by Cherie Marks
He met her gaze as she slowed to inch up on the scene. She gave a tentative nod before closing her eyes to briefly block the view of the bloody sight on the ground, as if she were the one in pain.
“Why’d you return? That was stupid. You put yourself in danger.”
A fiery glint entered her now open eyes, and she crossed her arms. “You are welcome, you ungrateful jerk.” Her accent thickened with her irritation.
He knew he’d be on the ground, a bullet in his head, if she hadn’t thrown that rock so accurately. “Is your aim really that good or do I owe my life to a lucky throw?”
The strained look on her face said he’d offended her again. She was a passionate, little thing, but it made her too impulsive by far. Then, the emotion suddenly cleared from her expression, and he got the idea it was a trait she’d picked up recently. She had learned to hide her emotions. He wondered what other tricks she’d learned in the real world.
“My aim is perfect. Just hope you never have a reason to see firsthand.”
He almost grinned…almost. “Still doesn’t answer why you came back here. You should be miles from here by now.”
She uncrossed her arms and shifted her feet nervously. “I do not have anywhere else to go. Honestly, I came back to see whose side you were really on.”
His lip curled slightly as he realized, at this rate, she was going to make protecting her easy. At least now he wouldn’t have to waste time chasing and convincing her. “Satisfied?”
“I believe my father really did send you, and I believe men are after me. But, no. I’m not satisfied. This is not what I had planned.”
He pursed his lips and looked at the tops of the trees, swaying in the muted light of the quarter moon. “Yeah, me neither.”
“So, if I choose to go with you until these guys are no longer a threat, what does that get me?”
“What do you want?”
She re-crossed her arms and angled her head to the side. “My life. I want to be able to go anywhere without looking over my shoulder for my father or his enemies…or anyone like you.”
That wasn’t what he was getting paid for, but if he told her that he intended to take her back to her father, she’d take off again, and he didn’t know if the other Russians were close by or not. He really just wanted to get out of here and get her somewhere safe.
But he had to try to help her see reason. “Don’t you think you’d be safer in your family home?”
“Is that your plan? To take me back to Estonia? Because if that is what you are thinking, I am out of here.”
Maybe it was wrong to tell her what she wanted to hear, to trick her into trusting him, but he was a jackal after all. And she wasn’t safe out here on her own. He wasn’t sure exactly why he cared so much about her safety, but he had no intention of leaving without her in his car.
Hands planted on hips, he eyed her and said, “If you come with me now, once this is all over with, I’ll take you somewhere far from here, somewhere you can live your life, and I’ll tell no one where you are, no matter what.” It wasn’t a lie…really. He would take her far from here—back to Estonia—and she could go about living her life, even if it wasn’t exactly the one she apparently had planned. And there’d be no need to tell anyone her location because she’d be with her father once more.
Doubt skipped through her gaze briefly, and he couldn’t blame her. She was a jackal too and knew all about the art of manipulation, but surprisingly, she straightened and nodded. “I will go with you. But if I even get a hint that you are lying to me, I will run first chance I get.”
“I understand.”
“But…not before I slam my foot…hard…between your legs.”
Vicious little thing too. “Point taken. Now, let’s get out of here before any more of these guys come chasing after you.”
With precision, his attention turned to the men on the ground as he pointed his gun at the first one’s head. Time to eliminate the threat and get out of here before the other two from the restaurant showed up.
“Wait! You cannot just kill them.”
He looked at her incredulously. “What are you talking about? I can’t leave them alive. They’ll just keep coming after you.”
“I…I understand that, but I cannot…I cannot let you kill them in cold blood. Not for me.”
His finger rested heavily on the trigger. One simple action, and they’d be that much closer to freedom, but he was also earning her trust. The same action would alienate her from him quicker than the truth about their current engagement and impending marriage.
“Fine. Maybe leaving them alive to carry a message back to their boss is a better way to go. But we need to leave now.”
“Where are we going?”
He gave a nervous look to the men on the ground once again before answering. “Somewhere safe and close.”
By somewhere safe, he’d meant his home, one of the cabins around Nightmoon Creek. And though she was actually beginning to trust that he was there to protect her, the reality of being alone with someone who was essentially a stranger…and an attractive one at that…was making her question her own sanity. A long walk through the woods was also making her question her sanity. They’d abandoned his car and walked a ways to his cabin. Before they’d set out though, he’d poured a powder along the ground and explained it would cover their scent trail. It occurred to her she needed to get her hands on some.
She walked into the dimly-lit, wooden cabin and realized it was basically one, large room with a loft area up a set of steep, winding stairs. The pleasant aroma of the yellow, milled wood of the walls was nice, and she thought they were some kind of pine. The ceiling rose high above her with a large chandelier made from some kind of animal’s antlers in the center. A stone fireplace rose from floor to ceiling to the left of the door.
