Chapter Four
The knife was coming toward her hand. The man with the cold eyes smiled as he prepared to slice off her finger. Tina tried to jerk her hand back, but it was caught on something.
“Easy.”
Her eyelids flew open.
Drew stared down at her. “You’re safe,” he said, the words a low, deep rumble. “You’re with me.”
Her breath eased out as the nightmare—memory—faded.
They were on the old bed. Still cuffed. And Drew was leaning over her.
A much more aware, focused Drew than she’d seen a few hours ago. Right before he’d passed out on her.
Tina swallowed. Her throat was parched. It must have been at least eight hours since she’d had something to drink, but she figured the dry throat was the least of her worries. Her voice was husky when she asked him, “How are you feeling?”
“More human.”
Good. A fast glance showed that there had been no additional bleeding since she’d last checked him. “I don’t even know how you stood on your feet for that long. Much less controlled that bike.” Anyone else would have been down the instant the bullet hit.
Not Drew. The guy seemed to have a will made of iron.
And now that he wasn’t down for the count, she became aware of the fact that they were in a highly intimate situation.
In bed.
His body over hers, his arm curving around her.
Her heart slid into a double-time beat, and that faster pounding wasn’t just from fear.
His eyes were on hers. Golden eyes. She’d never seen a man with eyes like his before. They always looked a little wild.
His eyes were so startling because other than his wild stare, he’d always been so controlled in every encounter they’d had back at the EOD offices.
“I—I’m not Mercer’s daughter.” She wasn’t sure why she blurted that out right then. Especially since she’d been staring at him and thinking that his lashes were incredibly long... That his lips were sexy...
That she wanted him to kiss her.
“I know.”
He was— Wait. “You do? How?”
He just stared back at her.
He knows who Mercer’s real daughter is.
But then, so did Tina. But she only knew because Mercer had been so determined to protect one particular agency “asset” a few months ago. On a case that had caused Drew to wind up with more bullet wounds and an emergency trip to the hospital.
The asset had been in that hospital, too, and guarded by other EOD agents. Mercer had wanted to transfer the woman out of that hospital, to move her ASAP. He’d even gone so far as to order the woman drugged.
But, fortunately for the woman in question, EOD Agent Cale Lane had been there. Cale had fallen fast and hard for the asset and he hadn’t been about to let anyone threaten her.
Not even the woman’s own father.
“You...you worked on her protection detail,” Tina said slowly as she put the puzzle pieces together. That was how he knew her identity.
Drew shook his head. “Bruce Mercer doesn’t have a daughter.” Flat. Hard.
Her brows lifted.
“Bruce Mercer doesn’t have a daughter,” he said again. “Because if he did, the woman would be a constant target. She’d never be safe.”
She understood. Oh, heck, yes, after the past twenty-four hours, Tina definitely understood. “He doesn’t have a daughter,” Tina repeated. Did Drew think that she wouldn’t protect the other woman? She could have sold her out at any time, if that was what she wanted. “I’m not like that,” Tina said, suddenly angry because, after everything that had happened, Drew actually thought she’d trade someone else’s life for her own. She shoved against him.
But Drew didn’t back away. “What’s wrong?”
“You think...” Now she was the one gritting out words. “That I would throw someone else at those animals? Knowing that they’d just torture her? Kill her?” She wouldn’t stand by and watch an innocent suffer. That wasn’t who she was. “I wouldn’t.” She’d had to watch her parents suffer.
Their deaths had almost broken her.
He pinned her hands to the bed. “Calm down.”
“You calm down!” Tina snapped at him. “I’ve been kidnapped, cut, locked up, handcuffed—and I’ve held it together!” She’d even saved his hide. Where was her thanks? “I’m not going to betray the EOD, and you should know me better than that.”
His hold didn’t loosen. “Torture can break anyone, Doc. I’ve seen seasoned warriors crumble with the right pressure.”
“Maybe you should have more faith in me,” she told him, the anger snapping in her words. “Now let me go before I damage those stitches!” Because she was fighting mad.
Drew shook his head. “You won’t. You won’t hurt me. You’re a healer. That’s what you do.” He brought his head close to hers.
Before she could snarl at him, Tina heard a new sound rising in the distance. The unmistakable whir of a helicopter’s blades.
She stilled.
“It’s okay,” Drew told her, but his voice had dropped to a whisper. “They’re just doing a sweep. They’re not going to see the bike, and they’re not going to see us.”
