Page 46 of Wicked Obsession

“Who?” Ryder asked.

Finn shook his head. "I don’t know. Did you see Andy Harper is leading this merry band of mercenaries?"

“Yeah.” Ryder’s voice was devoid of emotion and Langley realized he was still assessing Finn, not completely sold on his innocence. Her legs started shaking and she locked her knees, trying to remain steady. She couldn’t falter, not now.

It can’t be Finn.

Ryder said, “Harp recruited you for Bent Tree.”

“He tried.”

“Succeeded. You’re leaving the army.”

“Tried,” Finn stressed the word. “My getting out has nothing to do with Harper or money, and I’m for damn sure not hiring on at Bent Tree.”

There was something in Finn’s voice that sounded infinitely weary to Langley and she believed him, but she remained quiet. She couldn’t help the nervous glance behind where they stood. It hadn’t been long—less than a minute—but damn, her anxiety was climbing the longer they remained in one place. Ryder didn’t move.

“Ski, not to rush you, but Harp came with at least three men. We don’t have time for this.”

Ryder shook his head. “There are more in the pool house. You gonna call them?”

One side of Finn’s mouth quirked up. “No, I’m here to save your ass. You can thank me later.”

The scraping, squealing sound traveled from inside the building and Langley knew the menwere pushing open the door to the storage room, forcing the shelving unit across the tile floor. "We're out of time," Langley interjected.

"I've got your back," Finn said. "That is if you trust me enough to let me hold my 9 mil."

Although Langley couldn't see anything on Ryder's face, she could almost feel him taking an instant to debate what to do. "Cover us," Ryder said. "We're heading for the forest. Make sure you watch your own back.”

Immediately, Finn reached for his gun and Langley knew a moment of terror, but he didn't point it at her or Ryder. "I always do," he said. The squeal from the pool house became louder, the shelf sliding further. "Move!"

“Run, Langley,” Ryder ordered, pointing to his right. “Don’t slow down, don’t look back.”

She didn’t wait for him to stop speaking. Langley ran before he finished saying her name.

The yard around the house and outbuildings was carefully maintained, but ahead there was tall grass. It didn’t matter that it was scrubby and little more than knee high. What did matter was it offered some concealment—more than the nothing she had right now. Beyond that was the forest. It seemed impossibly far away and she focused on the grass.Just reach the grass.

Her lungs burned, her legs seemed heavy, and Langley knew she needed to pace herself. Shetried to pretend it was one of the 5K races in which she’d run, but her brain couldn’t make her body slow down.

Where was Ryder?

Langley wanted to turn, wanted to check on him, but he’d told her not to look back. She concentrated on running, on putting one foot in front of the other. Her thighs were screaming, her calves were cramping, she was gasping for air, and her feet—

A loud crack stopped her heart. Gunshot! That was a gunshot. But he’d told her to keep going, so Langley ran on.

Almost to the grass. She was almost to the grass.

More shots cut through the air and Langley dove into the tall grass like a running back diving for the end zone. As soon as she hit the ground, she rolled to her hands and knees, crawling forward as fast as she could.

A weight pinned her to the ground. Ryder.

“You’re okay?” she asked. She couldn’t see him, not flat on her belly with his body over hers.

“Fine. Stony and the mercs are exchanging fire.”

Her breath rasped and she felt like she was suffocating. “I can’t breathe with you on top of me,” Langley said.

Ryder shifted his body and she filled her lungs with air. As her oxygen problem became lesssevere, she became aware of the trembling in the muscles of her legs, and the toes on both feet had gone numb. This wasn’t good. “How long do we stay here?” she asked, but her question was broken by panting.

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