Secret Seduction

Chapter 3

Katie watched Jason scratch his face as they sat in the crowded cafe. He looked at her over his cup of tea and she could see the worry in his eyes.

"When was the last time you shaved?" she asked, trying to break the mood. Leaning forward, she sniffed in his direction. "When was the last time you bathed?" She waved her hand in front of her nose, making fun of him.

He laughed and sipped his tea. "Are these some of the important questions you want me to answer?" She'd always loved that smile. It was quick and heart-stopping. His white teeth flashed, and so did the little dimple on the right side of his mouth.

She smirked at him and nibbled on the scone she'd ordered. The food and tea was doing wonders to help calm her nerves. The place was crowded and loud with chatter. They had found an empty booth near the back hallway and she started to really think about what had happened. Had those two men meant to rape her? She shivered at the thought. She'd been so naive, wandering a foreign country all by herself for the last year; she'd felt safe until tonight.

"You didn't stop in one place long enough for me to enjoy the scenery, let alone grab a hot shower," he joked, but she could tell that he instantly wished he hadn't said anything. The laughter in his eyes stopped, and she watched as his face reflected the dark thoughts she now had.

"Katie..." He reached for her hand but she pulled it away and started to play with the strap of her bag. She knew what was coming next; she had prepared herself for it since setting the meeting with her biological father. The family wanted her back, and no doubt, someone had called him to bring her back. Her family knew her one weakness was Jason. The question now was, who had exploited it, and him?

"Jason, I know why you're here. You might as well tell me who it is."

"What are you talking about?" He tried to give her an innocent look. She wasn't buying it.

"Don't play stupid with me, just go ahead and rat out whoever it is. I'll find out sooner or later. Is it Ric?" She leaned forward. "My dad?" She laughed quickly. "My other dad?"

He looked at her and she knew he could see the hurt masked in her eyes.

"Katie..." He started to explain, but just then there were two loud pops and the front glass of the cafe shattered. Glass shards scattered everywhere, raining down over people. The loud noise had caused everyone in the cafe to hit the floor or start running towards the doors. There was a lot of screaming and running, and Jason grabbed her arm and started pulling her towards the back door.

"Wait, my bag!" she screamed as he rushed them down the narrow hallway and out the back door.

"Leave it!" he yelled over his shoulder holding onto her tightly. She tried to pull him to a stop, but he was almost a foot taller and more than fifty pounds heavier than her. She had no choice but be dragged down the dark alley.

They ran down a couple more side streets, and Katie was totally turned around now. It was dark and the streets all started looking alike. For all she knew they could be just around the corner from the cafe. But she trusted him; he had a great sense of direction, always had.

As they ran down the dark streets, she remembered that he'd always been the one to drive anywhere they had gone back in Boston. She'd lived in the city her whole life and still didn't know how to get downtown. The one time she had driven, they'd ended up in Brighton instead of downtown Boston. She'd argued they were only thirty minutes late that night for the party they'd been going to. It wasn't as if she'd ended up driving to New York or anything. But for months she hadn't heard the end of jokes about the whole ordeal. She kept trying to blame him, since he was supposed to be her navigator, but he wasn't buying it. He'd given her directions and she'd just kept driving on the freeway instead of following what he was saying. He'd just laughed and had sat back to enjoy the drive.