Page 56 of Risky Passion

“You okay to walk?” I asked.

Her gaze darted toward the trail. A flicker of fear danced across her expression but vanished just as quickly. “Walking? Yes. I’m done with running for today.”

“Good,” I said, letting my hand linger on her back just a moment longer than necessary before pulling it away. “We’ll head back to the track. It’s easier than pushing through this scrub.”

We crept out of the bushes, stopping every few steps to listen. The night was alive with sounds: the drone of cicadas rising and falling in waves, the faint crackle and pop of my dying Jeep as the flames devoured it. But there were no voices, no footsteps. No immediate threat.

The distant glow of the wreckage cast long, flickering shadows across the ground, while the pale half-moon and the dazzling Milky Way stretched from one horizon to the other, painting the landscape in ghostly silver. The light was enough to see the twin tire tracks that stretched out in front of us, cutting a ragged path through the darkness.

Onyx stayed close to my side, her nose twitching as she sniffed the air. Every movement of hers was sharp and purposeful. She didn’t miss a thing. Best partner I’d ever had.

Tory glanced over her shoulder toward the fireball, her expression caught somewhere between unease and exhaustion, and the flames reflected in her eyes, dancing like tiny firestorms, and the heat had brought a faint glow to her cheeks. Despite everything, she looked alive. Stronger than I’d expected after all the bullshit she’d been through.

“Sorry about your car,” she said finally, turning her gaze back to me.

“Me too,” I said. “I loved that Jeep.”

“I hope you were insured.”

“Yeah. But I’ve only had it for three months. Pretty sure the insurance company’s going to love me.”

“They might actually enjoy assessing your claim,” she said, her lipscurving into a faint smile. “I doubt they get too many cases of cars being blown up by an RPG.”

I chuckled, and the sound seemed unfamiliar after the hours of tension. “Yeah, I’m sure that’ll make for an interesting report. Just hope they believe me.”

“There’ll be enough evidence,” she said, her smile widening. “Besides, I witnessed it too.”

For a moment, the weight of the night seemed to ease a little.

“Still can’t believe that happened, though,” she added, shaking her head.

“Me neither,” I admitted. “I’m just glad we weren’t in the car.”

She let out a sharp breath. “Jesus, I hadn’t even thought of that.”

“Sorry,” I said, wincing.

“So, what’s that now? Four attempts on my life in one day? Five? I’ve lost count. That has to be some sort of record.”

“I’d say so,” I replied dryly. “You’re either really lucky or really unlucky. Haven’t decided yet.”

She snorted, a sound that was so damn cute, I couldn’t help but grin.

“Can we not have any more?” she said.

“That’s the plan.”

We kept walking, choosing one tire track each as our path. Onyx trotted ahead of Tory, her pace steady, but she kept glancing back toward me, her bright eyes checking in. Like my own protection detail.

“How far did you say that orphanage was again?” Tory asked, her voice steady, but her expression unreadable.

“About ten miles,” I said, shrugging. “Not too far.”

“For you, maybe,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “I can’t remember the last time I walked a mile, let alone ten.”

“We’ll make it before dawn if we keep moving,” I said, joking. We should be there long before that.

“Dawn?” She let out a brittle laugh that teetered on the edge of exhaustion and disbelief. “Great. Another near-death experience to round out the day.”

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