by Diana Duncan
“No.” His painfully clenched muscles eased. “They wouldn’t start the engine if they planned to shove us overboard. They’re gonna drive us somewhere.”
“Well, yippy ki yay.”
She didn’t add the motherfucker line, but he caught the message. She was bouncing back.
Grinning, he continued to pry the stubborn lock as the car rocketed down a paved road. When his scraped, bleeding fingers could barely function, it finally gave. “Success!”
She clutched his hand that was linked to hers. “Yes! Let’s blow this gig!”
He peered out, holding the trunk mostly closed. Flesh-grinding asphalt zoomed beneath them. “We’re going too fast to jump and survive. We’ll have to wait.”
Jumping out cuffed together was a calculated risk. If they didn’t stay in sync, either or both could be badly hurt, making them soft targets. But waiting until they arrived at their destination where the UNSUBS could neutralize him? Not happening. He was damned good at hand-to-hand, but even he couldn’t fight one-handed while simultaneously protecting Zoe.
She was his responsibility. At all costs, he had to keep her alive.
Endless, agonizing minutes passed that rocketed them closer and closer toward potential disaster. Eventually the car slowed and made a turn. Jouncing and bumping along, he did another fast peek outside. “Dirt road, which is optimal, considering. Heads up, Zagretti. After we jump, tuck and roll. Stay low, and run off the road to our left. We don’t want to cross in front of any oncoming traffic.”
“I’ll try, but I’m not sure I can run very fast in these shoes.” Her voice hitched. “I’ll be a liability to you. My muscles are weak from the Taser, and stiff from being curled up so long.”
He didn’t exactly feel like an Olympic sprinter himself, but no Option B. “You’re gonna do great. I have faith in you.”
“You do?” A trembling pause ticked past. “Th-thanks.”
“Ready?” He again glanced out. The dusty road beneath them still zipped by at a fast clip. They needed an ass-ton of O’Rourke Irish luck.
“As I’ll ever be.”
“Count of three.” His fingertips brushed her cheek, felt vibrating tension in every molecule of her slender body. He grinned at her. Though she couldn’t see it, she’d hear the humor in his voice. “That would be one, two, and go on three, Riggs.”
“Appreciate the clarification, Murtaugh.” She chuckled weakly. “And if you say, ‘I’m getting too old for this shit,’ I’ll bop you one.”
Not too old. But with each passing minute, he grew much too attached to a certain spunky, persistent, too-smart-for-her-own-good reporter. “One.” He sucked in a deep breath. “Two.”
He paused long enough for a hurried, silent plea. “Three!” He shoved open the trunk lid.
Clinging to one another, they jumped.
Chapter 8
11:00 p.m.
Zoe would do anything—including bail out of a speeding automobile—to escape the dark trunk. Bag slung over her right shoulder, she clutched Aidan’s big, warm hand, her anchor in the swirling tumult. Starry sky wheeled overhead as they hurtled into space. The world spun in a dizzying arc. She lost all sense of time and place.
Until she crashed.
Ow! Stunned by the bone-jarring thud, she tried to tuck and roll, but her cramped limbs only half cooperated. As Aidan landed gracefully beside her and completed his roll, the wrench on her wrist sent pain screaming up her arm.
He pulled her to him, wrapped his arms around her and continued rolling toward the side of the road. Locked together, they tumbled over an embankment. She instinctively tucked her face into his shoulder, and his wide palm cradled and protected the back of her head. Rocks jabbed her spine, sticks and coarse weeds tore her bare skin.
Finally, blessedly, they stopped.
Breathing rapidly, Aidan rose on one elbow above her, striking features etched with concern. “You all right?”
Other than scraping off thirty-percent of her skin, and her muscles throbbing like someone beat the living hell out of her with Negan’s baseball bat? Aidan probably felt twice as bad. Nobody had sheltered his body, and he’d taken the brunt of the blows. “Yes. You?”
“Fine.” He surged to his feet, yanking her upright. “We gotta move.”
She swayed. Blinked dizzily. A formidable expanse of open field loomed ahead in the stark moonlight. But densely grouped trees at the far end promised cover for the hunted. She gulped. First, they had to make it across acres of no-man’s land.
