Undercover Texas

Chapter Two



“Terrorists want my nanorobots? They’re medical devices. Not weapons.”

“They can be adapted for military purposes.”

Hunter ignored Erin’s gasp as he considered the next phase of his plan. He’d hoped Erin would be a bit more amenable to coming with him, but he shouldn’t have been surprised. In Santorini, she’d shown she had plenty of fiery passion hidden behind that cool scientist facade.

He studied the fire in the rearview mirror. The raging conflagration and plumes of thick black smoke had centered above the kitchen area. Natural gas explosion, no doubt. The neighbors were lucky the whole block hadn’t gone up.

The gas leak would probably be labeled an accident.

Not a bad plan by Terence and his lackey. They weren’t complete idiots. Arrogant, perhaps, and vicious, but apparently not stupid. One of them had major computer skills, based on the hits Leona had discovered on Erin’s bank transactions. His handler had been impressed when she’d traced the activity and it had led to a dead end. Impressed, but not happy.

Hunter was counting on the computer guy to be good enough to tap into Erin’s credit card usage to track her movement. The guy’s skill could mean that the risky plan Hunter and Leona had devised might succeed.

“Did you hear me?” Erin snapped. “I need to be able to protect my son, and I can’t without full disclosure.”

Brandon was his son, too. “I’m kind of busy right now. We’ll talk when we’re safer.” Hunter ripped the Hummer around a sharp corner, then maneuvered down little-used roads, driving evasively for a few more miles. Once they were clear, he pulled the Hummer over. He glanced at the pair bundled on the floorboard. He’d almost lost them. Five minutes later and Terence would have had them on their way to the handoff.

Hunter longed to tuck Erin and Brandon in his arms and protect them from the world, but he couldn’t afford to let his guard down, even for a minute. Terence was right. Erin was Hunter’s weakness, and his world hadn’t changed. If anything, it had become more dangerous, and her nanorobotic prototype made everything worse.

“Those men were killers. We need to go to the police, Clay.”

Hunter sighed. He was still Clay to her. A fictional computer security consultant who had vacationed on Santorini, made love to her and was essentially harmless—except to her heart. And now her life. She didn’t know anything about him. Didn’t know he sometimes killed people for a living.

“The police can’t help,” he said. “These people are out of their league. You’re stuck with me.”

“Great. I didn’t realize you were a superhero. What if something happens to you? I go to the police then? Even though I don’t know anything?”

Whoa, she knew how to skewer him on target. If he died, she and Brandon would be captive or dead. Hunter ignored the twist in his gut. Despite what he wished for in his stupid dreams, he had to keep his emotions in check. Erin’s and Brandon’s survival depended on his experience in high-risk operations. He couldn’t let them down.

“I said that we’ll talk. You can get up now.”

Erin crawled onto the leather backseat, a worn-out Brandon in her arms. Hunter couldn’t keep his gaze away from the sleepy baby as she rocked him, whispering words of comfort. The baby burrowed against the curve of her breast and settled in. He stuck his thumb in his mouth, closed his eyes and nodded off.

Hunter shifted his attention back to the road. “Will he be okay?”

“My son will be fine. I’ll take care of him.” She glared at Hunter. “I’ve been doing it on my own for quite a while.”

“I guess we’re going to skip the thank-you-for-saving-my-life part of this conversation, huh, Erin?”

She shot him a look. “Clay, I’m grateful. I’d be stupid if I wasn’t, but I wish I was sure what you were really doing at my house. You have a car seat. Did you get it because you intended to rescue us, or did you plan to take Brandon the entire time?”

Hunter’s throat closed off. He’d wanted to do just that so many times, but he wanted more than Brandon. He wanted them both. Hunter shook off the regrets. He couldn’t afford to think of what could have been. “Instead of griping at me, why don’t you put Brandon in the car seat and strap him in? You can trust me.”

“My house is ashes. My son is in danger.” Erin flashed an irritated look at Hunter in the rearview mirror but did as he said. “Excuse me for having trouble finding my happy place. Trusting you is just not happening, no matter what you’ve done for us.”

