HE HEARD STORMY scream and he freaked out, jumped up and hit his head on the low ceiling of the car. Automatically, Gray went for his gun from the driver’s seat, ready to shoot to kill.
What the hell? He blinked through fuzzy vision at the ugly mug staring through the passenger side window.
“Who is that?” Stormy’s squeaked voice echoed off the walls of the car.
“That, my dear, is our knight in shining armor.” Gray climbed over into the driver’s seat, which wasn’t any more graceful than last night, pulled on his boots, hat and coat and met his buddy and fellow team member, Jamison, outside. He gave him a thump on the back and a strong handshake. “What the hell are you doing here, man?”
“We got your message. Maybe I should ask, what have you been doing?” He jutted his chin toward the car where Stormy was still inside, probably recovering from having the bejeevies scared out of her.
“It’s a long story, bro. How the hell did you make it up the hill?”
“Hell, it’s a heat wave out here compared to how it’s been, and I brought the tank. You know it’ll make it through anything.” Tank was his nickname for his HUM V.
“Damn. I can’t tell you enough how glad I am to see you.”
“Are you sure about that?” Jamison jerked his chin.
Gray followed his buddy’s stare. Stormy had climbed from the car and, although she was still bundled up in layers, the way her lush hair laid around her shoulders and her bright eyes shone made Gray’s chest tighten. He noticed how Jamison stared in appreciation and something swirled through Gray that was a lot like jealousy. Clearing his throat, he took several steps toward Stormy and waved her over and introduced them. He’d have to go into details later how they met.
“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” Jamison held out his hand.
“Nice to meet you too.” She shook his hand. “Sorry about the dramatic first impression but I was caught off guard.”
Jamison smiled. “I’m the one who should be apologizing. I came up on the vehicle here and I looked in to see if anyone was inside. Low and behold, I found the man I was looking for.”
“And thank goodness you did,” Gray said.
“Maybe we need to debrief.” Jamison swiped a hand down his whiskered jaw, looking from Stormy to Gray in question.
“It’s okay. We can talk in front of her. After the hell we’ve been through for the last few days she’ll want to hear. Tank still warm?” Gray already had Stormy’s hand and was leading her toward the vehicle. She climbed into the back with Lola and Gray and Jamison took the seats in front. “You have a map?”
“In there.” Jamison pointed at the glove compartment.
Gray had the map spread out as flat as possible in the space of the front seat. “As you know, I was on this mountain because of the informant’s tip. A lot has happened since then. Phantom tried to kill me, or at least he wanted it to look that way.”
“You saw Phantom?” Although Jamison’s tone remained calm, Gray could see the shine in his buddy’s eyes.
“I didn’t see his face, but I’m certain it was him and he’s not alone. A woman is working with him.”
“Can you identify her?”
“Never seen her before. They knew I was here, so my guess is that this mysterious woman is the informant and bringing me here was a ploy.
*
After listening to the two men discuss the situation involving some guy by the name of Phantom and a female informant, Stormy’s head was swimming. She’d faded out of the conversation ten minutes ago and barely heard when Jamison said that he would drop them off and return to look for Phantom, although he was doubtful he’d still be around.
Once they were out of Jamison’s vehicle, she looked at Gray who seemed irritated. “Why didn’t you go back on the mountain with him?”
He gave a short shrug. “He’s capable of doing this on his own,” he grumbled.
She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her toe. “I heard you talking about how dangerous this Phantom man is. If I wasn’t with you the outcome would have been different. You’d be back up there helping Jamison.”
He blew out a long breath. “I’m glad I’m here. This is where I should be.” He didn’t make eye contact with her. He started to walk across the parking lot toward the car rental shop, but when he realized she wasn’t following, he stopped and turned to face her. “What is it?”
“Don’t lie to me. You’re going to be in a foul mood now all because of me.” It wasn’t nearly as cold off the mountain and there was only a thin layer of snow remaining. She felt a sense of relief that they were away from the immediate danger, but that was thwarted the second they stepped onto the concrete and Jamison pulled away, heading back to the mountain.
“Come on, Stormy. I’m where I want to be. Don’t think for a second I would have dropped you off here and expected you to find your own way.”
“You say that as if I’m not capable,” She placed her palms on her hips. Lola must have sensed her frustration because she whimpered.
“No, I’m saying it exactly how I mean it. We’re off the mountain, but there’s still the danger that Phantom and his partner could be on our tails.”
