by J. K Harper
“Let’s go.”
“Roger.”
The driver pulled into traffic. She knew that they were going south from the position of the setting sun, but that was about it.
She wrapped her arms around herself and thought. She was having doubts now that she was in a car with someone she didn’t know. She bit her lip. Maybe she’d been too hasty to pack up everything.
“Do I need to go to a safe house with you? I have some friends in DC that might be able to…”
“No. Do you want to put them at risk?”
She shook her head.
“Then don’t stick around them. Don’t contact them. We’ll figure out a way to post on Facebook that you feel really sick and contagious right now. You’ll be fine.”
Amani leaned her head against the seat back, since she was too short for her head to touch the head rest.
“You have it all figured out.”
“It’s my job.” He reached for her hand. She felt a spark of static electricity that made her pulse race. “I want to keep you safe.”
“What do you do?”
Gerard groaned. “Ugh. I’m a private investigator.”
“Why are you groaning?”
“Because of your next question.”
“What do I have to do with an investigation?”
“Yup, that’s the one.”
Amani looked at Gerard, who had his hand over his eyes.
“I’m part of the investigation that you’re doing right now, right?”
“Yes and no. I’ve been trying to track down the Sicarii for a while now.”
“Why?”
Gerard cleared his throat. “Reasons.”
“Oh…kay.”
“Anyway, I smelled them in that alley. Good thing that I caught them before they could hurt you.”
“I don’t understand why I was targeted.”
“What do you work on?”
“Uh…boring stuff. Grants and research and whatever.”
“Who do you work for?”
“The Department of Justice, but I’m not a lawyer.”
“I’m not a lawyer, either.” He sighed. “But that’s a motive to shut you up.”
“No, it’s not. I just do research on mass homicide, it’s not like I’m actually…”
“Important. You were about to say important.”
“Why would they target someone like me?”
“How much do you know about mass homicide?”
“I don’t know.”
“Try to estimate.”
“Well, I’ve been exposed to a lot of the research, but I’m just pulling it together for people who have put in FOIA requests.”
“Why on earth would you be targeted?” Gerard frowned. “It makes no sense.”
He closed his eyes, clearly thinking about it. Amani just shook her head. She didn’t know why they were trying to kill and/or hurt her, perhaps not in that order.
“Have you done any work on terrorism?”
“Yup.”
“How much?”
“Well, a lot of mass shootings don’t have anything to do with terrorism.”
“But some of them do.”
“Yeah, the ones that make it into the news.”
“Domestic terrorism?”
“Yeah.”
“International?”
She squirmed. “A little bit. There’s a big difference between the data I can access about terrorism on American soil and terrorism perpetrated by Americans in other countries.”
“Let’s assume that it’s terrorism on American soil. Are you an expert on it?”
She snorted. “Hardly. The DOD and a lot of other people are far more qualified to handle counterterrorism measures than I am. I’m just a fact finder.”
“I think that you must have found something that they wanted to keep hidden.”
“But everything that I’m pulling from is from the DOJ records — it’s not like it’s from some top-secret archive.”
“Something that you’ve touched has triggered an alarm. That’s why they’re coming for you.”
Amani shook her head. “No, this is all a mistake. I don’t know anything about terrorists. It’s not my specialty.”
“It makes sense. They are probably trying to keep their existence a secret. Somewhere in your files is objective proof that the Sicarii exist.”
Amani turned to look at her big suitcase. Her laptop was inside. “Well, when we’ve gotten to the safe house, we can take a look. It’s not classified or anything, so I feel comfortable sharing research reports.”
Their conversation was interrupted by a huge screech of tires.
Accident
Amani
Amani didn’t even have time to scream as she felt the impact of a car hitting their SUV. Luckily, it was hitting the back, but she could still feel the force of the blow. She was glad that she wore her seatbelt. The car alarms started to go crazy after the accident. She clamped her hands over her ears.
“Get out of the car,” Gerard shouted. He was unbuckling her seatbelt. She opened the door and got out of the car.
The other driver should’ve been in the same shape as them or maybe knocked around a little. But Amani watched in horror as he pulled back and drove out of sight.
“Holy…” Gerard didn’t finish that sentence. He looked at the twisted metal that had been left behind by the hit-and-run driver.
There was someone coming out of a car that was parked on the side of the road behind them.
“Everyone okay? You need assistance? That asshole was driving way too close to you — I’m just glad everyone is alive.”
“I don’t…I don’t think that anything is wrong.” Amani tried to slow down her breathing.
“We’re just a little shaken.”
Amani could hear the wail of sirens. Someone must’ve reported the accident.
Within two minutes, there were police cars and an ambulance and also, inexplicably, a fire truck. Amani supposed that the car could burst into flames, but she hoped that it wouldn’t.
