Page 98 of Rescued Faith

Emma crumpled to the ground. She didn’t move.

And the car behind Bryce sped away.

He rolled over, watching the brake lights glowing red and the dust cloud grow smaller and smaller. Black combat boots appeared by his head.

Bryce looked up at Penny. “He’s getting away!”

“We’ll deal with it, but first things first.” She kneeled down and fisted his shirt, hauling him up to a sitting position.

Instead of helping him to his feet, she leaned in and kissed him.

Oh, did she ever kiss him. She held nothing back. Raw passion mixed with a sweet tenderness that was all Penny. She rested her forehead against his, her blonde hair creating a curtain—one dancing wildly in the breeze.

“Don’t you ever do that again,” she whispered.

“Kiss you? But I really enjoyed that part.”

“Shut up.” She sniffed, pulled back enough for him to see the dirt streaked across her cheek and chin and caked into the fine lines around her mouth. She smelled like smoke and ash and vanilla. But it was the love and worry in her eyes that had him choking up. Just a smidge.

“I mean, don’t ever get hurt again.”

“I didn’t expect you to organize a jailbreak to save me.”

She chuckled. “Obviously I had some help.”

Bryce looked around at the police and his rescue team surrounding them. “Good thing she wasn’t in federal custody yet.”

Penny helped him to his feet. Jude walked over, his grim expression softening into something lighter for a moment. He pulled out a pocketknife and freed Bryce’s hands and feet.

“I’m sorry, Brooks. He got away.” Penny wrapped her hand around Bryce’s biceps.

“ This wasn’t how it was supposed to go down. Emma’s dead. Gomez too.” Jude nodded to Bryce. “But I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Only because you know my sister would kill you if you didn’t find me.” Nothing like a little gallows humor to stave off the reality of two dead bodies and an escaped criminal.

“There’s that.” Jude looked around them. “But we’re not done yet. We have one more rescue before we can look for Sosa.”

Penny lifted her chin, ready for another battle. “Governor Noble’s family.”

THIRTY-THREE

Penny clamped her jaw tight as she glanced in the rearview mirror as they loaded Emma Kemper’s body into a body bag. Jude was right.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go down.

But she didn’t have time to think about that as they bounced down the dirt road to where Tony and Olivia were waiting for them. She wasn’t sad to have Bryce pressed up against her in the middle of the bench seat of Zack Stephens’s truck.

Jude sat in the passenger seat, on the phone. At least driving, she had one hand free to drop down and squeeze Bryce’s fingers, relishing his strong hands and gentle touch.

She might never tire of having him close. Not after the scare he’d given her. For a moment, as he fell to the ground at Sosa’s feet with all the chaos and shooting, she’d been certain he’d been hit.

But he wasn’t. Even beaten, one eye purple and swollen, a fat lip that was split, his handsome face had the ability to make her melt. But right now, it was the fact that with him by her side, they were stronger and better.

And they needed that to rescue Cindy and Adam Noble.

“You gotta be kidding,” Jude grumbled from the passenger seat and dropped his phone into his lap.

“What?” Bryce asked.

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