They walked for what Harley knew had been an hour before they came to the exit. He thought he had everything planned out. Believed that the cottage would have been untraceable. It should have been. Fuck, he needed to call Gerry, he needed to know not to show up, and it was probably better if the man got out of town for a while.

Harley reached up and pushed the door open to peek outside. He pulled himself up, and then reached down for Norah. “Coast is clear.” She reached for his hands and he pulled her up and into his arms.

He could see that she was exhausted and cold. He was freezing himself, and he hadn’t gotten out of the shower only to be immediately thrust into damn near freezing weather in nothing but a damn towel. Shit, she didn’t even have shoes on.

He carried her to the truck stop that was just in sight and pulled her into their outdoor bathroom.

“Fuck, Norah.” He sighed when he saw her feet. Dirty and bleeding, she hadn’t complained once, and he had been so focused on getting out he hadn’t thought about anything else.

“It’s no-no-not th-tha-that baddd,” she stammered. “Y-y-you don’t e-even h-h-have a sh-shirt on.”

“I'm fine.” He wrapped his arm around her and rubbed her back, trying desperately to help her get warm, and pulled out the burner phone Gerry had given him.

“Hello?” He heard the old man’s tired voice over the other line and felt a wave of relief.

“You need to get out of your house, Gerry. They found us, they will be coming for you next.”

“Shit!” the old man yelled, and Harley heard rustling as if he were climbing out of bed. “I’m headed out now. You two get out through the cellar?”

“Yeah, we’re at the truck stop.”

Harley heard the sound of a shotgun being cocked, and he felt a stab of panic.

“What is it?”

“Think I might have some company.” Gerry said. “Two men, dark suits, murdering-son-of-a-bitch look about them, friends of yours?”

“How the fuck did they find you?”

“Not sure, but not to worry. You and Norah head to the second location. I’ll be there in forty-five. Toss the phone.”

“Gerry—” The line went dead, and Harley let his arm fall.

“Is h-h-h-he o-okay?”

“Everything’s fine. Stay here.” He pulled a gun out of the bag and handed it to her. “Don’t let anyone in unless it’s me.”

“H-Harley,” she pleaded, and he kissed her forehead.

“It’s going to be fine, baby. Trust me.” He smiled and was grateful when he heard her lock the door behind him.

Harley searched the parking lot for a nondescript car and finally settled on a green beat-up sedan. He broke the window and wired it.

Once the engine roared to life, he took just a second to gather his thoughts before driving back over to the bathroom.

The second meetup was halfway between here and Gerry’s house. If he had been alone, he would have hauled ass to Gerry’s house to make sure the man was fine, but thinking of Norah, he knew he would just have to have faith that Gerry could handle it. He said a prayer and then knocked on the door.

“Norah, open up.”

She opened the door with a limp, and after looking down at her feet again, he cursed himself and carried her to the car. They were just pulling out when he saw flashlights emerging from the tunnel.

Harley blasted the heater, grateful it still worked, and reached for the phone. He looked down at it and wondered if he should keep it. Instead he followed Gerry’s instructions and tossed it out the window. He looked over at Norah. She stared out the window, and he reached over to squeeze her hand. She took it and held on.

---

“HE SHOULD BE here any minute.” Harley pulled up in front of an old farmhouse. It had been abandoned years ago, the signs of aging peeling on its weathered walls. It had been where Gerry and he had agreed to meet in the event he needed to get out of the cottage.

He hadn’t counted on them finding Gerry, though. Because they had, he had to continually beat back the panic that surfaced.

Norah nodded and continued to stare out the window into the dark. Harley got out and walked around to the trunk, hoping to find some sort of first aid kit in order to patch up Norah’s feet, but it was empty, and he fought the urge to slam it closed. He didn’t want to scare her, but damn he was angry.

How in the hell had they found them? He thought he had covered his tracks well enough to stay hidden for years if necessary. Appears either he was wrong, or Tom had a hell of a lot more resources then the Seattle PD.

Harley saw headlights appear on the old farm road and he held his gun at the ready just in case. He breathed a sigh of relief when the truck came into view and he saw Gerry behind the wheel.

“Sorry, had to switch vehicles,” he said, and got out of the truck. His white shirt was splattered with blood, and Harley panicked.

“Are you hurt?”

He looked down as someone would if they had food rather then blood on their shirt.

“Nah, not my blood. It’s those two assholes who thought they were going to beat up an old man.”

