Page 20 of The Brave and the Reckless

“Noah,” Austin prompted.

“I’m saying words. Test, one, two, three. Testing, testing.”

Esra’s head snapped back upright, and she silently mouthed: “Boring.”

“Thanks, good to go,” Austin said.

“Okay, while exiting the bank, there’s still a lot of shooting noise from the other bandits who run out before you two,” Renee explained as she walked us over to Tornado’s side, her voice carrying through the intercom of the headsets, “but when Annie Lou runs away from Ace, your microphone is turned on, so feel free to huff and puff a little.”

“Huffing and puffing, got it.”

“And when you scream for help, use anindoorscream. Or it will crackle on the speakers.”

“Indoor screaming.” She nodded. “Okay.”

“Noah?”

“Villain voice, I know.” I tipped my hat at her before I turned toward the saddle, so I could act distracted enough to give Annie Lou her chance for an escape.

Renee backed away and counted us in. In my peripheral, Esra took two tentative steps backward, then booked it. Fast, raspy breaths filled my headphones. Her voice carried on them like a wordless whisper, every exhale uniquely hers. The sound raised the hairs on my arms. Before I could seriously contemplate that phenomenon, Renee cued me in, and I did my best exaggerated double take before chasing after Esra.

I was ready to grab her, but my muscles locked up. In that instant, her body’s shape etched itself into my memory. The slope of her neck and shoulders, her waist accentuated by that thick leather harness, those curved hips covered in purple flowery spandex, down to her slender calves. Fuck, I probably would have memorized her ankles if they hadn’t been covered by her costume boots.

It was one second of realizing I was about to handle her body like a prop.

That one second was enough for me to miss my cue and for her to overstep her mark.

Fuck.

I wrapped my arm around her middle and hauled her to me. Esra’s back collided with my chest, air whooshing from her lungs. Her ribcage deflated beneath my fingertips, and her deep rasp filled my ears louder than it should have.

“You’ll have to run faster than that, gorgeous,” I growled. The words and Ace Ryder’s low, scratching voice came automatically.

Esra stilled against me. My headphones fell quiet. She didn’t move a muscle, not even her lungs.

Maybe I’d grabbed her too hard. Shit. I’d been off-beat, distracted, when I should have been more careful.

“Fight him, Annie Lou,” Renee called through the headsets.

“Oh, right,” Esra muttered. Her body rippled against me with a new surge of energy. Then the screaming and kicking started. “Let me go! Help! No, stop! Help!”

I carried most of her weight as I hauled her back, only to whirl her around and cage her against the horse. I shaped my fingers to a gun in the absence of props, tilting Esra’s chin up. Her slender throat was completely exposed as she swallowed.

“Get on the damn horse, Annie Lou.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,criminal,” she spat the word, her amber eyes like flames in the sunlight.

“Have it your way.” I lifted her on to the horse like we’d practiced, her feet kicking through the air, and mounted behind her in one swift move. I leaned in close as I buckled her in. “Hold on tight. Don’t want anything to happen to a pretty little thing like you.”

“You should worry about yourself,” her voice hitched with the perfect amount of panic, “because Sheriff Kit Holliday is going to come for me.”

“Let him come.”

I tapped my heels against Tornado’s sides and he tore off. In the show, there’d be more gunfire behind us. We raced to the other end of the town square, before a sharp 90-degree turn. Esra squeaked into her mic. She got a few moments to collect herself, during which I pretended tofire at a group of barrels marked “gunpowder” in the town square.

Instead of a fake explosion of said barrels, we only got Austin’s voice on the headphones: “Boom.”

I dug my heels in and Tornado got up on his hind legs. His muscles rippled under us, all calm and precision. I just flexed my thighs to stay in my seat. The whole thing looked more impressive from the stands thanks to the fireworks and Tornado’s height.

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