Out of her element.
Reed’s confident, determined smile when he came out holding the keycard gave her hope.
She stepped out and grabbed one of the bags from the back.
He grabbed the rest from the other side. “We’re all set.”
“Are you sure about this place?”
“We need somewhere that takes cash without requiring ID.” He gave the front door a sorry glance. “That limits our options.”
“Which probably means their primary clients rent rooms by the hour,” she mumbled under her breath. The place certainly looked like the kind that would cater to folks with prostitutes. Or drug deals. Not a place she would’ve ever expected to walk into her whole life.
But this is what fighting for what you loved looked like. Thick or thin, better or worse, good times and bad.
He led the way to their room, around the backside of the motel. At least they had an interior hallway, despite the flickering, dying overhead lights, and concrete floors. He swiped the keycard and swung open the door.
Small was the first thought that came into Skye’s mind. Barely bigger than a walk-in closet with a heavy lemon cleaner smell that hung in the air. But it had a queen bed and a sturdy table on the far end, with a seventies-era floor lamp with tassels hanging down in the corner. The gray threadbare-carpeting looked from that decade as well.
“This will work for what we need.” Reed set the bags on the bed.
“Are you sure this lighting is enough for you?” She moved to the back of the room and drew back the curtain. The orange-amber sunlight streamed through the screen-covered window. In the far distance, the dark waters from Elliot Bay peeked through the fall-colored trees. From this spot, she couldn’t hear the water or smell its freshness, but at least she could see it. She finally took her first calming breath.
“We’ll need to keep those closed,” Reed answered. “We don’t want any prying eyes.” He turned all three locks on the door.
Skye gulped. A room with three deadbolts on a door was hardly comforting.
Reed moved beside her with an apologetic look. “I know this isn’t what you’re used to. But it’s clean, out of the way, and will give me the time I need to find this guy.” He pulled her into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re with me. But if you want to go home, just say the word. I can—”
She shook her head at his shoulder. “No. I’m with you.” She breathed in his cologne, the woodsy pine scent from their trek through the mountains. “Besides, this room is probably nicer than most places you’ve stayed in the last year. I can handle it.” After a long, soothing kiss that settled her nerves, Skye started to unpack. “You set up your equipment, and I’ll see to dinner. We’ll eat, then you can start your manhunt.”
“How did I get so lucky?” Reed wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, squeezing her tight. His breath tickled her ear as she reached behind her to caress his neck.
“Don’t start that.” She moaned when his hands moved up her front to massage her breasts. “Food first. We have a long night ahead of us.”
“Promise?” he whispered in her ear. “I finally have you all to myself. You can hardly blame me for wanting to savor it.”
She turned in his arms and kissed him. Her tongue dived deep into his mouth and tasted every morsel, stealing his breath. “That’s an appetizer,” she finally managed. “We’ll have the entree later. Now, get to work, tiger.” With a final squeeze of his fine ass, she continued unpacking.
By the time she finished, the whole table was covered with his laptop, hard drives, and more devices she didn’t recognize. But Reed clearly knew what every piece of equipment was, where it went, and how he wanted it. And there were still more devices in the bag he hadn’t yet set up.
“I thought I saw a seafood joint down the road on the way in. I’ll grab some takeout and see if their clam chowder is better than yours.”
Reed snorted. “You have a sick sense of humor.” He reached into his back pocket and handed her a wad of cash. “No credit cards. Use a fake name and take a different route back.”
“Done this a few times, haven’t you?”
“Uh, yeah.” His eyes widened. “Oh, wait. One more thing.” He reached into the bag full of ammunition. He pulled out the pistol she’d practiced with earlier that day. “Take this with you.”
She eyed it. “Is that really necessary?”
“Absolutely.”
“I’m just going to get food. I’ll be right back.”
He slipped the thing inside a discreet sleeve and attached it to the inside of her waistband.
She pursed her lips, dreading the discomfort that thing would cause her back in the truck. What good would that thing be to her anyway? Her shot was shit.
He kissed her again, this time slow and patient. Reawakening the urge to take him right to bed. “I don’t want to take any chances. You are far too precious to me.”
“Prove that to me later.” She grinned. Then he pulled the keys from his pocket.
When in the truck, her cheeks were still hot from his kiss. Despite the annoying pistol at her back, the ache between her legs practically begged for the promise later tonight.
“Easy, girl,” she calmed herself in the rearview mirror. She drove down the road. “He’s here to work. Not for a sexcapade.” How in the world could she expect him to concentrate on his task if she was distracting him? Lord knew her own brain scattered like fireflies when he was around. All the messed up orders and unfilled coffee mugs at the diner since he started working there was proof of that.
She was here to support him. Keep him on track—and safe—until he found the ones after him. She’d do her best to keep him fed, hydrated, and hell, even motivated if she had to.
With two clam chowders, a salmon-and-rice dish, and jumbo crab cakes safely in an oversized bag marked “Halsey,” Skye quickly locked the truck doors and scanned the parking lot. Maybe this runaway fugitive thing was affecting her more than she expected.
