the steps as he pulled himself to standing. “Let’s get off this street.”
Suddenly fearful that the dark car might return, Ava hurried to her door and let them into the small shared foyer, then led the way to her apartment door, unlocking it carefully.
“Wait.” Jason’s hand covered hers. “They know where you live. They were waiting for us.” He ran his hands around the door frame. Ava assumed he was checking for trip wires or a triggering device of some nature.
Fear pounded from Ava’s heart to her ears in one beat. “They’d have to come through the front door to get to this one. They’re both locked.”
“Open it slowly.” The captain relented, straining to breathe, his face frightfully red.
Wishing she could hurry and help the captain before he passed out, Ava nonetheless did as instructed, watching and waiting, ready to spring away if the captain gave any sort of signal at all.
But nothing happened. Her apartment looked the same way it always did—blank white walls, minimal decor, honey-oak wooden floor gleaming in the midday sunlight.
Captain Selini clutched his chest as he stepped inside, talking into his earpiece, between gasping breaths reporting on what had happened.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Ava closed the door behind him, then peered up into his face as he bent over, his face more purple than red.
“My armor.” The captain twisted to one side, grimaced and turned back again, panting. “It’s cutting into my diaphragm.”
“Do you need to take it off?”
“Can you help me?”
Ava wasn’t sure what to do, but she figured the captain must be in terrible pain to ask her to help him. Quickly, she unbuttoned the front of his uniform. Purple-faced and fumbling, he explained to her the straps and fasteners, and she pulled him free of the steel-plated body armor.
He straightened immediately, his white T-shirt moving against his well-muscled back and shoulders as he pulled in a real breath for the first time since the car had struck, and flexed his brawny arms backward, testing his range of motion slowly.
For a moment, all Ava could do was stare. She’d always assumed the captain, like all the other guards, was strong. They had physical-fitness requirements for their job, no doubt, so of course they worked out. But she wasn’t at all aware of how very physically fit the captain was until he threw his beefy arms up over his head and flexed his muscles, pulling in a deep breath as he assured himself of his full mobility.
Ava’s mouth went dry and she watched him in silence. No, he wasn’t as old as she’d assumed. The man appeared to be youthful and fit and actually almost attractive, now that she paid attention. Of course, he had that permanent frown line between his eyebrows that made him seem older. But other than the ever-present scowl on his face, Captain Selini was...handsome.
Rather than gawk, Ava returned to the tiny kitchenette that adjoined her open living space. “Can I get you something to drink, or an ice pack? What can I do?”
“Get packed before that guy returns.”
“Was he a guy?” Ava asked as she stepped from the kitchenette to the bedroom to gather her things.
“I don’t know. The glare of sunlight on the windshield made it difficult for me to see him, but I thought the driver looked male. Did you get a look at him?”
“I barely saw the car at all,” Ava confessed. She pulled out her duffel bag, then stared at her open closet and tried to think. How long was she planning to be gone? What should she pack? And what if the man who’d tried twice now to kill her showed up again? Perhaps she ought to choose more practical footwear. She only had eight days until Prince Alexander’s wedding. The adventures of the morning had already disrupted her schedule.
She gulped a breath, trying to clear her head, to focus on what she needed to pack and not think any more about what it had felt like to be in Captain Selini’s arms. He had such very nice arms. And his manly scent was alluring, as well. That was another thing for her not to think about.
“What can I do to help?”
Ava spun around to find the captain standing in her doorway, looking very uncaptain-like in his T-shirt. Instead he looked like any normal person, but with extra-strong arms that had wrapped around her and saved her from the car. The terror she’d felt in that moment tore through her again, and she shuddered to think how close they’d both come to horrific injury, or worse. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“I never said I was.”
“Can I get you an ice pack, then?”
“You can get packed so we can get out.” The captain stepped into the small room, making it feel that much tinier with his wide shoulders occupying so much of the space.
“How long do I need to pack for?”
“A couple days should be fine. We can send a team back later to get the rest. Just grab the necessities, or I’ll do it for you. We need to get you to safety as soon as possible. I need to figure out what’s going on.”
Rather than let the captain make good on his threat to select her wardrobe choices for her, Ava tossed clothes into the bag. “What do you think is going on?” she asked as she darted toward her bathroom for everything else she’d need.
“Somebody’s trying to kill you.” The captain’s tone was so grim Ava couldn’t help looking up as she stepped past him, then froze as his gray eyes locked on hers.
“Kill me?” she repeated. On some level, she’d realized as much already, but hearing him speak the words so bluntly made it all seem real in a way she wasn’t ready to deal with yet.
“Given the two attempts so close together, I’d say they’re in a hurry about it.”
Ava felt her arms go limp as her duffel bag sagged toward the floor. Why would someone want to kill her? What was she supposed to do? Would they strike again at any moment? Overwhelmed, Ava hung her head.
“Hey.” Captain Selini’s hand fell gently on her shoulder, a tiny gesture of comfort in the midst of the cold fear that gripped her. His strong hand sent an unwelcome tingle of awareness through her. Normally she’d have shaken him off, but his touch imparted comfort. And she desperately needed comfort, no matter how much she resented that fact.
She looked up into his face, still surprised to see how handsome he looked at close range, when he wasn’t yelling at her, when she actually looked at him long enough to see past the silver flecks, which she realized now were probably brought on by the stress of his job or possibly as a result of arguing so many times with her. If it hadn’t been for her personal policy never to get close to anyone, she might have given in to the impulse to lean toward him, to bury her face against his strong shoulder and sob.
But instead of inviting her to lean against him and cry, the captain gave her a tiny shake. “Get going. We need to leave in two minutes. Pull yourself together.”
FOUR
Jason turned and left Ava alone to pack her bag. He needed to breathe—preferably
