“They’ll have a lot of questions which we aren’t going to be able to answer. This isn’t a normal fire,” he told her. “Or a rational situation. Can you imagine their reaction if we start babbling about a drug cartel? They’ll think we’re crazy. No, we’ve got to get out of here before they arrive.”
Motioning at her to hand him Eli, he pointed. “Are you ready?” At her nod, he dashed from the back of the storage shed to the back of the garage, carrying the baby, who’d remained amazingly silent. Lucy easily kept pace with him.
Moving around the side of the building, they reached the car without incident, which appeared undisturbed.
“I think they’re gone.” Opening the back door, he motioned to her. “Get in and lie on the floor with Eli. Just in case.” He didn’t tell her he was worried they’d be shot at or followed. If that happened, he didn’t want to take a chance of them seeing her and Eli.
Blessedly, she immediately did as he instructed. Backing the car out into the alley, he floored it and they careened away. No shots, no other car shooting out from a side street to follow them. He breathed a sigh of relief. In the distance, they could hear the loud wail of the fire-truck sirens as they drew closer.
“Are the people who did this gone for sure?” Lucy asked.
He took a deep breath, glad his pulse rate could slow somewhat. “It appears so, but stay down for a bit longer, just in case.”
They made it back to the Diagonal Highway without incident. Once they’d gone a good distance away—with Tucker constantly checking to make sure they weren’t being followed—he pulled the car into a fast-food restaurant at the south end of Main Street in Longmont and parked.
“I need to make a call,” he told Lucy, punching in Finn’s number in his cell from memory. “That DEA agent I told you about. I want to know what went wrong. He’s supposed to have had men watching the house to make sure nothing like this could happen.”
But after three rings, the call went to voice mail. He didn’t leave a message.
“That’s odd,” he said, almost to himself. “He always answers the phone.”
“The DEA agent?”
“Yeah. His name is Finn. He’s my contact in the DEA.”
“And that’s who you were talking to earlier, about getting rid of me?”
“Yes, but it wasn’t—” he began.
“I heard you. I know exactly what you said. I wanted to talk to you about that,” she interrupted. Then, as she smoothed her hair away from her face with a shaky hand, she sighed. “Though I’m not sure I want to now.”
He had to admire her strength. While she still appeared slightly shell-shocked—and who could blame her—apparently she remembered the conversation she’d overheard right before the explosion, and wanted to address what she thought she’d heard.
“If you have a question, please ask,” he finally said.
“What did your contact at the DEA want you to do with me?” she asked. “I mean, you said I couldn’t go home, so…”
“He was going to have you and Eli taken to a safe house tomorrow.” He kept his tone firm, knowing she wasn’t going to like the rest of what he had to say. “And Lucy, he still is, if we can get in touch with him before then.”
“Away from you?” Her voice trembled, causing something to ache inside his chest.
“Yes.” Ignoring her hurt look, he continued. “You’d be safer with them, and that’s what’s important.”
“But—”
“If you can’t think of yourself, consider Eli. We have to do everything we can to take care of him. Our son needs to be protected at all cost.”
Finally, she nodded. “I don’t like it, but you’re probably right.” She sighed. “I’ll still worry about you, though.”
Taking a chance, he reached out and brushed the hair away from her cheeks. “Don’t worry about me, honey. I can take care of myself.”
Starting the car, he pulled out back on to Main Street. They stopped at the large discount store, went inside and because the situation had become precarious without the safe house, he purchased a car seat, a bassinet, more diapers and about ten different little outfits for Eli. “Is that enough?” he asked.
She laughed. “For a couple of days. As long as we have access to a laundromat or something, we should be okay.”
They also bought themselves several changes of clothing and a knapsack to carry everything in. Tucker again used his credit card, wincing at the charge. He was perilously close to reaching the prepaid limit.
Once outside, he removed the car seat from its box, followed the instructions and set it up in the backseat of the car. This time, when they pulled out of the parking lot, little Eli was properly secured.
