Page 2 of Falling Fast

He would have shot you if you hadn’t fired first. It was self-defense.

The panic ebbed a little. Surely the investigators would believe her. She had Jamie to corroborate her version of events, and the evidence would prove her story.

“Come on,” Jamie said in a low voice, reaching out to catch one of her hands.

She blinked and looked at his face for the first time since they’d headed out here. The thin moonlight glinted off his short, dark hair, highlighted the dark stubble on his jaw. He pulled her along with him, rubbed his thumb over her fingers to help warm them.

She followed without a word, mind spinning.

As he led her back through the woods toward the pasture, he pulled out his cell to call Easton and let him know the last shooter was down, and that they were about to emerge from the trees onto the western pasture.

When the old yellow farmhouse came into view at last, sheer relief hit her. The barn stood nearby, the smell of smoke thick in the air but at least the fire was out. More than ever, she needed to be surrounded by the comfort of her family right now.

The back lawn was already swarming with cops, Feds in marked windbreakers and firefighters in their turnout gear. The investigators would want to question her, take her fingerprints. Charlie lifted her chin and kept walking. She hadn’t done anything wrong, had nothing to hide.

Jamie stopped suddenly and turned to face her, his face an unreadable mask in the faint light. “You okay?” he murmured.

“Fine.” It came out much more curt than she’d intended. But she didn’t want him to know how unsteady she felt inside. That killing a man, even in self-defense, had shaken her.

He sighed, looking frustrated. “He would have shot you if you hadn’t pulled the trigger.”

She nodded, jaw tight. “I know.” A tremor snaked through her at the reminder.

Without a word, he tugged her close and wrapped his arms around her. Hard. She was stiff at first, but when all he did was hold her, she relaxed. “Cold?” he murmured.

“A little.” God, he felt good. Solid, warm, strong. She closed her eyes and rested her cheek on his shoulder, drawing strength from him. She was so damn glad he’d been out here with her tonight. In hindsight, she realized she should have listened to him when he’d ordered her to stay put.

He held her in silence for a few minutes, running his hands up and down her back, keeping her tight to his chest. His clean, masculine scent and the feel of those strong arms around her helped calm her, center her.

At last he squeezed her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. For some reason that kiss put a lump in her throat. “Better?” he asked.

She nodded, not trusting her voice. This man stirred something inside her that no one else had and she didn’t want him to see how vulnerable she was at that moment. Not when it might give him the upper hand in this sensual power struggle they were engaged in.

Lowering his arms, he eased back a few inches to stare down at her in the wash of light coming through the back windows of the main house. “You’re trouble,” he said.

What?

She lifted her gaze to meet his, anger surging through her as she stared into those honey-brown eyes. They had set out together to deal with the final shooter, and she’d done what was necessary to eliminate the threat. “They attacked my home, my family. Was I just supposed to sit on my ass and wring my hands while you guys handled it alone?”

Annoyance burned in his eyes. “No, but I didn’t expect you to run for the nearest rifle and chase after the shooter, either.”

Then what the hell had he expected her to do? “I was backing you up.” Okay, so she didn’t have his tactical expertise, but he didn’t know the land like she did. She’d just followed her instincts. She’d taken that trail because it would give them an advantage. Without her, they might have lost the guy.

Yeah, and you’re lucky you’re still breathing right now.

She pushed aside a subconscious shiver at the thought and continued glaring up at Jamie.

“No, you took off on your own and put yourself in danger. That’s not how teammates back each other up.”

Her eyes widened at the verbal slap. Compared to the vulnerability of a minute ago, this shot of annoyance felt damn good. She might be a Computer Forensic Examiner for the DEA, not a field agent, but she was far from helpless. “Just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I’m weak or defenseless. You think that just because of my gender and occupation, I don’t know how to handle a weapon? I was raised in a household of four Marines, and even if I didn’t serve like they did, I still shoot like a Marine.”

To her surprise, he seemed to fight back a smile. “Yeah, you sure as hell do.”

She blinked at the abrupt change in his demeanor and eyed him in suspicion. “That’s right.” She might be a civilian, but she was far from helpless. And she didn’t want him to think she was weak.

He stared down at her for another moment, searching her eyes. “Remind me never to piss you off.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Too late.”

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