Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 105825 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105825 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
She had creamy-pale skin and long, tumbling black tresses that spilled all the way down her back. Her hair was mussed from when those bastards had dragged her from the car and I had this overwhelming urge to reach forward with one big, clumsy paw and brush it straight, so she was perfect again.
She was a head shorter than me and her body was all lush curves, her blue jeans hugging full hips and what had to be an amazing, rounded ass. Her white blouse was loose, but it couldn’t conceal the shape of her chest, the thin cotton stretched tight. I had to drag my eyes away. I’ve been around the world some but damn, I couldn’t remember when I’d seen a body that great. And there was something about her...she was soft and beautiful but strong. I couldn’t figure it out, but I was fascinated.
The breeze changed and a few strands of that midnight-black hair tickled my cheek, so soft it was like being stroked by wisps of stormy cloud. She smelled like orange blossom and coconut.
She was goddamn gorgeous. I stared down into those pale gray eyes, big with fear and—
It started small but it grew fast, a Texas flood finding a dry riverbed. It surged through me, crashing and thundering, and I felt my chest fill and my fists bunch.
I had to protect her. And that urge came from a place deep in my chest that I normally keep locked up good and tight. For a second, the pain hit me full force and I had to look away and tell myself not to be so goddamn weak.
Just get her safe. Nothing else mattered.
I turned back to her. “‘Name’s JD,” I told her. “And I’m gonna get you the hell out of here.”
A gunshot rang out and I instinctively ducked down behind the SUV, pulling the woman with me. Another group of gunmen was headed our way. I dropped one of them with two quick shots, but the rest kept coming.
At that moment, the other SUV’s engine suddenly roared into life and it leapt away like a scalded cat. But after less than fifty feet, it screeched to a stop, and the rear door opened. A silver-haired man in a suit leaned out, bleeding from a cut on his forehead. His face looked familiar but I couldn’t place it. “Lorna!” he yelled. His accent was Scottish. “Get in!”
The problem was, the gunmen were between us and him. They started running towards his car, hoping to grab him before he could close his door. “Go!” I yelled. “I’ve got her!”
I could see the debate on his face. He didn’t want to leave her behind but he was smart enough to see that we couldn’t get to him. He said something to his driver and the SUV sped away, leaving the gunmen who’d been chasing it in a cloud of dust. They started shooting at it and I saw the rear window shatter, but it kept going, speeding off into the distance. The gunmen slowed to a stop and started jogging back toward us.
I grabbed the woman’s hand. Lorna, the guy had called her. We had to get the hell out of there. But as I pulled her towards an alley, she pulled back with surprising force. “Wait!” she told me.
She ran around to the SUV’s rear door. She ducked inside the car and hauled out—
I swallowed hard. A kid. At first, I thought he was seven or eight because he was just a little thing. Then I got a better look at his face and realized he was more like nine or ten. The same age Max would have been.
Lorna gathered the kid to her chest. She glanced at the gunmen and those soft gray eyes went hard as granite. And suddenly, I knew what it was about her that had me so entranced. Soft but strong. Caring but protective. Beautiful but dangerous. She was a mother.
Jillian had had the same look. The memory woke the pain again and I had to wrestle it down inside before it took over.
“The driver,” Lorna said, nodding quickly towards the front of the car. Her accent was New York, rapid-fire and efficient, but there was just a hint of Scottish, too. “I didn’t get a chance to check if he’s….”
I stared at her, amazed. She must be terrified, but she was still worrying about other people. I fired a shot at the approaching gunmen to hold them back, then leaned into the car and felt the driver’s neck for a pulse. I grimly shook my head.
“We’ve got to move,” I told Lorna. “Stay low, stay behind me, and keep a hand on my back so I know where you are.”
She nodded mutely, put her palm between my shoulder blades, and pulled her kid close to her side. And together, we ran into the alley.