Harder Than Steel

by Jacey Ward

  With a heave, Roan lifted the man back over his shoulders and continued through the woods, hoping he’d stay out until they got to the SUV.

  To his relief, the captive barely stirred until they arrived at the spot where Roan had hidden the Range Rover, out of view from any casual passersby.

  He dropped the man in the back seat and slammed the door, hurrying to the driver’s side to get the hell out of there.

  Any second, he was sure he’d hear choppers in the the air and he wanted to be back at the cabin before that happened. Driving a tad dangerously, Roan kept one eye on the back seat, half-prepared for another attack but there was no movement from that quarter.

  God, don’t die, he groaned. You’ll just make shit worse if you do.

  He didn’t even want to think about where he’d hide a body, and the crime scene was completely off limits now. When he pulled up to the cabin, his eyes flipping skyward to check for surveillance, he exhaled.

  He hadn’t even realized he’d been holding his breath. He opened the back door and a foot jerked up to kick him in the face.

  “Are you fucking kidding me right now?” He snarled, pitching forward to grab the man before he could scamper off in to the darkness.

  The two fell to the ground, wrestling among the pine needles and Roan noted with annoyance that the littler man was a lot stronger than his size would have indicated.

  “Would you stop!” Roan growled, finally managing to pin him down. “I saved your fucking life! Is this any way to say thank you?”

  His words were met with more daunting silence, but as Roan yanked the hood from the man’s face for the first time, he froze in shock.

  “Y-y-you’re…” he sputtered.

  “A girl?” she hissed back. “Is that what you were going to say?”

  He nodded, jumping off her back where he’d sunken her frame into the mud, shame flooding through him.

  Christ. I just beat up a girl. I knocked a girl unconscious and kidnapped her. This is not something I wanted on my resumé.

  She rolled over to look at him with blazing eyes, her soft auburn hair falling over her face in sweaty tendrils.

  “What the hell were you doing in the warehouse?” he demanded, but she only snorted, slowly rising from her laying position, but Roan towered over her. He held up a hand. “That’s far enough. You’re not going anywhere.”

  She smirked angrily.

  “I wasn’t going anywhere,” she denied, but Roan didn’t believe a word coming out of her mouth. He had too many bruises from her already.

  “You didn’t answer my question,” Roan insisted. “What were you doing there?”

  “I don’t have to answer to you,” she retorted. “Why don’t you tell me what you were doing there?”

  Roan’s eyebrows rose in slight bemusement. She had to know she was outpowered but she didn’t lose the spark of anger in her eyes.

  Why am I finding that ridiculously sexy?

  He sighed heavily and approached her cautiously, extending his hand to help her up.

  “Look,” he said genially. He could tell he was going to get further with honey than vinegar in this case. “I think we got off on the wrong foot.”

  She eyed his open palm with mild contempt.

  “You think? You knocked me out!” she snarled.

  “I thought you were going to get us both caught!” Roan exploded. “What did you want me to do? I could have left you there.”

  “Oh! Then permit me to thank you for your act of chivalry!” she said sarcastically. Her full mouth turned down at the corners and Roan found himself staring at her lips with too much interest.

  Did I get hit on the fucking head? This woman is probably involved with Oculus and you’re drooling over the shape of that bottom lip?

  “Maybe you should have left me there,” she muttered, her eyes shadowing slightly.

  “Next time I’ll remember that, but now you’re here. Would you just get up?” He wrangled his fingers toward her insistently. The longer she sat on the ground, the worse it made him feel. “I’m Roan, by the way.”

  He cringed as soon as the words left his lips.

  You just told her your real fucking name. You’re an idiot!

  Slowly, she reached up, her eyes wide and wary as she studied his face.

  “Kimberly,” she mumbled, finally taking his hand and allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. She looked around, her eyes resting on Cabin Ten, her brow furrowing.

  “What is this place?” she demanded. Roan shrugged and started toward the porch, glancing back to ensure she was behind him.

  “It looks like it’s home for the next couple days,” he replied. “Because if we move from here before the heat wears off, we’re as good as dead.”

  Chapter 3

  You can’t trust him. You can’t trust anyone.

  It wasn’t something that needed to be said, but Kimberly couldn’t silence the little voice which kept echoing the same words in her head over and over like an annoying tune she couldn’t shake.

  “This is going to suck,” Roan offered, eyeing her with the same expression of suspicion she was sure she was giving him.

  “It already does,” she conceded, looking around the tiny cabin, trying to make sense of how they’d gotten there. “This is your house?”

  Roan snickered, his blue eyes sparkling with amusement and despite her desire to look away, she found herself meeting his gaze evenly.

  “No,” he replied but he didn’t offer anything else, even as she watched him expectantly. In hindsight, she couldn’t imagine why she might have expected him to be some rugged, off-grid mountain man. True, he was startlingly big, at least six-foot-four and even through his form-fitting, long-sleeved shirt, she could make out the bulge of muscles in his arms. But even so, there was something unmistakably urban about his evenly cut golden curls and tanned, stubbled face.

  I wonder if he’s harboring a six-pack underneath that black shirt.

