Love on the Forbidden Side

by Mariah Ankenman

  She was going to vomit, now.

  Flinging the truck door open, she released the latch on her seatbelt and leaned over, emptying the contents of her stomach on a scraggly bush.

  “Julie! Honey, are you okay? Are you dizzy? Blurry vision? Confusion?”

  “It’s not a concussion.” At least, she didn’t think so. Probably a good idea to get a scan once they got to a hospital. If they could make it to one before Jason found them. “I’m just freaking out a little. Sorry.”

  “Don’t apologize. You’re holding it together better than most people would.”

  She doubted that, but it was nice of him to say.

  “We need to get out of here and back to the road. Flag someone down before Kline finds us.”

  “What if he’s up there?”

  She glanced out the back window. They had fallen so far down she couldn’t see the road anymore. No sign of a madman coming after them, but the area surrounding them was filled with trees. Plenty of places for someone to hide in waiting.

  “I need my phone and gun.” Liam grunted, releasing his seatbelt with his good hand, right arm hanging limply at his side.

  “Let me,” she offered when he tried, awkwardly, to grab his cell from his right pocket with his left hand.

  If the situation had been less dire, she would have a made a “just a phone in your pocket or are you happy to see me” joke. The inappropriate comment still rang in her mind, but thankfully, her mouth had the wherewithal to keep shut. Liam was in enough pain, he didn’t need her ill-humor to add to it.

  “Got it.” Pulling it free from his pocket, she held it out, but Liam shook his head.

  “Call my boss. Number two on the speed dial.”

  Tapping the screen, she asked for his passcode. He gave it without hesitation. Once she typed it in, she brought up his favorites list. A list of pictures and names popped up. There on the second line down was a blank avatar with the name Graves next to it. As she pressed the screen, picture switching to the connecting dots, she mentally filed away the information that she was first on Liam’s speed dial, the picture one of her smiling in her cap and gown after graduating from UC.

  Being number one on someone’s phone meant something, right?

  She didn’t have time to think about that now. The phone clicked over, ringing in her ear twice before a gruff man’s voice came over the line.

  “Graham, have you made it to the safe house yet? We’ve got intel that Kline—”

  “Hello?”

  There was a pause, then the voice came back, darker. “Who is this?”

  “My name is Julie Ryder. I’m Liam’s…friend.”

  “Where is Graham? Why the hell do you have his phone?”

  She jumped at the rough words shouted in her ear.

  “Put it on speaker, honey.” Liam’s calm voice grounded her. Bringing the phone away from her ear, she touched the speaker icon.

  Suddenly, his boss’s loud voice filled the ruined truck. “Where the hell is my agent?”

  “Here, sir.”

  “Graham?”

  “Yeah, I’m here. We’re not at the safe house. Kline found us. He ran us off the road.”

  His boss let out a very creative string of four letter words. “Is he in the area?”

  “Unconfirmed, but I doubt he’d leave without making sure he finished the job.”

  “I contacted the sheriff’s office in Peak Town and the locals in Aspen. Sent them your way. They should be in town by now. I’ll call the chief and let him know your location. We’ve got people coming, stay sharp. Watch your six.”

  “Affirmative.”

  The phone went dead as Graves hung up. Julie slid the phone back into Liam’s pocket. He retrieved his gun from the ankle holster, left hand gripping it tightly.

  “How does he know where we are?”

  He glanced behind them, wincing slightly as he answered her. “GPS from my phone. It links back to the FBI office.”

  Lucky for them.

  “We have to move. We can’t sit here like waiting ducks.” He turned back to her, face hard, expressionless, his agent mask fully in place. “If Kline is out there, he’ll come to the wreck first. We have to get as far away from this thing as possible.”

  “Right.”

  Fear grew like a living thing inside her. A snake coiling around her belly, squeezing every last breath out of her. Never had she been so scared in her entire life. Even when David had her, it hadn’t been like this. She’d been the only one at risk in that situation. Now, the life of the man she loved was on the line, too.