He caught the tearful quaver in her voice hovering just below the anger. She was exhausted...and petrified.

She should be.

Way more than she realized.

“I promise...you’ll be fine,” he said rashly, having no clue if he could guarantee such a claim.

“I’ve been fine since you disappeared,” she said. “Then, the moment I see you again, my home goes up in flames. You fight like an assassin and your phone-jamming toy is too high tech and top secret for a computer analyst, or whatever you’re claiming to be today. If you’re into something bad, how do I know you didn’t bring this trouble down on me?”

He shook his head. Despite her fragile—and frightened—appearance, Erin Jamison had a spine of steel and a genius IQ that made her way too smart for her own good. Any other time, her suspicions about him would be correct, but this crisis she’d brought on herself. “I told you, your prototype caught the attention of the wrong people. My company intercepted several communications that indicated you were to be kidnapped tonight and turned over to a terrorist cell. Those are the facts.”

Erin let out a shaky breath. “If you know who these people are, then drop me by the police station and tell them before you go. After they’re arrested, I’ll deal with this problem just like I’ve dealt with everything since I was eighteen. By myself.”

For a smart woman, she was being incredibly obtuse. She was in danger. He wanted to be there for her. He’d always wanted to be there for her. When he’d been unable to get her memory out of his head, he’d taken his first clandestine leave to go see her, thinking he’d surprise her.

Instead, she’d surprised him. She’d been seven months pregnant.

He’d never doubted her child was his. She’d been a virgin before Santorini. She had been so naive. An unbelievable prodigy, genius level, and the most innocent, loving person he’d ever known. She’d made him feel alive again.

Seeing her pregnant, and knowing that even by communicating with her he’d endanger her and the baby, Hunter had gone from elation to grief in a heartbeat. Every warning from that first briefing with General Miller pummeled through Hunter’s brain. No family. No friends outside of the team. No weaknesses.

Erin was his vulnerability, his child an even larger one. They could be used against him. He couldn’t risk putting her, their child or his team in danger. His heart hadn’t shattered into a million shards when he made the toughest decision of his life. It had been sucked into a black hole, where no feelings escaped.

He’d had no choice then.

Or now.

Hunter turned on a road leading to highway 281.

Erin whipped her head toward Pensacola. “You’re going the wrong way. The police station is back there.”

He flipped on his turn signal and merged into traffic. “Erin, I’m the only one who can help. I’ve devised a plan.” Hunter pressed a button on his earpiece. “We’re en route.”

“Did you pick up the packages?” Leona asked.

“Yes, but our friends were less than five minutes behind,” Hunter growled. “Why didn’t you know about them earlier?”

Leona let out a curse that belied her grandmotherly appearance. “Must be new deliverymen. I’ll look into it.” She paused. “By the way, the firemen found the charred remains of two similar packages inside the burning building. Police are assuming they belong to the occupants of the house. I suspect they were delivered to the address just prior to the blast.”

Hunter’s gut roiled. He’d heard a thud in the kitchen just before Terence and his partner had burst into the living room. He didn’t want Erin to ever know what had happened. “Our friends don’t want anyone searching for a missing doctor and her son.”

He could picture the flash of fury in Leona’s eyes.

“How do you want me to proceed?” she asked.

Hunter watched Erin’s eyes. He could see those genius-level brain cells taking in his end of the conversation with his handler. Erin would understand the whole situation soon enough. As far as the world knew, she and Brandon were dead. Hunter didn’t intend to change that perception.

“Stay with the plan, Leona. Run the credit card as soon as we’ve had time to get to the marina. Track any hits so I know when they’re coming our way.”

“Done.”

The scratch of pen to pad filtered through the phone. Leona was nothing if not old-fashioned. The brand-new tablet computer the general had issued her lay unused in her drawer. Paper was more secure, she’d told Hunter defiantly when he asked about the unopened box last time he’d visited headquarters.

“We still on the down-low?” he asked.

“For now. Not sure how much longer I can keep a lid on it, though. I’m getting looks.”

“Be careful, Leona.”

“Don’t worry.” She chuckled. “I’ll have my husband call and talk dirty to me. That should back them off from listening in on my conversations.”

