Page 23 of Back the Blue

“Fuck,” I breathe as I scrub my hand over my face.

“Ashley?”

I’m moving toward her before I even realize it. Her back is to me, but as I crawl onto the bed, she rolls in my direction, and I pull her against my chest. She sighs. Happily. But it barely eases the ache in my chest. I kiss her forehead and hold her tight.

“Go back to sleep, sweetheart,” I whisper.

“What’s going on?”

Her morning voice is the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever heard. But I need her to get her rest for later. Because I have a feeling that this situation is going to go on longer than I’d like. And if I’m going to continue to protect her, I need to be at my best.

“Nothing right now,” I tell her. “We’ve got time to catch a few more hours of sleep, okay?”

“Yeah,” she yawns. “Sounds good.”

“Good,” I sigh. “And I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

She mumbles something else before she slips off again. I take a deep breath before I’m able to relax. After several minutes, I once again drift off with her.

***

My eyes snap open, my brain coming fully-online in a split-second.

But why?

I slow my breathing and listen harder. Lorna is still sleeping peacefully, which is good. But something had to have roused me. The hair at my nape is tingling, too. So, I slip out of bed and grab my weapon before heading to the door. A quick look through the peephole reveals nothing, so I go to the window and barely move the blind to look out into the parking lot.

“Fuck,” I snap.

I turn toward Lorna at the same time she pops up, the sheets falling down to reveal her perfect breasts. I curse again internally and get right to it.

“Get dressed. We have to move now.”

Thankfully, she doesn’t argue or ask any questions. She does exactly what I say and in less than five minutes, I’m clearing the hallway before checking the closest stairwell for any signs of Diamond’s crew. When I hear nothing, I gesture for her to follow me. Since I’m carrying the duffle bag and a weapon, I’d rather have my other hand free for whatever may be coming our way. I’m hoping it’s nothing, but I’m dealing with a wildcard.

Especially since I have no idea how they found out where we were, either.

I curse under my breath and feel Lorna press closer against me, her hand on my shoulder as I continue to lead her down the stairwell. When we reach the landing for the second floor, a door opens somewhere else, so I quickly check the hallway of that floor and yank her onto it when I find it clear. When I pass an open door for what looks like employees, I yank her in that direction. I’m met with resistance almost immediately, but when he catches sight of my weapon and I flash my badge, they get quiet. Quick.

“I need to get out of this building without being seen,” I tell him. “Now.”

“Yes, sir,” he nods.

With that, I take Lorna’s hand again and follow after him, delighted that he’s moving with urgency. Just before we reach what looks like an outside door, he turns to me with an offer I can’t refuse.

“Do you need a ride somewhere?” he asks. “There’s a motel van with no windows in the back right outside this door.”

“That would be perfect,” I nod.

“Give me a minute to pull it up and open the doors.”

“Thank you,” I say earnestly.

He nods and pushes out the door. I catch it and watch as he climbs behind the wheel. In seconds, he pulls up, so the back doors are right in front of us. As soon as he opens them, we’re in motion. He shuts the doors after we’re inside. When he’s behind the wheel, he pulls out and heads toward the exit. After he’s on the road toward the interstate, he asks the obvious.

“Where to?”

“Head out of the city,” I tell him. “I’ll have an address in a minute.”

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