Alex followed her into the cabin and flipped on the overhead lights, giving her a better view of the interior. A leather couch and a chair were situated in front of the fireplace. To her right, under the loft, she noticed the small kitchen with a two-person table in the center. The only unknown space was a closed door off the kitchen, which she was hoping was at least an indoor bathroom. She’d adapted to a new way of life, but she refused to do outhouses. Yet, it was the lack of space that concerned her most. Unless a whole other section of house was on the other side of that door, there wasn’t much room for two people to move around in here.
“It’s a rental while I’m in town. I know it’s small, but I didn’t expect guests.”
“What’s through the door?” She moved to stand next to the couch.
“Bathroom.”
“With indoor plumbing?”
“Of course.”
Thank goodness! “Where do you sleep?” She thought she knew the answer to her question as she looked up the winding staircase.
“Bed’s in the loft. You can have it. I usually sleep on the couch anyway.” He began removing his jacket and shoes. Next thing to go was his shirt. He tugged it from his jeans, exposing hints of his six-pack abs as he went. When he finally pulled it completely off his torso, she couldn’t help but think he had more like a twelve-pack, her own stomach muscles clenching in reaction, and her hands tingled at the thought of running her fingers over his lightly furred chest and all that smooth, muscled skin. She bit her lip as a flutter picked up in her mid-section. Spank you very much! As her gaze traveled up, she locked onto his intelligent, honey-colored eyes before quickly looking away.
Awk…ward. Again, she felt strange about their situation and couldn’t help but ask, “What do we do now? Just hang out in this cabin all day and night? For how long?”
He moved toward the loft and went up the stairs and out of sight. Yet, she could still hear him moving around as he explained, “For a couple of days, we’ll stay put while I set up some travel plans. Then, I’ll head into town to check on our Russian friends. Once I know what we’re up against, we’ll leave.”
“And go where?”
He appeared at the top of the stairs again and began to descend with some articles of clothing in his hands. “Don’t quite know yet, but I’ve got some options. I’ll keep you updated as I figure things out.”
“You will keep me updated?” Why did she suddenly lack confidence in anything he said?
“Would you like to shower?” He paused at the bottom of the stairs and tossed something in her direction. It landed on the couch beside her, and as she picked it up, she realized it was an oversized t-shirt—one of his—and she was afraid she knew why he’d thrown it to her. He wasn’t going to risk getting any of her stuff from her apartment.
“Um…no thanks to the shower.” No way was she putting herself in such a vulnerable position after what had just happened. “Do you have any sweatpants I could borrow?”
“They’d swallow you, but the drawers are upstairs. You’re welcome to anything I have.” He turned away. “If you’re not going to shower, I am.”
She watched him leave, enjoying the bunch and roll of the muscles under the golden skin of his wide back. She likened it to silk pouring down a mountain, and it was scary how much she wished she could rewind it and watch it over and over. Yet, as soon as he closed the door, she shook herself out of her daydreaming and made her way up the stairs to rifle through his drawers. For the briefest of moments, she paused and considered making a run for the door instead. But as soon as the thought occurred, she pushed it away. She really had nowhere else to go tonight that she knew for certain was safe. Considering all her options, she continued up the stairs. At least here, Alex seemed willing to protect her, even if it was just because her father had hired him to do so. And she couldn’t deny the fact he was a fantasy come to life, so how bad could it be to stay for one night?
He hadn’t been lying. All his pants were humongous on her, so she gave up and slipped out of his jacket, laying it over the top of the dresser. She pulled the t-shirt he’d found for her over her head. It fell to mid-thigh and hung a little off her shoulder but was loose enough that she felt well covered, even if her hardened nipples poked at the cotton fabric. Braless and commando wasn’t her first choice. She’d just cross her legs and arms all the time. Awkward much?
Once she’d changed, she wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself. She wasn’t really tired yet but didn’t know if she should stay in the loft or have a seat on the couch. In the end, she decided to go down the stairs, get herself a glass of water, and sit at the kitchen table.
She straightened when she heard the shower cut off, but it was still a few minutes before Alex emerged in a pair of flannel sleeping pants. Her gaze was drawn to his damp, exposed chest once more and the narrowing of his waist where a trail of hair rippled over the undulations of his abs and down into his waistband, but she worked hard to keep it nonchalant, pasting an unemotional smile onto her face.
“Hope you don’t mind I helped myself to something to drink.”
He crossed to an overhead cabinet and pulled out two long-stemmed glasses. “I have something a little stronger if you’d like.” Out of the narrow refrigerator, he pulled a bottle of some kind of white wine.
“I would not say no to a glass.” But only one. She hardly ever drank alcohol, only on holidays and with dinner occasionally. It wouldn’t take much to make her tipsy.
He poured until the glasses were about half full and placed one in front of her on the table. He took the seat across from her, took a sip of his own, and angled his head slightly to the side, as if trying to figure something out about her.
She sipped from her own glass and once it touched her tongue, she tasted a burst of fruit along with the slight burn she’d expected as she swallowed. The second sip was much smoother and by the fourth sip, she felt the tingly warmth of the alcohol going to work on her system. Her nervous energy built up from the attack seemed to be slipping away, and she stared at Alex through her lashes.