She didn’t have that confidence. “Maybe they’re searching for houses. Places that we could have used for hiding. They could land here—”
He laughed softly at that. “They’ll be lucky to land anywhere. A guy named Grayson was the only other pilot there, and when I went up with him once, he could barely hold the bird steady. That’s why they were so quick to bring me on board. They needed me.”
She still wasn’t exactly feeling reassured. Especially because the whir of the helicopter’s blades was getting closer and closer—louder and louder.
“Don’t think about it,” Drew told her. “Think about this.”
Then he kissed her. She was still angry at him and scared about the helicopter.
But she had a weakness. One very distinct weakness. She liked kissing him because the man sure knew how to use his mouth.
His tongue licked lightly over her lower lip then it thrust into her mouth. He kissed her slowly, deeply, as if he were savoring her.
She was sure savoring him.
She wanted to wrap her arms around him, wanted to feel the broad expanse of his shoulders, but he still held her hands pinned to the bed.
Other parts of her body could sure feel, though. His arousal pressed against the juncture of her thighs. He’d moved, shifted his weight, so that he was positioned between her legs.
His mouth slipped from hers. He began to kiss his way down her neck. Her breath was coming in fast gasps, and— “The helicopter is gone,” she whispered as she realized an intense quiet had swept over the area.
He kept kissing her neck.
Right. Gone chopper. But focused man. “Drew?”
His head lifted. Those golden eyes seemed to blaze. “I want you.”
Her breasts were tight, aching, and when had she started arching her lower body against his? She wasn’t normally one to have desire ignite with just a kiss.
But Drew wasn’t a normal kind of guy, and the way he made her feel was definitely not normal, too.
Maybe that wasn’t bad. It sure didn’t feel bad.
It felt incredibly good.
“But our first time together isn’t going to be in some shack.” That Mississippi drawl slipped in and around his words. “And we won’t be covered in blood and grime.” He sucked in a deep breath. “I know you deserve better than that.” He backed away from her. “But, Doc, to be safe, you better keep that sexy-as-sin mouth away from me, ’cause when I get your lips beneath mine, I lose control.”
He’d moved to the edge of the bed. She sat up next to him. Their linked hands were so close. We might as well be holding hands. Tina swallowed and tried to steady her breathing. “I didn’t think control was a problem for you.” Wasn’t he supposed to be the cold-blooded agent?
His fingers caught her chin, tilted her head back so that he stared into her eyes. “Don’t believe everything you hear.” A warning.
“I don’t.” Tina forced a smile. The tension was thick, and she ached. “If I did, I’d think I was Bruce Mercer’s daughter.”
His lips twitched again. His fingers fell away from her chin and he glanced toward the cuff on their wrists. His tentative smile faded. “Hell, you’re bruising.”
She looked down. The skin around the cuff was starting to turn dark. “It’s okay.” She’d always bruised easily.
He slid from the bed, pulling her with him. “The hell it is. Now that I’m not delirious from pain, I bet I can find something here to get that thing off you.”
Tina followed him. Actually bumped into him when he spun back around to face her.
“Don’t think it’s over,” he said, eyes sharp.
What?
His gaze searched hers. “A promise is a promise,” he murmured. Then he was heading toward the small table. She followed right beside him, wondering just what he was talking about.
“Making love, Doc. I’m talking about me and you, being naked on clean sheets and enjoying pleasure that lasts all night long.”
Oh, man, had she asked her question out loud?
Tina realized that her mouth was hanging open.
“Got it,” he said with a satisfied nod.
He had what looked like an old, thin, twisted piece of metal in his hand. It wasn’t any bigger than a bobby pin, and when he shoved it into the handcuff lock, Tina knew he hadn’t “got” anything.
“That’s not going to work,” she told him, clearing her throat because she was still thinking about...being naked on clean sheets and enjoying pleasure that lasts all night long.
So that was the promise he intended to keep.
“Sure it will work. Trust me. I learned to pick locks early on.”
“You did?” Stop focusing on being naked. She glanced up at his face. Drew wasn’t looking at her. He was concentrating on the lock. “Back before your Delta Force days?”
“Back in my screwed-up-kid days.” Said without any emotion. “My dad cut out on my mom and me. She had to work two jobs to cover me and my sisters.”
Sisters? Any family information was kept strictly confidential at the EOD.
