Page 22 of Witch Bound and Down

"Complicated," Bullseye replied. "Had a close call with local law enforcement, but we're mobile again."

"Copy that. You might want to know, there's been some chatter on the trucker channels about increased checkpoint activity. Smokies are setting up roadblocks on the major highways, looking for a black Trans Am."

"Any suggestions for alternate routes?"

"Plenty of back roads between here and there, but they'll add time to your journey. Might be worth it though, if it keeps you out of custody."

"Roger. Thanks for the heads up."

"No problem, good buddy. Oh, and Bullseye? The word's getting out about your cargo. Might want to keep an eye out for interested parties who aren't wearing badges."

"What kind of interested parties?"

"The kind that don't ask politely before they take what they want."

The radio went silent, leaving them alone with the implications of that warning.

"Other smugglers," Hazel said quietly.

"Or worse," Bullseye replied grimly. "Enhancement potions are valuable enough to attract some very dangerous attention."

"Great," Hopper muttered. "As if dodging the law wasn't exciting enough. Now we get to worry about supernatural pirates too."

They drove in silence for a while, the desert landscape rolling past outside the windows in the moonlight. Finally, Hazel couldn't stand the tension anymore.

"Back there," she said, "when you stood up to Sheriff Lawman..."

"Yeah?"

"That was... that was really something." She turned in her seat to face him. "You didn't have to do that. You could have let him arrest me and walked away clean."

"No," Bullseye said quietly, "I couldn't have."

"Why not?"

He was quiet for so long that she thought he wasn't going to answer. When he finally spoke, his voice was rough. "Because somewhere between this morning and right now, walking away from you stopped being an option."

The words hung in the air between them, charged with possibility and danger in equal measure.

"Bullseye..."

"I know it's crazy," he continued. "I know we barely know each other, and I know I'm probably the last guy you should get involved with. But Hazel, when I'm with you, everything makes sense in a way it never has before."

Her heart was pounding so hard she was sure he could hear it. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that this morning I was just a guy with a job to do. And now..." He glanced at her, his dark eyes intense. "Now I'm a guy who would fight Sheriff Lawman bare-handed if it meant keeping you safe."

"That's very romantic," Hopper observed dryly. "Also slightly unhinged. But mostly romantic."

The Trans Am ate up the miles while Hazel tried to process what Bullseye had just told her. Part of her wanted to be sensible, to remind him that they were from different worlds and this was just adrenaline and proximity talking.

But a bigger part of her wanted to throw caution to the wind and see where this dangerous attraction might lead.

"For the record," she said finally, "you're not the last guy I should get involved with. That honor belongs to Smokie Lawman and his teddy bear."

Bullseye's laugh was warm and rich. "I'm honored to place second."

"Actually," Hazel said, surprising herself with her boldness, "I think you might have moved up to first place."

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