  And she did love Liam. So much. Had for a long time. It didn’t seem fair that she finally got to have a taste of him only to have it all on the brink of being taken away. After years of friendship and flirting, he’d finally crossed the boundary with her and now…

  No!

  She would not allow the evil little demon of fear to swamp her mind with negative thoughts. They were going to be just fine. Liam had a gun, the cops and FBI were on the way. All they had to do was outrun a murderer who might or might not be out there.

  Easy peazy.

  “I’ll get out first, you follow behind me like glue. Got it?”

  She nodded, afraid if she opened her mouth, instead of the strong words in her mind, a sob might squeak out. Her body might be quaking with terror inside, but she’d be damned if she let it out.

  The creak of the truck door opening sounded far too loud to her ears. She’d seen too many horror movies. Every tree her gaze fell on made her imagine Jason jumping out from behind with a chainsaw or some equally stupid weapon.

  Liam stepped out of the truck, gun held up in front of him. When he motioned to her with a nod of his head, she quickly undid her seatbelt, scooted across the seats, and followed him out the driver’s side door. Her battered and bruised muscles screamed at her as she moved, but she blocked out the pain.

  The forest stood still. Nothing moved; no sounds from birds or insects. Strange, as if the whole world had been put on pause.

  “We’re going to head for the road. It’s our best shot,” he spoke softly, the sound barely carrying back to her. “Hang onto me and don’t let go.”

  She grabbed a fist full of his shirt, being careful not to jar his injured arm, happy to do anything he asked as long as he got them out of this alive. He led them about fifty paces away from the vehicle before turning up the incline. It was amazing to see the way he carried himself even though she knew he had to be fighting massive amounts of pain. But Liam didn’t show any of it. He held the gun in his left hand, keeping his right arm tucked in against his body as he carefully guided them up the embankment. Must be all that FBI training; she had no idea how he wasn’t crying like a baby. She sure would be.

  As they started to make their way up the hill, walking quickly, but cautiously, she ignored the tiny stings of pain in her body. If Liam could do this with a dislocated shoulder, she could certainly keep up with nothing but a few bumps and bruises. Hope rose in her chest with every step they took. The thin, pine-scented air smelled like freedom as they climbed up the steep embankment. She stepped softly, trying to keep her footsteps as silent as possible, ears and eyes on high alert for any sign of Kline.

  As they climbed the last bit of hill, Liam crouched down two feet below the road’s embankment, motioning for her to do the same. She obeyed his order without question, hunching down behind him.

  Liam slowly popped his head up, glancing down the road. She heard his soft curse as he crouched back down.

  “He’s up there.”

  Three words, so utterly terrifying she froze.

  “I think he’s waiting to see if we come up the hill.”

  The truck crashed so far down it couldn’t be seen from the road, but a path of broken trees and trampled bushes left a clear view of anyone trudging up. Smart move on Liam’s part to have them head out to the side before going straight up. Still, how were they going to get past Jason? If they came out onto the road, h
e would see them. They could try heading back through the woods, but it was very easy to get lost up here.

  She hated this! Hated being scared, hated having her life and the lives of the people she loved threatened, hated the evil people of the world and how they preyed on the weak. It had to end, right now. Life could deal you some real crap hands, she knew all too well, but another thing she knew was that the game could go the way you wanted if you just twisted the rules a little.

  Time to make this asshole play by house rules.

  Knowing what she had to do, she grabbed Liam’s face, pulling him to her for a fast, desperate kiss. Releasing him, she gazed deeply into his eyes, willing him to see the logic in her plan. She kept her words just above a whisper. “I have an idea, but you have to trust me.”

  His gaze narrowed, suspicion etched on every line of his face. His voice was low and dark. “I’m not going to like this am I?”

  “No, but we don’t have a lot of options.”

  “I can shoot the son of a bitch in the back from here.”