“Guess you could say that I had a lot of anger about what was going on around me. Growing up dirt poor in Mississippi isn’t exactly an easy path. I was a mad kid, in the wrong part of town.”
The lock snicked. The cuff opened, freeing her wrist. He took care of the cuffs still on him then he lightly stroked the skin of her wrist. “I ran wild back then. Picked up some habits that I shouldn’t have.”
His touch felt so good on her skin. “I thought you were the one who always played by the rules.”
“These days, I try.” His gaze dropped to her mouth once more. “But sometimes there are some rules that I have to break.”
He was going to kiss her again. She wanted him to—
Drew’s head jerked to the left. Toward the broken window. “Hell. Company.”
She yanked her hand away from him. “The helicopter left.”
“And when Lee spotted the ranch, he might have given orders for his men to search the place.” He reached for his pack. “I thought he might do that.”
Her body had tensed. “You should have mentioned that ‘thought’ to me sooner.”
He pulled a knife from the pack. “I didn’t want you to worry.”
Uh, she was worrying plenty right then.
Drew hurried to the window. “I heard their vehicle. The sound of one engine, but I can’t see them. Not yet.”
She looked around for her own weapon. “Do we make a break for it?” Jump on that motorcycle and ride fast and hard?
He shook his head but didn’t glance back at her. “They’re searching to push us into a panic. With that chopper in the air, Lee would see us on the bike. No, we don’t leave.” She saw his grip tighten on the knife. “We hunt.”
* * *
A HELICOPTER SWOOPED overhead.
Dylan paused beside his truck. He was on the side of the old road, standing next to the apparently broken-down vehicle. The hood was up and his hands were dirty with grease.
“That’s the second time that chopper has flown over us,” Rachel murmured as she strolled to his side. “Something is definitely going on in this area.”
Dylan tilted back his head. “They’re searching for—”
He broke off because he’d just spotted another vehicle coming down that long, lonely stretch of Texas road. There was only one place at the end of that road—the enemy compound.
And the gray pickup that was heading toward him? Those guys were coming from the compound.
The weight of his gun pressed into his lower back. The weapon was hidden beneath his jacket.
They’d planned to get in close to the compound, and this was their first step.
It was also a step that might be ending a little too soon.
The gray truck braked next to him, sending a pile of dust up into the air. Two men were in the vehicle. They were young, both in their early twenties, with dark hair and suspicious eyes.
“You got trouble?” one of the men demanded.
Uh, yeah, didn’t it look as though he did?
“The engine overheated,” Rachel said easily as she walked toward the truck. “My boyfriend here...he’s not so good with cars.”
The men’s attention fixed a little too quickly on her.
Dylan slammed the hood shut. “She’ll be working fine now, honey.”
“It’s not them,” one of the men muttered. “Leroy, we need to keep lookin’.”
Not them. That was exactly the intel Dylan had needed. He headed toward the men, toward Rachel. Dylan made sure his steps were slow and easy. As nonthreatening as possible. He wrapped his arm around her waist and kept his gun concealed. “I think I’m a little lost,” he said, giving them a sheepish smile.
One of the men, a fellow with ruddy cheeks and a small gap between his front teeth, eyed Dylan with suspicion. “Where are you headed?” Leroy. His buddy had called him Leroy. Dylan filed that name away for later.
“Toward Baker’s Ranch,” he replied easily. “A dude ranch in—”
“There’s no dude ranch this way,” he was flatly told. “So get your pretty girl, get in your truck and get the hell out of here.”
Rachel stiffened. Her eyes widened as she gave a little gasp. “Is that— Are you threatening us?” Fear slid into her voice. Rachel was a damn fine actress.
“No, ‘honey,’” Leroy told her as his gaze slid back toward her. “I’m giving you a warning. There are some dangerous people out in this area. We’re hunting them right now.”
“Are you a cop?” she whispered. The fear was gone. Now she was sounding all impressed.
Dylan squeezed her hip. Not too much, Mancini.
The fellow’s chest puffed up. “Something like that,” he said.
Wrong. Nothing like that.
“And the guy we’re looking for? He’s a killer. A cold-blooded, shoot-you-in-the-face killer.”
Rachel trembled.
Dylan pulled her closer. “Then we need to get out of here.” He gave a quick nod. “Thank you, gentlemen. We appreciate you stopping to try to help us.”
