Page 4 of Triple the Danger

It was at that moment that the numbers, names, and amounts in the book clicked in her head. They were debts owed to this Frank guy, and considering how detailed Leon made the list, she couldn’t imagine that Frank would be pleased that Leon lost it. She doubted Leon would have fessed up to that; to save his own skin, she was sure he hadn’t shared that with his homicidal boss just yet.

She didn’t tell her ex about that part, but promised him that she was being careful and was getting out of town. He made her promise to check in with him, and she was intermittently, but mostly just trying to keep going. She didn’t want the cops involved. Not when she was in possession of a not quite so legal firearm, and her past made possessing any firearm not quite so legal anyway.

It was only a week into her travels that she realized she was being tailed. Random vehicles followed her down winding country roads and through large cities, always staying just far enough back that she couldn’t make out what they were, or who was driving them. Usually it was a dark car, but a couple of times it was a white or silver one. When she dared to stop and stay at a hotel, she found that things in her room were searched or moved. She could have convinced herself she was just being paranoid, until she was almost shot coming out of a coffee shop.

Panic ensued, and she’d managed to escape in the chaos before the cops showed up, leaving that town behind in a squeal of tires. Fear had her going faster than she should have been, but it was enough to get her a good distance away from whoever was after her. How did she know the bullet was meant for her? It sunk into the building behind her a mere inch above her head.

Ever since, she’d been driving far and fast, and hadn’t yet seen anyone behind her. She hoped she lost them, but she wasn’t taking any chances. She grabbed things she might need from every town she passed through, careful to only use cash and not any of her cards. She emailed all her clients to let them know she would be out of contact, but would complete all her work and send it as soon as it was ready. She only had a couple more days before she had to find a safe spot to send those and get out more cash. It would give away her location to whoever was after her, but it was a risk she had to take. She couldn’t risk losing her clients after working so hard to build her business over the years.

If it meant she had to travel the damn country and work as she went until this whole mess was sorted, she would. Right now, though, the car needed fixed. She grabbed her bag, confirming she had enough cash to cover the repairs, as long as they were reasonable. If they weren’t, she would have to risk paying with credit so she could get back on the road. She never stayed in one place more than a couple of days.

It was safer for her, and anyone else around her.

The rumbling sound of a large engine pulled her out of her thoughts, making her tense as she stared out the windshield. Down the road came a large tow-truck, the logo of the Dragons Garage across the hood. She relaxed, slightly, before grabbing her bag and climbing out when the vehicle pulled around and backed up in front of her expertly.

She wasn’t prepared for the man that climbed out of it, though. A jolt of desire hit her square in the belly, and she was glad she wore sunglasses that would hide the widening of her eyes. Damn, this man was hot. And not in a pretty boy way like Ty, but the rugged, works with his hands and keeps himself in shape kind of hot.

Six feet of man stood in front of her, with ink all over every inch of exposed skin, a mess of dark brown hair that looked like he was recently running his hands through it, and green eyes that reminded her of emeralds, they were that stunning. He was dressed in a pair of coveralls that were covered with oil and grease, and scuffed work boots. Lean muscles bulged as he waved and made his way toward her. Still, she wasn’t anywhere near naive enough to think this man wasn’t a potential danger. Despite the charming smile on his lips, and a swagger he knew could have her eating out of the palm of his hand, there was an edge about him she knew all too well. He might look pretty, but underneath was a man that saw and did things that would send nice girls running the other way.

Good thing you’re not a nice girl. She ignored her inner voice. She had no time for anything of the sort, no matter how much her body liked to remind her of how long it’d been since she had sex. She didn’t count Leon, since the one time they slept together was hurried and disappointing. The man thought himself a much better lover than he was.

“Your chariot is here to save the day,” the man announced jovially with a wide grin as he reached her.

“I suppose that makes you Prince Charming?” she asked, unable to help herself, or hold back the smirk that pulled at her lips.

He winked at her. “I’ll be whatever you need me to be, gorgeous. But first, let’s have a look and see what we got going on.” He motioned for her to pop the hood. She did, and then moved to stand slightly behind him, but close enough she could see what he was doing. She also kept her purse close, just in case. He hummed to himself as he tested this and that, until finally he said, “Yep, gonna need to tow her in. Looks like we need to check your cooling system, and this engine needs a tune up. Lucky for you, I’m the expert in the shop at both, so today is definitely your lucky day.”

“Will that take long to fix?” she asked in what was hopefully a casual tone.

He shrugged, turning back toward the truck. “Depends on how bad the problem is,” he said over his shoulder. “But since I’m the best, I’m sure I can get you back up and running by tomorrow. You local?”

“No, just passing through.” Shit. She was hoping it would be a quick fix.

“Well, lucky for you, we’re a friendly town and have lots of hotels for you to stay at, but we’ll worry about that later. For now, let’s get out of this heat and into the shop.” He made quick work of hooking up the car and getting it up on the bed, before he headed to the side door and opened it gallantly. “Hop on into your chariot, my lady, and we’ll get on our way,” he drawled smoothly, sweeping his arm to add to his dramatics.

She moved to the open doorway, but before she climbed in, she looked up at him and asked, “Were you the one annoying the pregnant woman on the phone? Jax?”

He laughed. “We all annoy her, but yeah, I was the one she was annoyed at this time.”

She looked him over quickly, and asked, “How bossy are you?”

Jax’s grin widened and turned downright wicked. Shit, she was in trouble if he kept doing that. She didn’t want to be charmed. “Well, now, that depends on the situation. Right now, I’m here to help you get your car to the shop. But after hours, well, I’m happy to be as bossy as you like. Is that what you’re after, sugar?”

She moved her sunglasses to the top of her head and gave him a saccharine smile as she returned, “More like your receptionist told me to make it hurt if you were too bossy. ” She gave him a slow once over. “I think I can take you, big guy, so maybe remember that before you try, huh, sugar?” Then she climbed up into the truck.

He surprised her, though; instead of getting all pissy about it, he laughed and shut her door before rounding the hood and climbing in on the other side. He put the truck in gear and started driving, glancing over at her with that silly grin on his face. “Is it bossy of me to ask your name?” he wondered.

She was tempted to give a fake name, but that was too much work. “Saylor,” she finally replied.

“Saylor,” he repeated, seeming to roll that around in his head for a moment. “Pretty and different. Where did your parents come up with it?”

It was a common question, and one she was used to answering. “My father had a thing for rum at the time, and he told my mother to name me after his favorite bottle. He was a mean drunk, so she didn’t dare go against him, but her rebellion was changing the spelling.”

He instantly lost his smile, and his green eyes hardened. “You going to get pissed if I say that your father sounds like a Grade-A asshole?”

She shook her head. “I have the same opinion, so you’re safe.”

“Your mom ever leave?”

---