  It was a crazy thought, one which flooded her with embarrassment, and judging by the way Roan looked at her, she wondered if he couldn’t read her thoughts.

  Roan. No one is named Roan. Nothing about this is real. He probably works at the warehouse and he wants to know what I know. Well, I’m not telling him a damned thing…even if he tries to beat it out of me…

  She steeled her thoughts from going off track and maintained a stoic look on her face.

  “And where is home for you, Kimberly?”

  He said her name as though he didn’t believe she was speaking the truth either.

  Oh, we’re a fine pair. This is going to be a long night.

  “Oh, here and there,” she replied vaguely. “I move around.”

  This is surreal, chatting with him like nothing happened, like we’re on an awkward date or something.

  Again, her thoughts moved toward what it would be like to go on a date with Roan.

  Where would he take you? Somewhere expensive, I bet. He’d pull out all the stops and spend a shitload of money before bringing you back to his Range Rover to ravage you in the backseat.

  Heat surged through her as Kimberly’s eyes trailed toward the window to eye the vehicle.

  “That’s Suzy,” he offered. “She’s my baby.”

  Her eyebrows arched.

  Ah. He’s one of those.

  Somehow, that didn’t turn her off as much as it should have. It was almost endearing that the man had affection for his vehicle.

  He opened his mouth to speak again but Kimberly cut him off.

  “I don’t suppose there’s a bathroom and running water in here, is there? I’d love to take a shower.”

  His eyes widened at the brazen question and Kimberly could see he was taken aback.

  “Really?” he laughed. “Just like that? You want to just not talk about what happened?”

  Her cheeks flushed and she lowered her head.

  “I’ll make you a deal, Roan,” she muttered. “You tell me what you were doing there an
d then I’ll tell you what I was doing there.”

  She raised her head to meet his eyes defiantly but to her surprise, he seemed amused by her response.

  “The bathroom is that way,” he replied, nodding down a small hallway. “But there’s only one bedroom. I’ll take the couch.”

  He held her gaze for a long moment, daring Kimberly to protest. Her mouth went slightly dry and she swallowed visibly.

  “Okay,” she mumbled, shuffling past him. “Thanks.”

  She hurried down the hall, her mind spinning dangerously.

  This is insane. I can’t stay here with this guy. For all I know, he works for that company…Oculus…whoever the hell they are.

  She sank back against the closed door of the bathroom. She couldn’t stop her heart from racing as she weighed her options.

  If Roan wasn’t with Oculus, she was undoubtedly putting herself in great danger by taking off. If he was with Oculus, they wouldn’t be out there looking for her because they’d know where she was.

  But if he works for Oculus, he wouldn’t just be sitting here chatting with me, would he?

  The problem was, Kimberly knew nothing about this company. She’d ended up at the warehouse almost by accident. For all she knew, Oculus was a government agency and she’d just waltzed into some criminal conspiracy.

  So stupid. I should have listened to Cleo. I shouldn’t have left Missoula.

  It was too late for regrets now. She was there and she had to figure a way out of the mess she was in.

  “Having problems in there?”

  The knock on the door caused her to start.

  “No! Why?” she barked.

  “I didn’t hear the water,” Roan sighed. “I thought you might be having trouble turning it on.”

  “I can figure out how to turn on a shower!” Kimberly yelled back with far more indignation that she meant.

  Just calm down, she told herself, realizing that her anxiety was rising. Screaming at him isn’t going to help matters.

  “All right,” Roan called, not a hint of offense in his tone. “Let me know if you need anything.”

  Her brow furrowed.

  Why is he being so nice to me? He’s right—I almost got us both caught in there. He has no reason to be so pleasant.

  It only fueled her skepticism about Roan until she caught sight of her face in the small mirror above the sink.

  “Oh damn…” she murmured. Her face was unusually pale, causing her eyes to pop more than usual. But it was the ugly bruise on her forehead, barely concealed under the loose curl of reddish-brown hair which made her cringe.

  That explains it, she thought grimly, a spark of anger rising in her. He feels guilty for knocking me out.

  Her anger slowly dissipated to a sense of smugness.

  Perhaps Roan’s shame might come in handy. She needed to keep that in her back pocket and use it to her advantage.

  She stepped out of the bathroom in a cloud of steam, her hair piled up in a turban atop her head. Another towel wrapped around her lithe body, droplets of water dancing on her peaches and cream skin as she moved toward the kitchenette where Roan was muttering to himself. He hadn’t noticed her yet and Kimberly took the moment to enjoy staring at his sculpted ass as he leaned over the bar fridge.

  Why does he have to be so fucking hot? It would make matters a lot easier if he didn’t look like an ad for Calvin Klein.

  “We have nothing to eat,” he declared and Kimberly was startled. He had known she was there all along. Hastily, she dropped her eyes away from his backside, willing the blush from her cheeks to fade.

  “Oh,” she replied, unsure of how else to answer that. “I suppose we could go find somewhere to stock up for a few days.”

  He turned slowly, a half-smile on his face.

  “I don’t think you fully grasp the gravity of the situation we’re in,” he told her.

