Page 7 of Shadow of the Moon

The train car rattled along the tracks, lights flashing. They were slowing for a stop, and several people were gathering their belongings.

Dev watched the people move, on high alert and ready for another attack. When he glanced over, Amberly had her weapon in her hand. Yeah, the woman could be dying and she would have a gun in her hand. Despite what was going on, he grinned at her. “I see you’re just as sharp as ever.”

“I see you’re just as much of an asshole.”

He chuckled, genuinely glad to see her. It had been a hard three years without her. He wanted to pull her into his arms and lay a huge kiss on her, but he was positive she’d shoot him if he tried. “Well, I’m a competent medic, so turn my way and I’ll wrap that arm.”

Amberly stared at him, hard, then swiveled in the seat as the train began to pull away from the station. “Who sent you?”

The black leather jacket she wore was trash, a bullet hole through the sleeve. But when he reached to rip it down, she pulled away and shimmied out of it, a hard grimace of pain contorting her face.

Dev couldn’t help but stare. Amberly had been a strong woman before, tall and a little curvy. But at almost forty now, she was leaner, the lines of her body more sculpted. Her arms were clearly defined by muscle and it was obvious she’d honed her body to fighting readiness. Not that she hadn’t been before. He allowed his gaze to drift down her chest. Man, she’d always had the nicest…

“You’re such a pervert,” she snapped. “Arm.”

Dev chuckled, not surprised she’d caught him. “It’s been a long time, what can I say? You look really good to me, Amberly. You always have.”

She scowled, looking out the window, and held her arm out expectantly. Dev swung his pack around, rooting around for the first aid kit he’d packed. The wound was just a flesh wound, but it definitely needed stitches. Not something he could do on a rattling, swaying train. As soon as they got to a stopping place, he could look at it again and evaluate. For now, he would just have to try to rinse the debris out and bandage it tight to control the bleeding. Amberly gasped a couple of times, but didn’t say anything or try to pull away. She’d always been a hardass like that.

When he finished, he gathered up the bloody trash he could and bundled it into a plastic bag. They were pulling into another station, and he knew they would have to get off soon. “Do you have a car?”

“Yes.”

He could hear the worry in her tight voice. She knew as well as he did that the car could now be a trap. If the CIA tracked her to Chicago using either her phone or vehicle, she needed to get rid of those things. They could get replacements.

Amberly shifted in her seat and pulled a cell-phone from her pocket. Dev could see the shattered screen. He doubted it would even power on. She pressed a couple of buttons and nothing happened. It was probably for the best. They needed to remove the sim card and toss the whole lot anyway. If the CIA was tracking her, that was the easiest way to do it.

“Let’s leave the car. I have my truck to get out of the city.”

“No. I need to get my bag.”

Dev blinked, looking at her incredulously. “You need your bag?”

She didn’t even shift under his scrutiny. “Yes.”

What on earth was worth her life to retrieve? They were literally running for their lives, and she wanted to stop for clothes. Whatever. He would back her play.

“Who knows you’re here?” he asked instead.

Amberly pulled in a breath. “My boss, of course.”

“Old Hatchett?”

She shook her head. “No, Brown. I wish it was Hatchett, but he retired. This punk ass thinks he knows the best use of my time, which is investigating cold cases.”

Devlin made a face. They were pulling into another station and they were going to have to move soon. “Seriously? You’re one of the best investigators the CIA has.”

Amberly sighed. “It’d be nice if someone told Brown that. Apparently, he thinks three years is enough time to have passed for me to regain my objectivity and start over at the beginning to find out who sold us out.”

Devlin lifted his brows at that. “And is it enough time? Have you gotten over us, Amberly?”

Her hard eyes narrowed on him. “Completely.”

Then she got up and moved toward the opening car doors, not waiting for him.

Devlin grinned for the first time in a long time and got up to follow her.

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