No reason to run, p.2
No Reason to Run, page 2
Years of training helped him maintain his composure. Shane pressed his foot on the brake and stopped the car before leaving the Eagle Mart.
Her eyes widened. “What are you doing?”
“You still haven’t told me where I’m headed.”
She chewed on her lower lip clearly in distress. “I’m coming up front. If you make any sudden moves, I’ll shoot.”
Shane managed to keep from laughing outright though it was close. If she wanted to intimidate him, she’d need to speak in a harsher tone than her sweet lips could muster. His last unit leader claimed the title of Bad Ass Motherfucker and this lady couldn’t come close.
He winced as her feet scuffed against his leather seats while she climbed over and sat in the passenger seat beside him. The scent of vanilla increased as did the prominence of his erection. Shane adjusted in his chair and pretended to refasten his seatbelt. No need to frighten her further by flashing his bulging dick, though the jeans did little to hide his reaction to his sexy carjacker.
Blue eyes, blonde hair and a rocking body guaranteed to motivate any man’s libido rested less than two feet from him. Made it hard for a guy to resist getting aroused. Especially one who’d gone without sex for an extended period of time. Harmony didn’t have a large singles pool and since Shane’s move here a year ago he’d forced himself to abstain. If his reaction to her continued, he’d correct that oversight as soon as possible.
Shane studied her unobtrusively. Too many quiet nights would explain his fascination with the intriguing package this woman presented. Small delicate hands lowered the gun to his middle as if she didn’t quite want to aim at him. “I need you to drive. I’ll tell you where to go.” Shane considered his personal weapon beneath the driver’s seat. He’d wait for the right moment to reach for it if necessary. For now, he followed her direction and eased the car toward the parking lot exit.
“Right.” His breath eased out on an exhale. He made a left coming out of the lot and took the roundabout toward the center of town. The route led through the more scenic streets and gave him an opportunity to study his carjacker. She had balls of steel covered in vanilla scented cookie dough. He’d give her that- but no more. “You know owning a gun comes with an obligation to be responsible with it.”
Her hands trembled but she tipped it toward the floorboards. “It’s not mine. I borrowed it because…” She broke off whatever she’d been about to say. The lecture froze on the tip of his tongue when tears welled on her lashes.
Shit, now probably wasn’t a good time to talk about the do’s and don’ts of gun ownership. He knew she’d never shoot him. Never shoot anyone, he guessed and yet she sat here holding him at gun-point and doing something that was completely against her nature.
He faced forward and pushed his foot on the gas. “Fine, but I warn you, I’m not driving in circles for long. It’s late and I’m tired.”
Out the corner of his eye, he caught her frown. The corners of her mouth tipped down. “Of course, I just need to think for a moment.”
Shane snorted and turned down the street passing the post office and the hardware store. Street lights were out reminding Shane of the early hours he’d yet to adjust to with small town living. Lost in thought, she paid no attention to the direction they headed. He turned the car up Overly Court aiming for his neighborhood. “How old is your kid?”
Her hand lowered further and his own itched to take the weapon from her. “She’s only three.” Her voice flowed over him with its melodic notes.
Shane didn’t know much about little kids. You fed them, played with them and put them to sleep. His nephew turned ten this summer and already ate more than Shane’s old unit. He couldn’t imagine the baby in his backseat eating more than a handful of crackers. From what he glimpsed her daughter was a tiny thing. Anger uncurled in his belly at what could have happened to them in another city in a similar situation. The two of them had no business being out alone this time of night. He decided to keep her talking in hopes of learning more.
“Three, huh? Tricky age but she seems fairly quiet.” He heard horror stories of kids crying all hours of the night and throwing fits. He’d been overseas running covert missions when his nephew Liam was that age. His twin sister Eden sent him funny emails regaling him with stories in hopes of luring him to the dark side of parenthood. No way he envisioned that happening any time soon.
“Chloe’s good. Not cranky at all. I’m fortunate in that.”
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and raised a brow. “You’re lucky indeed.” The gun rested unattended in her lap, as she peered out the window tracking their progress. A semi-automatic nine millimeter. He wondered who she’d borrowed the Glock from when it was clear she had no training or comfort with guns. Her carelessly attitude with the weapon started to piss him off.
Shane didn’t live far and they were approaching his street. Either she didn’t consider him a threat or she thought the weapon sufficiently cowed him. At any rate, her lack of attention would work in his favor.
Chapter 4
Olivia managed to hide her fear when the large man walked toward the car. It figured the biggest man she’d ever seen in her life would be the owner. When he sat in the driver’s seat, she froze unable to move. The bulk of his weight took up the huge seat and explained why the chair on that side was pushed back further than the passenger front seat. His legs appeared incredibly long from her view in the back. Yet he fit in the car easily.
His hair color stayed a mystery since the interior light had momentarily blinded her and winked out the moment his door shut. She knew it was dark and that it curled in the back. He probably hated that. Men built like him would view that as a sign of weakness. The jingle of his keys warned he was about to start the car and pull off.
Nerves jumping, she’d pressed the gun to his neck and blinked back tears while she made her demand. She fully expected him to refuse. Expected him to tell her no outright and she would have been stranded. There wasn’t a chance in hell that she’d shoot someone, let alone kill them.