The paramedics in the ambulance had briskly wrapped blankets around the three of them — Gerard, the driver, and Amani. They were doing basic checks, but they weren’t going to find anything. That asshole hadn’t done anything besides scare the ever-loving excrement out of Amani.
After what seemed like an eternity later, the police had taken their statements. They’d have a report to give to their insurance. The driver and Gerard were talking near Amani in hushed voices. She was clutching the blanket around her and wishing that she was home when Gerard crouched in front of her.
“Hey.”
“Hey.” She tried to smile but couldn’t.
“Do you feel up to going to the safe house tonight? If you don’t, that’s fine. We can stay in a hotel, as long as we pay in cash. Additionally, I have some credit cards that are under another name.”
Amani held back tears. He was so nice, and it wouldn’t be fair to just fall to pieces once everything was over.
“A hotel would be nice.”
“We’ll find a car tomorrow. We’ll keep you safe. I promise.”
Gerard pulled Amani to her feet, though one hand still clutched her blanket. With one look at Gerard, she knew that he really meant it.
Gerard used his phone to find the second-nearest hotel. They pulled their stuff out of the car and hoofed it to the hotel. Gerard checked the three of them in as Amelia, Joe, and Michael Glenbury. If the clerk didn’t believe them, he didn’t say much. He just handed over three sets of keys to the hotel suite and waved as they went on their way.
As soon as they went upstairs and got into their suite, their driver went into his room and called, “Goodnight!” over his shoulder. The door closed behind him. A few seconds later, they could hear the shower turn on.
Now that Amani was safe and off the street, she began to cry.
Gerard quickly put his arms around her. Then he picked her up and carried her to the couch. In other circums
tances, Amani would’ve fought the intimate situation, but she needed to be held. She cried into his shoulder as he stroked her back.
“You’re okay,” he whispered to her.
Finally her sobs became hiccups which shook her whole body. Gerard kissed the top of her head.
“Okay now?”
“Yeah.” Amani climbed out of his lap. “I’m starving for some reason.”
“We can order room service.”
“What about your driver?”
Gerard shrugged. “If he wants it, he can order it. How does a cheeseburger sound to you?”
They both heard Amani’s stomach growl.
“I guess that’s my answer, then.”
He picked up the phone and ordered their food. The phone clicked as he put the phone back into the receiver.
“They say it’ll be sent up in an hour. Do you want to change and shower before you settle in for the night?”
A warm shower sounded like heaven to Amani at the moment, so she nodded and went into the nearest bedroom. She went into the shower and washed away the dust of the day. She had no idea when she’d woken up this morning that her life would change so dramatically. It was one thing to have Gerard in her life, but it was a whole different thing to be targeted by trained assassins. If she’d known how dangerous researching the few terrorism-related mass homicides would be, she would’ve taken up knitting or something as her profession.
The idea of Amani holding knitting needles made her giggle. When she was ten, her grandmother had tried to teach her, but she’d been hopeless. Knitting required patience and concentration that she didn’t have.
By the time she turned off the water, she felt a lot better. She wasn’t wearing any makeup, because she figured that Gerard had already seen her at her worst.
There was a knock on her bedroom door, which she could hear even though she was in the bathroom.
“They sent the food.”
“Coming!” Amani called. She put on one of her dresses and walked out into the main area of the suite.
The scent of the cheeseburgers hit her like a sledgehammer.
Cheeseburgers
Amani
Though Gerard had to have heard her stomach growling again, he didn’t say anything. He had set her cheeseburger in front of the seat opposite from him at the little table.
“Sit down and eat.”
“I shouldn’t even be hungry — I had a big dinner.”
“Stop feeling guilty and just eat. I like a girl with an appetite.”
Her cheeks flushed a little, but Gerard just smiled at her.
She bit into her burger. After she swallowed her first bite, she exclaimed, “This is dynamite!”
“No, a dynamite burger is a little different.”
She rolled her eyes at his light teasing.
“They use jalapeño peppers, pineapple, and Sriracha for those.”
“Pineapple?”
“I’m not sure why there’s pineapple in there, but there is.”
“That’s so weird.”
She tried to finish the rest of her burger, but she could only eat half of it.
“I already ate dinner before you came.”
“I know. I could smell it, and it was still on your table when we left.”
She could feel her cheeks getting even hotter. She was embarrassed about being a slob, and she thought about her whole apartment smelling like Chinese food when she came back — not appealing. She’d have to get one of those plug-in scent neutralizers or something.
She pushed away her plate. “I can’t eat anymore.”
Gerard snagged it instantly and ate it in a handful of bites. She watched the burger disappear in record time.
“You must’ve been hungry.”
“I’m definitely hungry,” he said, smiling at her, the corner of his mouth lifting. They both knew that he wasn’t talking about food.
“I, uh, better go. I’ll reimburse you for my part of the hotel expenses.”
“No worries. I’m going to protect you until the threat is neutralized. I’ll cover it.”
