Page 35 of Her Reluctant Hero
Chapter Seven
What the hell? She’d stopped on a dime, and he couldn’t make her move forward. Afraid to loosen his hold—afraid she might drift away in this crowd—he edged in front of her and tugged.
She didn’t move.
“Bella.”
Over his shoulder, he saw Henry approaching fast, head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd.
“Santiago’s here.” But she wasn’t looking behind her. She stared straight ahead.
“Yeah, he’s almost here.” Did she think he didn’t see the giant gaining on them? “Go.”
“No, Santiago,” she said, her voice almost a squeak, and she turned then, her eyes huge and round.
His heart kicked and he glanced over his shoulder. Christ. And him without a weapon, without backup. He whipped around to the direction she’d been looking, and saw nothing. An empty private booth.
“You’re imagining it,” he said, but had the creeping suspicion she wasn’t. Still, he couldn’t protect her here. “We’ve got to go.”
Something he said reached her and he propelled her forward, though she kept looking over her shoulder at that alcove. Knowing he was probably bruising the soft skin of her arm, he shoved her toward the door, not looking to see if Henry was on their tail. He maneuvered them across the lot toward his truck, unlocking it with the remote and swinging her up even as he opened the door, then shoved her over and climbed in after her. He jammed the key in the ignition and gunned the engine before he looked up to see Henry charging from the front door, followed by two others, all with guns.
He swore, then shouted, “Get down,” as he shifted into gear and peeled away from the curb, into the street, swerving to avoid hitting an oncoming car before punching the accelerator.
He made two turns before he looked at Isabella, still crouched on the floor. “You can get up now.”
When she did, he could damn near feel her shaking across the cab.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She nodded, but her hands trembled as she buckled herself in.
“Does Henry know where you’re staying?”
She shook her head, pushed her hair back from her face. “I told him I was staying with a friend.”
He turned toward her hotel and she slid him a surprised look.
“How long were you following me?” she asked suspiciously.
“I picked up your trail before you rented your Nissan.” A thought occurred to him and he scowled. “If this guy wants to find you bad enough, he could.”
“So I suppose it’s a good thing I registered in a different hotel with my credit card and paid cash for the one I’m staying in.”
He grinned despite himself. But instead of praising her, he said, “Nice place?”
She grinned back. “Oh, yeah.”
Alex whistled low when he entered the luxurious room with the magnificent view of Miami. He headed for the window and opened the door to the balcony, then stepped outside. Isabella latched the door, knowing it wouldn’t do much good against Santiago if he found out where she was and really wanted to come after her.
But Alex was here now, and just knowing that made her feel safer than it should. The idea that he’d followed her to Miami after the way he’d left her in the Honduras hotel room buoyed her spirits. He’d gotten her out of the jungle. He would help her find her son.
She buried the romantic notions that wanted to accompany the realization he’d come for her. Giving into those had gotten her into trouble in the past. Alex was bound to have an ulterior motive.
She loosened the tie of her dress and turned into the marble tiled bathroom. “I’m going to shower,” she called to Alex and closed the door before he could answer.
She didn’t lock it. He could come in if he wanted to. As battered as she was feeling, she would welcome him. He’d saved her from Santiago, though she wasn’t sure he believed that.
She turned the gold fixtures till steaming water poured out, ducked under to wash the sweat and nerves away, the fear and the arousal.
