HARLEY WAS SORE, and there was dirt in parts of her body she didn’t care to mention, but when the dawn painted the entrance to the cave in pinks and oranges, she was snuggled up against Sawyer. Content. At peace.
She didn’t know what it was about this man that called to her at an elemental level, but it was there. The sex the night before was more intense than anything she could have imagined. She’d enjoyed sex with her lieutenant, but it hadn’t been like this. Nothing was like this. Even lying close to him had her body heating in readiness.
Pushing aside her own needs, she got up and dressed quickly. As she snapped on her holster, he opened his eyes. And smiled.
She tumbled head over heels for him in that moment.
Sweet Lord, how had she let this happen? She knew intense situations caused emotions to skyrocket. But this felt real, not a byproduct of the situation. Harley wasn’t about to express her feelings for him. That would probably never happen. “We need to get moving. We’ve got another ten miles to cover. We can wash up and eat before we head out.” She kept her voice neutral, not betraying the emotional tumult raging inside her.
“Aye, aye, Captain.” He got to his feet, naked and incredibly tempting. When he caught her looking at his perfect ass, he grinned. “See anything you like?”
She tried to scowl, but found it hard when her cheeks were hot. “Get dressed, Sawyer. Don’t forget armed men are behind us, waiting to kill you.”
While he dressed, he kept glancing at her, and the tension in her gut eased a little. She had a feeling the men who wanted Sawyer dead weren’t giving up. It was her responsibility to get them safely to the Brotherhood Protector’s headquarters.
After a brief meal of jerky and water, they packed up, and she tried to erase all evidence of their presence. She’d even buried the condom in another cave at least a foot down. Nothing, other than a lack of vegetation, indicated they’d been there. She moved some brush around to cover the cave entrance while Sawyer waited. She felt his gaze on her, watching her. For the first time in a very long time, she didn’t feel self-conscious about a man’s perusal.
She rechecked her guns, and then walked toward him. He widened his stance, putting his hands on his hips. Harley wasn’t sure what she was going to do, but when she kissed him, it surprised both of them. “Let’s go.” Without another word, she set off at a trot into the woods, Sawyer at her back.
Again, they moved at a bruising pace. She wanted to get to a clearing or make it to Eagle Rock before the pursuers caught them. Sweat dripped down her back to gather at her waistband before she held up her hand in a closed fist. Although he wasn’t military trained, Sawyer stopped.
She cocked her ear and listened. “There’s water nearby. Let’s stop and rest for a few minutes.”
“About time.” He groaned from behind her. “I think my legs and feet will never forgive me.”
She shook her head, hiding her smile from him, and followed the sound of the water. It was a creek at least five feet wide and a couple feet deep. Possibly clean water, but she never took a chance. She took out two life straws from her bag and handed one to Sawyer. “Fill the empty water bottle but only drink using this. We don’t know if there are parasites or anything else in there that may be harmful.” She set her backpack down and reached for the water when she heard it. A snap from their right.
Harley pressed Sawyer down between a couple rocks. She held her finger to her lips and crept forward, guns in both hands. A man was at least twenty feet downstream, sipping water from his cupped hands. He was dressed as a hunter, but she wasn’t fooled. Her instincts were screaming at her.
She got within five feet of him before he looked up and grinned. Unsurprised to see her. She almost didn’t see the second man who was to her right, behind a tree, with a rifle trained on her. Harley went into a crouch and shot at the one with the rifle. A cry of pain preceded the other man tackling her. She lost her grip on one of the guns, but not the other.
All her training coursed through her, and she fought with everything she had. He punched, but she kneed him in the balls and throat-punched him. He fell back gasping, grabbing at his throat.
Someone grabbed her by the hair, and she flipped her body over, breaking the hold. The second man was reaching for his rifle when she flew at his back, her arm slamming into his throat. The rifle was smashed beneath her knee, digging into her skin, but she held on, even as he punched her in the side of the head. After a minute of struggle, he passed out.
She glanced back at the other one to find Sawyer holding a gun to his head. All humor was wiped from his face. “What do we do with these pieces of shit?”
She got her own breath back and gestured behind them. “I’ve got zip ties and rope in my backpack. We’re going to tie them up and leave them here.”
After checking to be sure there weren’t any other men pursuing them, Harley and Sawyer started off again toward Eagle Rock. They were less than two hours away, and the trees were finally starting to thin. She pulled out the sat phone and tried Hank again.
