Page 15 of August

His hand was curled loosely around the bottom of the steering wheel and his legs stretched out in front of him. Her mouth watered. His long-sleeved T-shirt hugged his biceps, and the sleeves were pushed up his forearms to reveal sinewy tattooed muscle.

The guy was every girl’s fantasy.

His green eyes glimmered with warning. “Do that again and see what happens.”

She hiked up her eyebrows. “Is that a threat?”

“No, but I don’t take kindly to second offenses. Not only will you not get a burger, but your ass will meet my palm.”

She gasped and smacked his shoulder. “And my fist might loosen your jaw.”

He chuckled and brought his gaze back to the road. “How about I keep giving you burgers and fries and you keep staying close?”

She shrugged. “I’ll never turn away food. But the real way to my heart is a kitchen. Copper cookware, gas stove. The works.” She was trying to be funny, but the mention of her dream kitchen only awarded her a stab of longing.

“I’ll tell you what. When this is over, you can cook me a huge meal, complete with dessert. Sound good?”

She laughed. “I’d be so happy to cook again that I’ll take that deal.”

Trees and open fields whizzed by the window. Gigi couldn’t stop the buzz of nerves in her belly. “How long until we’re home?”

“’Bout thirteen hours or so.”

She dropped her head back to the seat and looked at him. “Please tell me we’ll find a bed before we get there.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she clamped her lips together. Heat incinerated her cheeks. She brought her attention to the stretch of road in front of them, but not before seeing embers of desire spark in August’s eyes.

He was quick. Surely his mind had gone to the same place hers had at the mention of a bed.

He cleared his throat. “We’ll drive a few more hours. I’d like to crash by 10:00 p.m., get a decent sleep, and leave early. We should be home by tomorrow afternoon.”

“I’d like to call my sister. I know it’s risky, but—”

August reached into the cup holder and passed his phone to her. “Rami called earlier. They heard what happened and were worried. I’d have told you sooner but got distracted when I caught you leaving.”

Sadness weaved around her heart as she accepted the device. Ivy must’ve thought she was dead. Oh god, she knew that feeling. Knew the pain of fearing the worst about your sister. She hated that Ivy had experienced even a second of that torture. And though Rami wasn’t her brother, they’d become close. Rami’s brother had gone missing over two years ago during a mission in Afghanistan and had never been found. It was almost unbearable to imagine how much both Ivy and Rami had been triggered by the assumption that she was dead.

She ran her thumb over the edge of the screen, summoning strength.

She selected Ivy’s number and brought the phone to her ear.

“Hello?” Ivy’s voice sounded hollow.

“It’s me,” Gigi said, almost grimacing at the strain in Ivy’s tone.

“Oh thank god.” Ivy’s emotion spread through the line, reaching Gigi’s heart. She didn’t need to see her sister’s face to hear the fear, anxiety, and relief all mixed into one. “What happened?” Ivy implored.

The last thing Gigi wanted to do was relive the experience. She dragged small circles on her pant leg. “They must have found me because of that postcard I sent you. It was stupid of me. I just—I thought—”

“It’s okay,” Ivy said firmly. “You’re okay. And by the sounds of it you’re coming home, which is right where you should be.”

“I don’t want to put you at risk.” She kept her voice quiet, as if saying her biggest worry too loudly would make it come true.

“You’re not. We know who’s after you and we have the best protection possible. Maybe the way out of this isn’t to run and hide but to face the cartel head-on.”

Gigi wet her lips. “People die when that happens.”

“The cartel will kill people whether they’re after you or not. Please, come home. I need you and I miss you.”

Tears brimmed in Gigi’s eyes, and the lining of her throat swelled as she fought to keep the crying in check. Bawling wouldn’t do her or Ivy any good, and surely it’d make August uncomfortable. “We should be there tomorrow afternoon.” She used all her effort to steady her voice.

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