by Aliyah Burke
“No I’m not in the air yet,” Declan said. “We were shot at, run off the road and now I have three vehicles out there that I’d bet anything aren’t a welcoming party that we’d want to run into.”
She poked at her hand still wrapped in gauze. The burn didn’t feel any better and she rolled her eyes as she stopped.
“No, dammit. We need a plane. We’ll never get out of here. Best I can do is disable two of the three vehicles and steal the third then try for the next airstrip. Get a plane there ready and fueled up for us. We’ll be coming in hot, I’m sure.”
He hung up and spoke several extremely colorful words. Caro didn’t move.
“I need you to stay here while I go out there.”
“Okay.”
“Not going to argue with me?”
“Hell no. I will be right here.”
“I’ll be right back.”
His shadow moved away and through the door. The moment he had closed it behind him, she picked up the phone and dialed her cell.
“Hello?”
“You had better be there, Jasmine,” she hissed into the receiver. “Courthouse tomorrow.”
“Caro?”
“Who else would it be? I can’t believe what you’ve gotten me into. Make sure you’re there. Don’t make me come looking for you.”
“Are you okay?”
“No. I’m not. Be there early, I’m not sure what time we’re arriving. Stay hidden but make sure you come out when we arrive. And bring me my bag.”
Silence met her demand and Caro glared at the mental visual of her twin.
“I’ll be there, Caro.”
She hung up with a muttered, “You’d better be.” Caro wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her head on her knees. “Then I can get out of this mess and go home.”
The door squawked announcing his return. “Let’s go.”
Back to those two words. She pushed to her feet, shoved any and all emotion for the man to the rear burner and joined him out in the cold. He took her hand and ran for the nearest vehicle. Opening one door, he practically shoved her through to the passenger side, started the motor then got them going. She could see men pouring from the main building, guns blazing and she just ducked. No point in screaming, it would likely only bother Declan and she just needed him to get them elsewhere safely.
“Tell me something about you I don’t know.”
His sentence shocked her and she looked over at him, strong features highlighted by the dash lights.
“Something you don’t know about me? I thought the file had everything in it.” Yes, she sounded bitter.
“Tell me.”
“I have degrees in synthetic and structural chemistry and in macromolecular and polymer chemistry.”
She ignored the gaze boring into her. “Nothing about that in the file.”
Caro shrugged. “Not my fault. You told me to tell you something you didn’t know. I told you.”
“I’m not talking about the meth you make, that doesn’t make you a PhD.”
Her eye twitched. “Me either.” Guess my twin and I do have something in common. Chemistry.
Couldn’t the woman tell him the truth? Sure, cooking up drugs did give you a bit of a chemist edge but what she claimed… Not hardly. There was absolutely no record of Jasmine Hoyer having gone to even a community college. They’d checked her out.
Why do I have feelings for this woman? Why can’t it just go back to the animosity we shared in the past?
He knew the answer. Because he’d crossed a line while out there in his cabin. One he never should have but had. And because of that, he’d allowed himself for a moment to believe she was different from what was down on paper. There was one person he could blame and if he looked in the rear-view, he would see that person looking back at him. So he didn’t look.
“Right.” The day he believed she had a PhD would be a cold day in hell. Well, it is cold out and you’ve gone through hell to get to where you are. He ignored his brains commentary.
“You asked.”
Damn if she didn’t sound hurt by his skepticism. “So I did.”
Declan constantly checked the area around them, expecting another attack. It definitely hadn’t been fortuitous for him to take her directly to a place where one of her ex-lovers resided. Why had Jimmy ratted them out? Really? Jimmy’s a druggie and a bastard. He’d sell anything for money or his next score.
His brain had the right of it. He slanted his gaze askew to the woman riding with him. Shit, even now she prompted a visceral reaction from him. I can control my lust.
Declan wasn’t positive about that but he would try his best. He refocused on the information he had. Could she be in on this? Immediately he dismissed the idea. She hadn’t had any opportunity to get calls out. He’d made sure. Hell, his cabin had had the phone removed before they’d even arrived. So no way she’d gotten anything out to someone else.
Maybe something had passed between her and Jimmy that he had gotten something done or sent off for her? And then he had stopped back by to collect payment?
He wanted to groan in frustration. What did all this leave me with?
One huge fucking mess is what it leaves me with. Declan grunted and slowed down as they went around another curve.
“Do you remember ever seeing Jimmy with any of Kazakova’s men?”
“No.”
“Think. I’m trying to figure out who told them where we were.”
“I can’t help you.”
He frowned. “More like won’t.”
“If I knew I would tell you.”
He had his doubts. “So all you and Jimmy did was drugs and fuck.”
She didn’t make any comeback and yet he knew she wanted to lash into him. He kept his next comment to himself. He watched her in his periphery. She sat stiff, unbending, and anger poured off her in waves. He let her stew.
“Should be in the air soon.” He killed the lights as they entered the airport.
“Where’s the plane?”
“Not sure, one of the hangars.”
“So, how do we find it?”