Finally, she had signal, and with shaking hands dialed his number. Sawyer stood beside her, calm and collected. She glanced at him and noted the concern in his expression. He was frowning and glancing at her face, no doubt because it was swollen, cut, and bruised. It wasn’t the first time she’d been in a fist fight, nor would it be the last.
“Are you okay?” he asked quietly.
She nodded. “Are you?”
“Your face…”
“It’s fine.” She waved away his concern. When a voice answered the phone, she almost lost it. “Hank, it’s Harley. We got hit yesterday and we’re about two hours from you. Can you send some four-wheelers? I’ll give you the coordinates.”
As Hank spoke, she felt herself pulling away from Sawyer. Their time alone in the mountains was ending. No doubt he would go to another safe house, another place away from her. At least, he was still alive. She’d done her job.
SAWYER FELT SICK to his stomach. He’d never seen a woman in a fight before, and he suspected the way Harley fought wasn’t like any other female. She was powerful, fierce, and kicked the shit out of two men without any help.
Now, they were going to be apart. As soon as they got back to civilization, no doubt his Uncle Lance would find another place for him to hide. Sawyer was tired of hiding. Being with Harley had taught him how to be self-reliant, how to use an outhouse, and how to be tougher than he’d ever thought possible.
The four-wheelers came up on them in less than an hour. Harley met the huge men with hardy handshakes and low murmurs of conversation. There were two of them, and although Sawyer wasn’t a small man, he definitely felt undersized compared to these big ex-military cowboys.
Harley walked back to him with her hands on her hips. “We can take one. Hank will take the other. Taz will stay until they can get the cops out here to pick up those two assholes. I, uh, need to tell you something.”
His hopes soared at what she was going to say. She couldn’t live without him?
“Your uncle showed up at HQ yesterday, claiming he had information that you’d been killed. Insisted Hank go to the safe house to check on you.” Harley’s expression was far more serious than he’d ever seen her. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
He frowned. “How would he know?”
“Exactly. How would he know unless he hired them?”
Sawyer leaned against the tree to his right. Betrayal and fury warred inside him. It was like a goddamn Shakespearean tragedy. His uncle tried to murder him. “He wanted the company. Probably thought my father should have left it to him.”
She took his hand and squeezed. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m glad to know who’s been trying to kill me.” He leaned down and put his hands on his knees. “Now, I have nobody to trust.”
She put her arm around his shoulders. “Yes, you do.”
The worst day of his life followed the best night he’d ever experienced. He didn’t know whether to cry or punch a tree until he couldn’t feel any more.
She patted his shoulder. “C’mon, let’s head back to Eagle Rock, and we’ll confront him, together. Sort this out for good.”
He glanced at her. “Wait, he’s there?” He narrowed his eyes. “Waiting for the body no doubt.”
“He’s at Hank’s office. The sooner you confront him, the sooner you can put Montana behind you.”
He didn’t necessarily want to put everything behind him. Especially her. “Okay, let’s go.”
The ride back into town was uneventful. He rode behind her, hanging onto her firm waist, content to simply be off his feet. The town itself was nondescript, probably a typical small town in Montana. When they stopped in front of a building, he jumped off the back of the four-wheeler and Harley grabbed his arm.
“Hank already called the cops, and the feds are on their way. For now, this is just between you and him.” She watched him with her intense stare. “Unless you want me with you.”
He took her hand, lacing their fingers. “Of course, I want you there.”
“Then let me go in first and set this up. I want everyone to see his reaction when he sees you alive.” Harley narrowed her gaze. “I’ll nail his balls to the wall.”
“I want to go in there first.” He didn’t want to sound petulant, but he was still in shock his uncle was behind the entire scheme. What a joke it must have been to Uncle Lance. Pretending to be concerned, arranging for a bodyguard at the same time he arranged for an assassin or two. Sawyer only had one person he could trust, and she was ready to do battle for him. Again.
“Let me do this. I want to finish the job and make sure you’re safe.” Earnestness shone from her beautiful eyes. “Please.”
He knew it cost her a lot to ask. She was as proud as he was and asking for anything was difficult. “All right. If I can use an outhouse toilet and survive a night in a cave, I can give you ten minutes to kick my uncle’s ass.”
She kissed him fast and hard. As he watched her step into the building alone, he knew the rest of his life would never be the same.