He drove slowly north on Main Street, glad no one knew him in Longmont. Finally spotting a pay phone outside of the old Lamplight Motel, he pulled over.
“I need to make a phone call. Wait in the car,” he told Lucy.
“Again?” Then, as he opened his door, she grabbed at his arm. “Where are you going?”
He pointed. “To use that phone.”
“Why a pay phone?” she asked. “Why not use your cell?”
“Because I’m keeping the cell phone off due to the GPS. A cell is too easily traced when one has the right equipment.”
Frowning, she nodded. “So that’s why you had me turn mine off?”
“Partially.” He allowed himself a small smile. “But also because I know Sean. He would have been calling you nonstop. Eventually, he would have guilted you into answering. You know it, too.”
Coloring slightly, she stared at him before nodding and turning to check on Eli in the back, now securely buckled in his brand-new infant seat.
Tucker let his gaze roam over her while she was distracted. Every time he looked at her, he felt the attraction clench his gut. She’d been his and he’d lost her. Only he couldn’t reconcile himself to that fact.
If he could, he’d prefer to keep her with him, where he could maybe have a chance to see if she truly loved Sean or if she still belonged to him. But he had to put her safety above his own desires. Her safety and that of his son.
So far, he was doing all right at keeping them safe. He couldn’t detect anyone following them or, for that matter, that they were under DEA surveillance like they were supposed to be. He wondered what had happened there, how the cartel had managed to circumvent the men who were supposed to be on guard. He still found it odd he hadn’t heard from Finn.
Right now, it appeared he was on his own. The attack and explosion had changed everything.
Once out of the car, Tucker glanced around, making one final check of the surrounding area before approaching the pay phone. He saw nothing out of the ordinary. Lifting the receiver, he deposited the necessary change and considered. He thought he should probably call the main office of the DEA, but he didn’t have the number. And quite frankly, the thought of all the explaining he’d have to do to get a hold of the right person made him impatient.
Instead, he took a chance and called Sean. “We’re in trouble,” he began. “I need your help.”
“Where the hell are you?” Sean practically snarled. “Is Lucy with you? Don’t bother lying to me. I know she is.”
“Yes.” Tucker gave his friend a straight answer. “And she’s all right. Eli’s fine, too.”
“Why the hell are you dragging Lucy and Eli into this?”
“I’m not.” Using as little detail as possible, Tucker explained what had happened at Pearl Street Mall. “I had no choice but to take her with me.”
“Whatever. Tell me where you are so I can come and get Lucy.”
With an effort, Tucker kept a grip on his irritation. “Have you not heard a single word I’ve said? Lucy can’t go back to Boulder. They would go after her.”
“Why? She’s my fiancée, not yours.”
Taking a deep breath, Tucker closed his eyes and silently counted to three. “They don’t care about any of that. And they know Eli is my son.”
�
�How? Did you tell them?”
“For the love of—” Tucker exploded. “Will you stop thinking of yourself and think of Lucy and Eli? My house was blown up and if I try to call the police, they won’t believe me.” For some reason, he didn’t want to tell Sean he was working with the DEA. “I don’t know where else to turn.”
“If they found you once, they can do it again.” Sean persisted, his hard tone sounding ruthless. “Lucy would be safer with me. I can utilize the security firm we use for the company. They can protect her.”
“No, they can’t. These guys have no mercy. I can protect Lucy.”
“No, you can’t. At least call the FBI or the DEA or somebody. Have them put Lucy in a safe house or something.”
Exasperated, Tucker clenched his jaw. “Look, I didn’t call you to talk about Lucy. I called to get your help.”
Silence while Sean digested this obviously unpleasant news.
“What do you want me to do?”
Now came the delicate part. To get Sean to help him without letting him know too much.
