Page 57 of The Desperate Warrior

He gave her a challenging look. “If that’s what you want.”

“I didn’t say it’s what I want,” she snipped, “only that it’s what you’ve been doing.”

Something dark and brooding churned in his eyes as he leaned closer. “What do you want?”

Blood pumped faster through her veins. Why did he have to look so good? He was gorgeous, even in a gray T-shirt and jeans. She hated the attraction pushing through her like a freight train. “I guess I want to go back to how it was before all of the chaos.”

Myriad emotions battled over his rugged face. “I wish for that too.”

A thousand things that could’ve been said lay silent between them—the sleeping dragon that could rip them apart with its jagged teeth or burn them to a crisp with its fiery breath.

The corner of her mouth twitched. “I’m disappointed.”

His eyes deepened with regret. “I know,” he said.

Before he could offer up another apology, she went for the punch line. “You claim to have all these kick-butt skills, but youcan’t even travel through time.” She tsked her tongue. “I guess Sutton Smith was wrong. You’re not the best of the best, after all.”

A startled laugh burst through his lips. “I’ll have to work on that.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” she teased.

Just like that, the tension vanished. “You’re probably grateful to be out of the SUV.”

“Oh, yeah,” he said heartily. “I thought I was gonna have to punch through the floorboard to make some more room for my cramped legs.”

She crinkled her nose. “I’m sorry that you had to cool your heels all day in the SUV.”

“It goes with the territory,” he said casually.

“That’s not true. You go way above the call of duty. Thanks for keeping such a close watch over me.”

The moment slowed. Her gaze went to his mouth as heat rushed through her. Everything about this man drew her in and drove her to distraction. She wanted to kiss him so badly that she could taste it, and yet she had to maintain her resolve. Her eyes traveled up to his thick head of hair, remembering how it felt to bury her fingers in it. She would especially enjoy doing so now that it was longer. Some distance, that’s what she needed right now. She stumbled back a step and then lost her footing. He had to steady her with his hand to keep her from falling.

Amusement circled through his eyes, turning them a warm, rich caramel. “You okay?”

A high-pitched laugh issued from her throat. “I’m good.” She wasn’t good. She was acting like a moron. He knew the effect he had on her and was clearly enjoying it.

She blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. “I’m starving. Wanna order some takeout? I was thinking Chinese.”

“Sounds good.”

She turned her attention to the items in her hands. As she thumbed through the mail, a bright green postcard caught her eye. She held it up for Brock’s inspection. “Zoe’s postcard. She was right. It came … at least one of them.” It was a stunning image of a rugged coastline, and Zoe’s note was heartfelt. She leafed through the sales flyers and bills, stopping at the plain envelope with no return address. Her name and address were printed in heavy black letters. A dart of foreboding went through her.

Brock immediately picked up on the change in her demeanor. “What’s that?”

“I don’t know.” She slid her index finger along the top edge of the envelope to open it. Her breath caught when she saw the photo. It was the one that Lisa Randall had asked Steve to take right before her surgery—the one of her and Jules. Lisa’s smiling face was X’d out in red ink. Above the photo, he’d scrawled:

You’re next

Her hands trembled. “Oh my gosh,” she whispered as a wave of dizziness overtook her.

Brock glanced around his expression that of a fierce warrior about to go on the warpath.

“Should we call the police?”

His eyes narrowed to slits. “It would be a waste of time. We’re gonna get this psycho, Jules. You have my word.”

Later that evening, Luke and Nikki returned. They’d spent the day at Eagle Mountain Lake, scouring the area and systematically knocking on doors of fishing cabins. They showed Steve’s picture, asking if people knew him. Unfortunately, they had zero luck, which was understandable considering that there was so much terrain to cover and lots of cabins.

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