Laura Scott - Blind Trust

But Eva was different from the women he usually went out with. Not just because she was stunningly beautiful, but because of the many complex facets to her personality. Layers he was dying to peel away in order to catch a glimpse of the real woman hiding beneath.

Not that he would be getting that chance anytime soon, he thought wryly. Which was too bad, since she intrigued him in a way the others hadn’t. Unfortunately, he wasn’t relationship material. His dad had been a cop and his mother had left them both when he was just a kid. He remembered being huddled in his bed, listening to his parents fight. His mother had railed at his father that sitting around waiting for him to get home wasn’t fair, especially when she wasn’t even sure he’d come home safely. She’d screamed at him that the reality of being a cop’s wife wasn’t what she’d signed up for and that she was leaving.

Finn’s mother had never come back.

“She’s a looker. You gonna just let her leave like that?” Joey asked, breaking into his thoughts.

“No. Come, Abernathy.” He followed Eva outside, figuring that once she’d got outside she’d change her mind and wait by the police-marked SUV for him to take her home.

But he was wrong. Emerging from the building, he headed toward the spot where he’d left his vehicle, then stopped when he noticed Eva wasn’t waiting by the SUV. In fact, she wasn’t anywhere in sight. He frowned, sweeping his gaze over the area, trying to imagine which way she’d gone. Had she called a car service?

A glimpse of golden-blond hair caught his gaze, and he was shocked to see that Eva was already several blocks away. Did she really intend to walk all the way home? Or was she heading toward the subway station?

Was she familiar with the Jackson Heights area? He wasn’t sure.

Muttering under his breath, he and Abernathy picked up the pace in order to catch up with her. Not because he believed the neighborhood was dangerous, but he had promised to take her home. She’d been assaulted just a few hours earlier, and it didn’t sit right to have her leaving on her own like this.

“Eva!” He called her name, hoping she’d stop and wait up for him. But the streets of New York were always packed with people and, from what he could tell, she didn’t act as if she heard him.

She seemed to be heading toward one of the subway stations, so he tried to move faster, bumping into people as he attempted to navigate around them.

“Excuse me. Pardon me. Sorry,” he said as he jostled the pedestrians around him. Abernathy kept up with him, as if sensing they were on the hunt. “Eva! Wait up!”

She hesitated, turning to look behind her. He waved, hoping she’d recognize him.

But she simply turned back in the direction she’d been going. He scowled, wondering if she was purposefully leading him on. He’d never chased a woman in his life and wasn’t sure why on earth he was doing it now.

For some illogical reason, he didn’t want her to go off alone. The dognapper was probably long gone—the perp had no reason to stick around—but Finn still didn’t like it. Abernathy brushed against his legs as they attempted to close the gap between them. Eva paused at the next intersection, her gaze focused on the subway station up ahead.

“Stubborn as an ox,” he said to Abernathy as they reached the same intersection. He’d only taken two steps when he heard her shriek.

“No! Let go of me! Help! Help!”

“Eva!” Finn managed to shove past an older guy standing in front of him as he attempted to catch up to her. His gaze narrowed when he realized there was a big man tugging on her arm. Realizing the man was trying to get her into a waiting car, he yelled again. “Police! Let her go!”

Finn barreled through the crowd just as Eva was pushed backward directly toward him. He took his eyes off the assailant in time to catch her.

“It’s Finn. I’ve got you!” He clutched Eva close to his chest, breathing hard. His heart—or maybe it was hers—thundered against his ribs. The man jumped into the car and it took off, disappearing into traffic. Finn squinted in an effort to see the license plate, but the cars were too close together. Hopefully he’d get something off one of the cameras nearby. Frustrated and worried, he turned his attention to Eva. “Are you all right?”

“I think so.” Her voice was breathless, and he was grateful she made no move to push him away. He wanted—needed—to keep holding her, making sure she was truly not harmed. Abernathy sniffed at her, his tail wagging as if he was also glad she was okay.

As other subway goers brushed past them, Finn could hardly wrap his brain around what had just happened. If he hadn’t been there, the big man would have succeeded in getting her into the car, abducting her.

Finally, she straightened, putting a little distance between them. “I’m okay,” she said.

“That was too close,” he said, more than a little upset at the attempt so close to their K-9 headquarters. He pulled out his phone. “Patricia? Tell Danielle Abbott I need to get the video feed from the cameras located near the subway station to the south of headquarters.”

“Will do,” the officer promised.

He turned back to Eva. “Sure you’re not hurt?”

“I’m sure.” She allowed him to gently tug her out of the stream of pedestrian traffic. Abernathy sat beside him, waiting for his next command. He bent to give the K-9 a quick rub, then focused on Eva.

“What happened?”

Eva lifted a trembling hand and tucked a strand of long blond hair behind her ear. “A guy came up beside me and grabbed my arm, telling me I had to go with him in the black car, a four-door sedan. I screamed for help, then I heard you call out. That’s when he pushed me backward and jumped into the car to escape.”

Finn nodded. Her story was exactly what he’d seen. He wanted to pull her close again but managed to refrain. He thought back, trying to put an image in his head of the man who’d been beside her. He’d seen the guy only from the back, and he was dressed from head to toe in black. There had been a tattoo of sorts peeking out from beneath the sleeve of his T-shirt. Eva hadn’t mentioned a tattoo but said she’d got only a glimpse of the guy. “Did you recognize him? Was it the same man who stole Cocoa?”

There was a long pause before she finally shook her head. “You’re going to think I’m nuts, but no. It wasn’t the same man.”

He wasn’t sure he agreed but let it go for the moment. This latest attempt on Eva had to be related to the Cocoa dognapping. It was the only thing that made sense.

But how? And why?

Shaken by her second attack in less than a couple of hours, Eva longed to step into Finn’s broad arms, soaking up his strength. What in the world was going on? She had no idea, other than she knew the man had almost got away with dragging her into the car. If not for her cry for help, and the way Finn had announced he was a cop and called her by name, she was certain she’d already be a hostage in the car being taken to who knows where.

She shivered, realizing how stupid she had been to leave the police station alone. Especially since her motivation was nothing more than wounded pride.

“This has to be related to the incident from this morning.” Finn’s voice broke into her thoughts. “And from what I could tell, the guy was dressed in black and wearing a ball cap, the same as how you described the man from this morning. If we can get the camera footage, we may catch a glimpse of his face or the license plate of the car.”

“That’s fine, but it wasn’t the same man,” she insisted, battling a wave of frustration. She tried to think of a way to make him understand. “This guy was slighter in build and sounded—different. His voice was raspy and he smelled kind of dusty.”