Pulling up an image of Jace, looking at her as if he could see straight to her soul—and liked what he saw—she took it, used it. Forced herself to push back the wave of blackness that threatened to consume her and find a well of strength deep down inside.
Reaching for the door handle, she lifted and shoved. But nothing happened.
The scent of gasoline filled her head making her even dizzier. And then smoke. Something was on fire. And she was trapped.
No, she wasn’t going to die. She couldn’t do that to Jace.
With a cry, Quinn marshaled the last of her strength to shove at the mangled door trapping her inside, but it wouldn’t budge.
And with nothing left, she couldn’t hold back the darkness anymore.
14
OH, GOD. Jace stood behind the glass door, fear and frenzy turning his stomach. He’d lived through a war zone. Watched friends die. Watched his brother die.
This was so much worse. Standing there, knowing Quinn was in trouble and being unable to do anything to protect her.
He yelled for Daniel, dialing 911 at the same time.
The operator did her job, but all her questions frustrated him. He told the woman Quinn had been kidnapped at gunpoint and taken in his stolen truck. He reeled off the license plate and description.
The police were on her trail thirty seconds after she and Warren were out of the parking lot. But it wasn’t enough.
Daniel came running, and Jace didn’t even have to demand keys to a car before they were being pushed into his palm.
He was going to kill Warren. With his bare hands.
He was no more than a couple of minutes behind them when he peeled out of the lot.
Even as he headed in the direction Quinn had turned, he tried to reason his way into a calm he did not feel. Warren wanted his wife and Quinn knew where Caroline was. He wouldn’t hurt her until they had Caroline.
Unfortunately, he didn’t think Quinn would actually take him anywhere near the other woman. Which was good and bad—good for Caroline, but bad for Quinn.
Eventually, Warren would figure out she was stringing him along. And then... Jace’s stomach clenched tight with dread.
He heard the accident. The sickening grind of metal and several loud bangs.
As his car screamed around the corner, he saw the truck upside down in the grass beside the overpass, wheels spinning lazily, and felt his gorge rise.
Even in the few moments before he arrived the crash was already attracting a crowd.
His borrowed car tore through grass as he slid to a stop several feet away. The driver’s-side door swung drunkenly behind him as he raced across the remaining space.
Several people were scrambling around the crumpled truck. Others held cells to their ears, probably calling in the accident. Jace didn’t bother with that. His one and only concern was getting to Quinn.
The truck was totaled, crunched in the front and sides, and settled on the cab. The astringent scent of gas filled the air and a couple of people who’d obviously realized the danger were trying to push back the gathering spectators.
Two men were trying to pry off the passenger side door. Others were doing the same at the driver’s side. Jace skidded to his knees, trying to look inside and find her.
Adrenaline and fear pumped straight into his veins at the sight that greeted him. There was blood everywhere, but luckily he thought most of it was coming from Warren and not Quinn.
Somehow she’d managed to get out of her belt, but was crumpled into a heap on the inverted ceiling of his truck. Her hand lay on the door handle, as if she’d been trying to escape, but her eyes were closed and her body still.
At least she’d been conscious at some point after the accident.
But there was no way they were getting the driver’s door open. It was too banged up. Quickly assessing the situation, Jace grabbed a large rock and headed to the back windshield. Using all his strength, he pounded on it several times before it finally started to give, a spiderweb forming across the surface.
The sound of crackling glass had never been so sweet.
In the distance, he could hear sirens wailing, but they weren’t going to get here in time. Black smoke drifted into the gathering dusk, burning his lungs with apprehension. Something was on fire and when it reached the gas tank...
Ignoring the shards of glass cutting into his palms, arms and legs, Jace crawled through the opening he’d made and managed to grasp Quinn around the waist and tug.
Tucking her against his body, Jace backed out, careful to keep her from being cut by the shards everywhere. It took too long. His heart thumped erratically the entire time—he was certain the fire was going to reach the gas tank at any moment.
But at least if they went, they were going together.
People were yelling at him. Someone else was impatiently waiting to climb in through the hole he’d made, but Jace screamed at him to back away so he could get Quinn safe.
Once they were free, Jace didn’t stop until they were thirty yards away, then he finally collapsed to the ground with her.
The way her body flopped, limp and lifeless, scared the shit out of him. Cradling her in his lap, Jace ran his hands over her, frantically searching for a pulse and breath.
A little of his panic ebbed when he found both. What bothered him was the gigantic knot coming up on the side of her head.
Several emergency teams sped onto the scene, sirens blaring. Police and firefighters pushed everyone back from the truck. Warren was still trapped inside, but it was too dangerous to attempt a rescue until that fire was out.
The firemen began unwinding the hose that would extinguish the flames now curling up through the engine of the car.
Jace didn’t think they were going to make it in time. He could see orange, red and yellow fingers of flame licking several feet into the sky.