She glanced to her left where two sets of red taillights zoomed away from them. The rear car was indeed her Toyota. “The kidnappers didn’t notice yet!”
“Let’s get gone before they do.”
He broke into a sprint, barely affording her three seconds to hike up her dress. She staggered beside him through the hillocky pasture spiked with potholes.
Twice, she stumbled to her knees. Each time, Aidan hauled her to her feet. “C’mon, Zoe!”
Her breath sawed, hot and jagged. “I jog every morning ... but not in three-inch heels ... and a fitted gown.”
“I know it’s tough.” He jerked his thumb backward. “Consider the alternative.”
She dug her fingers into his tux sleeve for a better grip as they ran. “Who are they ... and what do they want?”
“Think about it.” He tossed her a wry glance. “Whose cage have you rattled?”
Appalling realization dawned. “Someone connected ... to DiMarco’s operation.” Probably the mysterious someone ruthlessly liquidating the crippled man’s assets.
“Bingo. Give the lady an exclusive byline.” He leapt over a log, dragging her with him. “And they’re likely to shoot first and fuck reasons.”
Halfway across the field, she looked over her shoulder. Her stomach pitched. “The taillights have stopped! They’re backing up!”
“I saw. Shit!” He towed her faster. “Run like your life depends on it.”
His long legs raced through the knee-high grass. No way could she keep up. He thrust an arm around her waist, half carrying her over the rugged terrain.
Approaching the shadowed tree line, her feet involuntarily slowed. The unrelenting darkness ahead spiked her terror as high as the pursuers behind. Fighting her brain’s command to move, her body dragged against Aidan’s momentum.
He tightened his hold. “There’s nowhere else to go.”
“I know.” She risked another glance over her shoulder. The cars had stopped close to where she and Aidan had escaped. Five swearing men plunged over the embankment. Moonlight glinted off pistols gripped in their hands.
“Trust me.” Aidan propelled her between heavy branches and into the gloom. “I’ll take care of you.”
“I believe you.” With everything she had. Everything she was. Nevertheless, fear vised her chest, stealing what little breath remained. As soon as safety permitted, she was gonna indulge in a panic attack. A woman could only fight off her phobia for so long before she broke.
The woods forced a slower pace. Spiked pine boughs slapped their faces. Evergreens towered in the black void, angry sentinels protecting the forest. As Zoe and Aidan wove and dodged, tangled undergrowth tripped their fleeing footsteps. Was the landscape on the bad guys’ side?
The shouts behind them grew louder. Her burning muscles trembled. “They’re ... gaining on us.”
BLAM! BLAM! Two gunshots roared, and a tree limb exploded inches from Aidan’s shoulder.
Horror made her stumble. “Those bullets almost hit you!”
Aidan kept her on her feet. His stride didn’t falter as he casually shook bark out of his hair. “Almost only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades.”
A surprised, strangled laugh choked out of her, pushing back the worst fear. His unshakable confidence was inspiring. “I guess ...” she panted. “That cool head under fire ... keeps you alive.”
He glanced at her. Fierce determination stamped his features. “It’s gonna keep you alive, too.”
/> Her cop possessed a mile-wide protective streak. If they made it out minus bullet holes, she owed him. Big time. “I’m sorry ... you got dragged into this because of me.”
He veered right, towing her in his wake. “Be glad I’m here. Those UNSUBS got more than they bargained for.”
“My guardian angel.” She was only half kidding.
He slanted her a roguish grin. “Just call me St. Aidan.” His grin fled. “Duck!”
She dove under a low branch. Couldn’t help but return the smile. “Saint? Ha!”
“Bad form to slander the man who saves your hide.”
“You never know.” She pressed a hand to her ribs, attempting to ease the stabbing pain. “Maybe ... I’ll save yours.”
He swerved around a huge, menacing boulder. Snorted. “The phrase ‘Satan on ice skates’ springs to mind.” He lurched to a stop, teetering on the edge of a steep ravine. His glance ricocheted right, then left.
Less than a hundred yards behind, their pursuers crashed through the bushes.