Good question. He parked among the other vehicles but left the motor running. They were away from the light and he scanned the area trying to figure out how best to solve that puzzle.
“I don’t know. I do know we’re not going anywhere if we don’t get out of here fast. This storm is getting much worse.”
“So shouldn’t we go before that happens?”
“I would think so.” He turned toward her. “I have to check the hangars.”
“Want me to create a diversion on the chance there are some waiting here for us? I can drive around and if they’re watching they’ll follow me. May buy you some more time to find the jet.”
His gut clenched. “You have to be safe.”
“If the safest place for me is out of here then, dammit, let me help so we can make it a reality.”
He grabbed her forearm. “I don’t think—”
“I can do this. All I have to do is drive slow around the buildings.”
“And if they start shooting?”
“I hopefully can avoid them hitting me.” She covered his hand with her own. “I can do this.”
He didn’t want to leave her. “I’ll work in a counter-clockwise direction. If you see one of the doors opened that’s the one.”
“Okay, so I drive down the runway and what, you pick me up?”
“Something like that. Let’s play it by ear. There may not be anyone here yet and when the plane is pulled out of the hangar you can just get on.”
“Well let’s go before there’s too much snow for us to even take off. Do we have to file a flight plan?”
He slid toward her and drew her the rest of the way so they were almost on top of one another. Her features were mostly shadowed but he could see the left side of her face because of the dash lights. Cupping her cheek, he stroked along her skin with his thumb. Warm skin. Supple skin. Tempting skin.
&nb
sp; Declan lowered his hand and cupped her waist then lifted her so that she straddled him. His cock placed between her legs and he struggled not to forget what they had to accomplish right now. She didn’t speak, just threaded her fingers through his hair and tugged her scarf off his neck.
Their lips met and her moan whittled away at his control even further. Pulling back, he slid to his right more and lifted her off. Filing away all the memories of how it had been between them, he eliminated all connection between them.
“Ready for this?”
“Sure.”
Her voice shook and he wished there was a way for him to make her feel more confident about this. It could go smoothly or it could be harrowing. And given they’d already been shot at as well as run off the road, he wasn’t sure how much she had left in her.
“See you at the plane.” One final glance and he slipped from the warmth into the cold night.
Jogging off, he glanced back in time to see her flick on the parking lights and begin moving. Not away from but toward where he was headed. He wanted to yell for her but realized what she was doing. Making it safer for him. If they thought she’d already gone that way they would be on the other side so he’d not be in danger.
Something they would discuss once in the air. He was supposed to be protecting her, not the other way around. Stowing his emotions, Declan got to work. The sooner he found a plane, the sooner they could get back to somewhere safe.
Chapter Ten
The darkness worried her. Each second she wondered if someone would jump out and cut her down with an automatic. I honestly need to stop watching so many action movies. Perhaps I should just watch children’s stuff now. Like Disney. Something which won’t set my imagination into overtime and high gear when I feel scared.
She snorted with laughter. Scared? Petrified would be a better and more apt word. Even though she had the heater on full and the interior was hot, she couldn’t stop the trembles that rocked her body or the tremors in her hands as she drove slowly around the hangars.
Not sure why I’m feeling sorry for myself here that he didn’t believe me when I told him what I did about Jimmy. Or rather what I didn’t tell him. She didn’t have any clue if that man could have ratted her out. Hell, she’d just met him, although apparently her sister had known him before and had done things with him she wouldn’t ever consider.
“I don’t need to be thinking about Jasmine and her poor decisions.” She exhaled and focused again on the accumulating snow as she drove.
Coming around from the back of one of the hangars, she saw a door open and her heart pounded. He’d found a plane. She slowed and parked by one of the buildings, shutting off the lights. It was three buildings away.
“I could go around the back and park there.” She nodded to herself and put the vehicle back in gear and did just that. This time when she parked, she killed the engine and leaped out, keys remaining in the ignition.
The cold immediately bit into her and she shoved her hands in her pockets as she inched her way up along the metal building. There were no overhead lights on when she made it to the door and she slipped in. A faint glow filtered down from the jet.
“Declan?”
“Get on the plane.”
His voice came from somewhere, she couldn’t pinpoint it. She didn’t hesitate, just made her way up the few steps. She was alone one minute, he stood behind her the next and pulled the steps up before securing the door.
“Get a seat.” He brushed by her and entered the cockpit. She followed and sat in the seat next to him, copying his motion of putting on a headset.
He barely glanced at her, just checked the numerous switches and panels around him. Caro sat on her hands, partially to keep their shaking a secret and because this stuff made no sense to her. She didn’t want to mess something up by accidentally hitting it.
“Whose jet is this?” she asked, as he rolled them from the hangar.
“No clue.” He flicked some switches and put his hands on the steering part.
Yoke. Wasn’t that what they called it? She closed her eyes only to pop them open again. All she had seen was action movies in which explosions, gunfire and death took place at the airport and they were making her extremely nervous.