Those thoughts floated around her mind the whole time she’d waited. Sitting in the backseat with Chloe safely strapped in the seatbelt had made her re-evaluate her options. She’d been seconds away from getting out and thinking of another plan. Another way of maintaining her invisibility and staying off Brian’s radar.
Shops faded and gave way to tree lined streets. The sight roused her. “Hey, where are you taking us?”
“It’s not a good idea for a woman to travel alone at night.”
Her head jerked around at his comment. “I suppose it’s okay for a man?”
He grunted and Olivia raised the weapon. She swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to think. “Where are you taking me?” Fear nibbled on the edges of her conscious. She forced an element of what she hoped sounded like control to her voice.
“My house or the sheriff’s.”
Sheriff? She couldn’t afford to have law enforcement involved. Olivia studies his profile to gauge his intent. His strong face focused on the dark winding road.
Staring out the passenger side window, the houses grew further and further apart. They weren’t heading toward a development or sub-division. These homes had ample land and space giving the owners a semblance of privacy. Each house they passed boasted old fashion brick work, arched windows and long driveways. They were really going to his home because she was pretty certain the police station wasn’t in the middle of suburbia.
The moon did little to light the pitch black night. The car slowed and a beautiful two-story colonial came into view with its two car garage. A wrought iron streetlight cast an eerie glow on the flower-lined walkway. The black fencing on the front lawn matched the black shutters and black garage doors. The car turned into the driveway and the door to the garage automatically began to lift. A mailbox sported the numbers six-six-two-four.
Olivia’s hold on the gun tightened and she pointed it between the huge stranger and the side door to the house. Maybe she could ask about local transportation. A bus or cab could take her somewhere far from Brian. “Do you live alone?” The thought of involving anyone else in her problems rattled her nerves.
Her question caused him to frown and her heart pounded in her chest. His craggy features were scary enough. The frown elevated him to downright terrifying. It was a good thing Chloe still slept. This man would have her shy daughter shivering where she stood. Like Olivia now did. Damp palms from her nerves didn’t help. She surreptitiously wiped her free hand on her denim clad thigh.
Olivia jumped at the mechanical whirl of the garage door lowering behind them. A small dim light in the ceiling cast shadows around the cavernous space. This close she could see his eyes were light colored but they could be anywhere from blue to green. “Yes.”
Another jump. His answer startled her.
“G-good.” Again, she waved the gun at the connecting door to the house. “Get out.” The answer made perfect sense. She’d borrow his car and find a way to get it back to him. “I need your car.”
He laughed derisively. “Seriously? You sure you wanna do this?”
Oh, God. Oh, God. She didn’t want to do this but she didn’t have a choice. There was no way she could sleep outside with Chloe. Olivia didn’t even know where they were other than the state of Virginia as the sign crossing the state read. A wet trickle slid down her cheek. She wiped frantically at the tell-tale sign but a sniffle escaped anyway. She heard him curse then his hand made some fancy move she barely registered.
Her wrist burned a second later and the gun disappeared in the waist of his jeans. She watched in stunned amazement as he opened his car door and climbed out. “Come on. We’re here. Might as well come in.”
He then turned his back on her as if she was no threat at all and headed for the door she’d pointed out. Olivia scrambled quickly. She opened the passenger door, slid out and hit the release for the locks. “Wait. What are you doing?”
He paused, his hand on the knob and faced her. “I’m going in. It’s almost two, I’m tired and being held a gunpoint did nothing for my mood.”
“You can’t leave me out here.” When did she lose control of the situation?
“Name’s Shane Mitchell. You’re welcome to come in and we can talk like rational adults.” With those last words, he entered the house without a backwards glance.
Scooping a sleeping Chloe in her arms, she kicked the front tire in frustration and followed him into the house. Her heart banged a rapid tattoo against her chest the whole way.
The door opened into a designer’s dream kitchen. Stainless steel appliances, granite counters and beautiful mahogany cabinets she wanted to run her hands over. Everything gleamed. It seemed he kept his house as clean as his car. Ignoring her, he placed his keys in a blue ceramic bowl sitting on the center of the island and removed his lightweight jacket. Hidden beneath the olive colored material was a body cut from sheer steel.
Standing directly across from him in his fabulous kitchen revealed that he was larger than she’d thought in the car. A large, strange man with cold hard eyes the color of ice and dark brown hair with hints of red. And he had her gun. Olivia gripped her baby’s body tighter, reminded of the danger she faced. If she needed to run back out the door she’d entered, she wanted to be prepared.
“Why don’t we start with your name?” Bulging muscles strained the arms of his white tee as he folded them over a massive chest.
Olivia swallowed past the lump in her throat. “Olivia.” No last name necessary.
His firm chin hitched in her direction. “The kid yours?”
She jolted. “Of course she’s mine. And her name’s Chloe, not kid.” Her glare had no impact on him.
The corner of his mouth curled in what could be humor or disdain. “No of course about it. I’ve seen stranger things.”
Olivia bet he did. His looks screamed stranger danger. “Well, she’s mine.”
