Mary Jane’s blood pressure skyrocketed at the sound of gunshots and roaring engines. Every sound the men made in their attempts to get the door open increased her anxiety a hundredfold.

A callused hand covered her mouth. Before she could scream, she was pulled back against a muscular body. She tried to open her mouth to bite down, but her lips were pulled tight.

“Do not scream, MJ.”

“You!” It came out muffled, but that’s what Mary Jane wanted to say as Jake removed his hand from her mouth. He took the gun from her shaking hand.

“Why didn’t you read the note in the car?” he whispered in pure irritation. “You could be in San Bernardino by now if you had driven a lil’ faster.”

She froze, watching her gun—technically Wulf’s gun—being placed in his waistband. Biting her lip, she whispered one of the million-dollar questions that had been swarming in her head all day long for the man she did not trust. “Who are you?”

“There’s no time for that, MJ. I’m a nobody, trying to save your hardheaded ass.” When she opened her mouth, he placed a finger over his lips. “Shhh. Come this way.”

He cocked his head toward the window behind her. She hadn’t noticed. The wooden shutters had been drawn, and she had mistaken it for a back wall in the darkness. That’s how Jake must’ve gotten inside. She tiptoed over corroded planks. Then her heart dropped. They both turned as the farm door opened and a figure stepped inside. She froze, and Jake placed a finger to his lips. The shouting and commotion faded as the door closed. She searched Jake’s eyes, as hers semi-adjusted to the darkness. She had to trust him.

Downstairs, a sound of what only could be compared to a sack of potatoes falling, propelled her to move. She cautiously hoisted her right leg over the windowsill. For reassurance, she looked back at Jake. His hand went to her shoulder, a silent cue to continue. A clear case of vertigo had Mary Jane’s vision swimming.

Jake pointed to a small hill of leaves that might break her fall. “Someone is here. Move your ass.”

With a shallow breath, she hoisted her other leg over and was now seated in the windowsill. Her hands gripped at the splintered wooden frame, knuckles taut in fear of falling.

“Mary Jane?” another voice whispered.

She got ready to leap—

“MJ, it’s me, Wulf. Come out. Beasley’s here to kill you.” There was a sincerity in his voice, begging for her to believe in him. “He even had Keller try to kill me.”

She wanted to retort the obvious to the beefy overzealous cop, but she sat frozen in the window frame, legs dangling. She cringed, hearing Jake head toward the ladder. It sounded as if Wulf had come up, but she couldn’t move.

Jake and Wulf’s voices were muffled, but hard with anger as they argued.

“Well, right now,” Jake continued, “you both have to trust me.”

“Thanks to the dumb kid,” Wulf retorted, “you’re the only one with a gun.”

Mary Jane thought to argue, but her vision was becoming blurry as she looked two stories down. Her eyes darted back toward them. The men glared at each other for what seemed like forever.

Wulf’s voice came closer in the darkness. “Keller works with Beasley. It’s only a matter of time before the idiots see her dangling in the windowsill, because she’s too afraid to jump.”

Inwardly agreeing, she almost fell as she leaned back. In a split second, Jake hoisted her up.

Wulf appeared at the landing. “We’re going to have to find another way out.”

On safe footing, she gave him the once-over. Did he really want to help? Wulf’s chiseled face held the same confusion she clung to all day. Maybe they want to kill him too. But why? Easy. Wulf is an outsider.

One by one, they all went down the ladder. As soon as she turned around, she noticed a police officer lying on the floor. He must’ve been the “sack of potatoes” noise she’d heard. Mary Jane breathed a little easier, aware Wulf had protected her.

Mary Jane jumped at the sound of Keller’s unconscious grunting. Jake’s steel-toe boot came down on his cranium so swiftly that the crack reverberated in the quiet barn.

“Dirty or not, he was a fucking cop.” Wulf squared up before Jake.

“Yup.” Jake sneered. “We don’t have time to bitch up. This area is known for underground passageways that lead to old mining companies. Let’s check the stall floors. No time for talking. Everyone works for Beasley.”

Jake’s demeanor never changed as he turned toward the stalls. Wulf seemed momentarily conflicted before he started for another stall.

She tried not to let curiosity take hold as she started into a third dingy, old stall. A chill trickled down her spine at how easily Jake could hurt someone without a pause in emotion. But then she recalled the nanosecond of an image she saw and how she was trained enough to take Wulf’s gun. Was she more like Jake than she was aware of?

A minute later, with them quietly yet frantically pacing around, they heard a squeak from a wooden board in one of the stalls. Wulf pushed hay around with his boot and found a latch.

Since the commotion hadn’t stopped outside, Jake took the butt of his shotgun and jabbed the latch until it broke. Sand and hay gusted through the air when Wulf opened it.

Mary Jane stared down into the pitch-black space. Caught off guard, Jake’s lips seized hers in a hard kiss. There was a hint of passion as he tasted her mouth.

“Good luck, Mary Jane.”