Hunter quirked a smile. “Poor Chuck.”

“Don’t pity him. He’ll get thanked very well tonight.”

“TMI, darling.... Keep in touch.” He tapped his earpiece and glanced back at Erin once more.

Her jaw ticked with barely restrained frustration. “Who are you, Clay? You’re way more than a consultant.”

“Someone who wants you to stay alive. Let’s leave it at that.”

“I deserve the truth,” she said finally.

He couldn’t argue there.

Brandon fussed and squirmed for a minute. A pungent odor wafted through the car.

Erin wrinkled her nose. “I think we have a dirty diaper, and his bag never made it out of the house.” She looked down at an increasingly unhappy Brandon. “He needs changing. Can you find me a store?”

Hunter had spent two years on the streets and in shelters. He’d watched over enough helpless kids when their mothers were too strung out to change a dirty diaper. He knew what kids needed. Diapers, food and toys. He’d expected to pack Brandon and Erin’s things at her place. Did they dare stop?

“It’s got to be quick,” he muttered, even as he checked ahead for a place to turn off.

He looked at his watch and tapped the earpiece to hail Leona.

“Miss me so soon?” Her lilting voice was tinged with worry that most listening would miss.

“We’re making a stop. We’ll use the card here. Monitor our location and adjust the timeline for when the information goes out.”

“Roger that.”

Hunter swerved into a superstore parking lot and turned in his seat. “We don’t have any leeway in our schedule.”

The flare of anger and trepidation in her eyes was quickly doused, replaced with determination.

He didn’t like that look. He scanned the parking lot before exiting the Hummer’s door and opened the back. “Let’s go.”

She got out, then lifted Brandon. “You don’t have to come with us. I can run in and out while you keep watch.”

Her gaze flicked left, a tell for lying, and it pissed Hunter off. “I can see right through you, Erin. You are not bolting with my son.”

She gasped. “What makes you think Brandon’s yours? You’re not the only man I’ve slept with.”

The words sliced off a piece of Hunter’s heart, and doubt raced into his mind for a split second. Then he realized her eyes had flicked again and recognized the ploy. General Miller was right. Family made you soft.

“Don’t lie to me again, Erin. First off, you suck at it, and second, it’s unworthy of you.”

She twisted away from him. “But it’s okay for you to lie to me?”

“To save your life? Absolutely.”

Erin tensed with anger, and Brandon whimpered and squirmed against her hold.

“Besides,” Hunter said, fighting the trembling in his hand as he touched his son’s soft black hair. “I knew the second I saw him he was mine. He’s a miracle I never expected to exist.”

Erin’s eyes filled with tears and she looked away.

Brandon stared at his father as Hunter brushed his hand down the baby’s chubby cheek. The boy laughed and grabbed Hunter’s finger, squeezing tightly.

Hunter grinned. “Hey, sport, you’re pretty strong for a little guy.”

Erin gulped, but she didn’t pull away. “What do you want from us, Clay?”

He met her gaze. “What I can’t have,” he said, knowing it was the first truly honest statement he’d made that night.

“Let us go,” she whispered.

“I can’t.”

Her grip on Brandon increased, and he let out a squeaking cry.

“The baby needs changing,” she said. “We’ll talk again later.”

“I can’t wait,” he muttered under his breath. They hurried across the parking lot and entered the store.

Within seconds, Hunter identified all of the exits, then cataloged each potential hiding place and every person within his line of sight. No one appeared interested in them, and his equipment didn’t indicate any tracking devices. They were relatively safe for the moment.

Erin grabbed a shopping cart, settled Brandon on her hip and made a beeline to the baby section. Hunter pressed his arm across her. “I go first. Everywhere.”

Now-familiar irritation crossed her face. “Lead on. I just thought we were in a hurry.”

What had happened to the shy, gentle woman who’d let him take the lead in the bedroom? Then again, when he’d asked about her work, she’d blossomed into a confident, brilliant woman he hardly recognized. He’d loved the dichotomy. He could kiss her with passion and leave her trembling with want, but when he’d warned against finishing the prototype, she’d turned into she-devil.

