Secret Delivery by Delores Fossen Page B

assure him that she wasn’t, but then she felt a sharp jab in her left arm. A shot. He’d given her some kind of injection.
    Alana shoved at him, but whoever he was, he was strong. He latched on to her as if she were a rag doll and picked her up from the bed. He forced her to stand. She was weak and dizzy, and he trapped her into the crook of his left arm. Imprisoning her.
    “We’re leaving,” he said in a growl, “and if you don’t cooperate, I’ll take your son instead of you.”
    Oh, God. He couldn’t hurt Joey. She couldn’t let that happen. But how could she stop him?
    How?
    She forced herself to stay calm. That wasn’t easy todo when her son’s life was at stake. Still, she had to come up with some way to prevent him from taking her. Alana didn’t know who this man was or what he wanted, but she figured he was taking her to another private mental institution.
    And this time, she might not escape.
    Moving almost soundlessly, the man carried her to the door and peeked out. Unlike her room, the hall was well lit, and she got a good look at her attacker. Tall, dark haired. His faced was pocked with acne scars. She’d never seen him before. So why was he doing this? Was he working for someone who wanted her back under lock and key?
    She was being kidnapped.
    Or worse.
    He could murder her.
    Alana saw someone at the other end of the hall. The person’s back was to them. She opened her mouth to call out, but her mouth was numb.
    So was the rest of her.
    Whatever drug he’d given her had acted fast, and she feared she would soon lose consciousness. If that happened, she wouldn’t be able to put up a fight, and even though there were lots of people in the hospital, he might be able to get her out of there without anyone noticing.
    Knowing she had to do something, she tried to ram her elbow into his stomach. That didn’t work, either. And even though she fought the numbness and the haze, she knew the exact moment she failed.
    Alana went limp, and the man scooped her into his arms. The last thing she saw was the bloodred exit sign before everything faded to black.

Chapter Six
    What the heck was he doing?
    Jack stopped just outside the doors of the hospital entrance and went through everything that’d just happened with Alana.
    He cursed again.
    Why had he agreed to let Alana see Joey? Why?
    Legally, he was Joey’s father. Legally, he could control when and if Alana saw him. Of course, he couldn’t control that forever. She’d soon file a petition to regain her parental rights. And eventually if she could prove she’d been kidnapped and that she was sane, she would get at least joint custody.
    He might lose his son altogether.
    That was one of the reasons he’d agreed to let Alana see the baby—Jack had hoped to keep things as amicable as possible between them. Another reason was the blasted compassion he kept feeling for her. He was a sucker for a damsel in distress, and Alana had damsel written all over her.
    He’d gotten her reassurance that she wouldn’t try to escape. Not that she would at this point. If the courtorder that had put her in the institution wasn’t real, and she obviously thought it wasn’t, then she probably was already planning her next move to get her son back. Heck, she might be talking to her attorney right now.
    And here he had been about to deliver Joey to her.
    That wouldn’t make her less committed to getting custody. It would cause her to leap at it.
    Jack didn’t think she’d consider his feelings or think of him with compassion. Nor would she let attraction play into it. No. She’d come after him with a legal team and a lot of money to back up her custody fight.
    He needed to have another chat with Alana before he allowed her to see Joey.
    Jack turned around, the doors swished open and he retraced his steps through the lobby. Best to get this conversation out of the way. Several people greeted him, but Jack didn’t stop, didn’t slow down. He went straight for