Home to Stay (The Long Road Home #2) - Maryann Jordan Page 0,43

I’ve been hiding in the bushes over there until you got here.”

“Fuckin’ hell, babe.” He was torn between admiration for her keeping a cool head and rage that she felt threatened. If I get my hands on fuckin’ Paula… “Okay, that’s done, and we’re out of here.” The parking lot was quiet, but he didn’t trust it would stay that way for long. Opening the passenger door, he ushered her in, hating the sight of her hands shaking so badly she was barely able to handle the seatbelt. “Let me.” He adjusted it around her, clicking it in place. Her hair was askance, completely falling out of the clip at the top of her head. Her green top was wrinkled, and her blue jeans had a bit of dirt on the knees.

Leaning forward, with his face directly in front of hers, he wanted to fill her sight with only him. Her eyes were wide, and he placed his lips on her forehead. Mumbling against her soft skin, he vowed, “You’re safe, and I’m taking you out of here.” Closing the door, he hustled around the front and climbed in.

Starting the engine, he drove around the back of the hotel and pulled out into the alley before turning onto the road. Lucy’s hands were clasped tightly in front of her, her fingers wrapped around the strap of her backpack. He tapped a button on his phone. As soon as the line connected, he said, “I’ve got her. She’s safe. Leaving now.”

“Good job, congratulations. Take the time you need, then we’d like a report.”

“You got it.” He disconnected.

He felt her stare against the side of his head but simply reached to the console and pulled out a water bottle, handing it to her. “Drink.”

She acquiesced and drank deeply. With each swallow, her body appeared to relax. They remained quiet until they passed out of the city limits, and then her breathing seemed to ease.

Once they crossed the border into the United States with no difficulty, he heard her massive although shaky sigh of relief. He thought he did a better job of hiding his, but the truth was he’d sighed as well.

13

“You’re exhausted, Lucy. Why don’t you close your eyes and try to get some sleep?”

“I know I should, but I don’t want to. When I close my eyes, I feel yukky. Sick with anger, nerves, frustration. We’ve got at least three hours to go. I’d rather stay awake and talk to you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I feel a lot better having some water, and to be honest, as soon as we crossed over the border, I feel like there’s less of a threat. I suppose that’s silly, but…”

“No, it’s not silly at all. Certainly, their reach can be far, but we should be safe.”

She shifted in her seat, twisting more to face him. “Can I ask who you were reporting to?”

He kept his eyes on the road, occasionally glancing to the side, finding her attention focused directly on him. “I told you that I had a lead on a job in security. I’ve met with them, and it looks like that’s going to move forward and I’ll become an employee. I’m not on their payroll yet, but it turns out that I knew one of them from the military. So, after you called, I felt it was prudent to let someone know what was happening.”

“So, you called your friend? The one who works for the security company?”

“Yes. And he let the others know what was happening. They had the resources that helped me get to you quicker.”

She reached over and placed her hand on his arm. “I had no idea anyone else would be involved.”

With one hand still on the steering wheel, he reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. “I can handle things on my own, but it felt better to have a team behind me. Plus, I wanted to make sure what I was walking into. I’m used to planning missions before going in, and as much as I wanted to get to you, I had to know what the threat was.”

“Who are they, John?”

“The Minotaurs are an outlaw biker gang that run drugs and guns in Canada, sometimes making their way down across the border. The Hell’s Angels have taken over most of the biker gangs in Canada, but for some reason, with the Minotaurs, they formed a partnership.”

Lucy didn’t say anything, and he swung his head to the side, searching her expression. She turned her face back