“Good. Is there a man in the picture? Crazy ex chasing the both of you?”
Unbelievable. Her jaw dropped but she masked her expression quickly. His questions hit too close to home and she’d learned the hard way not to trust any handsome face. Thank you Brian for teaching me more than I’d already experienced when it came to life sucking. “No.” Liar, a voice in her mind taunted.
He continued to watch her and Olivia wanted to freak. The burn of his piercing gaze crushed her momentary bravado. Already she doubted her decision to follow him in the house. Finally he nodded. She hoped whatever conclusions he’d drawn didn’t have him contacting the police.
“You can stay for the night. I have extra bedrooms upstairs already made up but come morning, we’re talking.”
Olivia straightened. What was he thinking? “We can’t stay here.” She didn’t even know him. He could be some crazed killer. Although, if she was being honest, she’d kidnapped him. Technically that made her the one in this party capable of slicing and dicing.
Instead of giving her statement merit, he shrugged those broad shoulders. “Suit yourself. I’m headed to bed.”
Her eyes darted to the keys on the counter when he turned his back but his parting words killed her plan to grab them and run.
“I’ve armed the security system on the house. That means the doors and windows. If you try to leave, be prepared for my nearest neighbor Sheriff Aidan Hill to question you when he pulls you over in my ride.”
He exited through the doorway and disappeared down the hall. She caught a brief glimpse of hardwood floors then jerked back when the heavy tread of his feet hit the stairs. Olivia stood alone in his kitchen and waited. Nothing. No door slams, no creak to detect where he ended up on the upper level.
The trembling started without her realizing it. Small shakes which escalated until her whole frame vibrated. Tears joined the display but she managed to bite back the sobs trying to escape. Her face buried itself in the sweet smell of Chloe’s hair. She didn’t know what to do or where to go. Olivia Anderson defined tough. She wasn’t like this. Good choices, bad choices, it didn’t matter because when she made a decision she followed through with it and didn’t allow regrets to enter her mind.
Olivia O’Donnell was an entirely different woman. She married a man she knew little about and based her love for him on a few nice dates and a whirlwind courtship. Olivia O’Donnell gave up her job to be a stay-at-home mom and supportive wife. But that life expired. The shackles of its lackluster shine wore off in the early months. Eagerly kicked off, and she didn’t miss the lifestyle at all.
Olivia didn’t know who she was supposed to be anymore. She was at a loss on where to turn and feared her daughter would pay the price for her lack of direction. Another bubble of pain burst in her chest and this time she couldn’t choke off the sound. Her misery became vocal and her cries filled the empty kitchen.
Tears flowed freely down her cheeks to soak in her little girl’s hair. Worst mother of the year committee, here I am. As an all too knowing teenager, Olivia had promised herself that she would be a better parent than her own. A far sight better as a mother. The simple promise should have been easy when one took into account how little Ruthie Anderson had parented. Yet here Olivia stood in a stranger’s kitchen in a strange town with no hope or plan on what she should do next.
In the midst of her sobs, strong arms came around her middle, enfolding Olivia and Chloe in their warm embrace. Instinct and more fear jerked her head upright as she moved to pull back.
“Easy, princess,” a familiar gruff voice murmured and the arms tightened their hold.
Chapter 5
During his years as a Delta operative, his men used to call him Iron Dick. Not to his face. They’d never be as disrespectful as that but word got around and he’d heard. Shane found the moniker amusing. They thought because he didn’t react outwardly to any situation that he had nerves of steel. They wondered if he was as cold and unfeeling as he portrayed when they were out on missions. The answer was simple and easy. Yes. When he led his men he had to have an Iron Dick. Families entrusted him with the lives of their loved ones on a regular basis.
The expectation wasn’t verbalized but Shane’s job was to bring each and every one of them home safely. It didn’t always happen that way. He’d gone to enough funerals of fallen comrades to know that. But it was a duty he didn’t take lightly, not one single time during the fifteen years he’d served. This lady wasn’t his to command. Hadn’t earned his loyalty or respect. She was absolutely nothing to him.
Which was why he was completely mind-fucked as to why he hadn’t gone straight upstairs to his room as originally planned. His cigarette craving was long gone and the strain of not sleeping well the last three nights wore on him. Yet, he’d paused halfway up the stairs and listened. Listened as the soft mewling sounds increased in volume and filled his silent house.
Stupidity or curiosity, he wasn’t quite sure, which had him reversing his steps and entering his kitchen. She had a serious crying jag going. Shoulders shaking and head down, he didn’t need to see her face to know the pain that would be etched there. Her tears pulled at the strings of his reputed ice cold heart. He’d never witnessed anyone looking as alone as she did.
Her hip braced against his cabinets to bear her weight and that of the child cradled in her arms. With her blonde hair, blue eyes and delicate build, she reminded him of the princess cartoons his sister forced him to watch when they were little. The woman shouldn’t have roused anything in him other than pity, compassion if he wanted to be generous. But staring at her, watching the depth of her sorrow created all sorts of reactions in him, least of which equaled pity. Arousal and concern vied for first place. Maybe he was a bastard for sex even being in the mix but he was a man.
