Page 14 of Near Miss

“Are you claustrophobic?” Sophia’s delicate, pink-tipped nails clutched his sleeve. The concern in her eyes would have made him laugh if a strange warmth wasn’t spreading through his chest.

“Not hardly. I’ve been in situations much worse than this.” No one was trying to shoot him or blow him up, and, unlike the movies, the lift cables weren’t going to snap and send them plummeting to the basement.

If anything threatened his well-being right now, it was this wee woman.

She took a deep breath, and his gaze was drawn to the gentle swell of her breasts, generous enough to fill his palms, over her flat midriff to her smooth, toned legs and black heels. She had nice legs. And those shoes...She had to be in shape to walk in them. Barefoot, she’d probably stand no taller than mid-chest on him.

“You should take self-defense classes,” he heard himself say.

Where did that come from?Had he gone daft?

Her startled laugh was a light, musical sound that went straight to his groin. “I took a couple of classes in college.” A teasing look crossed her face, but he could read the anxiety lurking behind her eyes. She took a step back. “Why do you say that? Do I need to defend myself against you?”

Yes.“Never. But men without honor might view you as prey because of your size.”

The thought filled him with an unexpected rage that must have been reflected in his eyes because Sophia’s head reared back, wariness shadowing her gaze.

She retreated to the opposite side of the car. “You certainly think the worst of humanity, don’t you.”

“I think the worst because I’ve seen the worst,” he snapped.

The apprehension in her eyes deepened. Her fingers crept to her purse.

He inhaled a calming breath, shame burning a hole in his stomach. He’d frightened her.Christ. He was a shite bastard. She was probably ready to mace him or stab him with a shiv.

He threw up his hands in surrender. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m sorry. Let’s change the subject.” His brain scrambled for a general, non-threatening question normal people would ask. “How old are you?”

She gave him a startled look but eventually answered. “I’m twenty-seven,” her chin lifted, “but I have a master’s degree in Global Development and experience drafting legislation as a Congressional aide. I assure you I am qualified for this position.”

He’d done a crap job changing the subject if the tilt of Sophia’s head and her frosty tone were anything to go by. At least she no longer looked at him like he was a bloody axe murderer. “I was just curious about your age and meant nothing by it. I know you’re qualified. The presentation you gave to the executive team proved that.”

Her skin pinkened. “Sorry. And thank you.” She peered at him. The curiosity in her eyes had his entire body tensing. “What about you?”

“Thirty-four. But in terms of what I’ve experienced in life, decades older.” His ghosts stirred, threatening his equilibrium.Not here, not in front of Sophia.

She stepped toward him again, too close, the green flecks in her eyes brimming with an emotion that made his jaw clench. “I’m sorry for whatever put that pain in your eyes, and,”—she gestured toward his left leg—“hurt you physically as well.”

He stared down at her, his lungs so tight he could barely draw in enough air. Sweat dotted his forehead.Fuck.Maybe he was claustrophobic after all because he needed out of this bloody box before he did something stupid.

Like kiss Sophia.

He looked at his watch.Twenty minutes. That was all?It felt like they’d been stuck in the lift for hours. He eyed the ceiling. Chances were there was an emergency hatch above the panels, but it was likely bolted from the outside. Maybe he could get an idea of where the lift had stopped. He moved to the doors, got a finger hold on each panel where they met, and tried to pry the doors open, grunting as his shoulder and back muscles screamed from the strain.

“What are you doing?” Sophia’s voice rose in pitch. “We need to wait for the elevator repairman or the Fire Department. I read that the safest thing to do when stuck in an elevator is to do nothing.”

Shite piece of crap lift.He gave up his efforts, his breath ragged from exertion. He should have known modern buildings such as this one would have lifts equipped with door resisters designed to keep people from doing precisely what he’d tried to do.

“I thought I’d see where we were.” He wasn’t good at waiting for someone else to rescue him. He was the one who usually did the rescuing.

Without warning, his ghosts took control.

“Get down!” he screamed to be heard over the din. “Get down!”

The female hostage’s head rose, eyes peeled back in terror as she searched the darkness in the direction of his voice. Relief poured over her face. She stretched out her hand. He took a palm off his rifle and reached out. The tips of his glove had barely brushed her fingers when her body jerked, and she crumpled to the ground like a rag doll.

“Lachlan!”

He blinked and refocused. Soft hands cradled his jaw. Wide, hazel eyes stared up at him.

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