“Zara, no,” he hissed. “I won’t put you at risk.”
“Trust me, Vince. I know what I’m doing.”
Palmer yelled at him again. “Crawford!”
“Please,” she said. “You have to go, but I’ll be back for you.”
The air around him shifted, and a few petals from the daisy chain he held fluttered to the ground.
She was gone.
CHAPTER 4
Zara stood in the shadows at the edge of the forest, trying not to fidget, but the bolt cutters she held were heavy. To keep them from slipping from her sweaty palms, she kept switching hands and wiping them on her jeans.
These past few days had been pure agony for her. She’d called in sick to work as there was no way she’d be able to concentrate while Asher was making the necessary arrangements. He’d tried to get her to wait until he could assemble a bigger team, but she’d refused. Said she’d do it alone if she had to. In the end, it was just him and another Iron Guild warrior, a guy named Toryn who apparently was good with explosives. Olivia had stayed back at the house with Darius.
Vince was in a group of prisoners off to her right about a hundred feet away, and the man he’d called Palmer was pacing and barking out orders to them. He held a rifle in one hand and a leash in the other.
Holy Fates. The dog was the size of a small horse.
She wasn’t cloaked. Not yet. She needed to conserve her strength in order to hide both of them if the need arose.
Asher and Toryn were on the other side of the tracks somewhere, maybe a quarter of a mile away. The plan was for them to create a diversion, giving her and Vince time to escape.
She peered around the tree again. Vince was still wielding a shovel and scooping gravel. Had he truly not seen the flowers? They’d been sitting on the tracks for almost half an hour.
Damn it, Vince. Look up.
Maybe she’d placed them too far down.
She glanced to her left and noticed that the sunset had turned the sky into beautiful shades of blue, pink and purple. Was there a glare that prevented him from seeing the flowers? Crap. She hadn’t considered that. He’d told her they usually left at sundown, which meant there wasn’t much time.
He hadn’t changed his mind, had he?
A moment of panic seized her as she thought back to another time and place when he hadn’t come and she’d been left waiting with a broken heart.
She shoved those thoughts from her head. Contrary to what she’d assumed, Vince had had no choice back then. Not like he did now. He would come.
He appeared to be arguing with Palmer now. Then, after several long, tense moments, he angrily tossed down his shovel and strode slowly in her direction, slightly hunched over.
Finally!
He put a hand on the back of one of the other prisoners as he passed by, like he was weak and needed the support. A ruse, she was certain of it. With the chain that was attached to his ankle looped in one hand, he acted as if it weighed several hundred pounds. Palmer clearly wasn't happy given his wild gestures, but Vince ignored him and continued his slow approach. Soon enough, the other man turned away and began yelling at someone else.
Even now, she could hardly believe that she'd found Vince.
After learning about the Institute, she’d cloaked herself at the guard gate and watched vehicle after vehicle come and go, unable to decide whether to follow one in or out. When a prison van loaded with men left the premises, she’d taken a chance and jumped on the bumper as it drove out to the main road. From there, she got into her car and followed a safe distance behind. After trekking several miles into the forest to where they were working, she’d nearly lost it when she spotted Vince. He’d gotten taller and had filled out so much that she almost hadn’t recognized him.
After ten years of imagining Vince as the boy he had been, it was hard to reconcile her memory of a charming, sweet-natured boy with that of a hotter-than-hell, heavily muscled, tattooed man. And then to speak with him… It had taken every ounce of effort she had to keep herself cloaked and not throw herself into his arms.
Vince finally reached the flowers, and she gave a low whistle. When their eyes met, her heart stuttered in her chest. He was bearded now with chin-length, reddish-brown hair, the same shade as his twin sister’s. Although there was a hardness about him that hadn't been there when they were teens, his eyes were still the same. Framed by dark brows and fringed with thick lashes, they were intense, unwavering, brave.
He gave her a nod. He was ready.
