Page 61 of Toxic Vengeance

She’d let him in that much before. He needed her to let him in completely now. “So you’re not a saint, and guess what, neither am I. But I know you’re dedicated and talented, beautiful, sexy, and loyal. And that’s more than enough.” It had to be enough.

She closed her eyes. “Zack…”

He slid a hand to her nape, drew her head down so her cheek was pressed to his. “You matter, Eden. To me as well as the others. And if you think I’d walk away from you when you need me most, then you don’t know me at all.”

She groaned and gripped his shoulders, squeezing tight. “Wanna know something about me that I really hate?”

Yes.He nuzzled her. “What?”

“Crying. So if you make me cry right now, I’ll punch you in the face.”

It shocked a laugh out of him, then he kissed her cheek. “Thanks for the warning. But just remember what I said, okay?” He took her chin in his hand, tipped her face up to search her eyes. “I’m not leaving you. No matter what you say or do.” And he had a feeling she’d fight this more before everything was said and done.

A tiny smile tugged at her mouth, and a spark of hope ignited deep in his chest. “You’re probably gonna regret this.”

“No way.” He kissed her, savoring the feel of her lips, rediscovering the real Eden for a few stolen moments before pulling back. “Come on. Let’s get this place wiped down and get outta here.”

They grabbed their things, wiped down every room they’d been in, then stuffed the sheets into a garbage bag to take with them. They paid special attention to anything they might have left prints on: light switches, buttons, door handles.

He checked their exterior perimeter to ensure it was safe, then went into the garage and got in the car with her. She navigated while he drove, using a custom app on her phone that showed other team members’ locations. “Trinity’s got the others with her. She’ll be turning in behind us in another two blocks.”

Sure enough, as he passed the intersection two blocks up, a gray minivan appeared behind them. “That her?”

“Yes.”

They drove straight for the small airport twenty minutes away, still in the metro area. Only a few cars were in the lot, small planes sitting on the tarmac near the little terminal building. There was no sign of their jet. “When’s our ride coming?”

“Soon.” She searched the surrounding sky.

He pulled through the open gate and headed for the parking lot. Trinity had just pulled in behind them when the screech of tires made him snap his head around.

A black Camaro was racing straight at them.

Zack cursed and cranked the wheel.

The tires squealed on the pavement as he spun them in a tight circle. But just as he aimed for the exit, the barrel of a rifle appeared through the Camaro’s open side window and opened fire.

Chapter Seventeen

One moment the barrel of the rifle appeared through the Camaro’s window. The next, Eden was yanked facedown in Zack’s lap.

Bullets peppered the back of the car as Zack sped away, shattering the rear window and windshield. She shifted to draw her weapon but Zack’s hand on the back of her neck kept her cheek pinned to his thigh.

“Stay down,” he growled, ducking down in his seat as he raced through the lot, trying to see through the fractured windshield.

Eden twisted free, leaned back and slammed the soles of her boots against the ruined windshield. She kicked it twice, three times, until it finally came loose. She shoved it out with one last push, and it flew over the hood as Zack took a hard left. “Where are the others?”

“Headed for the other exit. Another car’s behind them.”

Shit. She risked sitting up enough to see in the side mirror. The Camaro was racing after them. “How did they know we were here?”

“No fucking idea.” He swerved through the gate and shot across the road, cutting off traffic. Horns blared and tires screeched. Zack hammered the brake to avoid slamming into a car and veered left, trying to get them free.

He shot through the next intersection, leaning on the horn to make the stopped traffic move out of their way. “Come on. Come on, dammit,move!”

Eden turned around in her seat to look behind them. The Camaro whipped down a side street and disappeared from view. “They’re gonna come at us from the right somewhere up ahead.”

“Not if they can’t find us.” Zack took the next left turn and gunned it through a fresh green light.

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