Page 65 of Her Reluctant Hero
Chapter Twelve
Spots appeared before Isabella’s eyes before she realized she’d forgotten to breathe. She strained to hear descending footsteps, watching for Alex’s signal. Would they make it out of here? She needed to feel the tension leave her body, to feel her heart return to normal.
Her heart rate hadn’t been normal since Alex had kissed her in the elevator.
Okay, since she danced just for him.
Would her heart ever be normal again?
She watched him cross the lobby, his stride confident, a man on a mission, a man afraid of nothing. But she recognized the minute he saw the enemy, saw the line of his shoulders tighten, saw him nod to someone she couldn’t see, behind a pillar. She wished he’d taken her with him. She felt completely vulnerable here.
He looked over and motioned to her. She burst out of the door just as she saw the feet of her pursuer out of the corner of her eye. Racing barefoot across the lobby, she joined Alex at the valet stand, where he got his keys as if he had all the time in the world. He tipped the valet and they stepped out onto the driveway, where the truck waited.
Now he was a blur of motion, opening the door for her. She vaulted in while he walked around the front, tossed the duffel between them and put the car in gear. Behind them, hurrying footsteps raced out onto the driveway.
“Get down,” he commanded, and swung the car onto the road.
She dropped to the floorboard, facing the seat, and clung to it as he whipped the truck left, then right, so the vehicle swayed on its shocks. Alex glanced in the rearview mirror repeatedly, his jaw tight, but everything else about him relaxed.
In his element.
“What now?” she asked.
“We make sure they’re not behind us, then we call Lionel.”
“Are they behind us?”
“Can’t tell. Two cabs pulled out after us, but they don’t seem to be in a hurry to catch up.”
“They don’t need to be. This isn’t the movies. They just need to know where we’re going.”
He glanced at her, then accelerated. His face was grim when he looked in the rearview mirror. He turned, then turned again. Nausea welled up in her as she held onto the seat and the doorway, her spine bumping the glove box. She hated not being able to see where she was going, just like when they’d dropped off the cliff in the jungle. But she stifled that. She would not give him something else to worry about. She manned up and held on.
His phone rang. Isabella jolted, Alex swore, then dug the phone out of his breast pocket and tossed it to Isabella. She stared at it a moment.
“Open it,” he snapped.
She did and held it to her ear.
“Are you going to make me chase you all the way to Texas?” the gruff voice demanded.
“Who is this?” she asked, her voice high and tight to her own ears.
“Danes. The one who made sure those assholes didn’t follow you. Let me talk to Alex.”
She lifted the phone to Alex, who scowled. “It’s Danes,” she said. “He’s following us.”
Alex looked in the rearview mirror again before he took the phone. “Yeah?”
“Pull over, Shepard.”
“Where?”
“That McDonald’s looks good.”
Alex made a sharp right. He flipped the phone closed and tossed it on the seat in front of Isabella. “Stay there.” He shoved open the door, alert, ready to draw his gun.
A cab pulled into the lot behind them. Alex tensed as the back door opened. Beyond him, she saw the big man step out and cast Alex a chiding look.