Her hands shook as she pulled the comm device from her pocket and tapped the transmit button three times. Almost immediately, she received a reply of three taps in return. Asher had gotten the message. This was it. She motioned for Vince to approach.
With a hand on his stomach, he shuffled off the tracks as if he were in great pain and needed to relieve himself. The diarrhea ruse never failed, she thought wryly.
Almost immediately, a loud explosion behind the prisoners nearly jolted her out of her skin. Vince dove into the trees as if he’d been blown off his feet. If Palmer or any of the men happened to catch a glimpse of him, they’d assume he’d merely been reacting to the explosion.
Gripping the bolt cutters, she ran to him. He withdrew something from his pocket and flicked it into the bushes. They had to work quickly. No time for small talk. Without a word, she caught a link of chain between the blades and squeezed the handles.
“Damn,” she said through clenched teeth.
Vince’s hands were rough and warm over hers. He exerted more pressure, and the links snapped like they were twigs. Before she could shift the bolt cutter to the steel cuff around his ankle, he lifted her to her feet. He smelled of dirt, sweat and raw man, and a thrill of adrenaline raced through her veins.
He stared at her with dark, inquiring eyes, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Who are you?”
Unease flared in her gut.
Sure, she’d changed since the last time he’d seen her—cut her hair, gained a few pounds. Did he really not recognize her? Was he…disappointed?
Before she knew what was happening, he grabbed her face between his callused hands and his mouth crashed over hers, stealing her breath away. His body was hard against hers. He tasted salty and wild, his beard scratchy against her face. She wanted to wrap her arms around his neck and melt into him. But then he released her so quickly that, at first, she wondered if she’d imagined the whole thing. Except that her lips felt slightly bruised.
“Come on,” he growled, jerking her into the underbrush.
***
Zara was more beautiful than he remembered, Vince thought as they dashed through the forest, their progress hindered by the heavy undergrowth. She wore her hair in one thick, dark braid that flicked him in the arm whenever she glanced behind them. He was surprised by the determination and focus reflected in those hauntingly gorgeous gray eyes of hers. In his memories, she’d always been so carefree and free-spirited.
Her braid hit his arm again, and he gripped her hand tighter. Behind them, the barking was getting progressively louder.
Glancing back, Vince saw that a few bushes they’d passed a moment ago were moving. Shit. The dog was on their scent and closing in. Probably had a visual.
“You’re going to need to cloak both of us.” He pointed to a fir tree straight ahead. One of its lower limbs looked strong enough to support both of them. “There.”
He hoisted her up, pushing her lush bottom to help her as she climbed above him. They’d just reached the limb and sat down when the dog arrived, barking and leaping at the tree trunk. Zara gasped and flinched. Vince wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
With his nose pressed to her hair, he closed his eyes for a moment and breathed her in. She smelled like fresh rain and honeysuckle, instantly stirring up old memories of the nights they’d spent making love and staring up at the stars.
Her small hands gripped his forearms as the dog barked below them, foam and sali
va flicking off its muzzle. No doubt, it would rip them to shreds if they fell. He scanned the forest but didn’t see Palmer. Yet.
“How long does the cloaking process take?” he asked her.
“As soon as I focus my energy, it’s instantaneous,” Zara said, not taking her eyes off the dog. “You didn’t happen to bring the bolt cutters, did you?”
“No, why?”
She glanced at his ankle. “To cut off the metal cuff.”
He’d honestly become so accustomed to having it around his ankle while on the chain gang that he’d forgotten it was even there. “We can worry about that later.”
Zara nodded, frowning slightly to herself, but before he could ask her what was wrong, they heard shouts through the trees. Palmer was coming.
She grabbed his hand and threaded her fingers through his. Almost immediately, a tingling energy traced up his arm and encompassed his entire body. The margins of his vision became slightly skewed, as if he were wearing a new set of glasses and needed to get used to them.
“There,” she whispered. “We’re cloaked.”
