild stallion. His left hand rested on a club at his hip.
“In the lobby—a gunman is threatening your staff.”
In a placating tone he said, “I need you to come with me.”
Her gaze darted toward Matthew’s exam room. Any second now the thug would figure out Jenna was close, and he’d come bursting through the door.
“Please, ma’am,” the security officer, a gray-haired man in his midsixties, said.
Every inch of her body screamed to get out of here. If she ran she wouldn’t get far, with two bags strapped across her shoulders and clutching a toddler in her arms. The security guy would chase after her, probably sound the alarm, drawing even more attention to Jenna and Eli’s presence.
“Why do I need to come with you?” she said.
He sighed and took his hand off the club resting at his hip. “I received an informal request to keep an eye out for a young woman and a child who went missing from Cedar River.”
“That’s not me.”
“Then I’m sure we can clear it up quickly. Please, I need you to come to my office.”
The problem was, his office was in the same building where a kidnapper—probably more than one—was looking for Jenna and Eli.
“Let’s go,” he said.
Refusing would make her look guilty. All she needed to do was act innocent and agreeable, and once he went to check on the situation out front she’d sneak away.
With a nod, she walked alongside him, fearing he’d pull out cuffs, but he didn’t. Of course not—he wouldn’t cuff a woman carrying a child.
As he led her down the hall, her instincts remained on full alert, and her mind calculated options, solutions. When they made a left turn, she spotted an exit up ahead. Not wanting to give away her thoughts, she turned her attention to Eli, whispering sweet words against his cheek, acting like a loving mom.
A sharp pain lanced through her chest and she shoved it aside. She had to convince the guard she was Eli’s mother, not some crazy woman who’d kidnapped a child.
He opened the door to his office and motioned to a chair beside his desk. “I’ll be back shortly.”
“Aren’t you going to call the police about the gunman out front?”
“I’ll check it out.”
“No, he’s dangerous, he’s—”
He shut the door on her protest. Foolish man—he wasn’t capable of dealing with these violent criminals.
She grabbed the doorknob and twisted. It was locked.
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