“You want me to get a hold of the Feds? Fine, you do it for me. Contact the FBI and the DEA. There’s a guy who debriefed me at the Mexican border when I was rescued. His name is Finn Warshaw. See if you can get a hold of him. I kept his card and called and left a message, but he hasn’t called back. If you can’t reach him, try and find out what happened to him.”
“That name sounds familiar.” Sean went quiet again. “I know. I saw it on the news. Finn Warshaw is in critical condition after a shootout in Niwot, of all places. Two other officers were killed. They haven’t caught the suspects yet.”
Niwot. At his house. Damn.
“You said your house was blown up?” A second later, Sean reached the same conclusion. “That was your place? Where there was an explosion, a fire and a shootout?”
Tucker winced. “Yep.” He decided he didn’t need to reveal that it had been a DEA safe house, though he wasn’t sure why. Like so many other times in his life, he followed his gut instinct and stayed silent. No way did he plan to tell Sean the truth—that he was working with the DEA to bring down the cartel top brass. “And now not only does the cartel have me on the run, but I can’t reach the one person I knew at the DEA.”
Hearing the words out loud made him wince. Without Finn and the DEA behind him, what was he supposed to do? Try and catch the bad guys on his own? And what about Lucy and Eli? He had to make sure they were safe. Questions, questions, questions.
“What do you want me to do?” Sean sounded resigned. A little surprised that the other man wasn’t going to push his insistence that Lucy be returned to him, which Tucker himself would have done, by the way, Tucker had to think.
“Actually, nothing.” The decision took a split second to reach. “You’ve answered my question about Finn. Obviously, I’m on my own now.”
“No, you’re not. You can still call them, just speak to someone else. Think of Lucy and Eli. Get them somewhere safe in case the cartel is successful at finding you.”
Sean sounded so ominous that his words had the opposite effect of making Tucker feel optimistic. Why, he didn’t know, but still he had to bite his cheek to keep from chuckling.
“I’ll take care of her. And Sean, I am sorry,” he said, even though he was anything but. If he had his way, he planned to keep Lucy forever.
“Let me talk to her,” Sean said.
“She’s, er, busy.” Tucker didn’t even bother to try and hide the fact that he was lying. “As a matter of fact, I’m going to let you go now,” he said. “We’ll be in touch.”
“Tucker, wait—”
Feeling like a heel, Tucker hung up the phone. No matter what, he and Sean had been best buds. He hated that for him to be happy, Sean would have to get hurt. Or vice versa.
Making his way back to the car, he pondered how much to tell Lucy. He’d prefer to stick as close to the truth as possible.
“Did you get a hold of anybody?” she asked, as he slid into the driver’s side and fastened his seat belt.
“Not at the DEA. It turns out there was no need. I called Sean first.”
“Why?” She sounded so surprised that he had to smile.
“Because I needed his help to find out what happened to Finn.” He relayed the information Sean had given him.
For a split second she simply stared up at him, expression horrified. He so badly wanted to kiss her open-with-shock mouth, that he caught himself leaning forward.
“Wait. You’re telling me that the government agents that were supposed to protect you—us—were shot and injured?”
“Two were killed, actually. Finn’s the only one still alive.” He took a deep breath, knowing she wouldn’t like what he had to say.
“So we’re on our own?” she asked, giving him a perfect lead to give her the unpleasant news.
“About that. While I’m sure the DEA will step up their game, especially since they lost their own people, I need you to be safe. I can’t look after myself as well if I’m worrying about you and our son.”
Though she visibly softened at the word “our son,” she didn’t respond, simply waited.
So he continued. “I still want you to go to a safe house. As soon as I can get a hold of someone there, I’m going to ask them to come and get you. I want you to let the DEA take care of you and Eli.”
“Right. Because they’re just so good at it?” Glaring at him, she crossed her arms. “Nope. I’m not going. I’m staying with you.”
“For your own safety—” he began.
She gave an inelegant snort. “My safety? I trust you to protect us better than them. Look at what happened in your so-called safe house. They kept you real safe, didn’t they?”