As if the guys had even offered help. They’d just ogled Rachel and given their get-out-of-here warning.
But the men had been helpful. They’re looking for Drew.
There was no point in trying to get inside the compound for an extraction. Not when Drew had to be long gone.
Dylan and Rachel climbed back into their vehicle. Dylan thought he heard one of the guys give a wolf whistle when Rachel’s shorts hiked up as she eased into the high seat. Jaw clenching, he cranked the truck and turned it around, heading away from the compound.
“They’re watching us,” Rachel said as her fingers tapped lightly against her thigh.
He glanced into his rearview mirror. The men were standing in the middle of the road. Just staring after them.
“Now we know why Drew didn’t make contact,” she added.
He nodded. “Because he’s on the run.”
“No,” Rachel corrected softly, “they are. The guy said ‘hunting them.’ Drew’s in the wind, and he took the doctor with him.”
That had been Drew’s new mission assignment. Protect the woman. And when the blond in that proof-of-life video had gone toward her with that knife, Drew had run out of options.
Dylan’s gaze scanned the empty terrain around him. He heard the whir of the helicopter approaching once more. “We have to find Drew before they do.”
Because if they didn’t, he’d be dead.
“We need to call Sydney,” he said, “see if she was able to remotely activate his tracker.”
Only...this part of Texas was hell when it came to satellite transmissions and tracking. Cell phones barely worked, and locating Drew’s GPS signal could be near impossible.
It was a good thing Dylan liked a challenge.
* * *
THREE MEN CLIMBED from the vehicle. A quick check revealed that they were all armed. The HAVOC group always was. “They’re coming toward us,” Drew said. The men had already checked the ranch and now were splitting apart as they searched the surrounding land.
Tina stood just behind him. She’d grabbed a broken leg from an old wooden chair and was clutching it like a baseball bat. He had no doubt that, if necessary, she’d be ready to swing.
The men had made short work of searching the house. After they’d cleared that place, they should have just gotten in their Ranger and rode the hell out of there.
They hadn’t.
Lee must have given orders to thoroughly search the area. So that was exactly what those three bozos were doing.
One suddenly called out, voice excited.
You don’t call out. That alerts your prey. Amateurs.
But Drew realized they’d seen the shack. He backed away from the window as he planned his attack.
“I want you to stay inside,” he told Tina. He didn’t want her in the line of fire but he didn’t have a whole lot of options. I’ll keep her safe.
“I can help you,” Tina said as her grip on her makeshift bat tightened.
“You will help me.” He hated to do this but... “You’re going to be my bait.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Say that again. I’m going to be your what?”
“When those men get close enough, I want you to call out and beg for help. You’re the prize they want. They aren’t going to fire on you.”
He wouldn’t give them the chance to fire.
But he did need them distracted.
“Stay against the wall when you call out. Do not let them see your body at all, understand?”
“I understand that I don’t like this plan.” Her jaw had firmed.
Damn but she was cute. “Think positive. Maybe I’ll take ’em out before they even get close enough to hear you.” He’d do his best. Drew turned away from her.
Tina’s hand wrapped around his arm. “Be careful.”
She was worried about him? “Don’t worry, Doc, we have unfinished business, right?”
Her fingers jerked back as if he’d burned her.
Ice shouldn’t burn.
He left her quickly, ready to eliminate this threat and move on as fast as he could. He exited from the back of the small house. He kept his body positioned close to the old walls. He’d need to circle around for his attack. The problem? There wasn’t a lot of cover. So those men had to stay totally focused on what was happening inside the house.
Not what was going on outside.
He could hear their footsteps rushing toward them, coming closer and closer with every tense second that passed.
Now, Doc. I need you now.
As if on cue... “Help!” Tina shouted. “Please, help me!”
The footsteps moved even faster. Drew crept around the house. He peered around the corner and saw the men at the front door. They weren’t even looking his way.
Mistake.
He tossed his knife and it sank into one man’s side. The guy cried out, and down, down he went.
The other men spun at his cry, but it was too late. Drew grabbed the second guy, applied the right amount of pressure, and he was unconscious seconds later. A fast, hard kick slammed the third man into the side of the wall. His head connected with a thud and he fell with a groan.
“You...bastard!”
Technically, he wasn’t. Drew spun toward the new threat. The attacker had yanked the knife out of his side and blood dripped down his body as he advanced toward Drew. “I get to kill you,” he said, eyes bright. “Lee said you didn’t have to come in alive. Not you, just her.”
