Page 18 of Dangerous Mission

“Told you.”

Her eyes were locked on the truck. It was getting smaller behind them. “I still think it’s a coincidence, because they aren’t trying to catch up.”

“We could always double down. Ready to up the bet?”

Deep down, she worried he might be right, but she also didn’t want to admit anything out loud. “I win—you have to agree to whatever I want until this is over.”

He tilted his head to the side. “As long as it doesn't put you in more danger, I will agree to most things. In return I want a kiss, to sleep in the same room, and one date after this is done.”

Her heart thudded against her chest. The kiss was already headed down a path she wasn’t ready for. “You have to get back to California, so you won’t have time for a date.”

“You were the one to mention earlier how much time you spend in California. I never said when the date would be, just that I wanted to go on a date with you. What could one little date hurt?”

She didn’t want to show him how much power he still had over her. “Fine.” She glanced behind them, and the truck caught up with them while they were talking. She’d lost the bet before she even agreed.

“Hold on!” Axel yelled as he slammed on the brakes and twisted the steering wheel. The tires let off a cloud of black smoke as the SUV spun around.

Terri screamed as it came to a stop. Then Axel slammed his foot down on the gas and took off. As they passed the truck, she tried to see inside, but the windows were tinted like theirs. The truck had no license plate. If she could find Hex, he would do a trace for her.

Thoughts of Hex made her want to throw up. She didn’t know where to start her search.

The truck spun around. “Do you think it’s the people who took the girl I helped save?”

“Yes and no. The organization doesn’t like when the slaves get away. They need to know how much you know. The guys following us are probably hired guns with no trace back to the organization. If I had to guess, I’d say the man at the restaurant is already dead. They have particular rules about the slaves, mostly because they don’t want someone to learn the inner workings of the network and how the women are passed around. I’m not sure the last time the FBI actually had one of the girls.”

The SUV shook as he passed a hundred miles an hour. Terri latched onto the handle hanging from the ceiling.

Axel glanced over and winked at her. “I won’t crash.”

“I don’t like speeding.” She took a deep breath. “I know you’ll get us somewhere safe.”

“I will.”

Axel turned back onto the highway. The truck was far behind, having a hard time catching up. Axel weaved through traffic but had to slow down once they got close to DC.

“Where are we going?”

“For now, to your condo. You’re right. It has over-the-top security and only one way in but a secret exit. Only a handful of people can get up to your place. Until I can secure us another one, this will be best. I originally planned a hotel, but I worry the security won’t be enough.”

“Thanks.” She took a deep breath. “I know I’ve caused you a few issues, but thank you for helping me.”

“What we need to do is sit down and discuss everything you’ve been working on. Each person you helped and where they are now or whether they had enemies.”

“I can sit down with Secret Service or that Xavier guy,” she pointed out. “I know you have a life in California.”

“I don’t walk away from a challenge,” Axel stated.

“So I’m a challenge for you to solve? I really don’t think it’s a good idea for you to stay in DC.”

“That’s not what I meant. I’m not doing this just for a challenge. This is going to be a long few days if you pick certain words from my sentences and turn them around on me.”

Is that what I did?“I need sleep. With everything that happened last night, I didn’t get any. Then all the shit from this morning. Even this coffee isn’t doing much to improve my mood.”

“When we get to your place, you can take a nap, and I’ll make a few calls.”

“Will you be able to call Orion and check on the girl? You said we could trust Xavier, but I want to make sure she’s okay.”

“I’ll try, but it will depend on where he went, they might not have cell service.”

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