  She didn’t doubt that, he was an excellent shot, however, she would not allow him to shoot Jason in the back. “No you can’t, because that would be murder, and that’s not the kind of man you are.”

  His grip tightened on the gun in his hand. “He’s a murderer. He ran us off the road and is waiting to finish the job.”

  “And you’re an FBI agent sworn to uphold the law, and a good man.” Plus, he shot with his right hand, which now dangled uselessly at his side. No doubt he had been trained to shoot with both, but she didn’t want to risk what little ammunition he might have. “You can’t kill him, Liam. I won’t let you do that to yourself. He’s not worth it.”

  “You’re worth it. You’re worth everything.”

  He had no idea how much those words meant to her. The declaration behind them bolstered her, strengthening her resolve to do what had to be done. Brushing a hand down the side of his face over the small scratch that had already stopped bleeding, she smiled.

  “I feel the same. So, how about you hear me out, and we both get out of this alive without anyone sacrificing any part of themselves?”

  For a moment, she thought he was going to disagree, run up the hill gun blazing and possibly get his fool-self killed, but he nodded, motioning for her to continue.

  Grateful for his faith in her, she gifted him with a smile before quietly launching into her idea. If it worked—and it sure as hell better—it would all be over soon, and by this time tomorrow, Jason Kline would be locked up, and she could get back to doing the thing she wanted most.

  Loving the man in front of her ’til the end of time.

  Chapter 24

  I hate this idea.

  Liam huddled at the very edge of the road, hidden by some large bushes. His shoulder hurt like a son-of-a-bitch. If he didn’t get the joint back in its socket soon, the swelling would do irreversible damage.

  Looked like the desk job would be an eventuality now.

  He shook his head, no time to think about that.

  Why the hell did I agree to this?

  Because his shooting arm was useless, and he didn’t trust his left to make a shot unless up close. And to get close enough without risking their lives they needed a distraction.

  But why does it have to be her?

  Somehow—he still wasn’t sure exactly how yet—Julie convinced him she needed to be the one to distract Kline. Her plan was pretty good, he had to admit. The agent in him saw the strengths and ability for success, but the man in him only saw the woman he loved putting herself in harm’s way.

  The most dangerous mission of his life lay before him. He had to focus.

  Shifting on the balls of his feet, he squinted through the branches of the shrub. The view wasn’t as clear as he would like, but he could see Kline on the edge of the road still staring down where the truck pitched off the side.

  “Jason Kline.”

  Liam’s whole body tensed as Julie’s sweet voice drifted from the thick woods. It was time. Gripping his gun tightly in his non-shooting hand, he silently begged fate to have his back on this one. He was fighting for more than his life this time, he was fighting for love.

  ****

  “Jason Kline.” Good, her voice sounded strong, confident. Nothing like the messy puddles of fear and nerves she felt inside.

  Julie watched from her hiding place—slightly down the hill and fifteen feet up a sturdy pine—as Kline whirled around trying to place her location.

  Good luck, jerkwad.

  The mountains surrounding them were perfect for creating an echo. Voices bounced off the rocks making it nearly impossible to tell where someone was. Once, as a teen, she had wandered off a trail and gotten lost hiking. It felt like hours, but in reality had only been minutes before her brother came searching. She remembered hearing Jake’s voice and how it appeared to come from everywhere all at once. Thankfully, she fell back on her wilderness training and stayed put until her brother came across her, terrified a bear or mountain lion would eat her up before anyone found her.

  That was nothing compared to the fear coursing through her at the moment.

  “Julie Ryder.”

  The answering call was harsh and sent a chill up her spine. She’d take a wild animal over this guy any day.

  “Come out, come out, wherever you are.”

  Yeah, like that would entice her to reveal herself. Was this guy for real?

  “Come on, Prosecutor. Don’t you want to tell me what a bad boy I’ve been? How evil I am and that I need to be put away for the good of society?”

  She watched from her perch as he stepped closer to the embankment.

  Yes, good!

