Drew turned toward her. “We don’t have a lot of time here. We need to clear out, just in case those guys out there wise up and start searching the houses.” He took the knife. Stepped away and dug in a chest of drawers. A moment later he was clad in a fresh shirt and tossing her—a leather jacket?
“I know you like motorcycles,” he said with a wry grin.
Uh, no, not so much.
“Time to ride.”
Her head was spinning.
“All of the other houses on this street are abandoned. That fire is going to blaze until the EOD tips off the fire department. And Devast’s men? They’re not leaving until he gives them an order to clear out.” He took her hand. “So we leave them. The motorcycle is stashed a few blocks away. Ten minutes, and we’ll be clear.”
She slid on the leather jacket.
Then he gave her a very blond wig.
“Just in case you’re spotted.” He pulled a baseball cap low over his brow. He’d retrieved the cap from the same drawer that held the jacket. “We can’t be the ones they are looking for. That would wreck the plan.”
She balled her hair up, secured it, and became a blonde in moments. She also ditched her glasses. Or rather, Drew took them and carefully stored them in his pocket.
A few minutes later they slipped out the back door. She could hear voices yelling, could hear the faint crackle of flames in the distance.
“Stay close to the buildings. Stay close to me,” Drew whispered into her ear.
Right. She had this.
Her fingers shoved into the pocket of the leather jacket and they curled around—medicine?
She felt the familiar shape. An inhaler. Drew had made sure that she had an inhaler close by.
Their footsteps were silent as they snaked through alleys and around old houses. The area looked so abandoned but she knew they couldn’t take any chances.
Drew caught her in his arms. He spun her around and pressed her back into a brick wall.
“What’s happening—” Tina began.
Drew put his lips on hers. He kissed her hard and deep, and his body seemed to completely surround hers.
Then she heard the thud of footsteps advancing toward them.
Drew’s hand moved between their bodies. His fingers brushed over her stomach. What was he doing? There? This didn’t seem like the place to—
His lips pulled from hers. He kissed her jaw, brought his mouth to her ear.
“I’ve got my gun,” he said.
Oh. That was what he’d been reaching for.
The footsteps were coming closer. They hadn’t gotten away clean, after all. So much for the grand plan.
“Get a room!” an angry voice called out.
Then the thudding of those footsteps continued as they rushed past Tina and Drew.
Tina glanced up. She saw the back of a man’s head. He had a baseball cap on, too. He was rounding the corner, not seeming to care about her and Drew at all.
Her shoulders slumped in relief.
“We’re almost there.” Drew’s body still brushed against hers. “You ready?”
Tina swallowed and nodded. She glanced once more toward the left, but the other guy in the baseball cap was long gone.
Her fingers curled around Drew’s. They hurried into the darkness.
It seemed to take forever, but in reality, Tina knew only about five minutes had passed before they were on the promised motorcycle. The bike vibrated between her legs when Drew kicked the engine to life. The motorcycle shot into the night. She held on tight to Drew.
And they got the hell out of there.
* * *
COOPER MARSHALL WATCHED the lights of the motorcycle vanish as he pulled his baseball cap lower over his forehead.
He had his own ride waiting, but he didn’t want to follow Drew Lancaster too closely.
He hadn’t realized that Drew and Tina would be coming down that alley. He’d seen the flames and thought that he’d been too late to help the doctor.
Nice job getting her out of there. He had to hand it to Lancaster—the agent had a certain style.
And Cooper knew that he’d been lucky, too—if there had been more light in that alley, Drew would have recognized him.
Recognition wasn’t on Mercer’s agenda. Not then.
He wondered if Mercer knew just how involved Drew had gotten with the good doctor. Because Cooper had seen the way the guy touched her.
The touch of a lover, not an agent.
He’d have to brief Mercer. Drew might not be up to his usual standards of ice and detachment on this particular case.
When cases got personal, they all too often got messy.
As far as Cooper was concerned, personal involvement always led to danger.
Tina Jamison was already in enough danger as it was.
* * *
“I DIDN’T GIVE any order for a bomb!” Anton snarled. “What the hell happened?” He wanted to shatter the phone.
“B-boss, the house just exploded. They were inside—all of ’em! They’ve got to be dead.”
His back teeth ground together. He spun around and tapped on his keyboard. The feed on Drew Lancaster’s tracker immediately came up. According to the signal, Drew Lancaster was moving fast down Bridge Avenue.
His eyes narrowed. I’ve got you. Drew thought that he could throw up a distraction and escape with Anton’s prey?
Not happening.
The agent should have taken the money. Now he’d just die.
And so will the woman.
* * *
TINA’S ARMS WERE locked around Drew’s waist.
He eased the motorcycle to a stop, pulling it up near the wall of a bar. It was hitting close to 3:00 a.m., and the bar was about to shut down.
Perfect timing for him.
Drew shoved down the motorcycle’s kickstand.
“Why are we stopping here?” Tina asked quietly.
He knew the place didn’t look like much of a safe house, but that was why they were there. Appearances could be plenty deceiving.
He tucked his helmet under his arm. “You need a place to crash.” They both did. “By morning, this case will be all over.” Because Devast would have followed their breadcrumbs straight to Mercer.
Drew had told Tina that he had to make the situation personal for Devast. And he had. The bomb at the house on Moyers would have infuriated Devast. As soon as Devast had pulled up Drew’s tracking signal and realized that he’d escaped the flames...
The SOB would have decided that he had to go after Drew himself.
After all, Devast had told him that he didn’t give second chances. Devast’s men weren’t catching Drew and Tina.
So you have to get involved in the job yourself, don’t you, Devast?