Page 11 of Tempting Tessa

“She wounded you,” he argued in that low tone.

“Only because I startled when you yelled, turning my body to dive out of the booth. It would have missed me completely if I’d been sitting still.”

“You’re delusional. “

“Come on. Who would be after me?”

“You were talking to Meg earlier. I don’t know…let me think…the CIA? You told her you were helping me, didn’t you?”

The idea that Meg would betray her made her laugh. “I didn’t say anything about you. The swans have no reason to kill me, Tommy. You’re the one with a target on your back.”

After that, he fell silent, and she continued to maneuver him through the city, keeping a close eye on anyone who appeared to be following them. It was hard not to let down her guard when she saw no one who fit the bill and no other shots rang out. Taking out her phone, she called a ride service as they continued to walk. Three blocks east, they met the driver, who dropped them a hundred yards from her apartment.

Her entire arm felt numb, and she had to grind her teeth against the pain. This was the first time she’d ever been shot, come to think of it. It wasn’t an experience she wanted to repeat.

“Let me do surveillance before we go in,” Tommy demanded.

“Hurry,” she said. She needed pain relievers in the worst way.

He was gone for nearly five minutes, her staying out of sight in one of the public gardens that were few and far between in this part of the city. When he finally rejoined her, he looked grim. “We need to go.”

“Someone’s casing the place?”

He took her by the hand and began leading her away at a fast clip. “I can’t see anyone, but something’s off. I can feel it in my gut.”

Paranoia or true instinct? Her stomach fell. She really needed those pain meds and a bandage. Should she take the risk and go in anyway? “You’re being paranoid again. I’m telling you, no one is after me. I don’t know who the shooter is, but if she wanted us dead, she’d still be on our trail.”

“We’re not going into that building.”

Stubborn SOB. She tugged her hand out of his. “I’m not running away because your gut says something’s off. Everything about this is off. You’re overreacting because we were shot at, and I get it. It’s triggered your overprotectiveness, but there’s no reason we can’t…”

A van on the street slowed. The windows were tinted, and she couldn’t see the driver. Tommy noticed it, too. He grabbed her by her uninjured arm and propelled her past the water fountain. “Move!” he barked.

The motor revved, the van speeding up. She didn’t need to be told twice. Sprinting toward another of the busier streets that ran past her apartment building, she forgot the pain in her arm. Her chest squeezed with fear—dammit, this was precisely why she didn’t do spy shit anymore. She wasn’t cut out for getting shot and being on the run.

“My car…” she panted as they emerged onto the narrow sidewalk. Hoofing it around the city on foot was for the birds. “It’s two blocks west.”

When he saw she was leading them to a concrete parking garage, he groaned. “It’s too dangerous. We could get cornered in there.”

“Fine.” She didn’t have the energy to argue. She waved him off. “Go your own way. It was nice knowing you.”

“Tessa,” he snapped in warning.

As she sprinted into the structure that reeked of wet concrete and motor oil, she fished her keys from her pocket. A moment of satisfaction hit when she heard him race up behind her.

A battered Honda pulled into the garage, but there was no sign of the van. Her legs shook as she raced up the stairs to the third level, pushing aside the dizziness creeping in.

Her older model, Dacia, waited for them. The car brand had the same name the Romans had given this area before it became the country of Romania. Dacias were popular, and her Sandero blended in with most vehicles on the road.

“I’ll drive,” Tommy said.

She tossed him the keys. “You know the streets well enough?”

“I’ve worked here for the past year.” He slid into the driver’s side as she climbed into the passenger side. “I can manage.”

Good thing it was Sunday. She knew one place she could easily access and get cleaned up without attracting attention. “Head north,” she told him.

He took directions well, but his mood didn’t improve. “If it wasn’t Meg who sold you out, it must be Vasile and Sorina.”

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