Hunter finished his scan of the surrounding aisles and nodded to Erin to go ahead. She gave him another aggravated look and headed for the diapers.

As she searched through the plethora of colors and sizes, he admitted that he’d been awestruck by Erin’s idea, but he also recognized the inherent danger if the device was misused. He clearly hadn’t made a strong enough argument to stop her.

“You almost done here?”

She didn’t respond. From the corner of his eye, he saw her pause and stare at two swinging doors at the back of the store.

He bent close. The floral scent of her hair wafted near him and he breathed in deeply. His lips moved against her ear. “Don’t even think about it,” he said, his words soft and firm.

She bit her lip. The disappointment in her face would’ve been funny if he wasn’t fighting for their lives.

He took a breath. “I’ll make you a bargain. Let’s deal with Brandon’s problem. Then I’ll take you somewhere safe. After you’ve heard the details, make your decision.”

“If I don’t like what you have to say, you’ll let us go?” she challenged.

“Yes,” he lied. She could never go back to the life she’d known. Not anytime soon. And once her identity changed, he’d never be able to see her...or his son...again.

He ignored the shriveling of his heart at the thought and glanced at his watch. “We’re running out of time. Too many cameras around here that could be tapped into.”

Startled eyes met his. “These people are that sophisticated?”

“You’d be surprised.”

She frowned. “Okay, I’ve had enough security briefings to know it’s possible. I won’t take a chance with Brandon.” She grabbed a diaper bag, baby powder, wipes, clothes, a small blue train, a ball and a couple of jars of unappetizing-looking mashed-up food.

Poor kid.

“Get whatever he needs for a while,” Hunter said softly. “In case you stay with me.”

She narrowed her gaze, then nodded, but she was obviously troubled as she collected several more of everything. “I’m ready.”

“What about you?”

She huffed, then quickly pushed the cart to the women’s section. She tugged jeans and T-shirts off the sales rack, but bypassed the lingerie.

He lifted an eyebrow.

She blushed, grabbed a few serviceable cotton bras and pairs of underwear, and tucked them beneath the other clothes.

He had to smile. She had nothing to be embarrassed about. Her breasts were larger since having the baby, and she’d been impressive before. He’d explored every inch of her body. What he’d give to peel those slips of cotton off her and reenact a time when they’d been safe and warm.

To distract his thoughts, he snagged tennis shoes and socks. “Size seven?”

She nodded and he dumped them into the cart.

He wished he could talk honestly to her, tell her what her future really held. It was too soon. Instead, he simply led her to the checkout center. “Use your credit card.” He handed her a large stack of twenties. “This should reimburse you.”

Erin gaped at the wad of cash and pulled out her debit card.

“No.” He grabbed her wallet. “This one.” He took out the American Express and handed it to the curious clerk.

It was way past Brandon’s naptime, and the baby sobbed in Erin’s arms. Nothing would calm him. She snagged a juice box from the bag and placed it in his hand.

“No!” His cries went full force, and big tears rolled down his face.

“Fis...” He lurched forward, stretching out his entire body as he reached for the goldfish-shaped crackers moving past him. Unbalanced, Erin lost her firm grip on him.

Before Brandon landed on the conveyor belt, Hunter scooped him up with one arm. “Sorry, sport. You’re not on sale today.”

The clerk giggled and it hit Hunter that he was holding his son for the first time. Granted the kid stank, but it didn’t matter. He cradled the boy carefully, and Hunter’s heart melted. He’d never imagined the impact one tiny being could have. He devastated Hunter’s defenses.

“Give him to me.”

He didn’t want to give Brandon back. “Sign the credit slip first.”

As Erin wrote her signature, Hunter couldn’t take his gaze away from Brandon’s every feature. The baby’s nose was like Erin’s, but his mouth was like Hunter’s mother’s.

Odd. Hunter hadn’t thought of his mother in ages. He’d pushed aside his memories of his less-than-stellar childhood years ago, and yet she was here in the face of his son.

He held up a finger, and Brandon grinned and grabbed it, trying to stuff Hunter’s large knuckle in his mouth.

Erin held out her arms. “He’s mine.”