  The plan was working. If she could just distract Jason long enough for Liam to sneak up and get the drop on the guy, everything would be okay. Liam could incapacitate him, then all they would have to do is wait for the authorities to get there.

  Easy as pie.

  “You are a monster, and you do need to be put away for what you did to Trisha Bowles.”

  His face twisted into an ugly scowl, head darting around, trying to find her location. “She was my bitch, and she disrespected me!”

  “She was her own person, and no one deserved what you did to her.”

  The sudden sound of a gunshot ripped through the air. Birds screeched, taking off in flight. A bunny hopped out of a nearby bush, running for its sweet little life. Julie held in a scream of terror, tightening her grip on the rough bark of the tree. She’d speculated he had a gun, but the confirmation of it added a whole new level of fear. Chills shook her body, and she pressed as close as she could to the branch to quell them.

  “Fuck you! Come out here and say that to my face!”

  What, were they in grade school? Did he really think these schoolyard taunts would bring her out of hiding? The man couldn’t be that stupid.

  “Or maybe you’re just too chicken.”

  He really is that stupid.

  “Give it up, Jason. The cops are on their way. You’ll never get away with this.”

  He stepped closer to the edge, head turning, gun swinging. She was confident in her hiding spot, but…

  Please don’t look up, please don’t look up.

  “The cops are idiots. I got free once. I can do it again.”

  Now, there was a disturbing statement. Another shot ricocheted off a large boulder directly beneath her. She couldn’t stop the involuntary screech as it burst from her lips. Kline’s evil chuckle carried over the wind, chilling her, making her shake as she clung to the tree trunk.

  “Got a little too close with that one did I?”

  “Why are you doing this?” The words ripped out of her, she had to know. He stood a dozen feet away and to the left. She doubted he could see her, but just in case, she shimmied around the trunk, putting more of the thick pine branches between her line of sight and Kline. “Why didn’t you just run for the border? For freedom?”

  “You took away my f
reedom! You and that fucking judge decided to take away my life. Now I have to live on the run, always looking over my shoulder. Fuck you! You deserve to die, and once the judge comes out of hiding, I’ll kill him, too. It’s your fault!”

  “No, it’s your fault. You were the one who killed your girlfriend. You made that choice, and now you have to accept the consequences of your actions.”

  A scream of rage spewed from his mouth followed by five shots. Dirt kicked up around the tree, spraying the air beneath her. Palms slick with sweat, she tightened her grip. Her head began to feel fuzzy, and she realized she was hyperventilating. Knowing if she passed out she would fall and break her neck—and reveal her hiding spot—she slowed her breathing, sucking in deep breaths and letting them out slowly until her racing heartbeat calmed to a half-steady pace.

  Where was Liam? She craned her neck, trying to see the road beyond the madman with the gun. Kline was sufficiently distracted. Liam could sneak up behind him now and take him out, right?

  Where are you?

  Gaze scanning the road, her pulse picked up when she spotted her FBI man rising from a large bush on the side of the road. Jason still faced the forest so he didn’t see Liam’s approach on silent feet. Pride, love, and fear filled her as she watched the man who held her heart—battered, bruised, and full of deadly confidence—bravely make his way toward a killer.

  Man, Liam’s sexy. Even in the middle of fighting for their lives her heartbeat raced at the sight of him.

  Or maybe that was from the danger of a psycho killer trying to murder her.

  Liam stepped closer and closer, only feet behind Jason now.

  This is going to work. We’re going to make it!

  Liam’s foot stepped on a small twig in the road, the snap reverberating louder than any tiny stick had a right to. It was so horror movie cliché, she almost laughed, but all humor fled as she watched Kline start to turn.

  Knowing she had to do something or the convict would shoot Liam—and most likely kill him at such close range—she grabbed a pinecone off the branch in front of her. Hurling the light object through the air, she screamed as loud as her voice would allow. Kline’s attention shot back to the woods. The pinecone sailed through the air, hitting him directly in the face.