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Another volley of shots exploded.
Aidan tugged her forward. “Follow me.”
Like she had a choice? He lunged over the edge, and she clambered to keep up. Gravity hurtled them down the incline, her feet only intermittently touching ground as she skidded and bumped down the steep hill. Her wrist smarted like a bitch from being dragged in Aidan’s unstoppable wake. Geez, if the handcuffs were longer, he’d be flying her behind him like a kite.
At the bottom of the ravine, she nearly collided with a broad tree trunk. He jerked her out of the way in the nick of time. Not just her wrist, every damn molecule in her body hurt. She’d be head-to-toe bruises tomorrow.
If she lived to count them. “Wait! Can’t ... breathe!”
He urged her onward. “Stop now and you won’t have to worry about breathing.”
Groaning, she valiantly tried to keep up. Didn’t Officer Invincible ever run out of steam?
She stumbled along behind him on the banks of a chattering creek. The rocky obstacle course jammed her toes and wrenched her ankles in the high heels. Lovely. Next she’d be spraining an ankle like a dimwit heroine in a horror movie. The thought barely registered when she tripped and fell hard, yanking Aidan down.
He pushed to his knees. “You okay?”
“Yes,” she wheezed. “But ... need ... minute.”
BLAM! BLAM! Gunshots whistled across the ravine, pinged off overhead boulders. Showers of gravel rained down.
“No time.” He grimaced. “We have a three—maybe four—minute lead.”
She struggled to her knees and repositioned her bag. Tangled vines and bushes trailed over the ravine’s edge, cupping the steep embankment directly in front of her like giant, lanky fingers. A thick, earthy smell wafted from the foliage.
Aidan sniffed. “Hmm.” He edged vine-laden branches aside. “Perfect.”
She looked up to see a dark, narrow crack in the hillside. Perfect for what?
Oh no. Cold sweat prickled her skin. No, no, hell to the no!
He gestured at the black, yawning mouth. “Inside.”
Her limbs froze. “I can’t go in there.”
“You can.” Big capable hands cupped her face. Glowing in the moonlight, his steadfast gaze encouraged her. “With me.”
SPLASH, PLUNK, SPLASH echoed in the deathly quiet. Their pursuers ... closing in.
“Uh-uh.” She couldn’t go into that black void if her life depended on it. Unfortunately, it did.
“Sorry, honey. No choice.” He shoved her inside the tight space and crawled in behind her.
Forced to crouch in claustrophobic darkness, the overpowering smell of musty earth smothered her. She touched the wall to steady herself, and damp soil crumbled beneath her palm. Trapped in a cold, dank grave.
A whimper clawed up her throat. “D-did I mention how m-much I hate this p-plan?”
He rearranged branches over the opening, then turned to face her, both of them now kneeling in the tight space. Aidan’s big body a shield between her and the entrance, his steely arms wrapped around her. “Just relax,” he whispered into her ear. His sandpapery cheek curved in a smile against hers. “Try picturing me in my underwear.”
She burrowed into his chest. A faint chuckle edged past the sobs wedged in her lungs and she whispered, “This isn’t a Toastmasters meeting.”
Outside their hiding place, stalking footsteps grew louder, closer. “Sonofabitch,” a nasally voice spat. “Where the fuck did they go?”
Trembling, she clung to Aidan, and his hand stroked her hair.
“They probably followed the creek downstream,” a second, younger man replied. His tone turned whiney. “Boss is gonna tear a strip off our asses if she gets away.”
“Kent, go back to the car and get the flashlight. One of you brainless cunts should’ve thought to grab it in the first place,” Nasal Guy snarled. “We’ll hunt her down if it takes all night. There’s nowhere to go on this fuckin’ island. She won’t escape.
She. Aidan was right, they were after her. Icy déjà vu crawled up her spine. Wild shaking overpowered her. The desperate flight toward freedom, the determined hunters closing in felt all too familiar.
Her worst childhood nightmare come to life.
“You’re okay, sweetheart,” he breathed into her ear. Steely, encircling arms pressed her tightly to his solid body. “I’m right here.”
