Trusting Danger (Danger, #2)(18)

Hoping to get some work done on the ride to campus, Claire pulled one of her textbooks from her tote and sipped at the green tea she’d bought for herself.

Minutes later, she looked up from her reading to find the driver was turning south on I-395 rather than crossing the bridge into DC. Why hadn’t he turned north?

Panic spread through her as she turned around in her seat to look behind them. He’d completely missed the entrance ramp. Had it been by accident or on purpose? The fine hairs rising on the back of her neck told her it was the latter.

“We’re going the wrong way!”

The driver glanced at Claire in the rearview mirror but didn’t respond as he took the exit to a park, then pulled the car to a stop on the shoulder in a grassy area surrounded by trees and not much else.

Claire sucked in a surprised breath when he turned off the engine. This was completely wrong. She’d expected him to turn around. Whipping her head back and forth, she saw no reason for the driver to have detoured from their route.

“Is something wrong with the car?” she asked, setting aside her tea. “Why did you pull over here?”

Gravel crunched as a dark SUV pulled up and parked just ahead of them, setting off alarm bells inside her head.

Why does the driver really have Fred’s car? Has he hurt Fred?

Her heart pounding, she jerked off her seat belt and reached for the handle to shove open her door, preparing to run.

“Wait, Miss Parker.” The driver turned in his seat and caught her eye before pointing out the windshield. “He’s a government agent, and so am I.”

The adrenaline shooting through Claire’s system lessened only slightly as her gaze zeroed in on the tall, well-built man who stepped out of the SUV and approached the town car.

“What’s going on?” she asked, keeping a death grip on the door handle.

Before the driver could respond, the other man arrived at Claire’s window and tapped on it. With trembling fingers, she reached for the window button and pressed it, her heart hammering as the tinted glass slid down slowly.

“Miss Parker, I’m Grayson Matthews.”

Claire’s breath caught as she stared upward into his handsome face, taking in his upper lip and jaw dusted with a shadow of scruff. The man’s dark brows lowered over his sharp green gaze, freezing her in place as he pulled out a leather wallet and extended a silver badge, holding it for her perusal with lean, tanned fingers before returning it to his back pocket. The driver pulled out his credentials as well and held them over the seat back as she scanned them.

“I’m a federal agent with the Phoenix Task Force.” Agent Matthews gestured toward his colleague still in the driver’s seat. “And that’s Agent Cox.”

Confused, she gaped up at him, his military bearing and impressive physique both intimidating and extremely attractive. The unexpected warmth zinging through Claire’s body dissipated as her thoughts spun, reeling until one slipped into place with a click. Her panic returned with renewed force and she gasped.

“My parents, are they all right?”

The agent looking down at her frowned. “You’re the one who’s in danger. Someone is trying to abduct you.”

“Wait . . . what?”

Even after he repeated himself, Claire still struggled to make sense of his words. Why in the world would anyone want to abduct her? Her father could be a potential target since he was a senator, but she wasn’t anyone important.

Squinting up at him, she said, “I don’t understand.”

“We’re going to tell you everything we can, but first, we need you to come with us. We’re not sure when the kidnapping was supposed to take place, so we need to get you to a safe house.”

A safe house?

Her heart pounding, Claire stared at him, trying to decide what to do.

Apparently sensing her distress, Agent Matthews softened his expression and leaned closer, his voice gentle as he said, “Trust me.”

Her decision made, Claire grabbed her purse and tote and stepped out of the car on shaky legs.

For a fleeting moment, she imagined the sexy-as-hell man standing next to her in combat fatigues. Maybe her flight of fancy was because she was about to lose it, or maybe it was simply his short haircut and erect posture, that military bearing ingrained in soldiers they never seemed to lose, even after leaving the service. His broad shoulders and muscular physique hinted at a toned body beneath the leather bomber jacket, button-down shirt, and khakis he wore. The shoulder holster she glimpsed under his jacket only added to the allure rather than detract from it.

And wow, was he tall. Men didn’t usually dwarf her five-foot-eight-inch frame, but Agent Matthews stood a few inches taller than Claire, and she was wearing heels. She had to crane her neck to meet his gaze.

He gestured toward the SUV. “Fred has been very helpful.”

Claire turned and nearly sagged with relief when she caught sight of Fred climbing out of the Suburban’s backseat. The thought of him possibly being hurt had devastated her. The portly gray-haired man raised a hand in a wave, an encouraging smile on his face.

Claire’s mind spun with questions as she wet her dry lips. “The kidnappers want a ransom?”

A muscle pulsed in Agent Matthews’s jaw. “That’s the likely motive, yes.”

Her hands shaking, she took her phone from her purse. “I need to call my parents.”