“That’s it?” he asked incredulously. She wasn’t invisible to him like she had been before. She looked exactly the same.
Back when they were together, she’d only been able to cloak herself. He wasn’t sure what he had expected, but he’d assumed it’d be...different. Like peering through a heavy veil or a cloud or something.
“Just don’t let go,” she said, “and he’ll never see us.”
“I won’t let go of you, Zara.” Ever.
Soon, Palmer was crashing through the underbrush. He stopped at the base of the tree and looked up to see what the dog was barking at. His brows were drawn together into one continuous line, his face red from exertion.
Zara gripped Vince tighter, her short nails digging into the back of his hand. Her skin was softer than he remembered. He stroked his thumb over hers and held his breath, hardly daring to breathe.
“Adolf, find.” The man pointed into the woods.
The dog didn’t budge, just kept looking up the tree and barking. Could the animal see them, Vince wondered, or was it just their scent he was responding to?
“What the hell is wrong with you? You’ve been doing this all week.” Palmer kicked at him, but Adolf skirted out of the way. He repeated his command but the dog still refused to obey, its menacing bark leaving no doubt what it wanted to do to them.
The man made a loud sound of exasperation and moved past the tree without snapping the leash to the dog’s spiked collar.
What the hell? Surely Palmer wasn’t just going to leave the dog here, was he? It wouldn’t hesitate to rip them to shreds if they attempted to climb down.
Zara’s comm device suddenly crackled.
Vince’s body went rigid, his breath catching like a tumbleweed in his dry throat. Without letting go of him, she quickly flicked off the device. She squeezed his hand twice as if to say, “I’m sorry.”
Palmer spun around. With narrowed, rat-like eyes, he approached the tree again. His gaze traveled up the trunk right to where they were sitting. If Zara’s cloaking didn’t hold, they’d be in plain sight. Not only would they haul his ass back to the Institute, but more importantly, they’d have Zara now, too. He could hardly bear the thought of her being in the same room with the doctor. What the holy hell was he thinking agreeing to this half-baked plan of hers?
A large blue jay cawed and flew to a nearby branch. Zara flinched, but Vince held tight. The bird cocked its head and looked straight at them, then squawked once more and flew off.
Palmer sighed and dropped his gaze. Leaning against the tree trunk, he pulled out his comm device. “Talk to me. Tell me you found him.”
“Nothing,” said a voice from the speaker. It sounded like Godfrey, one of Palmer’s men. “It’s as if he disappeared into thin air.”
“Damn,” Palmer muttered, shaking his head. The dog continued to bark. “Will you shut the hell up?”
“You sure Crawford isn’t hiding nearby?” said Godfrey through the speaker. “Sounds as if Adolf has located him.”
“Trust me. Crawford isn’t here. The stupid mutt is just confused. Been pulling this shit off and on all week. Must be going senile.”
“We’re going to need to call this in,” said the other man. “The army needs to know.”
Palmer mumbled something under his breath about being fired. “Let me make a sweep on the other side of the tracks first. I thought he was on this side, but maybe with all the confusion, I got it wrong.”
When the call ended, Palmer clipped the leash to the dog’s collar and gave it a hard jerk. Adolf yelped as the collar’s spikes dug into his neck. “Let’s go, you worthless mutt.”
Once they were out of sight, Zara let go of Vince’s hand, and almost immediately he could tell they were no longer cloaked. The tingling sensation was gone and the edges of his vision had returned to normal. The dog continued to bark, but the sound faded as Palmer dragged it further and further away.
“Damn, that was close,” he said, turning to her. “Let’s get the hell—”
Zara was holding her head in her hands.
Panic shot through his veins as he gently put his arms around her again. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s...nothing. Just a little headache, that’s all.”
No, it wasn’t. This had been too hard for her. “I thought you said you’d cloaked another person before.”
She pointed to the steel cuff around his ankle. “Yes, but not with…dense metal objects. Makes it…more difficult.”