“Okay, I’ll concede that point, but—”
“No buts. Don’t even bother asking them to get me. Because I refuse to go.”
Though he wasn’t entirely sure this was a good move on her part, he couldn’t deny the relief that flooded through him at her decision. In fact, he was so relieved he finally gave in to desire and leaned over and kissed her, hard on the lips.
She felt exactly as he’d remembered in a hundred midnight dreams. Soft and warm and so damn perfect he ached for more.
But she moved restlessly, as though about to protest, and he forced himself to stop.
“I don’t know…” she murmured, biting her lip. “What about—”
Before she could say Sean’s name, he cut her off. “Don’t. Not now.”
As he lifted his head, she stared at him, mouth partially open, and something flickered in her expressive eyes. It might have been need, or pain, but he chose to call it desire, and leaned in for another kiss.
Suddenly, they were wrapped around each other, in each other’s arms. They fit together as though carved from the same bone, two halves coming to each other and making a whole. His tongue met hers, sparring as she returned his kiss. For a moment, he couldn’t catch his breath. He felt like a starving man given a feast. Lucy. Lucy. Lucy.
He couldn’t get enough of her. Inhaling her familiar strawberry scent, letting his fingers caress her silky skin, joy hit him. So much more than mere desire. He felt as if he’d finally come home. Where he belonged. With her.
“Lucy,” he murmured, making her name into a prayer. He kissed her again, unable to help himself, and whispered wordless endearments. Though he knew adrenaline likely fueled her desire, he’d take what he could get.
Time and place ceased to matter. They were together again, craving each other, and need and desire and emotion tangled up in two bodies trying to become one.
They were, he thought in a single coherent moment, making out in the front seat of the car like a pair of horny teenagers who’d been kept apart too long.
He didn’t care. This was something he’d dreamt of for an entire year. She was his and he belonged to her. To think anything else would be sheer madness.
Gliding his fingers over the perfect swell of her breasts, he reached u
p under her shirt and cupped them, her nipples hard and aroused. She moaned, pressing herself against his hand. Damn. He bit back his own cry, fighting his own arousal and the threat of lost control.
Which he would not allow. He wanted to savor this moment, revel in her. He’d been denied her for so long, he couldn’t blow it now.
When he skimmed his hand down her side, to the curve of her hip, she leaned into him, pressing her full breasts into his chest.
“It’s been too long,” she murmured against his mouth, her eyes closed as she caressed him fiercely, possessively. “I’ve missed you so much.”
Her words, along with her touch, only served to inflame him even further. “Ah, Lucy.” He wanted more. Much more. Right. Now.
Then suddenly, Lucy stiffened and pulled away. “Any moment now, the police are going to show up and tap on your window,” she said breathlessly. “And since this is a stolen vehicle, it might be a good idea for us to get moving.”
At first, his desire-fogged brain had difficulty comprehending her words. Then, as the meaning sunk in, he realized she was right.
Damn it. They needed to go somewhere else. His body throbbed, needing her, wanting her, craving her. They should go to a motel. They would have to anyway, or else sleep in the car. Which wouldn’t be good for them or baby Eli, still sleeping in his newly purchased car seat in the back.
Adjusting his clothing, aware she could see the strength of his arousal, he pondered how to best broach the subject.
“How about we find a hotel room where we can stay. Maybe one of those extended-stay places,” she said, effectively taking the pressure off him. “We’ve got to sleep someplace. Then we can see about ditching this car and finding us something else to drive—hopefully legally.”
“Sounds good,” he said, relieved and trying like hell not to picture all the things he wanted to do to her in a proper bed. Then, just as he successfully quashed the rather graphic images, she spoke again.
“And Tucker, make sure you get us a room with two beds.”
“Let me turn my phone back on and see what I can do,” he said. Digging it out of his pocket in his inflamed condition wasn’t easy, but he did it, sucking in his breath sharply when he saw the Missed Call message with Finn’s number on the screen.
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