Mary Jane was speechless. For once, she didn’t contemplate conspiracies and Jake in the same thought. She asked wistfully, “Aren’t you coming?”

“Nah, I’ll go back through the window, trample your trail. Tell them you escaped.”

He smiled as she descended the rickety steps. He then locked eyes with Wulf. He firmly handed Wulf a flashlight and returned the cop’s gun. Unspoken words of trust and murder flashed into Jake’s eyes. “Keep MJ safe, and get the hell out of Santo Cruces City.”

Wulf nodded. Ducking his head, the tall man descended the uneven wooden steps as the latch clasped overhead. Mary Jane stared at him as he made the last step onto the dirt pavement. She’d assumed they were in a basement, but the area was too narrow and more expansive leading in one direction. So Jake had to be on to something when he’d mentioned mining companies and underground passageways.

At the faint sound of movement above, she could only assume Jake had scattered hay back over the door. Something in her spirit was unsettled about Wulf. She imagined every type of entrapment while alone with the police officer. Somehow, she trusted Jake more than the cop.

Leery of this new escort, she didn’t move until Wulf began walking. When Wulf turned the flashlight in front of him, she took in the scenery. They were in a narrow wooden pathway, littered with cobwebs. The wooden-beamed structure wouldn’t stand much longer. Wulf had to keep ducking because the reinforced wood hung low in the underground tunnel that seemed to lead on to the edge of forever.

After five minutes of power walking, Wulf flashed the light in her face. “How trustworthy is that boyfriend of yours?”

Her lids shaded at the bright light. “I don’t know him. Now, get that thing out of my face.”

“That’s odd.” Wulf paused, turning the light back toward the constricted pathway. In an edgy tone, he added, “Jake seems to care a great deal about you. I’ve heard about him. Bad stuff. Sociopathic tendencies and he doesn’t really like women. So what? Your lap dance must have really beat him into submission.”

“I do not dance, Wulf. You can wonder about my character all you want, but I didn’t sign up for a Q and A—so expect no answers. I don’t trust him, and I'll be damned if I trust you.” She started off in a jog.

He easily kept up with her as the circular light bobbed in front of them.

After almost an hour in the underground passageway, Wulf’s breathing became slightly shallow. Almost six inches shorter, she wondered why the brawny man couldn’t keep up.

“What time is it?” she asked as the narrowed pathway had yet to display a neon “Exit” sign. Their flashlight had begun to dim.

Wulf pressed the side of his durable watch. “Just after ten. But keep close to me. I know Jake said this passageway was once used for miners, but we don’t know if it’s still a good means for drug running.”

“It’d just be my luck if we cross paths with a cartel down here.” She scoffed and continued on into a jog…

Green foliage was all around. The sun was warm against her skin. Mary Jane jogged, wearing a sports bra and tiny running shorts. She glanced over her shoulder, offering a coy smile. The man behind her was total, utter perfection—square jaw, chiseled cheeks. His runner pants clung to slim muscles, and the hair on his chest always made her nose tickle when she laid down with him at night.

“I’ll race you,” she quipped.

“I’d rather lose.” His smile was hypnotic as his gaze zeroed in on her ass.

“Oh, you always lose.” She leaped over a fallen tree branch and took off in a massive sprint.

Wulf grumbled to himself, “I shouldn’t have slacked off.”

Mary Jane was running top speed. There was a day he could run her into the ground, but this wasn’t one of them. After leaving home, he’d grown lazy. He was now paying dearly for it as he watched her. Running. Smiling. Running harder.

“I win!” Mary Jane stopped moving instantly.

If it wasn’t for the glorious grin on her face, he would’ve had a hard time stopping too. He glanced at her. “What?”

“What?” she repeated. The sexy curve of her lips died instantly.

“What do you mean what? You started off in a sprint, smiling and running,” he stated the obvious. “Like we were racing. Like we were good friends.”

She forked a hand in her hair. “We’ve been down here too long. Where’s the damn exit?”

He stared at her in bewilderment.

She licked her lips, killing his curiosity and stirring his lust. “Wulf, I’m thirsty.”

“I know, Mary Jane. I don’t know anything about this underground pathway. Should we rest, then continue in the morning? The flashlight battery isn’t going to last much longer. We can start fresh and early.”

“No.” She looked determined. She wasn’t at all as he had previously assumed; not some ditsy woman who wasn’t aware of her beauty and allowed herself to be taken advantage of. Not at all. At least that was his current observation. Women like that didn’t have resolve.

He started walking again. “All right, let’s pace ourselves.”

A little while later, the flashlight began to fade, and their passageway grew even bleaker. They finally found a short door to the left side of the tunnel. The wooden planks were so haggard that they’d almost missed it. Mary Jane looked ready to throw herself at the door as Wulf started to kick it. It took a few tries, but the boards caved in.

With just Mary Jane’s luck, her first line of vision was the barrel of a shotgun. Her world faded into black.