She nibbled on her lower lip as she took a different way back to the motel, just as Reed had instructed. It took longer, and she almost got lost a few times, but she managed to pull back onto motel property safe and sound. Even though she’d made sure to keep a watchful eye on the rearview mirror for followers, she seriously doubted the cartel could find them that fast and this far away from home.
The gun in her waistband was unnecessary, after all. Thank God.
With the keys in one hand and the takeout bag in the other, she returned to their room. When she opened the door, Reed hunched over the desk, adjusting some cords, his shirtless back facing her. The muscles in his shoulders bunched and tensed with every move, unbelievably enticing in the dim light.
She nearly swallowed her tongue right then. Keeping her hands off him would be next to impossible when he looked like that. Which meant, she would probably have a harder task during their stay than him.
He faced her and smiled at the bag of takeout food. “That smells awesome.”
Skye licked her top lip.
The man’s abs turned her mind to jelly.
“Do you normally work shirtless?” she asked.
He glanced down at himself. “Setting everything up made me sweat. I needed to cool off.”
She sidled past him, forcing herself not to touch him. She set the bag on the chair and dug in, needing to focus on something else.
“Skye.”
She spun around. “Yes?”
“Is there something you want?” he asked as he stepped closer, brushing her hair off her face and resting his hands on her shoulders.
Warmth spread across her cheeks under his scrutiny. “Um, no. You have work.”
His hands slid to her upper arms, bringing her closer. Her torso pressed against his strong bare chest. He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I think there is something,” he kissed her neck, “you’re thinking about. Maybe you should tell me what it is. No more secrets between us.” Another kiss.
Her brea
th came shallower as she shuddered.
“You’re gonna have to tell me.” Then he dropped his hands and stepped back.
Oh, no. She licked her lips again and closed the gap between them, resting her hands on his beautifully hard chest. “I…was just surprised to see you naked—without a shirt, I mean.”
He chuckled.
She never had to spell it out. She couldn't say why she felt so shy about it, but damn, asking for sex? Her mother had taught her to be reserved, even play hard to get. But hell, she wanted it. She wanted Reed.
Shoving that shy and reserved persona to the side, Skye embraced a more courageous version of herself from somewhere deep inside. “Can you take a break from work?”
“All you have to do is ask.” With a hand cupping her jaw, he leaned down to kiss her, guiding her tongue along his.
“Get naked with me.”
He smiled before kissing her again, thoroughly, urgently as if she was his only hold on reality. He pulled the gun from her waistband and set it on top of the television stand.
“Hey. That’s my gun.”
He chuckled.
God, that sound. Deep and husky. It vibrated throughout her body, shooting straight to her sex.
He loosened her pants and then grabbed the hem of her shirt to pull it off. “I’ll give you another gun, baby. I promise.”
Her hands stroked his pecs, trailing kisses over every angel-blessed ridge and plane. She smoothed over his abs to his jeans, unfastening the belt and zipper. She pushed the garments down as he stepped out of them. Wrapping her fingers around his length, she savored the feel of silk over steel.
He groaned. Reaching for her bra, he unclasped it, adding it to the pile. “Lie down, baby.”
In only her panties, she stretched out in the center of the bed, propping herself up on her elbows.
Reed leaned down to grab a condom from one of the bags and covered himself. Then his warm body hovered over hers, laying kisses on her, licking her neck, sucking her hard nipples.
She cried out as the electricity shot straight to her sex.
His fingers glossed over her mons, tunneling between her swelling nether lips. “Baby, I’m so glad you’re ready because I can barely wait another second.” He toyed with her clit a bit more, leaving her panting, before lowering himself over her.
She hooked her ankles at the backs of his thighs, waiting for him to join them as one.
“Please, Reed,” she begged. She learned her lesson. Ask, and ye shall receive. And she needed to receive this very second before she exploded.
“Everything about you was made for me.”
His words melted her remaining timidity. His body pushed into hers like she’d never felt what it was like to be with a man. She sighed with bliss. For her, being with Reed was like the first time. No man existed before him. Her heart and her body belonged to him. Perhaps for the rest of her life.
She had no clue how long their love-making lasted, but the sky outside had turned dark by the time her body squeezed around his cock in an intense climax. They finished together, their moans simultaneous.
Although Skye felt sated with his body on top of hers and tingles racing through her limbs, she didn’t feel complete. Not nearly.
Her life had just awakened to something bigger. Brighter. Something she’d never experienced before. Being with this sexy and caring man was dangerous, certainly. But her heart just wouldn't listen. She’d crave him forever.
Dim sunlight peeked across Skye’s face through the top crease in the shabby curtain. She stretched her arms above her head and opened her eyes.
Reed still typed away on the keyboard, the screen flashing from one window to the next with three empty disposable coffee cups in front of him.
“Have you been at that all night?” she asked.
He rubbed his eyes and cracked his knuckles. When he turned in the chair to face her, her heart ached.
He looked like hell. Dark circles set up residence under his red-rimmed eyes, and the man desperately needed a shower.
“You didn’t sleep at all, did you?” she deduced.