“Not necessary. I can provide for myself.” She could hear her voice getting a little louder. She didn’t need a man to take care of her. She worked for her own money, thank you very much.
“Baby, it’s fine.”
She saw red. “No, it’s not. I can pay for myself.”
Gerard shrugged. “We’ll figure it out later. You’re yawning.”
Amani was surprised to find that, yes, she was yawning. She was more tired than she thought.
“Night, then.”
She could feel the weight of Gerard’s gaze on her as she walked into her bedroom and fell on the bed.
She felt extremely exhausted, as if there were lead weights on her eyelids. She was out like a light after about thirty seconds.
New Car
Gerard
“Amani, wake up.”
“What?”
Gerard thought that she looked adorable with her hair sticking every each way.
“We already got a car. We need to get on the road. I already paid for our suite. Let’s go.”
“Okay,” she said complacently. Gerard smiled at how acquiescent she was when she was half-asleep. He made a mental note to negotiate in the morning in the future.
He watched her stumble as she walked into the bathroom to get cleaned up. She had the cutest round butt. He could feel himself responding, but it wasn’t the right time. It was a big jump to take her under his protection. She needed more time to adjust before he claimed his mate.
He adjusted himself just thinking of the day when he could tell her that she was his mate. She hadn’t said anything about his shifting or panther form — maybe she’d blocked out that night. He didn’t blame her at all, but it made his life a little easier if she couldn’t remember that he was a were-panther.
The bathroom door opened.
“Get out. Change.” She flapped her hands at him.
He got out of her bedroom with a smile on his face. She was cute when she wasn’t all that coherent. He looked forward to waking up with her in the future.
Before his randy thoughts could go too far, he ran through a mental checklist. He thought that he had everything he needed, but he knew that something unexpected would pop up. His first objective was to get her to a safe house in one piece. He’d have preferred to have her stowed safely yesterday, but that car accident had derailed their plans.
He gritted his teeth. He knew that it hadn’t been an accident, and he also didn’t know why the Sicarii hadn’t just killed them outright. It didn’t make sense to leave them alive. It was almost like a warning — but a warning not to do what? It was simultaneously loud and clear — they didn’t want Amani digging into whatever she was researching — and totally opaque. It wasn’t as if they’d left a calling card.
Once they got to the safe house, they’d take out Amani’s research and find just what it was that made the Sicarii want to kill her.
Amani appeared dressed in a beautiful green-blue dress.
“Lovely dress. You look like Minecraft. Let’s go.”
Amani pulled her suitcase behind her as Gerard held the door and calculated how long she’d be exposed when she was outside. He’d just have to grab the suitcase and toss it into the trunk. It would be faster and easier with his shifter strength.
They used the elevator to go down and went into the new rental car, which his driver had rented under his own name. Yes, it could be traced, but it would take a while.
As they headed for the door, Gerard snatched the bag from her hands. She squeaked but didn’t react beyond that when she saw what he was doing. He pushed her suitcase into the backseat before tossing it into the back. Amani got into the car by herself. It was another SUV, and Gerard wasn’t fast enough to help her in, but she seemed to manage on her own.
“Buckle up.”
Amani put her seatbelt on. Gerard, even with his shifter healing, put his on, too. Then the mo
tor roared to life as they drove far, far away from this little hotel in Virginia.
Safe House
Amani
When Amani woke up, it was definitely later in the day. The sun was high in the sky. Her stomach was shouting at her, ready to eat itself, and Gerard was looking at his phone, tapping it.
“Hey.”
He turned to look at her.
“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty.” He caught her hand and kissed it. “I thought you’d sleep all day.”
“Going on road trips always makes me sleepy. Where are we heading?”
“The safe house. You woke up at a great time. Just another turn and we’ll be there.”
Amani felt her hair. She knew that it was a crazy mess, but there wasn’t much she could do about it but wait.
Gerard was right. An old farmhouse came into sight. The driver turned the car onto the long gravel driveway. Amani hoped that there was a bathroom in there…and maybe some food.
“That’s the safe house? It looks like something from Little House on the Prairie.”
“It’s deceptively simple. I’ve completely renovated the inside.”
Amani hopped out of the car right after it came to a stop. She opened the trunk as soon as the car was turned off. She began to lug her suitcase into the house.
She was curious about the interior of the safe house. Maybe she watched too much TV, but she thought of safe houses as bunkers that were underground, like bug-out shelters.
She opened the front door, which was unlocked. The inside of the house smelled like freshly cut lumber.
Everything inside looked shiny and new. She saw a lot of chrome furniture.
“Why is everything metallic?”
“Easier to clean and care for than wood.”
“I see.”
“I have someone come out here at least once a month to make sure that everything is still running. You don’t need a safe house until you do. We keep a lot of nonperishable food here. I’m sorry that we can’t give you fresh produce, but I can whip up some eggplant parmesan if you’d like.”
