Wilde Chase by Susan Hayes Page A

ground while stars swam in Kelly’s vision and
her mouth filled with the coppery taste of blood. Well shit, that didn’t go according
to plan.
    One of them
grabbed a fistful of hair and yanked her head back. The movement caused a new
batch of stars to spawn, making it hard for her to see anything.
    “Get up, bitch.”
She was hauled up by the hair and the back of her shirt until she was on her
knees. “Do that again, and you’re going to be real sorry. Got it?” The one she
now thought of as Scarface leaned in close and sneered at her. His breath was
foul and she had to swallow hard to stop herself from retching.
    Her tongue still
hurt from where she’d bitten it when she fell, so Kelly opted not to speak. She
tried to nod, but the hand in her hair made it impossible to move her head more
than a fraction of an inch. It seemed to be enough.
    “You have the keys
to the clinic?” Again she nodded and the hand in her hair slacked off a little.
    “Pick your shit up
off the ground then, bitch, and let’s get this party started.”
    It took Kelly a
second to understand what he meant, but when the hand on her hair finally let
go, she glanced down and saw the contents of her purse had spilled out when
she’d hit the ground. She grabbed her keys and things, stuffing them back in
her purse, but she slipped her wallet into her hand, holding it against the
side of the bag.
    They hauled her to
her feet moments later and she had to bite back a moan of fear when the tallest
one flashed a knife blade under her nose before placing it against her side.
The message was clear. No more stunts.
    Despite the
warning, she managed to drop her wallet as they headed into the alley, and none
of her attackers noticed the soft thump as it struck the ground. Kelly knew
that Ben would come looking for her when she didn’t arrive at his place. This
way, at least she could leave him a clue. It was all she could do until they
got to the clinic. Maybe once they were there she’d be able to activate the
panic alarm.
    If
they gave her the chance.
     
    * * * *
     
    Where was she? Ben
checked the time again. Kelly should have arrived by now, even if she’d hit
every light along the way. His need to protect her had started their first
fight and he didn’t want to start another one so soon, but something didn’t
feel right.
    Screw it. He
called her cell. When it rang several times and then went to voice mail, he got
a tight feeling in his gut. He left her a brief message as he tugged on his
shoes.
    Whistling for
Chase, Ben headed for his Jeep and was already behind the wheel before calling
again. When it rang and rang before going to voice mail, Ben knew his instincts
were right. Something was wrong.
    He broke every
speed limit between his home and hers, his worry escalating every time he
called her and got voice mail again. He took the route she would have used but
there was no sign of her or her car. It was like she’d vanished.
    Ben pulled into
the parking lot of Kelly’s building, praying she’d be standing right there with
some simple excuse for where she’d been. Instead, he spotted her car, still
sitting in its stall. The sight made his heart do a sick little drop. She had never
left. So where the hell was she?  
    He didn’t bother
taking time to find a parking space. Instead, Ben   left the vehicle sitting behind
Kelly’s. He stopped just long enough to snap a leash on Chase, and then the two
of them headed for Kelly’s apartment.
    Her door was
locked and there was no answer when he knocked and called her name. Ben hadn’t
really expected her to be there but he was forcing himself to be logical. He had
to stay focused, needed to approach this rationally. Whatever had happened,
he’d be no help to Kelly if he went off the rails now.
    Ben crouched down
on the floor of the hallway and took Chase’s head in his hands. “Chase. Such Kelly. Find Kelly!”
    The moment Chase
heard the German command to “seek,” he went to work, pulling