Page 60 of Maddox

“What would you like?” the woman repeated, studying me curiously. She was ready to fill the box, the lid standing at full attention. Maybe she was even annoyed with my hesitation.

“Um…” I glanced over my shoulder, but the stranger was nowhere in sight. “I’ll take one of each of those.” I pointed to my selections, honestly not realizing what I was getting.

She hurriedly added them to the box and closed the lid, placing the coffee in a small bag.

When I’d paid her for the items, I walked slowly to the door, forced to take several deep breaths before I felt secure enough to walk outside. There was no sign of either man, but the strange sense of foreboding remained.

With my head down, I headed along the sidewalk, keeping as close to the building as possible.

A sudden grip on my arm was followed by another hand placed over my mouth. My instinct was to fight, but his harsh words kept me from doing anything.

“Don’t make a loud sound, Charmaine. We’re just going to walk.”

A rush of relief replaced fear from hearing Maddox’s voice. I nodded and he removed his hand.

“Don’t look back. Just act like we’re talking. You’re going to do what I say,” he said quietly.

“We’re being followed.”

“By three soldiers. One was inside the bakery you just needed to go to.” He glanced down at what I was holding. “Jar the box in your hand as lightly as possible.”

“Why?”

“Just fucking follow my orders.”

“Okay. Okay. I’m sorry,” I whispered as he guided us away from the bakery and the apartment where we were staying. “Do they know where we are?”

“That remains to be seen. It’s possible you were recognized.”

“How?”

“Because that’s what they do. We need to get back to the apartment.” As we passed a trashcan, he gently took the bakery items, tossing them into the trash, backing us away immediately.

When he grabbed my hand, I didn’t hesitate. He took long strides and I did my best to keep up with him. He made several turns, but when he took a sharp right, he pushed me against the building, immediately cupping my face with his palm. “Breathe for me, Charmaine. Everything will be alright.”

With his head lowered, he acted as if he was going to kiss me, his lips hovering just above mine.

I darted my eyes to the side, trembling the entire time I searched the street. “I don’t see anyone.”

A sudden explosion almost forced a scream. He covered my mouth with his, also preventing me from fighting him. He was warm and possessive, so protective that for a few seconds I wasn’t thinking about what had just happened.

There’d been a bomb in the box of pastries. Oh, my God.

People were running, several yells coming from all directions.

I tried to push him away, but he refused to allow me, even thrusting his tongue inside. When I stopped struggling, he finally pulled his lips away.

“Stay calm,” he whispered. “Just breathe for me.”

After taking a couple of breaths, I sagged further against the stucco exterior. “They knew I was inside.”

“Looks like it. They might not know where we’re staying, but we need to get the hell out of here.”

Thudding footsteps caught our attention.

He spun me around until his back was against the exterior of the building, this time wrapping his arm around me and pulling me tightly against his body.

Several people ran by and sirens sounded in the distance.

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