Page 21 of Back the Blue

“It’s what I conceal carry.”

I kiss her again and then go about arming myself after showing her where to stow the Sig on her vest. Then I pull on a three-quarter zip hoodie and offer a full-zip hoodie to her. When she dons it, the sight of her armed and in something of mine is enough to get me hard.

“Are you ready?” I ask her again.

“No,” she says. “But I’ll do whatever it takes to save Malcolm.”

“That’s not your job, Lorna,” I almost growl. “And because I can’t leave you here unprotected, I also can’t have you going rogue and doing something to endanger more than just yourself.”

“I know,” she nods. “But-”

I slip my hand behind her neck and silence her once again with a deep, searing kiss. She’s panting when I pull back. And slightly unfocused.

“Let’s go, Lorna,” I nod. “We need to leave. Now.”

She nods. I grab her hand and lead her out of the closet. Then I pack a few more things in my duffle bag before zipping it up and slinging it onto my back. I head to my door with Lorna close behind me. Before I open it, I look through the peephole.

At the moment, all looks calm.

But that could change in a second. Even though this building is gated, Diamond is on a mission. And that makes him more dangerous than normal. When I’ve waited long enough, which could be too long, I pull open the door and yank Lorna out behind me.

Then, I break into a light jog. Thankfully, she keeps up with me. In less than a minute, we’re at the back of the building. I stop at the corner and clear the area first before making a mad dash toward the corner of the fence. It’s a piece of cake for me, but Lorna isn’t anywhere close to six-feet tall. I release her hand and kneel while clasping my own hands together to give her a leg up. She hesitates, but only for a moment. Then her foot is in mine and and lift her up until she can grip the top of the fence. Delighted, I watch as she pulls herself up and over.

“Be careful,” I whisper.

I swear I watch her smirk just before she swings her legs over the top and lands with the grace of a gymnast with barely a sound. Chuckling, I point toward the trees and watch as she heads for cover. With a huff of breath, I toss the duffle bag over first. Then I climb up and land beside it, sounding much like an elephant trampling through the forest.

Once I have the duffel bag on my back, I rush over and take her hand again.

“Nicely done,” I smile.

“Thanks,” she nods. “Now what?”

“Just follow my lead,” I tell her. “We should be in a neutral location in less than fifteen minutes. Then I’ll have to check in with my supervisor again.”

She nods and grips my hand a little tighter. Once we reach a semi-populated street, we slow our pace and act like a couple out late for the night. And after I’ve double-backed and cross-checked several streets, I choose a random hotel to check into.

Hopefully for the night.

Fourteen

I’m certain my cheeks are still flaming hot as Ashley lets us into our room for the night. Not because I’m worried about being naked with him again, but because of how he checked us in. When he shuts and locks the door, I call him out on it.

“Mr. and Mrs. Robert Jones?” I sputter. “Are you freaking serious?”

“Of course,” he shrugs. “With a common name, there’s a better chance that no one will remember us with any type of certainty.”

“Why not Joe Smith?”

“Too common,” he smiles. “That would be as bad as using John Doe.””

“I suppose,” I sigh as I plop onto the bed. “What a freaking night.”

“You’ve done well, Lorna,” he says. “You really have.”

When I turn my head, he’s looking at me. With a small smile. I return it, too.

“Thank you,” I tell him. “I suppose if I need a second career, I could always use you as a reference for the FBI.”

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