Page 47 of Storm Warning

“That’s kind of boring, isn’t it?”

“Maybe. Just surprise me.”

She settled on the sofa and sank right in. It was old and well-worn but comfortable. She’d almost drifted off to sleep when Hawk offered her a plate with two loaded sandwiches. “Eat now, sleep later.”

She lifted the bread to peek inside. “Mayo and mustard on both.”

“Ah, now you know my secret sauce.”

“Whatever. I’m hungry.”

“You get the bed. I’ll take the sofa.”

“I couldn’t,” she said around a bite. In her stupor, the explosion of flavors was lost on her.

“No, really you can.” Had he eaten that entire sandwich in two bites?

She hadn’t finished the first one. “Because you’re a gentleman?”

With his mouth full of sandwich, he only shrugged in response. Remi guzzled the bottled water he handed off. “Okay, I’m heading to the bed. I’m going to crash, and even with a bad guy like Cole Mercer trying to kill me, I’ll probably sleep like the dead.” Maybe she wouldn’t dream or have nightmares about the terror that chased her. The clock read 4:52, but it was winter and still dark outside.

A few hours later, she woke to the aroma of bacon and eggs. After rubbing her eyes, she took in her surroundings. The musty smell reminded her she was in Hawk’s rental house. The clock read 8:30 a.m. She’d gotten just over three hours, so she’d be running on a deficit, but she was glad Hawk woke her with breakfast smells.

She scrambled out of bed and cleaned up as best she could in the bathroom. Finger-combed her hair and rinsed out her mouth. If she was going to meet Dr. Holcomb, she really wanted to clean up first.

“Remi, you awake?” Hawk’s voice sounded gentle.

And comforting. What would it be like to wake up to that voice every day? Remi pinched her face. She had to knock those thoughts into oblivion.

“I’m coming.” She exited the restroom. “I wish we could stop at the lodge. I need clothes if I’m going to meet Dr. Holcomb.”

“We’ve been here too long. Cole could be in town searching for you even now. We’re leaving the vicinity after we finish breakfast. You look fine.”

Focused on eating quickly, they ate in silence. He put the dishes in the sink and didn’t even bother washing them out. “Time to get out of here.”

“You wish we hadn’t stopped, don’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“You brought us here for me? So I could rest and eat? I could have kept going.”

“Like you said, we need to be coherent and have the energy to face the day. So here we are.” He stood at the back door and opened it for her.

She was curious about the ride. A monster truck?Lord, I hope it’s a Hummer built like a tank.

She stepped through the door and into the cold, wet, rainy day.

Remi couldn’t move.

Her gut clenched.No.“I can’t.”

20

Trudging ahead of Remi, he opened the door of his helicopter for her. He got the Agusta 109 series bird for a steal at a salvage yard—where helicopters go to die—though it had still cost a pretty penny. Great for flying in weather like this, so he had no regrets. “This will get us out of Cole’s grip faster so we can lose him for the time being. You need time to figure this out.”

When she still hesitated, he urged her on, waving her over. “Let’s go.”

He didn’t want to be a jerk, but neither did he want her to remain in danger needlessly when he had the power to get her to safety, even if it was short-lived. They had a slim window before another wind and rainstorm moved in, and a stormy flight would make Remi even more uncomfortable. He wanted her experience with him to be a good one for reasons that had nothing at all to do with running from his rogue brother.

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