She crossed her arms again, her heart skipping a beat. “Do you think they’re following us? Is that why you didn’t go with Jamison?”
He sighed and scraped a hand over his buzz cut. “Jamison went back to try and catch Phantom’s trail, but I know this bastard. He won’t let up until he gets what he wants.”
“And that’s you dead?” Dread filled her chest.
“Apparently. I’ve shot him twice. He won’t let that go.”
“Tha—that’s awful.”
“Yeah. I should have put the bullet in his head.” He swiveled on his heels and marched toward the shop.
It took her jogging to catch up to him. When she finally made it next to him, she caught her breath and said, “What will we do?”
“We’re going to Silver Carlisle. We’ll be safe there. Jamison will investigate. I gave him the location where he can find Phantom.”
“Then why do you have that look about you?”
“What look?”
“The one that says you believe he won’t find them.”
He smiled and his jaw slacked some. “You think you know me that well, do you?”
Now that was a million-dollar question. She didn’t have a great answer. “You really want me to go with you?”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way. With me, you’re safe. Out there,” he jutted his chin. “you don’t have me.”
“Why do you think I’m in danger? Phantom doesn’t know me. He has no clue who I am.”
Gray stopped and swiped a hand roughly down his cheek. “Well, if he didn’t before, he does now.”
“Where is your family ranch?”
“In a town called Reservoir Springs. Heard of it?”
“Hm, yeah, I do. I live twenty miles from it. We have lived that close and never saw one another?” He smiled and her heart warmed.
“Sometimes things happen in their own time.”
“Would it be okay if we stop at the storage unit where my things are? I’d like to gather some clothes.”
“Fine by me.” He opened the door to the car rental shop and allowed her to enter first. While he stood at the counter working his magic at getting a car at the last minute, Stormy sat close to the door, holding Lola on her leash.
She had no clue who owned the dog, but she’d have to figure out how to find them. It bothered her to know that someone out there might be missing her, and yet Stormy couldn’t have left her behind to fend for herself.
Hearing Gray’s laughter, she watched the twenty something woman behind the counter flush and twirl a strand of red hair around her dainty finger. Was she flirting? Stormy focused on the conversation.
“Anything you can do for us is appreciated,” Gray said, flashing a smile. It was a good thing his dimples were hidden under a whiskered jaw. Stormy sighed and it wasn’t because she thought she owned that specific smile of his, but it did make her a little jealous to watch him offer it so easily to another woman and have her eat it up like custard.
“I don’t like to be the bearer of bad news, but most of our rentals have to be booked twenty-four hours in advance,” the redhead said. “You understand.”
“Listen…” Gray leaned in. “It is Rylen, right?” She bobbed her head, puckering her crimson lips as if she were ready to take a seductive selfie. “We’re in quite a pickle. You see, we had a little accident on Whispering Mountain and spent the night in a dinky car. So as much as I’m sorry I missed that twenty-four-hour timeframe, you’d understand why.”
Yeah, this was a side of him Stormy hadn’t seen. The suave, flirtatious side.
The woman’s brown eyes twinkled and she plastered on the fakest frown Stormy had ever seen. “I don’t know…”
“Ah, come on. Won’t you peek on your computer? I’m sure you have something available. Just a little tap with those fingers.”
“Well, we might, but it won’t be much. Sometimes we have a vehicle left that no one wanted.” She stepped behind the keyboard and tapped away, paused several seconds, tapped a few more keys, mumbling something under her breath. “Hmm. Looks like we do have something. A two door that gets great gas mileage.”
“Sounds perfect.”
Stormy wasn’t sure whether she should smile or frown at what she was witnessing. Gray had just “sweet-talked” his way into a rental car. What really bugged her, which she had no right to feel, was the jealousy swirling through her. The way the young service woman responded to Gray was close to unabashed admiration. No doubt, Stormy couldn’t be the only woman who swooned when he smiled.
He had a certain spectacular charisma about him that could easily rock any woman’s boat. It only made it more prominent because he was built like a Greek God and his posture warned everyone that he would snap a person in two if they gave him reason. She’d also witnessed a softer side to him. His compassion, determination to keep her safe, his gentleness. What woman, even the most independent, wouldn’t want a hero sweeping in and promising to keep her safe from harm’s way.