The snow blew at the windshield and she hoped to hell that he knew what he was doing. She cut her gaze to him, his expression exuding nothing but the utmost confidence. That relaxed her a bit and when they taxied down the runway, she wasn’t as scared.
Declan got them smoothly up into the air and when he looked at her and smiled, then and only then did she allow herself to completely relax.
“It’s going to be a long flight. Why don’t you go get some sleep?”
She shook her head. “You can’t sleep. Why would I?”
“Because you can.”
“Nope. I’ll stay awake with you. Do you want me to get you a drink or something like that?”
“Coffee would be great.”
She unbuckled herself and slipped back into the main body of the plane. A low whistle left her as she took in the impressive jet. Private and plush.
“Someone’s not going to be happy their plane was stolen.” She walked past the dark wood and leather seats to a small kitchen area where she found the makings for coffee. As it brewed she made her way to the bathroom where she stared at her reflection. Black circles beneath her eyes. She appeared exhausted. What do you know, I am exhausted.
“At least the blood is gone.”
She washed her hands and dried them before heading back out. The temperature was comfortable enough and she removed her coat. Caro fixed his coffee and carried it back to the cockpit where she slipped in only to pause as he spoke to someone on the radio.
He gave her a brief smile but didn’t stop talking. She sat and put his drink within reach.
“Thank you,” he said softly.
She buckled herself back in and stared at the instrument panel. Well lit and far too complicated for her tired brain to make sense of. She closed her eyes as his warm soothing voice flowed over her.
“There are beds back there. Or seats that may be more comfortable.”
She turned her head and opened her eyes. “You want me to leave?”
“No, I just wanted you to know you don’t have to sleep up here.”
“I’m not sleeping.”
“Eyes closed and deep breathing. What would you call it?”
“If you must know I’m thinking about synthetic polymers. I call it relaxing.”
His jaw flexed along with his fingers. She didn’t blink as he reached for and drank some coffee.
It’s not fair. I shouldn’t be thinking about him like this. We’re about to go our separate ways. I’ll not see him again. Let’s not forget that when he finds out I’ve been lying to him this entire time, he’s going to think worse of me than he does Jasmine.
That hurt. She actually liked Declan and that wasn’t even including his prowess in bed. Or along a wall, in the shower, on a couch or any of the other numerous places where he’d taken her to the heights of ecstasy.
Toughen up, Caro. This isn’t about you but keeping Jasmine safe.
Okay, so her brain had a point. Her sister was the only reason she’d done this. Nothing more, nothing less. She’d wanted to help her twin.
Where did that get me?
She didn’t want to focus on that answer. It had to do with the man confidentially flying the jet. His dedication and sacrifices for her… Dare she even think the word?
No. I refuse to think of that L-word. She wasn’t a flighty woman. She didn’t believe in love at first sight. And she wasn’t willing to accept her feelings toward him. Not in the slightest.
Lie all you want, Caro. You know the truth. At her brain’s unwanted commentary, she shut her eyes blocking out the broad shoulders of the man she couldn’t stop thinking about. None of it mattered. Eyes open or shut, she could pull up a perfect visual of him.
They talked on the way back about a few
random things. She kept him full of coffee and even took over, with it on autopilot, while he went for a quick trip to the bathroom.
He picked up the headset once he returned and put it on his head. When he called the Atlanta tower, she sat up a bit more.
“Patch me through to Detective Lance Baldwin.”
I thought that’s the man he didn’t like and the one I apparently propositioned. Why is he calling him? She angled herself a bit more to see him better. The lights gleamed off his stubbled jaw. He looked drawn and exhausted yet all too hot for her own good.
“Baldwin? McBride. I need your help. Yes, I heard about Daniels.”
Wonder if that’s the man who died with the other witness. She rubbed her palms along the seams of her jeans.
“I need you to meet me.” A pause. “I’m not sure.”
Caro didn’t understand what they were saying. One, she didn’t know the area so places meant nothing to her. Two, she truly was just so exhausted. She allowed her lids to drift down again. She drifted between sleep and awareness the remainder of their flight.
“November Three-Six-One-Two requesting permission to land.”
She woke fully at his words.
The sun had barely begun to creep over the horizon as he lined them up and set them down on the dry tarmac. A black SUV raced toward them and she slanted her gaze to him. Declan didn’t seem the least bit worried so she resolved to be calm as well.
She followed him from the cockpit after he’d powered down the jet. Shrugging into her coat, she watched him open the door and lower the steps. He beckoned to her.
“Let’s go.”
And we’re back to the two word communication. She didn’t argue, just led the way down. At the bottom she recognized the detective leaning against the running vehicle. The men looked at one another and gave sharp nods but that was it.
She rolled her eyes and climbed in the back. Head against the rest, she shut her eyes and sighed heavily. Almost over. Then I can go home and get back to my life.
* * * *
“Let’s go.”
Caro stirred at those two words. She’d fallen asleep and yawned as they stepped from the SUV in front of a hotel. One cop on each side they walked in and bypassed the desk heading straight for the elevator bay.
