Page 74 of The Ranger Gets His Girl

Malia snorted. "I don't give a fuck. Let's just get her out of here."

At her words, Lucy's heart raced, and she looked up too fast. She tried to scramble away, as she asked, "What are you talking about?"

The two Malia's rubbed their temples and sighed, "You've had a bit too much to drink, Lucy, so I'm taking you back to my place."

Lucy slipped again and kicked the waiter away. "But Mason—"

"Oh, I've taken care of Mason, darling. Don't worry." Malia's voice was fainter, as if coming through a tunnel. What did she mean by that? Had she taken care of him like in the movies, as in killed him?

She began to panic. Her breathing grew erratic as she backed up into the corner, trying to kick at the waiter. The more she hyperventilated, the more she worried about the inevitable outcome.

Sure enough, everything went black.

Chapter 28

Mason groaned and held his head. This was the worst headache he'd ever had. He looked around, but everything was dark. He could see light coming from under a closed door to his right.

Panic raced up his spine. He felt around, realizing he was in a closet. Coats were above his head. He felt his pockets. His real phone and wallet were missing, but the phone in his boot was still there.

He listened outside the door. He could still faintly hear music overhead and voices, but it was soft and muted. Perhaps he was in the basement where the kitchens and staff were located? Did Hawaii even have basements?

He shook his head and pulled the phone out. He opened it and checked Malia's apps and messages.

Meet me at the Penthouse. I have a surprise toy for you.

I've warned you not to interfere.

You'll like this one, I promise.

Then there was a picture of Lucy asleep in the back of a car. Mason's heart stopped. It felt like his veins turned to ice. No other messages came through.

He opened the secure app and called his contact.

When she answered, he whispered swiftly and efficiently. "They have Lucy in the back of a car. You have to get her out now."

"Give me a few minutes to pull it all up on the computer. I'm not at the office right now—"

"I don't give a fuck who's at the office or where you are. Just get Lucy out of there. I swear to God—"

"Stand down, sir. We will protect civilians, don't worry. What about you?"

Mason rubbed his head. "I'm locked in a coat closet. I think I'm still in the bar somewhere. You should be able to track this phone, right?"

The woman snorted. "Yeah, stand by for extraction."

"And Lucy?"

"Working on it," she said before hanging up.

He held his head in his hands and breathed deeply. With his eyes closed, he felt like the room spun but couldn't be sure. Flashbacks of Amanda ran through his head, and he felt rage welling inside.

Now that he'd called it in, he had to bust out of here. He breathed, trying to maintain his heart rate and calm himself. There was no way he could punch his way out, but maybe the idiots were dumb enough to leave it unlocked.

He tested the handle on the closet. He grinned when it turned. It wasn't locked, but when he pushed, nothing happened.

He pushed against it harder, trying to get it to budge. He looked under the door into the sliver of light but couldn't see much from this angle. It just made him dizzier. Something was blocking the door though, that was for certain.

He closed his eyes and waited for the team to arrive. The longer he waited, the more helpless he felt. He had to fix this but his hands were tied.