Page 64 of Protected Hearts

She preferred to think of it as borrowing the truck. She was doing this for Oaks. To keep him and the family safe. If William sent a drone, he would certainly go to more extreme measures to get to her.

But once she gave him the files, he would have no need of her anymore.

That was a stretch of wishful thinking, though. Of course he wasn’t finished with her—she knew what those files contained. Not only that, she knew names, dates, places and all the details that could convict him.

She’d just have to convince him that she wouldn’t talk. She had to do this for Oaks and his family and all the vets here on the ranch who had also become targets because of her.

The grip of fear in her gut drove her feet faster. She ran outside and threw a look at the garage. The doors were shut, and the place appeared to be vacant, but she’d seen Colt go in there earlier. She had to pray he was still inside.

Armed with only her burner phone and a set of stolen truck keys, she bolted to the vehicle and jumped behind the wheel. When she started the engine, she mashed her foot on the gas pedal and took off down the driveway.

Casting looks in the rearview mirror, she expected to see Colt coming after her any moment, but the man didn’t appear in his truck or on horseback.

She reached the main road and headed into the small town of Willowbrook. She’d studied the route on the map and learned it by heart. It wasn’t a long drive, and in minutes she pulled into the parking lot of the greasy spoon.

Dawn spread through the sky—she’d timed it just right. In four minutes, the place opened to serve an early bird breakfast.

Holding her breath, she watched the front window for the closed sign to switch to open. It did—right on time.

The parking lot had a few cars pulling in as locals came for their daily special, so Shiloh hung back until they all walked inside. She didn’t see William anywhere, though he was a stickler for being on time. He wouldn’t be late to something like this, not when his entire life depended on the information they exchanged today.

She walked inside the diner and scanned the tables. There—in the back near the restrooms was the perfect place to do a dirty deal like this.

Timing her breaths to each step she took didn’t stop the sensation that she might pass out. She reached the table and then glanced at the restroom. Her nerves were kicking in, giving her the urge pee.

She walked into the ladies’ room, wrinkling her nose at the harsh smell of chemical cleaners, and walked into one of the stalls.

This was it. She would give William everything. In return, he would leave her alone. Leave the Malones alone. The hell she’d lived for the past six months would be over.

Enclosed in the stall, she took out her phone. By now, Oaks knew she was missing. Colt probably had footage of her stealing the truck broadcast across three big monitors in the office.

She had to put Oaks’s mind at ease. She hesitated only a heartbeat before she shot off a text to her lover.

Sorry for sneaking off. Hopefully, I’m back before you read this. I’ll bring breakfast. Love you.

When she walked out of the stall and up to the sink, a distinctive metallicclickmade her freeze. Her blood chilled.

In the mirror, she stared at her reflection, and that of the woman holding a gun to her head. The barrel dug into her temple with a painful bite.

Even though Shiloh was staring at the woman who’d never met her in New York City, and she now knew her to be a Russian spy planted in the CIA, her poise kicked in.

“Can I at least wash my hands?” She gave the woman a bland look.

Collette Drummond snorted and didn’t move the gun even a fraction as Shiloh lathered her hands, rinsed and dried with a paper towel within reach on the wall.

Her mind was going in fifty different directions as she tried to think up a way to get out of this situation.

Preferably alive.

The woman hustled her out of the restroom. From the corner of her eye, she spotted a waitress standing at the nearby table. Shiloh sliced her a look. As she was forced out the side door leading to the parking lot, she made eye contact with the waitress, the same way she had with Oaks on that street.

Help me,she mouthed.

Collette Drummond shoved her outside and into the back seat of a waiting SUV.

The smell of a familiar, expensive cologne burned her nose. William sat there, looking totally out of place in the country setting. He looked at her and then directed his order to the driver. “To the airport. Don’t make me late.”

Shiloh’s broken, battered and bleeding heart plummeted to the soles of the new shoes Oaks had bought her.

---