Stormy had always prided herself on being self-reliant and had never believed she’d feel like she did right now for anyone. She gathered that she was falling, if that were even possible. She felt like she was standing on a diving board and below was a pool of water drawing her to jump and take the risk. Once she took a step off the edge, she would be gone and it scared her. Usually when a person started having feelings for another they had a sliver of an idea that person reflected those emotions, but she had no clue how Gray felt about her. As she watched him smooth over the pretty redhead, Stormy had a thought that this was exactly what he’d done to her. He’d swept in like a thunderstorm, flashed those baby blues and kick-ass smile, and she’d lost her mind like a hypnotized puppy. She could easily wind up losing herself and getting hurt.
When they walked out of the shop, rental agreement in hand, she didn’t even look at him. If he sensed her detachment, he didn’t say anything.
The car was definitely a gas-saver, that was because it was the smallest car she’d ever seen. He looked like a GI Joe doll stuffed inside a Matchbox car. Her mood instantly lightened and she laughed. “Well, she did say it was small.”
Gray groaned and started the engine. “I can’t complain. It’s warm and it moves faster than I can walk…barely, but at least by a few miles more per hour.”
Silence grew between them.
“Want to talk about it?” he asked once they were out on the main road.
“About what?” Best to play imprudent.
“You’ve been quiet since we left the rental shop.”
He was observant. She’d give him that, but she couldn’t allow him to see inside of her where her secrets were hidden. He didn’t need to know that she was developing strong feelings. “I’m just caught up in all this. Before two days ago, my life was average, and now I feel like I’m on the back of a bronco for the eight second ride, except eight seconds passed hours ago.”
He gave her a quick side-glance. “For a woman in her first rodeo, you sure are hanging on like a pro.” He winked.
No, she wouldn’t let his sweet talk sway her. “This is your everyday life, isn’t it?”
“Not every day, but close.”
“Don’t you ever see yourself doing something—”
“Boring?”
“Less dangerous. Leaping from tops of buildings and being shot at are all foreign to me.”
“Let’s not confuse me with James Bond, unless you really want to.”
“Do you ever take things seriously?”
“Yes, my job. Everything else I tend to take with a grain of salt, otherwise I might get premature greys.”
She could easily take his statement as another quip at being funny, but he was dead serious. So he was somebody who could leave the office at work. Yet, when did he leave the office? Was this considered work or pleasure? “What do you do for fun?” Once the words were out she wanted to fish them back. When he grinned from ear to ear she realized he was thinking the same dirty thoughts that she was, and it made her nipples tighten. This was the response she wanted to prevent. How could she get her thoughts and emotions back on track when each time he flashed that grin she was a puddle of a mess at his feet? Taking a long sip of her coffee, she didn’t care that it burnt all the way into her stomach. She was already on fire so it didn’t make a big difference.
“Is that a trick question?”
She turned her cheek and looked at the passing scenery but not seeing anything except his smiling reflection in the glass. “No. I just wonder if you ever take time off for fun.”
“I’ve been known to on occasion, but when it’s just me, I don’t have to abide by a schedule.”
“I remember you saying you don’t come home to the family ranch often. Is it because of her?”
Did she see his jaw tighten some? She couldn’t be sure because he had a few days of growth of whiskers. She kind of liked the mountain man look.
“Excuse me? Who’s her?”
“Your ex. I believe you said her name is Hannah.” She felt the tension come over them like a dark cloud.
“What she and I had is history. Have you ever milked a cow?”
She eased back into the vinyl of the seat. “No. Will that be a requirement?”
“Everyone should milk a cow at least once. Especially if you’re staying on a working ranch.”
“Is it a rite of passage?”
“You bet. So is mucking stalls and slopping pigs. Something gives me the idea you’ve never done either of those things.”
“And you’d be right. I’m a city girl.” She plucked at a loose thread on her jeans. “I should have known by first glance that you’re a country boy.”
“Yeah?” He held the steering wheel with one hand and laid the other on his thigh and she wasn’t sure why she had the urge to reach over and take his hand, like lovers would. To keep herself from acting upon her desire, she clasped her hands tightly together in her lap. Being here in the close space, chatting about everything but nothing at all with Lola in the back snoozing brought of images of what it would be like if she and Gray were a couple. It was a dangerous road to travel, but a woman had the right to ponder what ifs. This would come to an end. She and Gray were from two different worlds. He was a hardcore lawman and she …what was she exactly? She’d hit bottom and would have to work her way back up. New job. New place to live. New life.
Which led her to think of her sister. Reaching for her phone, she frowned. It was dead. And she had no charger.
Thankfully, they were only a few miles from the storage unit.