No Escape From War (Trouble for Hire #1) - Cynthia Eden Page 0,9

door was wearing a black mask over his face. One of those creepy morph-type masks that she’d seen kids wear on Halloween. It hid his entire face, but she knew those masks were designed so that he could see straight through it.

You didn’t wear a mask when you were the hero who’d come to help a screaming woman. You wore a mask when you were the bad guy.

She flew back into the bathroom. Too late. She’d seen the mask angle toward her.

Oh, God. Oh, God. “War!” Rose screamed. “War!” Where in the hell was he when she needed him?

The intruder—wearing all back—lunged for the bathroom.

Rose couldn’t run. The stupid cuff held her in place, and she didn’t have a weapon on her. She couldn’t even reach for anything in the bathroom that might help her.

She was trapped.

And he was closing in.

“War!” A desperate shriek.

The guy surged toward her. Rose kicked out at him as hard as she could.

***

“I am totally over her,” War snapped into his phone. “Look, I just want to find out more about the cases. Could you do that for me? Get to tappity-tap-tapping on the computer or call in some favors for me, but get me the case files so I can—” He broke off. He’d sure thought he’d just heard…

“So you can—what?” Odin Shaw demanded. “Do not leave me in suspense. But I think I pretty much know how the sentence ends. It goes something like… ‘So I can get the woman back in my bed again by playing hero for her and—’”

“I heard it again.”

“Heard what?”

War was already surging away from his parked car. “I think she’s screaming.” He hung up the phone. Shoved it into his pocket and flew back for room one-oh-four. When he got there, he grabbed for the door.

Still locked.

His hand shoved the key toward—

Stop. His mental order. He’d been sure that he heard Rose scream, and he’d acted on instinct as he hurtled for her. But…what if this was a trick?

What if Rose was trying to get the guy next door to help her?

What if she was just jerking War around?

What if—

Fuck it. What if she really needs me? He shoved open the door. “Rose! If this is some kind of con, this shit is not funny—”

Some SOB in head-to-toe black was in the bathroom. War could see his figure as he struggled with—

Rose.

“Get the hell away from her!” War roared as he leapt across that room. He reached the bastard, and War locked his hands around the sonofabitch’s shoulders. War yanked the guy back and shoved him in the outer room, toward the bed. He had a flash of the morph mask that the man wore. It completely covered his face and head.

Rose grabbed at the towel that had been locked around her neck. She could only grab with one hand because the other was still cuffed to the towel bar.

He’d been strangling her!

“Baby?” War sank to his knees before her. He threw the towel aside with shaking fingers. “Are you okay?”

Her eyes were huge. Her face flushed. She nodded quickly even as a tear slid down her cheek.

That tear put him in a killing rage. War jumped back to his feet. That bastard would pay. He whirled around.

“War, no!” A quick croak from Rose. “Don’t leave me!”

The attacker wasn’t in the motel room. The front door hung open—War hadn’t shut it when he’d rushed inside. He flew toward that door.

“War.” Rose’s desperate voice. “I don’t…don’t know that he’s working alone. I’m cuffed.”

Tension burned in his blood. He wanted to give chase so badly.

“Get me out of the cuffs. Don’t l-leave me.” A plea.

In an instant, he was at her side. He yanked out the key to the cuffs and freed her wrist. His fingers slid over her skin. Her wrist was red and swollen, and he knew she’d been fighting desperately to get free when that asshole attacked her.

Outside, he heard the screech of tires. Swearing, he curled his fingers with Rose’s, and together, they raced for that still open door. By the time he got to the lot, he could smell exhaust from the fleeing vehicle, but he couldn’t see the car. It was long gone.

Sonofabitch.

“T-told you,” Rose whispered as she tried to tug her hand free of his grip. “Someone is after me. Someone…other than you…”

Her voice was weak. Because some prick just tried to kill her! He let her fingers go, but only so he could use his hand to tip back her head