Page 53 of Shiver

She stared at him for a minute. “Riley, I can’t go anywhere near the station. If I do, they won’t let me leave. I won’t be able to go back and discover the truth.”

“I don’t have a choice, Devra.”

She walked over to the window. After a moment, she turned back to him. “I know. I guess we’ll just have to take our chances with your captain.”

But Riley knew she had a point. Once she went into the station and told her story, everything would change. If the captain believed her, especially after the incident last night, then she would be put in protective custody. If the captain didn’t believe her, then she would be watched day and night. Either way, Riley was certain he wouldn’t be the one allowed near her. “All right,” he relented. “I’ll go in and see the captain alone.”

She blew out a sigh of relief then smiled. “I knew I could trust you.”

“Really?” he asked amused. “When did you come to that realization?”

“Just now.”

He pulled her into his arms. “You better.” His lips brushed hers, sparking something within him. He held her closer, his mouth moving hungrily over hers. She responded by clinging to him as if this were the last time they’d be together. A twinge of panic tightened his gut. “You’ll be here when I get back?” He pulled back so he could read the truth in her eyes.

She touched her swollen lips, tempting him to pull her into his arms once more, and stared up at him with melting blue eyes. “Yes, I’ll be here.”

And he believed her. He didn’t know why, but they seemed to have crossed some line and he didn’t think that she would lie to him. He relaxed and gave her a gentle smile. “Good, pack only what you need. No reason to let anyone think you fled town. We’ll take my car.”

She nodded. He left to face the captain, hoping it wouldn’t be for the last time. An hour later he returned from the station. The captain had been tough, but Riley held his ground and got through their meeting with his job intact, and without bringing up Tommy Marshall.

Hopefully, he’d even managed to buy them the few days they needed to uncover whatever secrets were buried in the small town of Rosemont, Washington, before anyone back at the station discovered he’d absconded with their number one suspect.

With Felix tucked in his carry cage and a couple overnight bags stowed in the back, they piled into Riley’s Expedition and drove out of the Garden District. Devra leaned her head against the window and sighed. “I hope I make it back here someday.”

“You will,” Riley assured her. But as New Orleans fell farther and farther behind them, he couldn’t help wondering if he’d made the right decision. Was he following his gut or was something else driving him? He wasn’t sure, but somewhere along the way, he’d begun to care about this lost woman. Worse, he felt a need to protect her.

As the sun caught a golden curl, enticing him to touch it, he turned away and hoped he wasn’t making the biggest mistake of his life.

Chapter 20

They droveall day and most of the night, each taking turns while the other napped. Around three in the morning, Devra pulled into a rest stop and slept because her vision had become too blurry to continue driving safely. Three hours later, Riley woke and started them on their journey again. By the end of the second day, they couldn’t take the long hours in the car and pulled into a motel parking lot for a much needed night of sleep. As soon as her head hit the pillow, Devra was out.

She was running again.Dwarfed by the large trees, she ran pushing her way through the green leaves, wincing as the branches whipped across her face. Somewhere in the darkness behind her, she could hear his breathing echoing through the trees. Footsteps thumped against the forest floor.

Riley, help me! She turned, looking behind her, searching for the handsome face with the dark brown, smiling eyes. But he wasn’t there. The river loomed ahead of her. Panic squeezed her throat shut and she couldn’t make a sound, couldn’t call for help, couldn’t scream. She pushed harder, afraid to look back. Bony fingertips reached, grasping, pulling.

Riley!

She woke choking,her eyes flying open, his name still on her lips. She felt the bed move and suddenly he was next to her staring down at her with those dark brown eyes. She could hardly breathe.

“Devra? What is it?” Riley asked.

The warm timbre of his voice reached out to stroke her tattered nerves. As she stared at him, the air whooshed into her lungs. She tried to shake loose of fear’s grip, but the weight of impending doom lingered. “Nothing. Just another dream.”

“Not of our…” He didn’t complete the sentence, but she knew who he meant.

“No, just a plain old everyday normal nightmare,” she lied, not wanting to discuss it.

He smiled and brushed the hair back from her face. She pushed the last vestiges of her dream away and tried not to think about how they were changing, and how they seemed to come more often. She closed her eyes and let his soft touch soothe away the darkness and wrap her in languid warmth.

“Riley,” she whispered. She opened her eyes and as her gaze met his, something shifted in his eyes, his breathing quickened and suddenly she was aware of strong arms next to her. Her breathing went shallow and she couldn’t help staring at his lips, couldn’t help wondering if he’d kiss her again.

He leaned closer, lying on the bed next to her. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Promise?” she asked, but the word caught on the lump in her throat and came out a whisper.

He wanted to kiss her. She could read the desire in the dark smoky haze of his gaze, but still, he hesitated. She lifted her hand to his cheek and guided his lips to hers. She kissed him, softly, tentatively, gently touching his tongue with hers, caressing back and forth, exploring, tasting. As the kiss deepened, she pulled him down closer to her, entwining her arms around his neck, and letting herself fall into him.

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