Page 6 of Wanted
I did.
What, exactly?
This was yet another argument they had on a regular basis. Due to her lifestyle, she’d fallen into the bad habit of grabbing food wherever she could get it. He knew her constant motion had kicked her metabolism into high gear, but it wasn’t healthy. Nothing about the lifestyle they led was healthy.
I had an apple for breakfast and a turkey sandwich for lunch, she wrote.
Dinner?
A candy bar. Okay?
No, that’s not okay. You’ve got to eat better.
I was in a hurry.
That was right. She’d been hurrying away from a blue car on the interstate.Slow down next time and get a good meal, he typed.
If I slow down, you might catch up with me.
He gritted his teeth.Would that be such a bad thing?
There was a long pause before she answered.What’s gotten into you?she finally asked.
You have, he thought. Reno rubbed his gritty eyes. She’d gotten into his blood.
Suddenly, he’d had enough. He was tired of talking to her through machines. He wanted to hear her voice, and not on a stupid phone. She never answered when he called anyway. No, he wanted to see her in person. He wanted to touch her.
Damn it, there had to be a way.
He ran a hand through his hair and tried to get his tired brain to function. Maybe there was a deal they could strike, one that would keep her out of prison. For all he knew, there could be mitigating circumstances. Maybe she’d been coerced into selling the software, or maybe she’d been an unwitting accomplice. That could be the reason she was running: she’d fallen into something bad and didn’t know how else to get out of it.
She wasn’t a hardcore criminal; he knew that.
He let his hands drop limply to his sides. If only she’d confide in him… If she’d meet him halfway, they could stop this insanity.
I’m tired, Dani. It’s been six months. For half of a year, I haven’t had much more of a life than you have. I spend all my time thinking about you, chasing you, and having these text conversations. It’s gone on long enough.
Then let me go.
No way, baby. You’re mine.
And with that… he crossed the line.
Knowing she was so close was driving him mad. If he made it through the night with his sanity intact, it would be a miracle. Six months was a long time, but the game was nearing its end. He could feel it. Soon. Soon, they’d be together, and they were going to straighten things out. No courts, no lawyers. Just the two of them.
This is ridiculous, she said.I’m signing off now.
Running again?
Goodnight, Reno.
A muscle in his jaw worked, but he knew that he’d pushed the issue hard enough for tonight. She just needed to get used to the fact that when he caught her, he wasn’t going to immediately turn her over for prosecution.
No, that wasn’t how this was going to play out. He had questions. Lots of questions… Like why did all the evidence point to her? Why had she run? And how were they going to get her out of this mess? He was willing to put in a lot of hot, dark hours with her until he got his answers.
His fingertips slid over the keyboard.Sweet dreams, baby, he typed.
Danielle dropped the phone and hopped out of the chair as if it were a hot seat. Her blood pounded in her veins, and she felt little electric sparks deep in her belly. Quickly, she checked the lock on the motel room door.
