Page 37 of Jack of Hearts
He took his phone from his pocket, turning them so that the barge was to their back. “Smile, Grasshopper.” It occurred to him that it was the first time he’d ever recorded a woman’s picture to keep on his phone. What did that mean, if anything?
She handed him her phone. “I want one of us, too.”
There went that funny twitch in his heart again.
Alex frowned as he watched the black Escalade in his rearview mirror. He’d first noticed it when he and Madison were on the way to Vizcaya, but then it had disappeared. Now it was back. Someone was tailing them. The traffic light turned to yellow, and he downshifted, coming to a stop.
“Madison,” he said, squeezing the hands she had on his stomach. “Listen up.”
She leaned her helmeted head around his shoulder. “What?”
“When the light turns green, you hold on to me real tight, okay?”
“Okay, but what’s happening?”
“Not sure. Just don’t let go of me.” The light turned green, and he twisted the throttle to full open. The horsepower of his enhanced high-performance engine sent them off as if catapulted from a slingshot.
“Oh shit,” Madison yelled, curling her fingers into a death grip around his belt.
He darted another glance in his rearview mirror. The Escalade used the middle turn lane to swerve around a pickup truck. It enraged him that anyone would chase him while he had Madison on his bike. He tried to think of who it might be but came up blank. The first order of business was to put her in a safe place.
An entrance to I-95 was just ahead, and he swerved across two lanes to make the turn, his anger growing when her helmet bumped against his and her hands pulled his belt a good two inches up his waist. He was going to kill the bastard who was scaring her.
The Escalade ran a car off the road, following them onto the interstate. Sonofabitch. By the time he came to the next exit, he’d managed to put five cars between him and the black SUV. He leaned hard right at the last minute, shooting down the exit far too fast. Luck was on his side, and the light at the bottom of the ramp was green.
Seeing a Starbucks two blocks ahead, he raced to it, scraping his foot peg on the asphalt as he turned into the parking lot, burning rubber as he braked to a stop at the entrance. “Go inside and don’t come out. I’ll come back to get you.” When she didn’t move or respond, he said, “Go, Madison.”
Bless the baby Jesus, she pushed off his bike and ran inside without questioning him or looking back. As soon as the door shut behind her, he reached into his boot and grabbed his gun, sticking it into his waistband. He circled around the building, turning right onto a back street that paralleled the road he’d just come down. A few blocks later, he turned onto the street that would bring him up behind whoever was driving the Escalade that had put Madison’s life in danger. He was fire-breathing furious and someone was going to pay.
He saw the moment the driver looked into his rearview mirror, seeing Alex riding his bumper. Alex didn’t recognize him from what little he could see of the man’s face, but he did anticipate that the bastard was going to slam on his brakes, intending to send Alex flying head over heels across the SUV’s roof. He leaned hard left, missing the bumper by an inch. When he reached the driver’s side window, he snatched his gun, pointing it at the face staring back at him, one he’d seen at Jose and Angelina’s birthday party, one of Ramon’s minions.
“Pull. Fucking. Over.” Instead of being smart, the dude floored the gas pedal. Alex let him go, now that he knew who to rain down his rage on. What mattered was getting to Madison, making sure she was safe.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Madison carried the iced coffee to an empty table in the corner, set her helmet on the floor, and slouched down in a chair. What had just happened? Now that her heart wasn’t still trying to beat out of her chest, she scanned the room, her gaze raking over each person. No one seemed suspicious, most intent on their laptop screens, a few others sitting with friends, enjoying a late-afternoon coffee.
When Alex had ordered her off the bike, she’d heard the urgency in his voice and knew he hadn’t been kidding around, so she’d jumped to obey. Where was he and how long was she supposed to sit here and wait for him? What if something had happened and he was hurt?
Another ten minutes passed, and she fished her phone out of her little biker purse. The only person she could think to call was Lauren, but she’d give Alex a few more minutes before involving her friend. If nothing else, she’d experienced a crazy wild ride on a motorcycle, and now that her feet were safely on terra firma, she could appreciate Alex’s skill in handling such a powerful machine.
The low rumble of a Harley sounded, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she glanced out the window and saw him turning into a parking space. He put down the kickstand as he quickly scanned the lot. Who was he looking for? The reservations she’d had on meeting him resurfaced. How much did she really know about him? Her heart wanted to trust him, but her mind was flashing caution signs.
Within seconds of walking in the door, he spotted her and headed her way. Almost every woman he passed noticed him, and she saw one look at her friend, mouthing, “Wow.” Yeah, he was wow all right, but was he too much of a bad boy for her?
“Hey,” he said, sliding into the chair across from her. “You ready to go?”
That was it? Take her on a high-speed ride through the streets of Miami, practically throw her off his bike, then take off to do God knew what, and now ask if she’s ready to go as if none of it happened?
“What was that all about?”
He flicked a glance at her empty cup. “Want another coffee?”
Under his deceptively calm demeanor, she sensed he barely controlled his anger. It was there in his eyes and the firm line of his lips. “No, I don’t want another coffee. I want to know what’s going on.”
“Just a little road rage. Dude thought I’d cut him off back on the interstate and was chasing us. I didn’t want to risk you getting hurt, so I thought this would be a safe place for you to wait for me.”
She didn’t believe a word he said. They hadn’t cut anyone off. “So you what? Chased him down and set him straight?”