Her words sent a flash flood of cold water across Hunter’s emotions. Erin was right. He couldn’t let himself get attached. Yet, as he placed Brandon in Erin’s arms, Hunter knew he’d already made that mistake.

He’d fallen in love with his child. First through the photos and often-grainy surveillance videos he’d managed to procure over the past year, and now that Hunter had held his son...

God, he was a fool.

With a heavy sigh, Hunter led Erin to the exit and paused. After a few moments of scanning the exterior, he nodded for Erin to move. They quickly crossed the parking lot. Once they reached the black Hummer, Hunter opened the back end and pulled out the duffel bag he’d planned to use during the operation.

After her reaction to his lifestyle already, he doubted she’d appreciate the weapons and equipment inside. He hadn’t had time to get passports with new names for her and Brandon. She’d have freaked for sure, seeing those.

He and Leona had designed dozens of more dangerous missions than this, but never had more been at stake. He hadn’t planned his overwhelming reaction to Erin—or his son.

While Erin changed Brandon’s diaper, he whined and reached for the cheddar-flavored crackers again. She disinfected her hands and gave him a few. “He’s hungry. It’s dinnertime.”

“What can he eat?”

“He’s teething. I bought some soft baby food I can feed him in the car. His favorite is mac and cheese, though. He loves it.”

“So do I,” Hunter said.

Erin sent him a sidelong glance. “I didn’t know that.”

“My mom would make it as a special treat when she was working.” He made room for the diapers in the duffel. “I haven’t thought of that in a long time.”

With efficient movements, Erin had Brandon settled in his car seat, then handed him a soft ball that he stuffed into his mouth and gnawed on happily.

“You’re quick,” Hunter said.

“Practice.”

Something he’d never have. Hunter closed down his emotions. In moments, he’d packed the remaining items, including Erin’s laptop, in the duffel and closed it carefully, making sure the fastenings created an airtight, waterproof seal.

He scanned the parking lot again. “We’ve got to go now. That credit card swipe started a stopwatch.”

Hunter slipped into the front seat and tapped his earpiece to contact Leona. “We’re done. We’re heading to the marina. Start the electronic bread crumbs. Once our friends ping the credit card and find us, I want all transactions to disappear. We can’t leave the cops a trail that they can easily follow.”

“Got it,” Leona said. “How long a lead time do you need?”

Erin got in beside him and buckled up.

A minute later, he pulled out of the parking lot. “The traffic’s heavy. Give me at least fifteen minutes. They need to see everything for this to work.”

Leona sighed. “Are you certain you want to do this?”

Hunter looked at Erin and Brandon. “I have no choice,” he said quietly and ended the connection.

Erin and Brandon Jamison had to die. Today.

* * *

ERIN FIDGETED IN THE FRONT seat, battling urges to jump out of the car or give Clay the trust he asked for. Brandon was in the backseat, so she knew she was staying put for now. Clay seemed to care about Brandon, and she couldn’t deny those men had broken into her house, shot the place up and torched it. She’d almost been hit by more than one bullet.

“This is crazy,” she muttered. “I can’t believe I’m letting you take us to the Gulf of Mexico. I barely know you and what I do know scares the pants off me.”

“Excuse me while I savor that image,” Clay said. “I’m saving your life. You know I’m right.”

“I don’t know anything anymore.” Her temper frayed, her emotions in turmoil, she hated that somewhere in the deepest recesses of her mind she’d dreamed of Clay coming back to her, pulling her into his arms. He’d convince her that he hadn’t lied, that she hadn’t been wrong about falling in love with him, that they could be together.

What a stupid fantasy.

As stupid and unreal as her sitting beside him right now with no idea where they were really headed.

She’d graduated from high school at sixteen, college at nineteen and received her doctorate in nanotechnology at twenty-three. She was no dummy, so why was she just sitting here, letting the miles go by? She couldn’t take her gaze away from Clay’s strong, tanned hands gripping the steering wheel. Focused and determined, he constantly swept their surroundings with the awareness of a wild animal ready to pounce on its prey. She could barely recognize in him the man she’d fallen in love with on Santorini.