Drew backed up, trying to lead the man away from the house.
“I will kill—”
Tina rushed from the house. She swung her chair leg at the man’s hand. The knife hit the ground while he howled.
Drew drove his fist into the guy’s face.
No more howling.
The guy crumpled on the ground just as nicely as the other two men had.
Tina’s breath was coming fast and hard; panting.
Her cheeks were too pale.
Drew frowned at her. “You okay?”
She lifted her hand. “Just give me...” She sucked in more deep breaths. “A minute.”
He didn’t like the pallor of her cheeks. He reached for her and wrapped his hands around her arms.
Her breathing seemed to slow.
In. Out. In. Out.
“You were great,” he whispered to her. “I knew you’d be a slugger with that chair leg.”
Faint color rose in her cheeks. Her breathing was definitely easier now. After a moment Tina eased away from him and stared down at the unconscious men. “You know I’m going to have to stitch that one up, right?”
“I know we’re cuffing them and tying them up.” The old bed cover inside would work perfectly once he cut it into strips. He glanced over at the ranch. “Then we’re leaving them here and we’re taking their ride.” Because if Lee saw the Ranger high-tailing it down the road he’d just think his men were continuing their search. The vehicle would be their perfect cover.
Tina smiled. “We’re going to make it, aren’t we?” Hope lit her face.
He nodded, but Drew didn’t actually speak. He’d learned long ago that some lies could taste too bitter on the tongue.
* * *
LEE’S HANDS WERE sweating. There was no sign of Mercer’s daughter, and if he didn’t turn that woman back in to the boss... I’m dead.
Anton Devast wasn’t exactly big on giving second chances. You messed up once with him and you were dead.
He motioned to Grayson, and the pilot circled the chopper around. The bird jerked in the air, then steadied. Lee hissed out a sharp breath and stared below with grainy eyes. He saw the familiar Ranger heading down the narrow, broken road. Reynolds, Morris and Sanchez. They’d been sent out to the abandoned ranch that he’d spotted. He’d given them orders to radio in if they saw anything suspicious out there.
He squinted as he stared down at them. Their vehicle was moving in the wrong direction. They weren’t heading back to the compound. They were going east.
He glanced over at Grayson. “Get Reynolds on the radio.” Where the hell was that man going? No one stopped searching, not until Stone was dead and Mercer’s daughter was contained.
Lee’s life was on the damn line.
No one stopped.
* * *
TINA STARED AT the small radio cradled in Drew’s hand. It had crackled to life a moment before.
“Report!” a man’s voice demanded.
Drew glanced over at her. One hand was on the wheel. The other was tightening around the radio. “Clear,” he barked. Only that wasn’t his normal voice. He’d responded in a voice that was harder, sharper.
“Any—” more crackling “—sign?”
“Not there. Checking to the east. Interference—” Then he slammed the radio into the dashboard.
It splintered into several big chunks.
“Like I said,” he muttered, “interference.”
She couldn’t pull in a deep enough breath. She was trying hard to stay calm, but the panic wanted to rise. Did Drew know? He’d heard her deep, heaving breaths back at the abandoned ranch. Did he realize just how much of a risk she posed to him?
Breathe. Relax. Picture the air sliding deep into your lungs.
“You think...they bought that?”
“If the chopper lands in front of us, then they didn’t.”
The chopper was about fifty yards away and it was—
Leaving.
Tina finally got that deep breath.
“Any signal on the cell?”
She glanced down. “Not yet.”
“When we get to Lightning, we’ll call in my backup. They can pick up the men we left back at the ranch, and they can get you out of here.”
“Lightning?”
“A speck on the map. One of the tiniest towns you’ve never seen.” His lips hitched as he glanced toward her. “As far as rest stops go, it’s the only option we have.”
“But...but won’t those men be looking for us there?”
“Yeah, they will be, and that’s why we have to make sure they don’t find us.” He gave a grim nod. “It’s also my backup plan.”
“Good to know you have a plan,” she said as her fingers curved around the cell phone.
“My team has eyes in that town. They’ll be able to back us up. Doc, you may even be on your way to your D.C. apartment by dawn.”
That sounded like heaven to her. Going to New Orleans had been such a horrible mistake. And to think, she’d originally believed it would be the perfect, easy assignment. A way to get out of D.C. for a while.