He cursed to himself. If only he’d known. He should’ve cut the blasted thing off when he’d had the chance. Like she had wanted to do in the first place. Now she was paying the price.
He helped her out of the tree, but once they were on the ground, her steps faltered, and she kept a hand to her head as if to contain the pounding.
This was not going to work.
“Climb on,” he ordered, crouching down in front of her.
“I’m too heavy. I’ll only slow you down.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Without waiting for a response, he hooked his arms behind her legs, pulled her onto his back and stood. She clung to him, leaning her head close to his. Damn, this was nice.
“Which way?” he asked, forcing himself to focus on what they needed to do to get out of here.
“South…a few miles through the forest,” she whispered, her breath tickling his ear. “My car...hidden.”
He headed off in that direction, trying not to make too much noise in the underbrush. He thought about the dog’s erratic behavior again. It occurred to him that she might have had something to do with it. “What did you do to Adolf?”
“Been messing…with him…all week. That way, when it came time to get you, the guards would simply think the dog was confused again. The dog who cried wolf.”
Clever, but foolish. “What the hell is wrong with you, Zara, coming in and toying with Adolf like that? Do you have a death wish or something?”
“I just hope they don’t hurt him. It wasn’t his fault.”
“He’s bitten me a few times, so don’t feel too sorry for him.”
As he jogged through the forest, he thought about the risks Zara had taken to rescue him. Did this mean she wasn’t—? That something had happened to—? He quickened his pace, not wanting to think about the child she’d once carried.
After climbing down a steep ravine and crossing a small stream, they came to a gravel road. He stopped. “Which way now?”
She yawned, her sweet breath flitting across his ear, and she lifted her head from his shoulder. He almost hated to make her move. He liked feeling her so close.
“We’re here already? I must have dozed off. Ummm...” She hesitated as she looked around and then pointed to the right. “My car should be around the next corner.”
For the millionth time, guilt gnawed at him that he was the cause of her fatigue. Best thing he could do now was get her o
ut of here safely and back to…to wherever she called home.
Although it would’ve been easier to jog down the road, he stayed inside the trees just in case.
“There it is,” she said finally. He looked in the direction she was pointing and saw a faded green car hidden under a pile of branches.
He gently placed her on her feet again, but she didn’t look too steady, so he kept his arms around her. She leaned against his chest and stifled a yawn. He stroked his hand down the length of her braid, savoring the feel of her soft, feminine curves pressed intimately against him.
He waited, listened. Birds chirped, insects buzzed, and somewhere in the distance, a few coyotes were howling. Not far from the car, a doe and her baby crossed the gravel road. He let out a long breath of relief. The place was quiet, undisturbed. Which meant no Adolf. No Palmer.
After pulling off the branches from her car, he put Zara in the passenger seat and snapped her seat belt. By the time he slid behind the wheel, she’d gotten out her comm device, turned it on and gave three quick taps. Almost instantly, it was met with at least a dozen clicks in response.
Her luminous gray eyes widened as if she expected someone to jump out at them.
“Was that a warning?” Looking through the windshield, he nervously scanned every direction, half expecting to see a wall of lights come on, blasting his retinas.
“Yes,” she replied, “but I’m not sure what it means. Asher told me the army will be triangulating all communications in the area, so I shouldn’t try to get ahold of them on a cell phone unless it’s an emergency.” She looked at the screen and frowned.
“What?”
“That’s odd. It’s a text from your sister. She’s at my place, not here.” She held the device up for him to read it.
I-90 closed. Road blockade or something. D’s fine. Go to Rand’s.
Zara exhaled slowly. “I suppose if the army is monitoring communications, that message doesn’t look too suspicious. Any innocent civilian could have sent it.”
One thing was certain, he thought. They needed to get as far away from here as possible. And quickly. “Keys,” he said, holding out his hand.
Bad Boys of the Night: Eight Sizzling Paranormal Romances: Paranormal Romance Boxed Set Page 50