  “Why don’t you enlighten me,” Kimberly sneered, mistaking his tone for condescending, but Roan didn’t seem to hear her, his eyes raking over her body, veiled in a flimsy towel. Her ears turned crimson under his naked stare but she had no one to blame but herself for his attention. After all, she was hoping he’d look at her.

  Dammit – It’s part of your plan! She thought haughtily and wondered for whose benefit she was lying. It was possible there was a teeny tiny part of her mind that had simply wanted to see if her attraction to him was mutual.

  At least I’ve gotten confirmation on that. I have him just where I want him.

  More lies.

  Roan’s smile widened and he finally met her gaze again lazily.

  “We can’t go anywhere,” he said. “Do you hear that?”

  She frowned, straining her ears. Suddenly, a distinct whooshing met her ears and she realized what she was hearing.

  “Do you know what that is?”

  “Helicopters?” she guessed and Roan nodded.

  “Yes. Helicopters looking for us. They will scour the area for any signs of life. Cars, bicycles, motor cycles. They’ll question anyone they can find. We can’t move anywhere until they go.”

  She blinked at him, her mouth thinning.

  “That’s ridiculous. We’re supposed to stay here indefinitely without food?”

  “Did I say that?” he asked, winking. “For every problem, there is a solution but this one is going to require doing a little bit of walking.”

  “You just said that they’ll see us!”

  “Not if we’re in the woods,” Roan assured her. “The choppers can only see through the clearings. If we stay in the trees, we should be safe.”

  She gaped at him in shock.

  “The nearest town is Cole’s Corners and that’s miles away!”

  His eyebrows raised.

  “You know this area, then?”

  She pursed her mouth together.

  “I know where we are,” she muttered, not wanting to tell him any more than absolutely necessary. “And I know we’re nowhere near civilization.”

  “We’re not walking into town,” Roan sighed. “Would you just trust me on this?”

  She wanted to snort, to tell him that she didn’t trust him in the least but she didn’t manage the sound. Instead, she stared at him imploringly, her eyes wide.

  Trust you. I’m supposed to trust you.

  “But…” Roan added, nodding toward her, his eyes again traveling over her slender frame. “I’m afraid you’ll need to wear something a little less conspicuous.”

  Again, her cheeks were on fire and she dropped her head.

  “Yeah,” she breathed. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Don’t get me wrong!” he yelled after her. “I like it! I’m just not sure —”

  She slammed the door to the bedroom to muffle out the rest of his words.

  This is a joke to him. He’s making fun of me. For all I know, he’s going to take me out in the woods and leave me there. Or kill me!

  But she didn’t believe it. If he’d wanted to do any of those things, he’d had ample opportunity.

  And he doesn’t strike me as a killer.

  Not that Kimberly had a lot of experience with murderous men.

  Just the one.

  She willed herself to keep her mind on track and focus on getting through the next few hours at minimum.

  How long could they possibly be doing a search for them? Anyway, it might be good. If she could get Roan to stop talking her in circles, she might be able to find out exactly what he knew about this Oculus.

  It’ll certainly be one way to pass the time.

  She groaned and hurried to reclaim the clothes she’d put in the bedroom following her shower. She needed to get out of her own head—and loins. It wasn’t like she was going to jump in bed with a stranger and definitely not under these circumstances.

  Still, for some inexplicable reason, she and Roan had been thrown together into a confusing nightmare and she was going to need to let go of her doubts.

  I wonder if those were Mom’s la
st thoughts too before she disappeared forever.

  Chapter 4

  To her credit, Kimberly stopped asking questions about a mile into the walk, accepting that Roan might know where he was going.

  And for both our sakes, I hope that’s true, he thought grimly, his ears honed on the sounds of the circling helicopters.

  “It’s peaceful out here,” Kimberly offered after a few minutes of deep silence. “If we weren’t being hunted, it might even be kind of romantic.”

  He cast her a sidelong look.

  “You think so?”

  “You don’t?”

  Roan shook his head.

  “Too quiet,” he replied. “Give me noise any day of the week.”

  Kimberly snorted slightly and he found himself studying her again, his curiosity piqued.

  “Why is that funny?” he asked. “You don’t like loud noises? Are you part border collie?”

  “I grew up in foster care,” she retorted sharply. “No sound meant peace of mind.”

  Roan felt a stab of guilt.

  “Sorry,” he muttered. “I didn’t realize.”

  It was her turn to be quiet and Roan struggled for something to say to break the mounting tension between them.

  “So…where did you grow up?”

  She stopped walking and eyed him.

  “Roan, let’s get one thing clear,” she snapped. “We’re not friends. I’m not even sure I like you but we’re stuck together for a while. Let’s not pretend we care about each other, okay?”

  Roan shrugged nonchalantly even though the words twisted his insides some.

  “Whatever you say, boss except…”

  “Except what?”

  “Except you do like me.”

  Her face contorted in disbelief.

  “Whatever helps you sleep at night,” she muttered, spinning around to stomp through the woods and Roan hurried to keep up with her. They didn’t dare use a flashlight but Roan’s eyesight was sharper than he let on. He wouldn’t lead them into a tree or off a cliff—as long as Kimberly stayed close to him.