Then he’d been gentle, funny, romantic. Everything she’d ever wanted.

Had she been completely wrong about him?

Could a man change so completely? Or be so completely deceptive? Had she ever known him, or had she only seen what she wanted to see?

Or what he’d wanted her to see?

She shifted in her seat. “Were you ever in computer security, Clay?”

His knuckles went white. “In a way. I’m pretty handy with zeroes and ones.”

“That means no. Who do you work for?”

“I can’t say.”

Her pulse pounded in her temple.. “I have a top-secret security clearance.”

“Not high enough.”

Erin nearly growled at him. “I’ve had enough of the cloak-and-dagger stuff. How do I know you didn’t blow up my house? That this hasn’t been some elaborate setup?”

Clay twisted in his seat. “Do you really think I would put my son in danger?”

“I don’t know, do I? Because I don’t know you. Where are you taking us? And why won’t you tell me anything?”

“You’ll understand soon.”

“Not good enough.” She snatched his phone and hit 9-1-1. He leaned toward her, but she unsnapped her seat belt and catapulted into the backseat.

“Erin...”

“No. I’ve given you all the chances you’re going to get.”

“Do you need a pickup?” a woman’s concerned voice filtered through the phone.

Something was terribly wrong. “You’re supposed to say ‘Nine-one-one. What’s your emergency?’ Who is this?”

“Code!” the woman demanded.

“I ne...need help,” Erin stuttered. “I’ve been kidnapped.”

“Dr. Jamison?” The woman’s voice lowered. “Where’s...Clay?”

“Noooo.” Erin dropped the phone to the floor.

Clay pressed his earpiece. “Sorry, sweetheart. Didn’t mean to give you heart failure. Things aren’t going quite as smoothly as I’d like here.”

Clay met Erin’s gaze in the rearview mirror, and she glared. “You can’t hijack 9-1-1. It’s illegal.”

Brandon whimpered, but Clay ignored them both, obviously focusing on the woman’s voice on his headset. Someone he clearly cared for.

“Sorry, Leona, I’ll try not to let my equipment get out of my reach again.”

He disconnected and sent Erin an uncertain look.

“Please. Just let us go,” she whispered. “I won’t tell anyone about you. You can go do your covert ops stuff somewhere else, and no one has to know you were here.”

Clay didn’t respond at first. He maneuvered the vehicle onto a bridge over the water. Redfish Cove sparkled as the sun moved lower in the sky. Several kayakers paddled toward shore.

“Let me get you to safety first. I’ll show you the evidence. Then we’ll talk.”

“I can’t tell if you’re lying.”

His brown eyes darkened. “I know. I’m good at it.”

“That’s not something to be proud of.”

His lips tightened. “Probably not.”

Tense silence between them bathed the interior of the vehicle. A loud laugh erupted from the baby. Erin glanced at Brandon’s joyous glint when he triumphantly pulled out the blue train, but she couldn’t smile. Her world had spun out of control.

“Is Brandon okay?” Clay’s voice had grown even more tense.

“He’s fine,” she answered woodenly. “He found his train.”

Brandon jabbered as he rolled his hand against the wheels. A popping noise erupted from the toy, and he giggled.

She moved closer to her son. The moment Clay stopped the car, she had to escape. She had friends at Eglin Air Force Base. Surely someone there could help her.

Clay crossed a second bridge and finally pulled his Hummer into an out-of-the-way marina not too far from Pensacola Beach. He parked near a slip and tapped his phone.

“We’re here. I’ll be in touch when it’s clear.”

He opened the door and moved to the back, grabbing the duffel. Erin exited the vehicle and rounded the car to retrieve Brandon. She held him tight, glancing around, hoping to get someone’s attention.

But no one was around. The marina had obviously seen better business days. An old man struggled into a dinghy down the way. She saw a couple of Jet Skis and a few rinky-dink boats tied up at the dilapidated dock. Other than that, the place was deserted.

She had to buy time. “Where are we going?”

Hunter headed to the water and snapped the cover off a cigar boat, its sleek lines putting to shame the other crafts. “Somewhere we won’t be found.”

