Page 79 of The Hero She Loves

Park and Jenna broke into a run.

Olson looked over his shoulder and saw them coming. He shoved the man into the woman, and the pair crashed to the ground in a tangle. Olson took off.

Jenna followed, moving fast. Park ignored the pain in his side, blocking it out, and followed her.

Olson dashed across the street and headed for the harbor. He sprinted down the boardwalk, past a group of men cleaning fish, and down one of the entrances onto the docks.

Park and Jenna ran out onto the main dock. Olson was nowhere in sight. Several docks ran off it like arms.

“He can’t have gone far,” Jenna said. “You take that one—” she pointed at the closest dock “—and I’ll go this way.”

Split up? Hell, no.“We should stay together.”

“We could lose him.” Her face was set in hard lines. “Go, Park. He could circle back up that other dock or steal a boat.”

Damn, he had to trust her. His jaw clenched, but he nodded.

He hadn’t known her long, but there was no one he trusted more than Jenna.

As she moved down the dock to the left, he moved to the one on the right. He pulled out his gun. There were boats lined up on either side. These were all working fishing boats, and the scent of rotting fish was ripe.

He glanced through the boats to his left, catching a glimpse of Jenna on the neighboring dock, her gun in hand.

He focused back on his dock and the boats around him.

Where are you, Olson?

He peered in the back of several boats. No one was around. He walked on and looked in the back of the next boat.

There was no sound, just a hard hit to the center of his back.

Park stumbled, and caught his balance before he fell in the water. His gun flew from his hand and landed in the water with aplop.Shit. He spun.

Just in time to block Olson’s kick.

The man didn’t talk or taunt this time. He attacked—hard and brutal.

They traded blows. They grabbed at each other, shoving hard. Park gritted his teeth and put all his strength into it. Olsontook a step back, then he yanked an arm free, and rammed his fist into Park’s injured side.

With a grunt, he fought to hold on. His vision wavered. The pain was horrible.

Olson smiled. “I’m going to have fun with her.”

He shoved Park hard. With a curse, Park hit the wooden dock, pain rolling through him. He fought back the urge to vomit.

He was back in that cell, hanging upside down, nothing but a mass of pain.

Not now. He pushed the old memories back. He couldn’t pass out. Jenna needed him.

A second later, Olson tossed some heavy fishing nets on top of him, pinning him down.

“Jenna!” Park roared a warning. “He’s here!”

Olson’s running footsteps thudded on the dock as he sprinted away.

Park fought the nets and the pain, trying to get free. Finally, he shoved the heavy nets off his legs and pushed to his feet. Holding his side, he hobbled down the dock.

“Park!”