And then the whole world exploded. Or, at least, it felt that way. Jace had been close to several bomb detonations. But this was different. The reverberation of it rattled his chest. Instinctively, he curled around Quinn’s body shielding her from the heat and raining debris.
Several people screamed. A few were tossed backward by the force of the blast. The firefighters began blanketing the roaring pile of metal with foam.
Warren hadn’t gotten out. Jace couldn’t find a single piece of his soul upset about that fact.
Smoothing Quinn’s disheveled hair back from her face, Jace bent close and called to her. “Quinn, sweetheart, wake up. Please. Let me see those gorgeous eyes.”
Her lids fluttered and then opened slowly, as if weighted down by the force of her need to sleep. Her eyes were glazed with shock and pain, her pupils tight little pinpoints, but she was still looking at him. Cognizant. Her tongue slipped out, brushing across her plump lips. “Sorry about your truck,” she croaked.
Jace groaned, the sound a combination of relief and mangled laughter. “Don’t worry about it.”
But the relief was short-lived, quickly replaced by the toxic sludge of fear and frustration and panic he’d been holding back. “What the hell were you thinking?”
Her lips twisted. “I was trying to smash his side of the car. Didn’t plan on the roll.”
Yeah, because knowing that made it all better. Jace’s arms tightened around her. She winced, her eyes closing. For a moment he thought she’d passed out again, but she kept talking.
“I couldn’t let him get to Caroline.”
Sweet heaven above. Jace wasn’t sure what he wanted to do most, shake some sense into her or kiss the hell out of that smart, sassy, beautiful mouth.
She took the decision away from him, opening her eyes, she stared straight up into his face. A soft smile touched her lips right before she lifted her head, sealing her lips to his. The z
ing through his blood was immediate. His heart rate, only just now returning to normal, kicked high again.
Breaking the kiss, Jace pulled away and felt the words he’d been keeping bottled up finally spill out. “God, Quinn. I don’t know what I would have done if something had happened to you. You’re my world. My everything. I love you so much.”
Her chin trembled and her eyes shimmered with tears. “Say that again.”
Jace sucked in a hard breath, realization slamming into him. The words had just tumbled out the first time. This time he made a conscious decision to say them.
Tangling his fingers in her hair, he carefully shifted them both until they were as close as possible. “I love you, Quinn. I’ve loved you for a long time. I’m through feeling guilty for wanting you, for needing you in my life.”
Her hands found his face, bracketing both sides. “I love you, too, Jace. I’m not sure when it happened, maybe a long time ago. But I need you, more than I think you’ll ever know. I can’t imagine a single day of my life without you.”
Jace leaned in to take her mouth again, needing the feel and taste of her. The reassurance that she really was alive and with him.
A voice cleared beside them, breaking into the moment. “Uh, ma’am, someone said you were inside the car? We need to get you checked out.”
Epilogue
JACE COULDN’T KEEP STILL. He wasn’t used to being this nervous about anything. Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his pants to try and hide the slight tremble he couldn’t seem to will away.
He didn’t want anyone to think he was having second thoughts. Not at all. He was just anxious to get this over with so he could call Quinn his wife.
The doors at the opposite end of the room opened. She stood, framed in the entryway, and for a moment he forgot how to breathe.
She was beautiful. Luminous and gorgeous and in about fifteen minutes his forever. At least according to the state of Georgia and a piece of paper. She’d been his in his head long before today.
Her gaze was trained solely on him, bright and clear. He could see love shining out of her light brown eyes and knew the same thing filled his own. Could feel it filling him up and spilling over.
The room could have been completely empty, the way they focused on each other, although it wasn’t.
However, there were only a handful of people present. They’d both agreed that a small ceremony was the way to go. Their immediate family and a group of close friends. His parents, her sister. Daniel and several of Quinn’s friends from work. A few of his Ranger buddies, the ones who’d been able to get here on short notice. Caroline, whom Quinn had become very close to in the past few months.
Warren had died in the accident, leaving Caroline finally free—not to mention very wealthy. She’d immediately started working with Quinn and Daniel to donate a healthy chunk of her wealth to their program.
Quinn had struggled for the first few weeks, feeling responsible for Warren’s death. It had opened up several discussions between them, and even as she’d worked through her own issues, she’d somehow managed to help him with his lingering guilt over Michael’s death.
He would never be okay with losing his brother, but he was finally willing to admit nothing he could have done would have changed the outcome.
They both agreed Michael would be thrilled that they were happy and had found their way to each other.
Quinn stopped beside Jace, reaching for his hand. He turned his back on the people around them, focusing solely on the woman in front of him.
For two years he’d tried to convince himself she wasn’t for him, when there was nothing further from the truth. Quinn Keller was perfect for him—and he was perfect for her.
They complemented each other, pushing each other out of their comfort zones. She reminded him there was gentleness and goodness in the world. And he calmed her, centered her, convinced her that sometimes you had to put yourself first so you had something left to give when it was needed.