“You took out two of Tom’s agents? Alone?” The wonder must have shown through in Harley’s voice, because Gerry threw his head back and laughed.

“I’m not as fragile as you make me out to be, Harley. There are some things I probably should tell you, but not here. We need to get the hell out of dodge.” Gerry’s eyes focused beyond Harley and he turned to see Norah stepping around. “You poor thing.” Gerry’s face softened. “You okay?”

She nodded warily and then stepped to Harley.

“Come on,” he said, and lifted her into his arms. They climbed into the old truck and left the aged farmhouse behind them.

“Where are we going?” Harley asked as Gerry drove through the dark.

“Friend of mine owns an old B&B about two hours from here. It’s clean, and the best part is she doesn’t trust the government. So no cameras, and if anyone shows up asking for us, she won’t tell them anything.”

“Won’t they track her down through you?”

“Unlikely. She is off the grid, in a major way.”

“Who are you?”

Gerry laughed, “Someone who doesn’t tolerate bullies like Tom Hewitt.”

---

THEY PULLED INTO the driveway of a large Victorian-style house. Its looming façade was both welcoming, and intimidating.

A woman stepped out on the old porch just as Gerry put the truck into park. Harley reached for his gun when he saw she was holding a shotgun and it was aimed at them.

“No,” Gerry said, and reached across Norah to put his hand on Harley’s. “She won’t do anything.” When Gerry walked out and stepped around the truck, she lowered her weapon and walked down the steps.

“Well, I’ll be damned, look what the cat dragged in.”

He smiled. “Good to see you, Marissa.”

“Who are they?” she asked, gesturing to the truck.

“Friends of mine. Some bad people are after them. They came and messed up my house pretty good today as well,” he added.

“Send them in. Park the truck in the barn around back.”

Gerry opened Harley’s door and he stepped out. Not wanting her to walk, Harley reached in and lifted Norah out. They walked up the steps and the woman’s eyes softened with sympathy.

“You poor dear. Come on in, we’ll get you fixed up. I might have some clothes that’ll fit ya too.”

“Thank you,” Norah said softly. It was the first thing she had said since they left the truck stop.

Harley followed the woman into the house. He estimated her to be close to Gerry’s age. She moved smoothly and was dressed simply, in black pants and a blue T-shirt. Her hair was up in a tight bun, and he was willing to bet she was very rarely, if ever, caught off guard.

“So what happened?” Marissa asked as Harley set Norah down on the couch.

“We were holed up in a small cottage and they cornered us. Started shooting up the place. I had to grab Norah out of the shower in order to get out of there before we were killed.”

“So you weren’t assaulted then?” she asked, kneeling in front of Norah.

“No, not at all. It all just caught me off guard,” Norah said, finally regaining color in her face.

“Okay, good.” Marissa looked to Harley. “I can see you’re upset I asked her that, but a woman shows up wrapped in a towel wearing a man’s shirt, you have to wonder.” She eyed his bare chest almost appreciatively now. “Ill see if I can find you a shirt and grab her some clothes. Come with me and I’ll show you where you two can get cleaned up.”

Nora stood warily and gripped Harley’s hand, not ready to let him out of her sight. Her feet stung, and she was exhausted, but she didn’t want Harley to have to haul her up the stairs. He had to be just as tired as she was. The first step she took caused her to wince, and Harley scooped her up anyways.

She leaned into him, his bare chest against her cheek, and listened to his steady heartbeat. He was so strong, the way he managed to stay calm through everything when she felt as if she wanted to just give up. To say to hell with it. She was just tired of running.

“I only have two rooms, which luckily are both empty at the moment,” Marissa said as she walked up the stairs. “I’m sure you’ve noticed, but this isn’t a normal B&B. I take people in who have nowhere else to go. Those who I get the impression they don’t deserve the trouble they are in.” She pushed the door open to a room at the end of the hall and stepped inside to turn on the light.

The room was surprisingly large. A couch and table with two high-backed chairs sat against one wall, a window with shutters between them. A large bed was centered on the wall opposite of the door and a large fireplace flanked with bookcases flanked the other wall.

Gold floral wallpaper covered the walls that also held some of Gerry’s paintings. His style was unmistakable, as was his red signature at the bottom. A man of many talents indeed, it seemed, she thought with a slight smile.

“There’s a first aid kit in the bathroom, and I’ll be right back with those clothes,” Marissa said, and closed the door behind her.

