Page 11 of Delta: Retribution

And back to square one. Until she knew who he was, she hadn’t much to say. “How do you know where we are?” Jungle noises hissed at her, forcing her to inch impossibly closer to his weapon-covered chest. “‘High-value target’ sounds ridiculous—just so you know.”

He pulled up short, completely silent, making her still-panicked breaths stand out.

“Stay,” he whispered, setting her down. Trace pivoted, watched into the nothingness… and banged out rounds from his gun.

The bright light and loud noise made her jump back, but he grabbed her into his arms and started back on their fast moving pace.

“Why are they chasing us?”

He never took his eyes off the distance. “Hunting us.”

Her stomach dropped.Hunting. “Why?”

“You know why they had you. I don’t. You’re high value. You’re worth dying for—for them and for us. I’ve got plans after this job is over, so it won’t be me dying today.” He slammed to a halt again and pressed her against a tree, covering her from the dangers that lurked around them. Pops fired, and bark from the tree exploded around her. “You good?”

She didn’t know if it was the memory or the moment that made her flush. “I’m sorry.” The tree’s bark and branches scratched into her back. “About before.”

He laughed. “Never been ditched like that before, babe. You made that night unforgettable.”

If he could see her cheeks, he would’ve seen red. White-hot embarrassment crept through her, choking her, and she dropped her chin. She had made one mistake, taken a chance—really, a risk—one time of random sex with a stranger, and it had to turn out like this. Cringing, her body tried to cave in on itself.

“Hey, Cinderella.” He touched her chin, bringing her gaze back to him. “I wasn’t trying to be a dick.”

“I’ve never pulled a move like that.”

“Ditching a man when he hit the shower? Or getting wild with someone you’ve never met.”

Oh my God.She groaned. “This is humiliating.”

“Nah, I got a kick out of it.” He lofted her back into his arms. “Alright, time to get you back home.”

Home. What did that mean anymore? After Brian continued to show up at her door, embarrassing her and belittling her when he needed a fix, she had moved to a shabby-chic apartment and hoped he wouldn’t find her. It wasn’t her favorite place, but it was convenient to school and to the local military base that she went to every so often.

Fine, the sexy stranger could bring her back to the United States, where she could bunker down until she was called to do her patriotic duty again and hope to God she didn’t end up someplace like this.

---