Page 18 of Burning Hearts

“I don’t know yet.” She frowned at the screen. “I need more time to look through all this.” Except the minute she left the area, she would lose the connection. Could she find her money later?

It was possible.

With the tracker ring she’d given Tristan, she’d be able to find him too.

The door handle eased down. Jamie touched Logan’s sleeve, looking for just a little bit of solidarity. Standing together, side by side, facing what was ahead. Together, the way she’d have said, just a few years ago, that they would be forever.

Right up until the reality of their differences had set in.

Tristan came in. “Ready to go?”

“Yes,” Logan said.

Jamie looked at the screen. “I’m done here.” She ejected the flash drive and pocketed it, because it was faster than removing her pack and stowing it inside.

The quicker they could get out of here, the faster she’d be able to leave Logan behind as well. Get back to her life in Last Chance County. Her company. Her friends. Things had been going just fine, but this was a good reminder not to hope in things that had no substance.

Too many of her mother’s boyfriends had taught her that relationships weren’t worth it. She would only get hurt like her mom had over and over again. Jamie had thought Logan might’ve been different, but this was just more proof that she didn’t need to put her heart in danger.

It would only get broken.

“Good. Let’s go.” Tristan turned to the door…and immediately backed up two steps.

A man strode in—an older guy with gray hair and scruff on his face. Jeans and a denim shirt, scuffed boots. He lifted a gun. “Boy, I’m gonna kill?—”

Tristan whipped a pistol from his belt and squeezed off a shot.

Blood bloomed on the man’s chest, and he fell like a giant tree cut down. He hit the ground with a thud.

Tristan jumped over him. “Come on. Someone will have heard that shot.”

Logan tugged Jamie in front of him and didn’t let go of her hand. She raced after her brother, still holding the laptop tight to her chest with one arm.

She held on tight to Logan’s grip, knowing he would make sure she was safe no matter what happened after they got to her car.

Tristan ran from the back door, across an open space to the fence. “Come on!”

She didn’t see a way out. “There’s no gate!”

Logan sped up, pulling her along.

Tristan hit the fence, then pulled back a section of the chain link. It bent back, wide enough for her to crawl through on her hands and knees. “Go.”

She scrambled up, focusing on that single word. Her brother, with her and not in danger. Safe because she’d come up here to help him.

Go. Jamie glanced back to see men running toward them.

One pointed a pistol, firing wildly.

She gasped. “Watch out!”

Logan was already through. He tugged her arm. “Come on. We need to get to those trees.”

She didn’t know what they were, all clustered together. Almost like skinny Christmas trees. It would probably be dark at ground level, or close to it. A great place to hide—or run as fast and as far as they could. “Come on, T!”

Jamie didn’t have the words to say a prayer. She would rather drag her brother along the way Logan was doing with her.

But Tristan caught up to her side, and it seemed like her aerobic ability—or lack thereof—might be slowingthemdown.

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