Gage knew she wasn’t. He tried to deny it with his entire being, but when he slammed open the door, what he saw was no surprise.
The room was empty, and the window was open.
She was gone.
TWENTY
RYLEE
Rylee hummed softly to herself as she got dressed. She was so happy that she hardly recognized herself. After so many weeks of stress, she finally felt like she could relax.
Her baby was healthy, and so was she. Rylee found Gage’s concern sweet, even if it was a little over the top.
She sat for a moment, sighing. The horrible agony of missing him had become so much a part of her that it was difficult to accept it was truly gone. They were together now, and his care for her today proved that more than anything else he could have done.
Her heart broke for him; it truly did. She wondered how long he had carried that secret … if he had ever told anyone else. Knowing Gage the way she did, it was entirely possible he’d kept the death of his team and the blood on his hands completely to himself.
Poor Gage, carrying hurt like that around, afraid to show himself to anyone. I can’t imagine it. I can’t stand the thought of his suffering.
She rubbed her belly gently, knowing she and the baby were going to give him so much love, he would finally be able to accept the goodness in himself … that he deserved happiness. Rylee was so happy that she felt like singing.
She did wonder why Gage had insisted upon a certain doctor and who was this mysterious “family” he had mentioned. Perhaps there were other secrets Gage was keeping. She didn’t like the idea at all.
He did seem ready to tell me something right before I got sick.
Rylee slid off the table, slipping on her shoes and her sweater. She decided to ask him at lunch and make sure he knew no secret was too big. She could handle it, whatever it was, and they would work through it together.
Together.
Was there any word more beautiful? Rylee smiled, knowing that for her, at this moment, it really was the most beautiful word in existence.
Me, Gage, and our child. Together.
A faint squeaking sound suddenly filtered into her mind. She realized it had been going on for some time, and she’d been ignoring it. The sound was getting louder and more insistent. Rylee looked over at the window, knowing that something was about to happen.
The window slid upward with a shriek. She jumped away, going for the door, but she wasn’t fast enough. Two men jumped through the window, both of them surprisingly nimble and handling the narrow jump in one swift movement. She was so shocked that for a moment, she couldn’t find her voice.
“You must come with us,” one of the men said. His eyes seemed kind, and he held out a hand, palm up. He looked completely nonthreatening, except for his rough clothes and long hair. She shook her head, still trying to find her voice.
The two men looked at each other, one of them nodding. Rylee tried desperately to take in details, any details. The one who had spoken had long reddish hair. He was young and slender, but his clothes were mismatched and didn’t fit.
Both of them wore baggy jeans, T-shirts, and flannels that looked old and worn. It definitely looked like they’d woken up this morning and put on someone else’s clothes. She looked between them, noticing that the quiet one had a twig caught in his long black hair.
It looks like they both fell out of a tree.
Rylee tried to scream, her voice coming out low and whispery. She was just too shocked, too scared. The guys nodded at each other again, and the one with black hair jumped at her.
She found her voice, finally. As his hands closed on her, she tried to yell, but his hand clamped across her mouth, and the only sound was a muffled moan.
No one can hear me!
She struggled, desperate to break his grip. Gage was on the other side of that door! He was literally only a few feet away. If she could make some kind of noise, any kind, he’d save her and their baby.
The guy shook her, keeping one hand across her mouth as he wrapped his other arm around her waist. When he yanked her against his body, she whimpered, realizing that he could really hurt her.
Suddenly, she was more afraid for her baby than anything else. She relaxed in his arms as best she could to show that she wouldn’t resist. The other man nodded gently.
“That’s it. Just relax.”