A cold smile crinkled the edges of his lips. “Ah, see? I am more than just a helpful fellow in an airport.” He leaned closer, voice lowering. “And here is something else I know about you. Your worst nightmare is any gun, but particularly one aimed in your direction.” Slipping his fingers to her wrist, he pulled her hand to his rib cage, letting her fingers brush holstered cold steel, his eyes glittering above that frozen smile.
The weapon burned her fingertips, shooting fire into her soul. She wanted to scream, to run, to do anything, but her muscles froze, the memory from years ago and a deafening roar drowning out the rest of the world.
The man smiled wider, taking dark pleasure in her panic. “Your fear is my best friend.” Slipping her bag from her elbow, he shrugged it onto his shoulder and wrapped an arm tightly around her waist, pressing the gun to her side, the metal digging into her rib cage. The way he held his free hand, on the strap of her bag, he could reach the trigger with very little motion. “Now, we will walk out of here together, quietly.”
Some accent tinged the edges of the polished words, but Ashley couldn’t quite place it through the roar in her ears.
“And when we get where we are going, you will tell me all about your friend Sean Turner and his mission overseas. If you feel you do not need to talk, well...” He chuckled. “That is when the fun will begin.”
A sob glued itself to the scream stuck in her throat. She was in trouble. Sean was in trouble. And this man had everything to do with it.
Ashley’s feet dragged as the man urged her forward. The world was under water, images hazy around the edges, sounds muffled as her pulse rang in her ears. How could no one see what was happening? The late-traveling crowd trickled thin, security guards easing their scrutiny as more planes arrived than departed. No one even glanced their way.
Fear, a familiar nemesis, imprisoned her in an unbreakable paralysis. She was going to be kidnapped in plain sight. Tortured if this man got her out of sight.
There was nothing she could do, not with the weight of a gun pressing tight against her side. The man didn’t even have to lay a finger on it as long as she knew it was there. A whimper broke through the solid wall in her throat.
“I can put a bullet in you right on top of that scar that is already there and be out of here before your body reaches the ground. It might be I have to go to my hotel and wash the blood out of my suit. It would not be the first time.” He pulled her closer. “I would not get my pay, but I would make it out of here a free man, which is the most important thing.”
“Who are you?” Ashley hated how thin her voice sounded, how she wanted to scream, but, always, that cold lump dug into her side. He could pull the trigger faster than she could ever hope to run.
“Does it matter?”
The exit doors loomed in front of her and, on the other side of the main drive, the parking garage. Despair ate at her. This was her one last chance to scream.
As she pulled in a deep breath, the man stiffened, muscles coiled. “I will kill you and anyone who tries to help you.”
Ashley deflated as they stepped through the exterior doors and the cool humidity of a New York spring night enveloped them, the soft air mocking her plight. She couldn’t win at the moment, but she would not give up. In the parking deck, she could hide behind a car, buy a few seconds and flag down a passing driver...though it was almost certain this man would kill anyone who stopped.
As they stepped into the dim light of the quiet parking deck, a red pickup screeched to a halt at the sidewalk in front of them and a man jumped out, blocking their path. “Thanks for dropping me off,” he called to someone inside. “Let me get my stuff out of the back and I’ll catch you on the return trip.”
Her captor huffed and shifted his step to ease her toward the bed of the pickup, the shorter way around.
But as they stepped sideways, the man spun and threw a sudden punch, knocking her abductor’s grip from her. Before Ashley could even gasp, the newcomer had shoved her through the open back door of the truck and onto the floor then dived in behind her. “Stay down!” His shout was nearly drowned out by the thwack of bullets hitting metal as the vehicle squealed tires and roared forward.
Ashley’s entire body screamed from the tension and rough treatment. Glass shattered and small pieces showered them. Fighting the weight that pinned her to the wide floorboard, she found her voice and screamed.
“Make her stop. I can’t think,” the driver called.
“Drive. And have a little sympathy.” The new threat slowly hefted himself off of her and onto the seat. “I think you got us out of there. Nice driving.” He looked at Ashley. “You’re safe...for now. But don’t get off the floor.”
Rolling to her side, Ashley prepared to scream again, but a hand lay gently across her mouth. “You’re okay. Look at me.” The voice was low and...familiar?
A whole new kind of adrenaline rocketed through her as her green eyes met brown ones she’d never forgotten. She sucked in a gasp, choking on the leftover scream in her throat, and buried her face in her hands, certain now this was all a bad dream. Ethan?
Sean’s last words swirled. “I’ve sent—”
Ethan Kincaid. Sean had sent Ethan Kincaid. The man who, five years ago, had nearly cost her her life.
* * *
Fear, resentment, confusion... Ashley’s expression shifted so quickly Ethan could hardly track it all. When she hid her face, it was all he could do not to pull her close and tell her he’d protect her.
Not that she’d believe him, and he didn’t have time to convince her now.
Peeking over the backseat of the truck, he scanned the road behind them. “We’re not being followed. Yet. But with shots fired at an airport, it won’t be long.”
“And with our rear end shot up, we’re a little obvious. Smart guy to use a silencer, but I doubt this whole little adventure went unnoticed.”
Ethan noted Mitchum’s jaw was set so tight it had to hurt. He looked grim, angry. Likely because it was his truck sporting a new series of ventilation holes.
Ethan caught his eye in the rearview mirror. “Told you to let me drive.”
“Shut up, Kincaid. Where do we go from here?”
Ethan watched Ashley, mind racing for a plan. She still hadn’t moved, the only indication she was alive being the rapid rise and fall of her shoulders as she came dangerously close to hyperventilating. His practiced eyes scanned for wounds but didn’t see anything to concern him. Not like the last time.
He laid a hand on her shoulder, fingers brushing the soft blond hair that slipped forward with every breath she took. There was no way five years had passed since he’d last seen her. She hadn’t changed a bit. She was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on. Over time he’d managed to convince himself he’d done the right thing by leaving her to Sean, but now, in her presence, his decision reeked of stupidity and selfishness.
She worked her jaw from side to side then looked up, meeting his eyes with those improbable green ones. Even strangers had stopped her to comment. She swallowed hard. “What
