returns?”
“Trust me,” he said. “I won’t let you down this time. I promise.”
But how could she trust him when she didn’t really know who he was anymore? Before she could respond—before she could even figure out how she wanted to respond, as warmth and wishes swirled in her chest—he straightened up and slipped from the vehicle, leaving the door ajar as he headed toward where Fax and Tucker both went stiff and on point at the sight of him.
“Sampson!” Tucker bit off. “Son of a—”
Heart drumming, Sara hurried to catch up with Romo. They were maybe three or four car lengths from the men, and Sara could already feel the tension coming off them in waves. Figuring she should make a rearguard effort to smooth things over, she called, “Hey, you two. Thanks for meet—”
A whistling shriek cut her off, followed quickly by Romo’s shout of alarm. Then he was slamming into her, driving her to the ground.
Half a heartbeat later, the world exploded.
They’d been ambushed! Sara’s heart constricted in her chest as Romo covered her body with his own. “No!” she cried. “Tucker! Fax!” She tried to struggle out from beneath Romo, but he wouldn’t budge, just hung on to her tightly, covering her ears with his big, strong hands.
A terrible noise blasted over them, coming from where Fax’s truck had been. Waves of concussion battered Sara, even though she was protected by Romo’s weight pressing her down into the hard surface of the parking area.
Her ears rang and went dull as panic gripped her, took her over, paralyzing in its intensity. She thoughtsomeone was screaming, realized a moment later it was her, and shut up. Heat flared in the air, bringing terrible, choking smoke.
Slitting her eyes, she looked toward the conflagration. Fax’s truck was burning. Tucker’s car was marked with blast char, its front quarter panel mangled. The two men lay twenty or so feet away from the vehicles, close to each other. Neither was moving.
“Fax! Tucker!” Hacking against the burning ash, Sara struggled to get up, to get to her friends. Then Romo rolled off her, dragged her up and pulled her into a shambling run. Only he was going in the wrong direction. He was headed away from the other men.
“No!” Sara dug in her heels and tried to twist away. “No, we’ve got to go back for them!”
“We can’t.” His grip was inexorable, his jaw set and his face colder than she’d ever seen it, even before the amnesia, when he’d been a far harder man.
“Romo, stop. We can’t leave them.” Tears stung her eyes, a combination of smoke and emotion.
“We don’t have a choice. Move!” He shoved her into the back of the hybrid, shut the door and climbed in the driver’s seat. He had the little vehicle moving before she even scrambled to grab the door handle with some mad intent of flinging herself out and running to Fax’s and Tucker’s aid.
She froze as a second missile whistled through the air and impacted the spot where the hybrid had been. The parking area cratered in an instant, and the little car rocked with the waves of concussion, but the tires held and the hybrid leaped away, engine racing asRomo gunned it out of the parking lot. Sara clung to the door handle as the little vehicle flew away from the attack.
“Call it in,” he snapped, attention divided between the road ahead and that behind them. “Tell them to get to Tucker and Fax ASAP, but don’t say anything about us.”
Mind blank with fear, Sara scrabbled for her pocket, pulling out her cell. She stabbed the familiar number and reported the attack in a voice that cracked with tears. When the dispatcher asked her name, she started to say, “This is Sara—”
“Give me that.” Romo grabbed her cell and tossed it out the driver’s-side window.
“What the hell?” she demanded angrily.
“You made your call. They’ll get to Fax and Tucker in time, thanks to you. But we can’t let them track the phone.”
“Who, the
“Trust me,” he said. “I won’t let you down this time. I promise.”
But how could she trust him when she didn’t really know who he was anymore? Before she could respond—before she could even figure out how she wanted to respond, as warmth and wishes swirled in her chest—he straightened up and slipped from the vehicle, leaving the door ajar as he headed toward where Fax and Tucker both went stiff and on point at the sight of him.
“Sampson!” Tucker bit off. “Son of a—”
Heart drumming, Sara hurried to catch up with Romo. They were maybe three or four car lengths from the men, and Sara could already feel the tension coming off them in waves. Figuring she should make a rearguard effort to smooth things over, she called, “Hey, you two. Thanks for meet—”
A whistling shriek cut her off, followed quickly by Romo’s shout of alarm. Then he was slamming into her, driving her to the ground.
Half a heartbeat later, the world exploded.
They’d been ambushed! Sara’s heart constricted in her chest as Romo covered her body with his own. “No!” she cried. “Tucker! Fax!” She tried to struggle out from beneath Romo, but he wouldn’t budge, just hung on to her tightly, covering her ears with his big, strong hands.
A terrible noise blasted over them, coming from where Fax’s truck had been. Waves of concussion battered Sara, even though she was protected by Romo’s weight pressing her down into the hard surface of the parking area.
Her ears rang and went dull as panic gripped her, took her over, paralyzing in its intensity. She thoughtsomeone was screaming, realized a moment later it was her, and shut up. Heat flared in the air, bringing terrible, choking smoke.
Slitting her eyes, she looked toward the conflagration. Fax’s truck was burning. Tucker’s car was marked with blast char, its front quarter panel mangled. The two men lay twenty or so feet away from the vehicles, close to each other. Neither was moving.
“Fax! Tucker!” Hacking against the burning ash, Sara struggled to get up, to get to her friends. Then Romo rolled off her, dragged her up and pulled her into a shambling run. Only he was going in the wrong direction. He was headed away from the other men.
“No!” Sara dug in her heels and tried to twist away. “No, we’ve got to go back for them!”
“We can’t.” His grip was inexorable, his jaw set and his face colder than she’d ever seen it, even before the amnesia, when he’d been a far harder man.
“Romo, stop. We can’t leave them.” Tears stung her eyes, a combination of smoke and emotion.
“We don’t have a choice. Move!” He shoved her into the back of the hybrid, shut the door and climbed in the driver’s seat. He had the little vehicle moving before she even scrambled to grab the door handle with some mad intent of flinging herself out and running to Fax’s and Tucker’s aid.
She froze as a second missile whistled through the air and impacted the spot where the hybrid had been. The parking area cratered in an instant, and the little car rocked with the waves of concussion, but the tires held and the hybrid leaped away, engine racing asRomo gunned it out of the parking lot. Sara clung to the door handle as the little vehicle flew away from the attack.
“Call it in,” he snapped, attention divided between the road ahead and that behind them. “Tell them to get to Tucker and Fax ASAP, but don’t say anything about us.”
Mind blank with fear, Sara scrabbled for her pocket, pulling out her cell. She stabbed the familiar number and reported the attack in a voice that cracked with tears. When the dispatcher asked her name, she started to say, “This is Sara—”
“Give me that.” Romo grabbed her cell and tossed it out the driver’s-side window.
“What the hell?” she demanded angrily.
“You made your call. They’ll get to Fax and Tucker in time, thanks to you. But we can’t let them track the phone.”
“Who, the
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