Page 70 of The Flame

“I’m teaching myself to drive,” Lisa said. “The roads are quiet here. Or at least, they were quiet, until you jumped out of the trees and into the roadrightin front of me.”

“You can’t be here,” he said. “The nature reserve is off limits.”

“Since when?”

“Well, it’s not official yet.”

“Then how was I supposed to know?”

“I’m going to have to ask you to leave, miss—”

“With pleasure.”

“—as soon as I’ve checked your vehicle.”

My stomach dropped.

Daniel moved. “I’ve got to do something.”

I gripped his arm in a death vice. “Do what?”

“I don’t know.” His voice was low, urgent, a scowl digging between his eyes. “Jump him, I suppose.”

“He’ll have a Taser.” Visions of what Roman had looked like after a round with the guards swarmed me. Roman…

“Wait. Wait!” I scooted back, looking for my purse. I’d put in on the seat beside me. “Where’s my purse?”

Daniel shifted and contorted himself and I spotted it in the foot well by his feet and I stretched across to grab it, heart pounding, mouth suddenly dry. I’d been wrong about Lisa. She wasn’t working for Geneva. Which meant she was in as much trouble as the rest of us. How many more lives could I carry on my conscience?

“I still have the tranquilizer gun Roman gave me,” I said to Daniel, clumsily ripping my purse open with fat fingers. I pulled out the gun, dropped it onto my lap and fumbled with the slimcase to extract a dart. “I’ll take care of the guard. I used this on the night nurse. I know what I’m doing.”

“Excuse me,” Lisa was saying. Panic had crept into her voice, which meant it wasn’t looking good. “You’re not searching my car. What do you expect to find?”

“It’s procedure.”

“The council doesn’t make the rules anymore,” she stamped out. “You don’t have the right to stop and search me just because I’m a woman.”

“It’s not that—”

“Do youknowwho my mother is?”

“Yes, and she would expect me to make sure you’re safe.”

“Safe from what?”

“There could be a criminal running around in the park.”

“And you think he somehow snuck into my car?” Lisa exclaimed. “If there’s an unsavory character about, then you’re the only one placing me in danger, keeping me standing out here in the open, when I would already have been safely back in town.”

“Um, guys?” Jessie whispered. “If you’re going to do something, now would be a good time. She can’t block him. He’s coming around and, oh—” she broke off in a swallowed gulp.

“I’ve got this.” Daniel snatched the gun from my lap and plucked the dart from my fingers.

Within a heartbeat, he’d loaded the dart. Okay, so clearly he also knew what he was doing.

“Stay here.” He opened his door and climbed out and I immediately bounced up to peer over the back of Jessie’s seat.

The guard reeled back at the sight of Daniel, then pulled himself together. One hand went for his Taser and the other hand went to the iComm clipped at his belt.

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