“I’m not taking my son onto the water when it’ll be dark soon. Are you crazy?”

“More than likely.”

Erin clutched his arm. “I’m not going with you, Clay. I can’t do this!”

“You don’t have a choice.” After grabbing her around the waist, he lifted her and Brandon into the boat. She fell back onto the seat, fuming.

Hunter flipped a midsized life jacket to her. “Put it on.”

She shoved the orange flotation device aside. “You hurt me.”

He leaned over her, trapping her between his arms. “Erin, if I’d wanted to hurt you, I’d have let you stay at your house. Now get your jacket on.”

His movements quick and efficient, he bundled a squalling Brandon into his life jacket and settled his son on his hip. “Feel free to leave, but Brandon’s coming with me.”

“You have no right—”

“So sue me,” he snapped. “That is, if you live through the next attack by your kidnappers. They’re almost here, so move it, sweetheart, or none of us will make it.”

Hunter settled in the pilot’s seat behind the steering wheel.

With a curse, she followed, slipped on the life jacket and took her place in the copilot’s position. She had no choice. She’d never leave without Brandon, and Clay’s comments about the kidnappers terrified her. Her bravado was an act, with Clay receiving the brunt of her fear.

Hunter handed her the baby, then tapped his earpiece. “We’re in place, Leona. Are they here?” He paused. “Okay.”

The engine roared to life, the sound hurting her ears. She clutched Brandon close, rocking her terrified son, trying to shield him from the noise.

Hunter pressed the throttle forward. The floor vibrated beneath her feet as he eased the boat away from the dock, then picked up speed.

“Where are we going?” she yelled to Clay.

“A safe house,” he shouted back.

Loud curses sounded from the shore. She whipped her head around. Two ski-masked men jumped on two nearby Jet Skis. One larger, one smaller. Her stomach dropped.

“They’re here!” She turned to Clay, frantic. “How did they follow us?”

Erin froze at the cold look on his face.

“I left a trail for them. I wanted them to find us.”

Shock slammed through her system. “You did this on purpose? Oh, my God....”

Clay jammed the boat into higher gear, and the craft skittered across the top of the water. Erin’s heart raced. The men behind them followed, their Jet Skis jumping the waves and gaining on the boat.

Clay maneuvered around an inlet and into the Gulf of Mexico. He skimmed along the beaches, weaving to and fro, but he didn’t lose the men following.

“They’re still with us,” she shouted. “They’re getting closer.”

“I know.” He eased off the throttle and when he reached a straightaway of water, Clay attached a strap to the wheel to hold it on course. He reached out his hand. “Do you trust me?”

“No.”

“That’s okay. I’ll save your life anyway.”

Their attackers maneuvered alongside their boat and raised their weapons. “Give us the doc and the kid!” Terence yelled. “We’ll let you live.”

Clay ignored them. He shoved Erin and Brandon to the deck, crouched down and snapped off a small door on the side of the boat. Just large enough for them to fit through.

“When I open this panel, you slide out into the water and push away from the boat. The duffel floats. Use it to support you.”

He kicked out the fiberglass. Seawater washed over them.

Erin’s heart raced. “What about Brandon? How will I—”

“I’ll bring him.”

Panic hit, but she before she could protest, a bullet struck just to the right of Clay’s head. He ducked. Another spray of bullets strafed the boat, coming way too close.

“Go!” he yelled. “Now!”

Swim or be shot? She had to trust Clay. She took a deep breath, looked at her son, then launched herself out to sea.

Water rushed over her. She sputtered and whirled around. The cigar boat sped away, and the duffel floated toward her, riding the boat’s wake. She swam to the bag and wrapped her arms through a strap on the side. Frantically, she searched the water for Clay and Brandon.

Where were they?

Suddenly, an explosion shot fire into the sky.

The cigar boat burst into flames, the conflagration engulfing the Jet Skis and the men riding them. Oily smoke billowed across the waves.

“No!” The roar of the fire drowned out her scream.

Erin swam frantically toward the burning wreckage, but no one could have survived that explosion.

She stopped, finally, treading water, tears pouring down her face.

What could she do? They were gone.

Clay and Brandon were gone.