Free Touch of Betrayal, A by L. j. Charles Page A

leaned his head back, eyes closed. Fleeting panic lodged in my gut, and the taste of stale soda threatened the back of my throat. Pierce did not hang out in an open vehicle with his eyes closed. In fact, I’d never seen his eyes closed. Not once in the whole time I’d known him.
    “I’m sorry, Everly.”
    Shock collided with fear and I went limp. Pierce rarely called me Everly, and he’d never apologized…that I could remember. Of course, he’d never kidnapped me before. That was it. Had to be.
    “You coming in?” My words wobbled.
    He grunted. I’d learned to speak Pierce grunts fairly well, and that one meant: “Not unless someone holds a loaded weapon to my head.” I considered it, but leveraging his clutch piece from his ankle holster would undoubtedly result in me being the injured party.
    No matter. I had to get inside before my bladder popped. I swung out of the Jeep, hung on to the door long enough to wake up my muscles, and then trudged forward. The circular driveway bordered an entryway paved with the same tiles as the pool enclosure, and the front door was a true dark cherry— feng shui at its best.
    Even though I’d visited several times, the beauty and peace surrounding Annie’s home still held me captive. Sean, one of the most unassuming guys I knew, came from money and didn’t hesitate to spend it when it came to protecting his wife and daughter. Their house was an elegant, multi-million-dollar fortress that boasted a top-of-the-line security system. It was something Annie insisted on, considering her former occupation as a sniper. There was no doubt our approach had been monitored from the moment Pierce turned onto their driveway, so there was no reason for me to knock.
    Annie swung the door open, Madigan in her arms, and a stiff smile on her lips. Not exactly the warm welcome I expected. She usually ran toward me, hugged me, and carried on like we hadn’t seen each other in years. Her lack of enthusiasm, combined with Pierce’s apology, scared me more than when Mitch was late checking in from one of his military assignments.
    “Hey,” she said, her voice strained. “Glad you’re here, El. Really relieved. Pierce filled me in on Millie and Harlan being in trouble and you being drugged.”
    Another blast of fear started in my toes and threaded through me. “Yeah. The logistics have been insane, but all’s good.”
    Only it wasn’t. Dead giveaway: The air positively vibrated with a silent conversation between my best friend and Tynan Pierce—and he hadn’t even left the Jeep yet. Amazing what eye contact could convey, and there was no way I could ignore it. “What’s going on?”
    She shook her head. “I have to put Maddie down for her nap before we talk.”
    One look at the child’s droopy eyelids temporarily squelched my curiosity. I gave Annie a one-armed hug—careful not to touch her with my fingertips—and tousled her daughter’s fine white hair. “Hey, sweet baby. Good to see you.”
    “Oooh. You need a shower,” Annie said, turning away from me. “You know where your room is, and I made a quick run to Ala Moana, so you’ll have enough clothes for a few days.”
    Good friends were better than absolutely anything. “Thanks. Really. Just thanks. Oh, can I borrow your phone charger? As you know, Pierce neglected to give me a heads-up on this impromptu visit, so I didn’t grab mine before I left the house.” A sulky undertone laced my words.
    Annie’s eyebrows arched.
    “I’ve earned a bit of a sulk,” I snapped, turning on my heel and heading down the long hallway leading to the guest room. I made it about halfway before her words sank in. Shopping? Ala Moana? There wasn’t time for her to have done it this morning. They’d just opened and it was a solid forty-five minutes away on a good traffic day. So that meant… I braced myself against the wall, my heart thudding double time. Annie knew Pierce had kidnapped me, maybe even helped him plan it.
    Where the hell