Page 77 of Austen

“Me either.”The thought pressed a fist to his gut.Especially after...

Well, he’d stood at the window a long time after they’d returned to the hotel, staring at the darkness, thinking about how she’d felt in his arms.

Thinking about his lame joke?—

“And your wife?What is she doing all this time?”

“Swimming with the sharks?”

Sort of kidding.Because the longer they’d strolled, her hand in his, the fragrance of her presence loosing the dark knots inside his soul, the more he’d realized that he was falling for her.Probably had been for a while now.

“For the record, I care for her.”

Steinbeck nodded.“I figured.”

They drove without speaking.Steinbeck finally turned onto another road that led up a hill into the outskirts of the city.“Just to be clear, if you hurt her?—”

“I won’t,” Declan said.

Steinbeck’s jaw tightened.

Declan looked behind them.“I don’t think anyone followed us, so I’m not sure your decoy plan worked.”

“Phoenix will get her out of the hotel without anyone seeing her.”

“You really trust that woman?”

Steinbeck made a low sound deep in his chest.Declan couldn’t tell whether it was agreement or not.

They had left the city, driving past coffee and tobacco plantations, and he spotted the airfield in the distance.The moonlight shone off the rounded top of a row of Quonset buildings.A handful of small planes sat tied down, some of them covered with tarps.Darkness hovered over the runway.

Steinbeck pulled up to the far Quonset building.They got out and worked their way around the building to the front, facing the tarmac.

The doors had been rolled open, but the hangar remained empty.

“So now what?We liberate a plane?”Declan asked.

Stein stood in the darkness, scanning the airfield, and even as he spoke, they heard the low drone of a motor behind them and a scooter pulled up.Steinbeck looked back along the Quonset hut.“It’s Phoenix and Austen.”

Declan wanted to take off in a run toward Austen when he saw her disembark from the back of the bike.He drew in a deep breath.“Okay, let’s get outta here.”

Phoenix came walking up, Austen with her.

Austen looked at Declan, hurt in her expression.“I thought you left.Phoenix said you’d already gone.”

“I’m sorry,” he said.“Steinbeck thought we could lead the people watching us away.But I think we all got away without incident.”He stepped up to her.“Are you okay?”

She glanced at Steinbeck, then back at him, and nodded.

And he didn’t care what Steinbeck thought.Declan put his arms around her and pulled her against himself.“I’m so sorry I got you into this,” he said quietly.“But I am going to make sure you get out safely.”

“Let’s find some wings,” Phoenix said.She jogged out toward one of the untarped planes.

“Come on,” Steinbeck said and started off at a jog toward the plane.

Gunfire ripped out of the darkness.Bullets strafed the plane.

Declan, who had followed Steinbeck, whirled around, grabbed Austen, and threw her to the ground.

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