Taker (Book Two): Taker, #2

By Layla Valentine

He stole me away, and now he's my only hope
On the run with the bad boy and his son –
And our story gets crazier
I'm pregnant with his baby!

Her:

In the wrong place at the wrong time, I saw something I never should have seen
The people responsible aren't happy to have a witness running around
Enter Tate Dale, the man sent to deliver me to my fate
Only he doesn't kill me; instead, he takes me with him, along with his kid
He tells me he's the only one who can protect me,
Sure as sin, one thing soon leads to another…
And now, weeks into our new lives on the run, I find I'm pregnant
He's stunning, gorgeous, irresistible; but can I trust him with my life?
Can we survive the baddies out to get us?
Can we be a family?

This is the second book of Layla Valentine's Taker series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Layla Valentine
• Release date: May 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201902940

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

ABBIE

H oly hell, said Tate, putting his hands on his hips and taking in the sight. This isn’t like any cabin I’ve seen before.

"This place is huge! said Connor as he jumped out of the back of the truck and hurried to his Dad’s side. Wow!"

Me, I couldn’t think of anything to say. When Jamie had mentioned a cabin in the woods, I’d pictured, well, a cabin in the woods—one of those little wooded houses, one story tall, maybe a cozy fireplace if you were lucky.

Well, it was made of wood, and that’s where the similarities ended. It was two stories tall, set on a large tract of green grass, the property bordered by tall trees whose branches waved in the chilly evening air. There was a garage to the side, a satellite dish on the roof, and even a hot tub next to the house.

Guess we should’ve packed swimming trunks, huh, kiddo? asked Tate as he stepped toward the house.

I remembered Jamie, and almost wanted to call her just to make sure the cabin was actually the right one.

Can I see the phone you bought? I asked.

Yeah, sure. Tate handed me the phone as Connor ran from his side up to the house. Don’t touch anything, all right? he called to him.

Connor turned. How are we supposed to stay here if I can’t touch anything? His voice carried across the property.

Tate winced. Don’t yell, all right? Don’t need to wake up the dang neighbors.

I took out the piece of paper with Jamie’s number and dialed her up, surprised that we were getting reception that far into the woods.

Hello? she answered.

Hey! It’s me! I said brightly, remembering she didn’t have the number I was calling her from.

A sigh of relief poured from the phone. Oh my God, Ab, you have no idea how relieved I am to hear you. I’ve been texting you all day!

Sorry. We got rid of our phones.

Oh, that’s smart—those things track you wherever you go.

Right, I said. Anyway, we’re here and standing in front of the cabin right now.

Good! What do you think?

It’s…pretty impressive, to say the least.

I know, right? Can you believe my parents never go there? My dad bought it on a whim a few years back and thought it’d be this perfect nature retreat. But good luck getting those two out of Chicago.

For someone like me who’d come from humble circumstances, having a massive home like this and just…forgetting about it was something else. But I put all that out of my head.

Anyway, there’s a key?

Yeah! But I’m glad you called, because there’s security too I forgot to tell you about. Go get the key and I’ll walk you through it.

Jamie stayed on the line as I approached the front door, which appeared to be made of solid steel. Sure enough, in the mulch next to the door was a fake-looking rock. I picked it up and opened the back, a heavy-duty key in the secret compartment.

Okay, Jamie said. Open the front door and there’s a security panel on your immediate right.

I opened up and found the panel, which wasn’t hard to miss due to its incessant beeping. Jamie walked me through putting in the password and disabling the security.

Once that was done, I flicked on the lights. The interior was a total contrast to the wood façade of the building, all modern with state-of-the-art appliances, the living room to the right decked out in expensive-looking furniture and electronics.

I’m getting the impression your parents aren’t big into roughing it.

Not even a little. My mom starts to get crazy if she goes too long without online shopping. Speaking of which, the Wi-Fi password and all that’s on the fridge.

I located the information in the kitchen, and once I did, I picked up on a strange vibe on Jamie’s end.

What’s up? I asked.

Nothing. I mean…are you cool with all this?

The place? It’s great! Kind of fancy for my tastes, but still.

No, I mean with that guy. And did I hear a kid in the background?

Yeah, we’ve got his son here too. He’s pretty cute—eight years old and a total riot.

Good. It’s just…I’m worried about you, Ab. This whole thing is insane. I’m glad to help out, but I don’t know what you’re going to do.

I don’t know either. But for the time being, I think we’re safe.

All right. Well, I’ll let you get settled in. And answer my texts right away, will you? You know I’m freaking out about you!

I will, I promise.

We said our goodbyes and hung up.

Right as I put the phone back into my pocket, Tate and Connor entered, Connor’s eyes going wide as he took in the sights.

This is so cool! he said, running over to the TV and turning it on. Can we just stay here forever?

"Don’t get