The minister read the words of the ceremony. They both repeated their vows and slipped gleaming bands on each other’s fingers.
Wrapping his arms around her, Jace pulled his wife close and kissed her, hard. A smattering of applause surrounded them as their family crowded in.
And Jace swore he could hear the ghost of a laugh that sent a shiver down his spine and had the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He watched goose bumps spread across Quinn’s skin. Her eyes snagged his, understanding drifting between them.
Lifting up on her toes, Quinn kissed him again, whispering against his lips, “I’m so grateful that Warren brought us together. I’d go through it all again if it meant I got to end up here, with you as my husband.”
Jace wasn’t entirely certain he agreed with her. Pulling her limp body out of that wreckage was a nightmare he never wanted to relive. But she did have a point. Every step they’d made together had led them to this moment.
And every step afterward they’d share together.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from NEED YOU NOW by Debbi Rawlins.
Ten years ago one devastating night changed everything for Austin, Hunter and Alex. Now they must each play their part in the revenge against the one man who ruined it all.
Austin Treffen has the plan… Hunter has the money… Alex has the power!
Read each of their stories in the captivating Fifth Avenue trilogy,
only from Harlequin Presents:
Avenge Me by Maisey Yates (June 2014)
Scandalize Me by Caitlin Crews (July 2014)
Expose Me by Kate Hewitt (August 2014)
And don’t miss the Fifth Avenue prequel that started it all, Take Me, by Maisey Yates!
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1
MELANIE KNOWLES ENTERED Safe Haven’s cheery new office and sighed at the stack of papers sitting on the old desk. Well, no one said running a large-animal sanctuary would be easy. Though the next time someone asked for a volunteer, she’d at least stop and think for two seconds before jumping in with both feet. It would take half the evening to order more feed and cross-reference invoices, another three hours to grade her junior English class essays, and she still had to proofread her father’s sermon before Sunday.
Oh, she doubted she’d find a single typo, much less a grammatical error, but her father insisted she have a look. Just as she’d done every week since her freshman year in college. That was ten years ago and so far she’d found only two misspelled words. No one could ever accuse him of not striving for perfection. He’d argue the point if she mentioned it. Not that she would. She’d always been a good girl, the perfect pastor’s daughter. That was why she was living in the same small Montana town she’d grown up in and teaching at the same school she’d attended.
She made sure her jeans weren’t too filthy, then sank into the new leather chair. So many changes had been made lately, all thanks to the generosity of the sanctuary’s former director and her new husband. Annie and Tucker lived outside of Dallas but Annie still kept close tabs on Safe Haven. She probably felt guilty about leaving before her position had been filled. But Melanie honestly didn’t mind temporarily sharing the responsibility with Shea, another volunteer, who also headed the board.
With all the new construction over the past few months, the job had been overwhelming at times. Thanks to funds from Tucker’s charitable foundation, Safe Haven now had a new quarantine stab
le, a bigger barn, completely stocked medicine cabinets, a new irrigation system, equipment that actually worked and an almost-finished three-bedroom cabin for the next director. The list of improvements went on, but the bottom line was, so many more animals were being saved.
Someone knocked just before the door opened. One of her students hovered in the doorway. “Come on in, Susie.” Melanie smiled at her. Susie stepped inside, her gaze sweeping the clean white walls and small galley kitchenette. “Wow, it’s nice in here. You even have a window.”
“What a difference, huh?” She’d opened the blinds earlier, giving her a view of the west corral, which held a pair of abandoned roan geldings that had arrived yesterday. In the distance she could see the Rockies. “They finished last week.”
“Shoot. I wanted to help you paint.”
“You can still help me put up the volunteer board and feeding schedule. Some posters would be nice, too, don’t you think?”
Susie nodded, already distracted by the two roans outside. She reminded Melanie of herself at that age, smaller than anyone else in her junior class, quiet, a bit on the shy side, always eager to please. Another similarity was Susie’s strong affection for animals. When Melanie had come up with the idea of having her students volunteer at Safe Haven, she hadn’t been surprised that Susie’s hand had shot up first.
The other kids had shown enthusiasm—whether to get out of the classroom or because they genuinely wanted to help was anyone’s guess. But the project had progressed nicely to three afternoons a week and covered everything from lessons on money management to animal husbandry. Now the kids even received academic credits. Melanie had David Mills to thank for that. She just wished the new principal would stop asking her to coffee or lunch.
He always made a point of mentioning an upcoming school event or the program’s progress, but his interest wasn’t purely professional. Melanie may have led a sheltered life, but she wasn’t stupid. And she’d never date her boss, even if she were attracted to him, which she wasn’t. David was nice enough, probably too nice. At least for her. Wouldn’t her father’s congregation be shocked to know she secretly harbored a thing for bad boys?
Testing the Limits Page 18
