Page 96 of Ricochet

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Maybe Colin should’ve hauled ass after Adelia immediately and not stopped to drop his piece of advice, but he caught up quickly. The diner’s glass door slammed as fast as Adelia had thrown it open. Colin ignored the hostess’ pointed call to have a wonderful day and come again soon.

What kind of suburban town had Adelia found, where a hostess asked him to have a lovelyday as he chased after a woman. Part of Colin hoped that someone called the cops on him. It might restore his faith in humanity.

Adelia hustled across the parking lot.

“Would you wait up?” he hollered. “You don’t even have a car!”

He grabbed her shoulder, bringing them to a standstill, and she didn’t turn around. “I don’t need one.Remember?”

“I get it. Being a sarcastic—” He wouldn’t saybitch, but man… “I am not them.”

“What?”

“Take off the armor.”

Adelia whipped around. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’ve got armor, babe. It’s there for a reason, and you’ve made it this far in life because you’re smart and have protected yourself.” He hated to imagine from what. “But think about the words flying out of your mouth. You’re defending yourself the same way youdo with a gun.”

“I’m trying to help you!” She took a swift step away from him, but he snagged her elbow. “Let go.”

“Sure.” He didn’t and took a step closer. “As soon as you tell me why you jumped and ran like Mayhem traipsed in the backdoor.”

“Because I only had one problem and now I have two!”

Again with the coded language and vagueness. “Do you mind explaining what they are? Mayhem and…”

“You!” She yanked her arm away, exasperated. “You are my second problem. Your office finding me when I don’t even know where I am! This place couldn’t be more random.”

A car honked at them, and he tugged her to the side parking lot. She covered face with her hands, and he let her do or think over whatever she needed to.

Slowly, she pulled her hands away. “It won’t make sense—”

“It doesn’tnow.”

She bit her lip, tears welling. “I can’t explain it, because I don’t see how it would work. But it’s not just Mayhem who wants me dead, and you’re going to get me killed before I have done everything I need to.”

This fight was like an endless loop, one of those songs kids tortured their teachers with in school. “I already said, I’ll work everything out with Mayhem on the back end.”

Shecackled quietly. “You have no idea.”

“There’s that armor again.” Then again, him pointing it out like that wasn’t helping. “Can we sit down? My car’s over there.”

She swayed without rejecting his offer.

“I’ll drop you where you want or leave you here, if that’s how this is going to go. But let’s just calm down a minute. Okay?”

She nodded, stepping to his side, and they walked toward his rental.When they’d almost reached it, relief swelled in his chest as though he thought they’d never make it to the car—boom.

He grabbed her, folding her to his chest before her scream pierced the air. His hand covered her head and forced them onto the parking lot.

“What the fuck.” A bullet ripped the rear side panel of his rental open.

She was good under pressure, and her scream had been choked away.The shooter wasn’t close. Like lighting and thunder, he could tell they had distance because the bullet hit before he heard it. The impact point gave him a prayer of a bad angle. He fumbled for the back-door handle and cracked it open. “Head down.” Colin pushed her into the back seat, acting to cover her as best he could. “Keep down, babe.”

“I can’t move.”

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