If only she’d known about the danger that awaited in the Big Easy.
But Drew was right. Soon she would be going home once more.
She just had to get through a few more hours of hell first.
* * *
DREW HAD BEEN RIGHT. The town of Lightning was so small that if she’d blinked, Tina was sure she would have missed the place. When they drove in, a rumble of thunder followed them.
They passed boarded-up buildings. Two empty gas stations. She saw a diner to the right that looked as though it hadn’t been open in years.
“Storms come in here like clockwork,” Drew told her as he fired a quick check into the rearview mirror. So far, there had been no sign of company. “Lightning messes up all the electrical equipment in town. Most folks don’t like the storms, so they don’t stay here long.”
Well, that would sure explain the town’s name.
He eased off the main road. Well, what passed for the main road anyway. He parked the vehicle behind the diner. “No sense leaving it too close,” he said as he took her hand. He’d taken the cowboy hat and a shirt from one of the thugs back at the old ranch. The shirt was a little too small and it stretched over his wide shoulders.
His fingers curled around hers. “Come on. Another storm will be hitting soon.”
The sky was pitch-black. More thunder rumbled. She’d just taken a few steps with Drew when the first raindrops hit her.
Then the dark clouds really opened up. The rain pelted them, hard and fast, as they ran down narrow streets toward an old motel.
The orange Vacancy sign glowed brightly.
It sure was a beautiful sight.
Drew pushed open the motel’s office door. A little bell jingled overhead.
No one was inside. No one waited behind the narrow counter. Tina shoved back her wet hair. Her shirt clung to her like a second skin and—
“Good thing you two are here.” A woman’s voice came from the back corner of the office, making Tina jump. “No one should be out in weather like this.”
Tina realized that she’d put her hand over her heart. She was ready to stop having so many scares.
“Hi, ma’am.” Drew flashed the woman a smile and tipped back his wet hat. “My wife and I need a room.” He pushed some cash across the counter. More than enough cash to cover a room.
And enough to stop any questions?
But the woman—her white hair and the deep lines near her eyes put her in her seventies—was staring at Tina’s hand. No. At the dark circle on Tina’s wrist.
Frowning, the lady asked, “You okay, miss?”
Tina dropped her hand and forced a big smile. “I’m fine. Just had a little...accident.” With a pair of handcuffs.
The woman’s gaze slid toward Drew. Now she was looking suspicious. A small name tag on her left breast-pocket indicated the woman’s name was Sarah.
“Maverick,” he said softly.
And, just like that, the woman’s face cleared of all emotion. She handed Drew a room key. “Room six. Last one on the end.” She turned around and headed into the back room.
Tina blinked. What was that about?
Drew reached for Tina’s hand. His fingers stroked her wrist. “We’ll get some ice for that.”
A bruised wrist wasn’t especially high on her list of worries right then.
They had to run back into the rain to get to their room. But, less than three blessed minutes later, they were inside room number six. The place was small but clean, so wonderfully clean, and dry.
Lightning flashed outside the window. Thunder rumbled and the window glass trembled.
Drew locked the door behind her.
Tina wrapped her hands around her stomach. “There’s a phone on the nightstand.” A landline. She’d never been so happy to see one of those before. “Are you going to call Mercer now?”
“I don’t need to.” He tossed away his hat and wiped his hand over his hair. The hat hadn’t exactly kept his dark hair dry. Droplets of water fell around him. “Sarah knows the score. She’s already made contact with the base group.”
“Sarah?” Her eyes widened. “That sweet old lady at the desk—”
“She’s ex-EOD. She recognized my code word. She’ll make sure that word spreads fast that we’re here. My team will come for us.”
That was good. That put her one step closer to ending this nightmare. It also meant that she was one step closer to leaving Drew.
Not so good.
He turned toward the window. “Why don’t you go shower off? You’ll feel more human after—”
“After I wash the blood and dirt away?” Tina finished. Yes, she would. But she felt as though there was more she should say to him. If the cavalry was coming in to swoop her away at any minute, there had to be more she told him. So she started with the basics. “Thank you.”
He turned toward her.
Another bolt of lightning flashed, illuminating the area just beyond the window.
The thunder rumbled a moment later.
“You blew your cover to save me.” No, more than that. Tina’s gaze held his. “You risked your life.” He’d taken a bullet for her. How was she supposed to repay that kind of sacrifice?
