Page 13 of Covert Vengeance

Jesse struggled to keep sight of her as they sped up the mountain road, going as fast as he dared while keeping the bike steady. The way she zipped in and out of traffic around these turns at this speed was borderline suicidal, yet she was somehow still in control.

Where the hell was she going? Hannah was being held southeast of the capital; he’d just received word from Trinity this morning.

He’d followed the tracking device on Amber’s bike intending to intercept her after she’d taken care of whatever she had planned in the business district earlier. But the moment she’d seen him she’d taken off like a bat out of hell before he could approach.

Then someone had shot at her.

Jesse had only caught a glimpse of the guy, more concerned about Amber. He didn’t think she’d been hit. Not the way she was riding. He couldn’t afford to let her out of his sight because if he lost her she would switch vehicles and he’d lose the ability to track her.

In the distance an old semi was struggling its way up the hill in front of her. She pulled left to the centerline and gunned it, then cut back in front and vanished around the next turn.

Jesse set his jaw. He wasnotlosing her.

He caught up to the semi, pulled left to pass it. Another truck appeared in the oncoming lane around the turn ahead.

He muttered a curse and jerked to the right just in time as it blasted its horn. As soon as it flew past, he cut out around the semi and opened up the throttle.

The bike’s engine screamed as he floored it, the body vibrating beneath him. He damn near lost control going around the next curve, swore as he managed to right it and get it back under control.

There was nothing but open road ahead of him. Amber was gone, the road winding left and disappearing around another bend.

He leaned forward, maintaining his speed through the relative straightaway. At the start of the next curve he slowed a little, easing off the gas.

Only to come face to face with Amber, standing fifty feet away in the middle of the road with her weapon pointed right at him.

“Fuck!” He did the only thing he could: hit the brakes and swerved, dumping the bike to avoid running over her.

He landed on his side and skidded across the road, rolling over and over to try and absorb the worst of the impact.

Pain ricocheted through his body. He grunted as he finally stopped, lying on his back in a tangled heap near some boulders at the edge of the shoulder, mere feet away from where the road plunged away in a sheer cliff. The bike lay battered all to hell a stone’s throw away.

You’re not dead. Move.

He was in way too much pain to be dead. Fighting through the haze, he shoved up his visor and reached his other hand down for the weapon holstered at his hip, biting back a groan as he turned his head to find her.

She was still standing in the same spot, weapon aimed at him. Her visor was up, her alert gaze locked with his.

She lowered her arm. Took two steps toward him as if she wanted to help, then stopped. Seemed to hesitate, as though unsure what to do, before turning and rushing back to her bike.

Without a backward glance she jumped on and took off down the road, heading back where they’d come from.

Shit. Now he’d lost her. He’d bet every cent he owned that she would ditch the bike as soon as she reached the city.

Jesse lay where he was as she roared off and let the back of his helmet hit the ground. Overhead the sky was a pure, clear blue, so intense it hurt his eyes.

“Ohhh, goddammit,” he groaned, certain he’d broken every bone in his body. And maybe punctured his liver or spleen while he was at it. If not for the protection of his leather jacket and helmet, he would have left half his skin on the road.

You’re not dead, Marine. Get up.

It wasn’t easy. He hurt like a bitch and his head was fuzzy, but everything seemed to be in working order. Pain radiated down his back and sides as he struggled to his knees just as the semi came around the corner.

It locked up its brakes and skidded to a halt in front of him. The driver jumped out and rushed toward him, calling out in Arabic. “Are you okay?”

Nope. Not even close.

Jesse gritted his teeth and pushed to his feet, pissed off and impressed as hell with her at the same time. He was beat to shit and it was gonna be a long-ass drive back to Damascus.

Worse, now he had to find Amber all over again.

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