Zoe huddled in the dark, the past and present tangling into a murky web. Violent shudders wracked her. Suffocating blackness swallowed her hopes for a bright new future. The hunt would never end. The terror would never fade.
She’d never be free.
She clenched her teeth, but couldn’t prevent a sob from escaping.
“Darkness can’t harm you,” Aidan murmured, his breath hot in her ear. “The night is working for us. Hiding us. Protecting us. And I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Thrashing and swearing echoed from outside. “Meet us downstream,” Nasally barked.
How would Aidan stop them? Nobody, nothing could stop them. Another sob eked out against her will.
“Shh.” He gently tipped up her chin ... and his mouth possessed hers. His silky tongue slid slowly inside, stroking, soothing. Exerting exquisite control, his soft lips coaxed her response. So different from the untamed hunger that’d erupted between them before, his tenderness vanquished fear and despair.
Poignantly sweet, his kiss comforted and aroused. Sheltered and cherished. Pledged steadfast loyalty and protection. She clutched the lapels of his jacket and drank in his strength, courage, and absolute confidence. Warmth flooded her icy limbs, filling the dark void inside her with hope.
He stroked her back, callused fingertips trailing delight along her bare skin. His gentle kiss and sure touch pulled her out of the desolate shadows of the past. She was still trembling, but irrational fear fled, conquered by desire.
In the parking lot, they’d connected body to body. Now, they bonded heart to heart. The first time, they’d shared passion. Now, they shared compassion.
Passion had brought them together. But compassion would forge a lasting bond.
Aidan eased back, gently disconnecting. She touched her tingling lips. How long had the night been utterly silent? “Did they leave?” Breathlessness fluttered her question. No longer fear, but arousal.
“Yeah.” His low reply was husky. “Let’s get you out of here.” He lifted the bushes, and they emerged from hiding.
Cool night air washed over her, a giddy cocktail of relief and desire singing along her nerve endings. She turned. For a lingering moment, Aidan held her gaze. A shaft of moonlight reflected the fierce tenderness glittering in his beautiful, compelling eyes. He stroked a gossamer caress down her cheek. “All right?”
A rush of wonderment stole her ability to speak, so she nodded. Although he guarded his emotions as staunchly as he guarded his teammate’s backs, his expression and body language revealed deeper feelings.
And
emotions scared her cop. He obviously wasn’t ready to admit it, but he sure seemed like he might be starting to care for her.
And she cared in return. The connection growing between them was far stronger than she’d realized. She didn’t have any firsthand knowledge of soul-mates, however, she was a keen observer of the human condition. The bond they shared was rare ... and very special.
That kiss in the cave had shoved them over an irrevocable line. They could never go back to feigning casual rivalry.
Thrilling, yet scary as hell. Everything she’d yearned for all her life finally dangled within reach. But the tiny, bright flicker could be snuffed out in a heartbeat. By the bad guys. By a thoughtless word or deed on her part. By Aidan’s fear of intimacy.
She knew how quickly everything could be snatched away. How brutally it hurt when you were left holding empty dregs of your dreams. She was more than willing to take the risk. However, Aidan’s phobia? That’d take more than a kiss to overcome.
“Which way do we go?” she asked.
He surveyed their surroundings. “Up and over.”
They clambered up the bank with him bearing a lot more of her weight than she liked. She attempted to shake off the enervating effects of their kiss—and subsequent emotional fallout—and get with the program. “And our destination is ...?”
“East, to that big bluff over there.”
She glanced toward the tree-covered hill lurking in the distance, a silent hunched giant. “How can you tell it’s east?”
Grinning, he pointed up. “The Creator’s compass.”
Countless stars sparkled overhead, diamond-bright beacons of encouragement in the vast night sky. “Guess I should thank those lucky stars I’m stranded with an Eagle Scout.” She trailed him around a tree trunk the size of a compact automobile. “How about we get these handcuffs off now?”
“The UNSUBS took off in the opposite direction, but I want more distance between us and them before we stop again.”
Year-round Pacific Northwest coastal rainfall kept the woods lush and cool. Despite Aidan’s challenging pace, their footsteps fell silently on verdant undergrowth.