Begging for a Second Chance (Sienna Sloan and Jarred Sterling) novel Chapter 97

Lynn blinked in surprise before scrambling to grab the med kit from the lounge.

Sienna took it from her, tossing over her shoulder, "Hold down the fort," before marching toward the gates without looking back.

From start to finish, she didn't cast a single glance Jarred's way.

Jarred stood perfectly still, his eyes locked on her retreating figure, his expression as dark as an endless night.

The man had been waiting at the courtyard gate for ages.

Sienna spotted him crouching in the corner from afar. He was smoking casually, lacking the frantic energy of a husband whose wife was going into labor.

She frowned slightly, a flicker of unease passing through her, but her duty as a doctor pushed her forward.

"Apologies for the delay," she said.

The man turned at her voice. The second he saw her, his eyes lit up.

He hastily chucked his cigarette onto the dirt. "Dr. Sloan, right? No worries at all! We're just blessed to have you!"

His smile was greasy, his gaze sticking to Sienna like slime as he looked her up and down.

His blatant, leering hunger made her skin crawl.

Suppressing her disgust, she asked, "Where is your wife located?"

The man pointed casually toward the lush mountains behind him. "Right up the hill. It's not far."

Sienna was familiar with that stretch of woods; Caleb had just taken her up there to forage for medicinal herbs.

The trail wasn't exactly smooth, but it wasn't a treacherous hike either.

The man sidled up to her, reaching for her medical kit. "Let me carry that for you, Doc. It looks heavy."

"No need." Sienna sidestepped him. "Just lead the way."

The man awkwardly retracted his hand and took the lead, rambling as they walked. "Man, the rain was brutal. So many folks got trapped up there.

All the young ones who could walk made it down, but the old, the sick, and the pregnant are just stuck waiting for rescue crews..."

Sienna listened, then suddenly asked, "If you were stranded so close to the gathering point, why didn't you come down for help sooner?"

The man paused for a fraction of a second before glancing back with a chuckle. "Ah, the rain was just too heavy the past few days. My wife was terrified, wouldn't let me leave her side."

A second later, a hand clamped down hard on her arm.

The man's facade completely shattered, raw malice and depravity blazing in his eyes. "Dr. Sloan, now that you're out here, you really think you're going back?"

Sienna's eyes turned freezing cold.

She knew it.

Wasting no time, her free hand whipped out a syringe, plunging it ruthlessly into the side of his neck.

The man shrieked, letting go of her arm as he grabbed his neck and spat a filthy curse.

Sienna didn't spare him a second glance, sprinting back the way she came.

But the moment she turned, she slammed to a halt.

Seven or eight men materialized from the dense brush on all sides, wearing feral, vicious sneers, instantly boxing her in.

"Well well, the little bitch has quick reflexes."

One of them let out a sleazy whistle, spewing crude obscenities.