Page 5 of Kane's Bounty
Four heavily armed men flanked Banta. It was a typical Psi assault team. All dressed in black, wearing body armor and ammo vests. Kane looked down at the petite woman tucked close behind him and wondered what she could have done to warrant this kind of attention. Banta was the tallest at six and a half feet, but the others were all big. Every one of them probably outweighed Lena by a hundred pounds, yet they felt they needed five men to catch her. He looked down at her wide eyes. She was terrified. None of this made sense.
“I know you’re on the ground, Kane,” Banta barked.
Kane pulled back behind the dark corner. They squatted and listened.
“We just want the woman and the stones. You’re hired help, man. You don’t have to get hurt in this. You have no investment in this woman. She’s trouble and you know it. Send her out with the stones and you walk away. Thorn will compensate you for the bounty you lose.”
When he turned toward Lena, her face was only inches from his. She watched him, and he could see she thought he would turn her over. Everything the mercenary said was true. He should not care what happened to one mark. All he should care about was getting paid for his trouble. What did it matter who signed the check?
“Shit,” he said under his breath. He took her hand and moved to the right, around the back of the hotel. The alley was dark and they crossed to the other side unnoticed, heading down another alley between two houses and into the street one block over. They held hands and could have been mistaken for any loving couple on a stroll.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Back down by the river.”
“Are you crazy? It’s too crowded. We’ll be seen.”
“The crowd will make it harder to spot us. Plus, we can find a taxi and get out of here.”
“Don’t you have a car?” Her voice was filled with disdain.
“Sure. Banta was standing right in front of it when he called my name. Do you want to go back and get it?”
“I’ll pass.”
He chuckled. “That’s what I thought.”
The crowds down near the river were the perfect cover. Kane held tight to Lena’s hand. She could bolt into the sea of people and he’d have a tough time finding her, or worse, Banta and his men would pick her up.
Why did he care what happened to this woman?She was nothing to him, yet he did care. This is going to be a problem.
He spotted a red-and-white cab dropping off a group of young women dressed to party in the upbeat, touristy, river walk area. When the last one exited, he held the door open and ducked his head in.
“Can you take us to the airport, buddy?”
“Sure thing, jump in.” The driver’s thick Georgia accent welcomed them.
“Thanks.” Kane let Lena precede him into the backseat.
It was nearly ten at night when they finally reached the airport terminal. He paid the driver and took Lena’s hand again. He didn’t know why so many people were after her, but for the moment, she was still his mark and he was not letting her go.
They moved inside to the departures board. A long list of cities, times and whether the flights were on time or delayed flashed above them.
“There are no flights to Boston until morning,” she said.
“Doesn’t matter. They’ll be waiting at the airport in Boston.” His eyes ticked down the screen. Once he found what he was looking for, he took her hand again and tugged her toward the ticket counter. “Act as if you like me and follow my lead.”
He spared a glance down at her. There was the most adorable scowl on her face. He wished he was the guy who could kiss the crease between her brows away. Shaking his head, he turned back to the woman at the counter. “Ma’am,” he started in his best Southern accent. “We just got a wild hair to take a trip. Packed our bathing suits and toothbrushes and here we are. Can you find us a nice beach somewhere so we can relax for a few days?”
For her part, Lena leaned into him and rubbed her hand across his chest. She rested her cheek on his biceps and sighed. God, what he wouldn’t give for her affection to be real. He gave himself a mental shake. Even though he tried to banish the feelings, his cock would not stand down. Her touch mixed with her scent was too much.
The blonde behind the counter smiled and looked at them. “Do you have your passports?”
“We sure do.”
She tapped on her computer keyboard. “I can get you on the ten fifty-nine flight to Cabo San Lucas, but you’ll have to hurry and I only have first class left.”
Lena squeezed his arm hard. “That would be just perfect, ma’am. Nothin’ is too good for my sweetheart.” He kissed the top of Lena’s head. Her hair was soft and warm.