“Allergic to shirts?” She probably should’ve eaten something more than a piece of bread for dinner. Her lack of sustenance mixed with alcohol might be making her a little too brave for her own good.
He laughed lightly and readjusted in his chair as he cleared his throat. “Couldn’t find any sweats that fit?”
She looked down at herself. “No, but the t-shirt fits just fine.” At that moment, the collar slid down her arm a little, exposing her shoulder and causing her to giggle slightly as she straightened it back up. “Well, almost, anyway.”
Heat seeped into his eyes, and she felt seared to her soul from his intense gaze. There was a palpable tension between them that, rather than push her away, seemed to draw her closer toward the danger of this man. He took another sip of his wine and sat back, crossing his arms over his chest. The table between them suddenly felt like a ten-foot pole made of braided spaghetti noodles. She needed more than a table to make her body stop the combustible reaction to him currently taking place.
With a slight shake of his head, his gaze slid to the side, like he was sharpening his concentration. He looked up and the desire she’d seen moments before had cleared.
“Why Indiana? I still don’t quite understand how an Estonian princess ended up here?”
“My sister Dasha contacted people she trusted. With their help, I got a student visa to come to the U. S. I stayed with them for a couple months, and they gave me a job at the bakery, I registered for classes, and moved into an apartment close to Beatrice’s.” Tasia’s thoughts returned to her friend. “I hope she is okay.”
“She seemed pretty capable to me. I’d say she’s doing just fine and can take care of herself.”
And she was probably worried about Tasia. “I need to let her know I am okay.”
“Not unless you want to tangle with those Russians again. I guarantee they’re monitoring all her movements and communications, waiting for you to make their job easy and reveal exactly where you are.”
“Will they not figure out who you are and find us here anyway?”
“I know how to disappear. Even if they learned who I was, this cabin isn’t in my name, and it’s why we abandoned the car and walked the rest of the way here. The car wasn’t in my name either.”
What was that supposed to mean? “Did you steal the car? Break into the cabin? Are we going to be arrested?”
“Give me more credit than that. My job requires me to be a ghost most of the time. I just know how to acquire things without revealing who I really am.”
The alarm bells were back. “Do I know who you really are?”
Was it just her or did his eyes suddenly get shifty?
“I haven’t once lied to you, Tasia. Every detail I’ve told you is true.”
His tone of voice rang with truth, and she wanted to believe him, but something about his phrasing bothered her. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but his explanation still made her nervous.
“Your father sent me to protect you, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. But my question for you is, why are you here with me instead of in Estonia with your father?”
She really wasn’t ready to go into the deep, deep details, so she took a long drink and shrugged. “There are very few things I would not do for my father, but he asked me to do something I found beyond appalling. I refused, but it did not matter. He insisted, so I ran away.”
He lowered his eyes to the table and sat in silence for so long she thought he wasn’t going to react. Probably judging her as a spoiled, rich princess who’d acted like a child. Then, he looked up and said, “You shouldn’t have to do something you don’t want to do.” And in that moment, she relaxed a little more. Maybe he was on her side, and his words made her trust him just a bit, made her like him a tad more. But what caused her concern was how it deepened her attraction to him, which was already bordering on infatuation.
It hurt a tiny amount to admit she might have a soft spot for a hero. Truth be told, she had to be careful because she could fall for Alex in a heartbeat. He was her kind of weakness.
“I am
exhausted. Think I will go to bed.” She wasn’t really that tired but recognized the danger of the combination of the wine and the man in front of her. It was time to get out while the getting was good, before she did something she’d regret.
“I’ll be gone when you wake in the morning.”
She watched as his skin gave and tensed in a short-arm stretch, her tongue about to fall out of her mouth at the sight of all the muscled gorgeousness, at his chest and abs rippling.
With a mental shake, she switched topics quickly. “I usually go for a run in the mornings.”
“You won’t tomorrow. It’d leave you too vulnerable.”
Though she didn’t like it, she had to agree. It was a temporary inconvenience. She reminded herself that all of this was temporary. The cabin, the man, the Russians—all temporary, if she paid attention and looked for the next opportunity to run, which might just be in the morning.
“You are probably right. I will be fine for a couple days.” She stood and nervously pulled at the hem of the t-shirt, catching the drop and rise of his gaze as he looked her over. A nervous tingle ran the length of her spine with his intense scrutiny. She really needed to go before she did something stupid, like edge up to his side and trace her fingers over his hot, hot chest.
Yep, it was definitely time to run.
He knew when he was beat, and after the sleepless night he’d had, listening to her soft breaths and smelling her delectable scent, there was no doubt left in his mind. Being this close to her was going to be the kind of torture that could kill him if he didn’t clear this matter up soon. Unfortunately, none of his contacts were coming through for him. Two of his most trusted colleagues were on assignments, and the closest safe house he used didn’t have any room currently.
