Page 5 of Hunted

She resumed her stance, squinted, and fired, jolting slightly then grinning as the reverberation of the discharge echoed through the gun range. Leila pulled off her ear muffs and squealed with joy, just like her son had earlier. “I did it!”

“You hit the target. Good job. Not center mass, but flesh wounds can hurt like hell.” Clint couldn’t help laughing along with her. Her enthusiasm was contagious. “Okay. Let’s try it again. See if that gun’s the right fit for?—”

The button he’d set up in the shop for customers to get his attention when he was on the range buzzed loudly, cutting him off. Suzie’s face peeked through the window.

Clint rushed over to answer it. “Yeah? Everything okay?”

“Yes. Everything’s fine with us.” Suzie bounced the happy boy in her arms. “There’s something wrong with your vehicle though,” she said to Leila. “We went outside for a minute, and it looks like your tire’s flat.”

“Damn.” Leila clicked on the safely on her weapon and handed it to Clint. All the excitement he’d seen on her face disappeared, replaced by fear again. She bit her lip but squared her shoulders like she was facing some kind of trial.

What was up with that? Tires went flat all the time—any bit of debris on the road could get wedged inside them and cause damage. And yet, some instinct told him more was happening here. Her reaction suggested that she didn’t think this was a normal flat. She thought someone had tampered with her car. He had a feeling the tire problem was somehow connected to her desperate need for a gun, her skittishness about telling him the truth.

The flat tire was probably nothing…but if it turned out to besomething, he wasn’t going to let her face it alone.He secured her weapon in a lockbox but kept hold of his firearm. “Let me take a look for you and see what’s going on.”

3

Dread boiled inside Leila as she watched Clint leave the store and take a slow walk around her SUV. He was on alert, everything about his body tense and ready. She was glad to see he was taking this seriously.Shecertainly was. This sabotage of her car felt deliberate, and that scared the shit out of her. Her hands started to shake, so she shoved them in the back pockets of her jeans.

She glanced over at Thomas. He and Suzie were sitting on a small loveseat in the corner of the gun shop. He was eating goldfish and listening to Suzie read a book, giggling like he hadn’t a care in the world. She wanted to keep it that way. Would do anything, make any sacrifice to make sure Thomas grew up safe and happy.

Clint gestured for her to join him outside. He’d stuck his weapon in the back of his waistband and was crouched beside the right front tire.

“This was deliberately slashed,” he said. His tone was questioning, waiting for her to explain who would do such athing—and why. But if he was waiting for answers, he’d be waiting a long time. She had no intention of sharing.

She wasn’t ready to take that next step with him yet. Maybe she never would be. She’d learned the hard way to keep her secrets well-hidden. Even though having help would be a burden off her shoulders, the trust it would require just wasn’t something she was ready to give. Clint was a virtual stranger, even if he had been kind and helpful so far. Leila shook her head and focused on her mangled tire. Damn her vindictive ex to hell and back again.

“What’s happening is I need to figure out how to get this fixed pronto,” she said. “I have to get Thomas to daycare and go to work later.”

Clint frowned, his expression clearly stating that he saw right through her bullshit answer. He shifted his weight and crossed his arms, his muscles working beneath his tanned skin. He wasn’t built like someone who spent hours in the gym, toning their bodies and guzzling protein shakes to within an inch of their lives. No. Clint was built like a man who used his body for good, hard, honest work and he had the tanned, slightly weathered skin to go with it. He’d mentioned being a former SEAL. That would certainly account for his appearance and fitness level. And protectiveness.

“Where do you work? I can take you,” he offered. “Shop’s slow today anyway, so it’s not like I’d be losing any business. We can call a tow truck to take your vehicle to the nearest tire shop.”

He was a problem solver. She hadn’t known many men like that. Most of the ones in her life had done nothing but cause problems that she had to fix. But not Clint. He’d jump in if she let him, so she waved off his question with a vague, “I work at the dentalclinic in town. And you don’t need to worry about this. I’ve got a spare in the trunk. If you can help me get that on, I’ll be fine. Thanks though,” she added, not wanting to appear ungrateful.

“The cut on that tire is pretty deep,” he pressed. “Looks like they used a knife. Maybe we should call the police and report it. It’s vandalism, if nothing else,” he said, watching her closely. Too closely for Leila’s comfort. Those blue eyes of his were far too perceptive.

She did her best not to fidget as heat prickled her cheeks that had nothing to do with the bright sun above. “No. No police. I’m sure whoever did this is long gone by now.”Liar.“Seriously, you’ve gone through enough trouble on my behalf today, with the shooting lesson and all. Like I said, if you can just help me get the spare on, that would be great. I’ve got it from there. I’ll take the car in to the tire shop once I’ve gotten paid next week.”

Clint was silent for a long moment, long enough to make her think that perhaps he wasn’t going to drop this. But then he sighed and cursed under his breath. “Fine. I’ll get this tire changed for you and then we’ll discuss your next lesson.”

Her heart tripped with gratefulness and anticipation. She clicked the button on her key fob to open the trunk with shaky fingers. “Next lesson?”

“Yeah,” he said. “You’re a long way from the required ten hours.” He rummaged around to find the jack and her spare, along with a tire iron beneath the panel in the floor. He pulled them out then got to work. Leila did her best not to stare at his perfectly formed butt or the hint of smooth tanned skin on his lower back peeking out from beneath the hem of his T-shirt. This was crazy. She had her ex stalking her and her young son to consider, but she felt such a strong attraction to this man.

She bit back a sigh. Clint was the kind of man she should have been looking for when she was younger. Someone dependable and decent, kind to children. He even took her seriously, gave her lessons on how to protect herself, which was so incredibly appealing. She was a petite Latina, and people tended to see her as someone they could push around. The other men in her life had never been interested in empowering her. Not like Clint.

She wished she’d known there were guys like Clint in the world before she’d gotten mixed up with her ex—but she couldn’t change the past. All she could do was try to live a better life for her and Thomas from this point on. Focusing on that took all her time—there was no room in her life for a romance, even with someone like Clint. She gave herself permission to admire him, to appreciate his hot body and helpful attitude. For just a minute. And then, when the minute was over, she’d walk away.

Clint glanced back at her over his shoulder and that weird connection sizzled between them once more, the same one that had made her knees tingle and her breath hitch. Okay, so she’d use this minute to appreciate him and maybe also feel like a woman and not a tired, scared momma for a beat. But that was it.

“Does today’s lesson count toward my hours?” She forced herself to get back to business.

“It does, but today was just a basic introduction. If you want to become competent with handling a firearm, you’ll need practice and additional training. Safety first. Always.”

She was on board with that.

“Yes. Absolutely,” she said, nodding a tad too vigorously due to her guilt over checking out the way the denim of his jeans stretched over his butt. “I’m all about safety these days.”

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