He shook his head. “What time is it?”
She glanced at the clock. “Just after seven.”
He sighed, then winced as he stretched his neck muscles. “I need some more coffee.”
Skye scoffed and threw the covers off her. “No, you need some sleep.”
Reed’s stomach growled audibly.
She chuckled. “Or how about some breakfast before you pass out?”
“That sounds amazing.”
She stood and pulled on her jeans. “You hop in the shower, I’ll go grab us some breakfast. Then you can get a few hours’ sleep before you get back to it.”
He came up behind her, the chair creaking as he stood and breathed in her scent off her neck. “You smell like sex and crabapple.”
She giggled. “Don’t start that. You need food.” She turned in his arms and kissed him.
“What would I do without you?”
“Probably still be sitting in that chair after yet another crappy cup of coffee, your back aching, and your eyes going cross-eyed for the next forty-eight hours.”
He kissed her forehead. “It’s sad that’s probably true.”
She slapped him on the ass. “Rinse off that digital grime, and I’ll be back in just a bit.”
She grabbed the truck keys again and pulled her hair back into a messy bun.
“Take the gun with you,” he added as he retreated into the bathroom to turn on the shower.
She scoffed. “Like the hardened criminals will be waiting for me at the coffee shop.”
Reed didn’t have the energy to push on the need for Skye to take the weapon with her. She looked so delectable all curled up in that bed, cozy and soft in just a tank top and panties. The urge to climb in beside her and have his way with her was so strong. But he truly could barely keep his eyes open.
He pulled on a fresh pair of clothes after his lightning-fast shower. The hot water barely worked at all on his tense muscles from sitting in that uncomfortable chair all night. His stomach rumbled again, protesting against all the rancid brew from the ancient coffee-maker in the room.
But his efforts were fruitful. Overnight, he’d found most of Daniel Huerta’s history. Who he’d learned was actually Diego Huerta. His mother had died when he was a child—under questionable circumstances—and Diego went to live with his father’s family in Mexico. No mention of a father on the birth certificate and much of his time south of the border wasn’t documented either, but Reed could assume that’s how Diego connected with the cartel. Through his father’s family, somehow.
But this Huerta character was extremely efficient at covering his tracks. Which is why Reed hadn’t gotten as far as he’d hoped overnight in finding the man’s specific location. Normally, tracking someone didn’t take him very much effort, their whole lives easily followed through records, social media, and banking habits. But Diego’s information was like sifting through an ocean of haystacks where the needle kept moving and stabbing pinpricks through the straw. Huerta excelled at the life of a black hat cybercriminal. A damn good one.
But Reed was better. Only a few more hours, and he’d know where that murdering psychopath was, as well as see the look in his eyes as he watched his life crumble into ash.
Reed’s year on the run was almost over.
He could barely wait to start his new life with Skye full-time. No more hiding, no more secrets. Just waking up each morning to her glorious smile, falling asleep beside her apple scent every night, and between those moments making her climax as many times as possible.
As he finished buttoning his jeans, a knock on the door pulled him from the bathroom.
“Did you forget the keycard?” He opened the door.
Not Skye.
The vicious sneer on the other side belonged to the same bastard who’d killed Joe.
Reed slammed the door, only for Diego Huerta to kick it back before it
closed, missing Reed’s face by mere inches. A silver gun glinted in the pale hallway lighting.
His training kicked in, and he knocked Huerta’s arm to the side, dislodging the gun from his grip. The weapon sailed across the bed and clanked against the headboard.
Reed turned and lunged for the gun bag.
The man barreled into the room and tackled him like a seasoned linebacker.
All the air rushed out of Reed’s lungs as he hit the floor. The television stand knocked over.
Huerta grabbed a chunk of hair on the top of his head and pulled his head back.
Reed winced and threw his elbow back, hoping to jab the guy somewhere painful. Like his jaw or temple.
Huerta hooked his arm around Reed’s elbow, holding it at a painful angle at his side, immobilizing him.
“Judging from all the equipment on the table, you’re the bastardo who made me chase my money around all those months.” The man’s voice was as cold as his hands pulling on his scalp.
All Reed could do was grimace through the pain.
“What do they know about me? Tell me, and I’ll make your death quick.”
“Fuck you,” Reed gnarled.
“I can drag this out, make it so painful you’ll beg me to kill you.”
Reed could hear the smile in the monster’s voice.
Huerta leaned closer to his ear. “How about I tie you to the chair, make you watch while I take little Miss Big Tits from behind, then slit her throat right in front of you. Will that make you talk?”
Reed thrashed against the restraint. The back of his head connected with Huerta’s nose with a crunch. The man wailed and loosened his hold. Giving Reed just enough room to wrench free and roll out.
He clambered forward for the gun bag. Before he could get it open, Huerta surged forward with a knife.
Reed dodged out of the way, barely missing getting skewered in the gut.
Blood pouring from his nose, the man lunged again.
Reed knocked his hand away, and the blade skimmed his forearm, drawing a thick line of blood. The knife flung out of the guy’s grip and clattered against the wall.
Runaway Page 18