wasnât breathing, because there, revealed for him to see, was such pain he nearly staggered backward.
In the loaded silence came the startlingly loud click of the gas pump, signaling that the tank was full, and she blinked and turned away.
Moment over.
By the time Hawk got back into the truck, with her hurriedly scooting over so that he wouldnât have to touch her, sheâd regained her control.
And reestablished her silence.
He started the engine, but she cleared her throat and rattled the handcuffs.
Right. Hoping he wasnât being an idiot, he pulled out onto the highway before he tossed the key into her lap. She wouldnât do anything stupid at sixty-five miles per hour, he figured.
Hoped.
Abby grabbed the key. Bending her head, she set herself to the task of unlocking the cuffs, her hair falling over his forearm, her breasts inadvertently brushing his bicep. Sheâd probably have a heart attack if she realized but he had another reaction altogether.
Freed, she rubbed her wrist and stared out the window. Reaching over, he brought her hand close until he could see her skin in the dim light of the console display. She was bruised, abraded and raw.
âDonât you dare say youâre sorry,â she told him.
He closed his lips on the words and pressed his lips to her skin.
She didnât snatch her hand free, which he considered an excellent sign. Instead, her breath caught as if maybe she liked his touch after all, as if maybe she was finally going to surrender her aggression and fear, and soften toward him. At least in his dreams.
âWhy would he show himself to you?â
His eyes met hers. So she hadnât decided that he was completely full of shit. Heâd take that. âI think it was sheer cockiness, to tell you the truth. Sort of like, look what I pulled off.â
âBut to play both sidesâ¦Itâs so crazy dangerous.â
âHeâs dying tonight, remember,â he reminded her. âIn essence, retiring.â
âAfter getting rid of his loose ends.â
âYes.â
âLike you.â
âYes.â
She nodded, clearly holding it together by a string, and he wanted to touch her so badly, just to let her know she wasnât alone.
âI keep going back,â she said. âTo when I was working on the Kiddie Bombers in Seattle.â
He slanted her a glance. âSomething clicking?â
âThere were several times when things went down like tonight, when Gaines showed up at raids no one expected him to be at. To watch the takedowns, he always said.â She shook her head. âOnce I questioned him on that.â
âAnd he was thrilled.â
âHe brushed me off.â Abby shook her head. âAnd I let him. I discounted all of it until now. But Iâm thinking that on the off chance I was getting too closeâ¦â She closed her eyes. âIâm a loose end, too.â
âYes, but youâre an alive one,â he reminded her. âLetâs keep it that way. First, your computer.â
âAnd then what? We draw him out in order to prove heâs alive?â
It was the first real sign heâd had that she might believe him. âI like the way you think, and yeah. He needs to be drawn out.â
Which Hawk would do alone, because no way in hell did he plan on letting Gaines anywhere near her. In fact, he needed to find a safe place for her until this was over. And yetâ¦and yet there was a small part of him that couldnât deny what it felt like having her with him.
Because with her here, he wasnât alone. As disastrously bad as the night had gone, as bad as it could still get, he wasnât alone.
10
Cheyenne Memorial Hospital
L OGAN WOKE UP IN A WHITE ROOM filled with beeping equipment and a sterile smell that made him groan in disgust.
A hospital.
He hated hospitals, always had. His asshole father had put him in several, until the state had finally
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