He took a step toward her.
“I didn’t ask who those men were.” Because she knew the way the system worked. Need-to-know info.
She wasn’t an agent. That meant, according to Mercer, the less she knew, the better. Even if her life had been put on the line.
“You’re better off not knowing,” Drew said, sounding way too much like Mercer for her peace of mind right then. His jaw tightened. “They’re some of the most dangerous SOBs that I’ve crossed.”
“You could have died saving me.”
He took another slow, gliding step toward her. Then one more. She tilted her head back. Trembled as the rain water began to dry on her skin.
“Doc, I wasn’t leaving you behind.” His eyes raked her. “And I wasn’t going to let them hurt you anymore. Carl wasn’t using that knife on you.”
She was so out of her league. Not just in the middle of this blood fest, but with Drew.
The guys she dated were nice, safe. They didn’t know how to take down enemies in hand-to-hand combat. They didn’t know how to pick the locks on handcuffs.
And those men didn’t make her feel the way Drew did.
When the cavalry did come through that door, she’d leave the motel. Drew would go back to his missions, and she’d see him when he came in for his checkups at the EOD.
They’d go back to business as usual.
She didn’t want that.
What she wanted—was him.
Unfortunately she was a sopping-wet mess at that moment. No doubt, she appeared like a drowned rat.
A seduction routine wasn’t going to work right then.
Tina nodded and tried to pull herself together again. “I’m glad you were the agent who was there, Drew.” Then she swept around him before she did something crazy—such as throw her arms around the guy and hold on tight.
Or point out the fact that the bed behind them appeared very, very clean.
She opened the bathroom door and rushed gratefully inside. Before she shut the door, she heard him mutter, “I’m glad, too, Doc.”
* * *
THEY’D ESCAPED. Not just escaped, but seemingly vanished. Lee stormed away from the helicopter. He had to tell the boss that the search hadn’t turned up the missing woman. This wasn’t the way he wanted things to go down.
He hurried by the base’s parking area. More of the search teams had come back in, but they’d turned up nothing.
“You didn’t find them.” Thud. Thud. Thud.
Lee froze. The boss wasn’t inside the compound. He was right there waiting to attack. “I’m going back out. They must have gotten to a town. Got shelter. We’ll get them—”
Thud. Thud. “No, if they made it to a town, then the agent will be calling for backup. He’ll be bringing in men to take the woman away.”
“Boss, look—”
His words were interrupted by the loud banging of a horn. “What the hell?” Lee said as he turned toward the sound.
He recognized the pickup heading toward him. Leroy and Guan were coming in hell-fast, but three men were hanging on to the back of their pickup.
Reynolds? What the hell was he doing with Leroy? Reynolds had radioed that he was heading east to search.
Lee ran toward the truck. Reynolds was trying to jump off the side of the vehicle’s bed. He was missing his shirt and dried blood coated his skin.
“Ambushed us...” Reynolds yanked up his hand—a hand that was connected by a handcuff to Adam Morris. “SOB took our ride and headed out!”
Lee’s heart raced faster. “East.” He snarled that one word.
“We found ’em,” Guan was saying, “when we went over to do a backup sweep at that abandoned ranch. They were tied up in some shack.”
“Head east!” Lee bellowed. Because that was where the Ranger had been going. East. There was only one safe spot within a two-hundred-mile radius that way. “Lightning.”
They’d gone to that old town.
Now he knew exactly where his prey was hiding.
Thud. Thud.
He whirled around. “Don’t worry,” Lee said quickly to Devast. “I’ve got them.” My six hours aren’t up.
He’d blow up that whole town if he had to, but he’d get that agent.
Or I’ll die trying. Because the look in his boss’s eyes clearly said that if he came back empty-handed, death would be waiting on him.
* * *
ANTON DEVAST WATCHED Lee Slater rush away. Slater was proving to be a disappointment to him.
When he was disappointed, it meant it was time for people to die.
If Slater couldn’t catch the EOD agent and the missing woman, Anton would just have to find someone else to get the job done.
He smiled. Mercer had infiltrated Devast’s group. Thought you were clever, didn’t you, old friend?
It was Anton’s turn now. And he’d use one of Mercer’s men against him.
In their business, loyalties were bought and traded every single day. You just had to know the right price to offer.
With the right price, you could buy anything.
You could even buy your way into the EOD.