Abduction (A Psychic Romance Novella Series) by Larissa Ladd Read Free Book Online

twinge of devious satisfaction in his bright eyes.

Chapter Five
    Gabrielle rested her head against the window of the car, staring out at the woods rushing past. Dustin was going over the speed limit, but he was keeping an eye out for police—as well as keeping his radar detector up and running. They’d been driving for hours already, and Gabrielle had stopped asking just where he intended to take her. I almost might as well have been taken by the thugs , she thought irritably, shifting in the passenger seat.
    Her legs were numb from sitting for so long. They had stopped for gas, grabbing fast food at truck stops and eating in the car. Dustin was gulping coffee like a true fiend, and Gabrielle wondered at the fact that he hadn’t needed a restroom break yet. At least, she thought, his taste in music was decent. He had plugged in his phone as soon as they got into the car and began playing The Pretenders, before cycling through a few of her favorite bands.
    The trucker food was sitting heavily in her stomach, a big ball of grease and dubious protein wrapped up in substandard bread. She had managed to snatch up some fairly healthy food as snacks, but she hadn’t been hungry enough for it yet.
    Dustin was skittish, Gabrielle knew. She still couldn’t read him, but his vigilance was plain in his body language. In a way, she thought, it was almost nice to be forced to rely on visual cues—to really pay attention, instead of divining what he wanted and thought directly from his mind. On the other hand, Gabrielle knew that she couldn’t really trust the man who had possibly saved her. She couldn’t figure out what greater purpose he had, and he wasn’t forthcoming about it.
    “You’ve go tten quiet,” he said suddenly, taking his gaze off of the road in front of them for an instant to glance at her. Gabrielle shrugged.
    “Considering that , for all I know of my near future, the only difference between you and the thugs that came for me is that you didn’t beat me up first, I thought a little reflection was in order.”
    Dustin chuckled, taking another swig of his coffee.
    Gabrielle had to admit that the car he drove was nice—it was nondescript, but clearly had had several aftermarket tweaks to up its performance. She could easily understand why they hadn’t taken her car, but wondered why they were bothering with his. After all, the group of abductors who had come to her house had been aware of him.
    “A key difference, Gabby: where I’m taking you, you’re not going to be beaten or brainwashed. You’ll lie low for a little while, and then you’ll meet some people , maybe. And then, you’ll be free to go as you please.”
    “Stop calling me Gabby. I hate that. And I have no idea if what you’re saying is the truth or not—I just have your word for it . And frankly, you haven’t given me a whole lot of reasons to trust you.” Gabrielle rolled her eyes.
    Dustin made a face, though he didn’t take his eyes off of the road.
    “I saved you from two groups of thugs . Isn’t that enough?” Dustin made a face, though he didn’t take his eyes off of the road.
    Gabrielle crossed her arms over her chest and stared out through the window for a long moment.
    “I met you yesterday, and I didn’t even know your name until today. I wouldn’t even go out of town with a guy I’d been dating for a week, much less one I’ve only known for twenty-four hours.”
    “This is not exactly a date. Unless you frequently have groups of men attempting to kidnap you. That could make for an interesting love life.” Dustin chuckled again.
    Gabrielle reached down into the floor board in front of her and brought up a bottle of soda. She opened it and took a long sip, fighting down the blush that started to rush into her face.
    “Speaking of—why wasn’t there a boyfriend that you needed to get in touch with?” Dustin said, glancing at her.
    “I am rather picky about my boyfriends. Not that it’s any of your business.”