Mind of Danger (Body of Danger #3) - Sidney Bristol Page 0,6

bright burst of muzzle fire. Elias swerved.

Where had those shots gone? What about civilians?

“We need to stop this,” she snarled.

“Working on it,” Elias said.

She mentally kicked herself. This wasn’t his fault. He was doing more than what she’d asked for.

“Isaac, right?” Somehow he had the calmest voice. It had always been this way, no matter the situation.

“Yeah.”

“Take your jacket off. There might be a baseball cap under the driver’s seat. I need you to put it on.”

Jo lurched toward the door, leaning low and out of the window. She stared down the sights and squeezed the trigger once, then again.

She had to put a stop to this. She couldn’t let anyone get hurt because of what she was doing. Because she couldn’t handle her job.

“Got it,” Isaac said.

The pursuing car slowed, making it easier to aim. She fired a third shot. This time she knew she hit something under the hood because smoke curled upward.

Jo let herself collapse onto the seat.

Elias grinned at her. “That’s what I’m talking about.”

“Who the hell are you people?” Isaac moaned.

Jo grabbed her seatbelt. “Shut up already.”

“Get ready to move,” Elias said.

“What?” She blinked at him. “Where are we going?”

“We might be clear of them for now, but it won’t take long to trace the car back to me. We need to get you somewhere safe. Somewhere they won’t look for you.”

Jo cringed. “God, Elias, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to drag you into this.”

“From the look of it, I’m glad you called in some back-up.” He glanced at her. “You ever learn to not over-extend?”

She reached over and rubbed her arm over the scar. “Yeah. Okay, what are you thinking?”

“In here.” Elias whipped the car around a turn, then kept going in a circle, right down into a parking garage with a spiraling descent.

“I can take it from here,” she said. “You don’t have to get involved any farther.”

He snorted. “You honestly think I’m going to do that?”

She lifted a shoulder. “It’s worth offering.”

Jo hated how relieved she felt to have someone she could actually trust at her back. In the same moment, guilt threatened to drown her. Elias didn’t deserve to get sucked into her mess.

Elias didn’t respond to her. He got off the ramp several floors down on an almost deserted level and killed the engine.

“Come on. Let’s move quick. Got the hat, Isaac?” Elias pushed open the driver’s side door.

Jo holstered her weapon and reached into her backpack for her own knit cap.

The passenger side door opened and Elias stood there, holding his coat out for her. “Here.”

The offer made her pause.

One of the tricks when trying to avoid detection was an outfit change. Though not as dramatic and complicated as the movies made it seem.

Hair long and out?

Hide it under a hat.

Wearing a sweater and jeans?

Throw an oversized hoodie over it to add bulk and disguise gender.

Small spy craft tricks civilians never had to think about.

“Thanks.” She stood and shoved her arms into the coat.

Elias took that opportunity to snag her backpack and toss it over his shoulder.

“I can carry that,” she said.

“They’ll be looking for a woman carrying a maroon backpack,” he said.

She blinked at him, trying to figure out just what the hell he’d been doing to learn these tricks.

“We can talk later,” he said by way of an explanation.

She nodded and accepted the fact that this wasn’t as quick of a favor as she’d hoped it would be. Truth was, she’d be lying if she didn’t admit to herself that she was happy for his company.

“Come on. We need to move. Now,” Elias said.

Isaac stood at the rear of the car. “Who the hell are you?”

Elias’s tone hardened. “Do you want me asking that question?”

Jo almost fanned herself.

Okay, so Elias taking the hardline tone was kind of hot.

“Which way?” she asked.

“Over here.”

Elias began walking toward an elevator she hadn’t noticed.

“We’ll go up to the street level and proceed separately. I’ll go first since they don’t know who I am or what I look like. The rail station is a block and a half away. We’ll rendezvous there.” Elias pulled out his wallet while Jo punched the button for the elevator. “Take these. They should be good for at least one ride.”

Why did he just happen to have train tickets in his wallet?

Questions for later.

Much later.

“Where to then?” Isaac asked in a low grumble.

Elias glanced at her. “Do you have a place to crash?”

She winced. “I did, but... I don’t trust it’s safe anymore.”

“I have