Harley carried Norah into the bathroom and set her on the edge of the large marble bathtub.

Norah watched as he pulled open the cabinet and let out a breath of relief when he pulled the kit out.

“Harley, I can clean my own feet,” she said when he turned the bath water on and put some soap in.

“This is my fault, so I will make sure you are okay.”

“How is this your fault?”

Harley shook his head and began cleaning her feet. She sucked in a pained breath when the water stung the open cuts.

“I should have covered our tracks better. I got too relaxed.”

“You covered them very well, Harley.” She gritted her teeth against the pain. “You got us out of there.”

“You got hurt.”

“I stepped on some rocks and twigs, I’ll recover.” She sucked in another breath and he stood.

“You have some splinters as well.” He grabbed some tweezers and Norah bit her lip when he dug into her already sensitive skin to pull out the pieces of wood.

When he was done, Harley rinsed the bathtub out and filled it with clean water. He added some soap from the collection of bottles on the edge of the tub and helped her stand.

“Go ahead and take a bath. Ill set your clothes on the bed when Marissa brings them in and put some antiseptic and bandages on your feet when you’re done.”

He turned to leave, and Norah pushed the panic down in her chest. It was silly to freak out. He was going to be just in the other room, and they were in a new place. One that Gerry had assured them was safe. So why did she feel that Harley was her lifeline? That without him she wouldn’t survive?

“Harley?” she asked softly. Tears filled her eyes and she took a painful step towards him.

“You’re safe now, Norah.” He wrapped his arms around her when she came to him, and she let fall the tears she had been pushing back since the second he burst into the bathroom.

“I’m sorry. I told myself I wouldn’t be weak the next time we ran into them. I’m so damn scared.”

“Norah, you almost died. Again. You’re not weak, you’re human.”

“You aren’t afraid.” She said it simply, and he wondered how she could have possibly missed how terrified he was. Not for his own life—he had accepted the danger he was in from the day he became a cop—but for hers.

She had begun to matter so much to him that he worried if he ever lost her, he would lose himself as well.

“I am afraid,” he admitted, and pulled away to look at her face. “I am terrified that something is going to happen to you. I should have grabbed you some damn shoes,” he said, smiling, and cupped her cheek. “Take a bath and relax,” he said, and kissed her forehead.

She watched as he turned away and then removed the towel and his shirt, and climbed into the fragrant water. Her feet stung again, but as soon as she was submerged in the water, the warmth of it engulfed her and the pain subsided.

---

SON OF A bitch, that was close, Harley thought to himself as he sat on the bed staring at the closed bathroom door. Her feet hadn’t been as bad as he had worried they would be, but she was definitely going to be sore for the next few days. Now that the adrenaline was wearing down, he was feeling the exhaustion. By his best guess it was close to four a.m., and he had been up since six the morning before.

Harley opened the door at the knock. Gerry and Marissa stood on the other side, and she handed him a bag full of clothes.

“I keep clothes around in various sizes for those who I house. You two should find something that fits.”

“How is she?” Gerry asked, worried lines on his face.

“I think she’s still in shock, but it’s wearing off. Her feet weren’t as bad as I thought they were going to be.”

“How in the hell did they find you guys? And me?”

“I have no idea. Tom must be more resourceful than I thought. They shouldn’t have fucking found us. I worked my ass off to make sure that cottage was untraceable and that you were in no way linked back to me. I’m so sorry, Gerry.”

“Don’t be apologizing on my account. This isn’t the first time I’ve been on the run, and probably won’t be the last. There’s some things about me you don’t know, Harley. We need to talk.”

“Not tonight, Gerry. Let the boy rest,” Marissa scolded him, and turned to leave.

“Don’t worry about me.” Gerry slapped his shoulder and then turned. He hesitated and looked back at Harley. “You just be there for Norah, and get some sleep.”

Harley closed the door and turned to see Norah standing in the bathroom doorway wearing a towel. His mouth shouldn’t have watered, he shouldn’t have been attracted to her in that moment, but it did, and dammit, he was.

“Marissa brought us some clothes.”

“She seems like a nice woman.”

“She does. Apparently there’s a lot more to Gerry than even I knew.” Harley laughed slightly and set the clothes on the bed. “You can take your pick; Marissa said that she had various sizes.”

Harley turned and saw that Norah was standing even closer to him. He would have jumped if his blood hadn’t already been pounding in his ears. The look in her eyes was unmistakable, her lids heavy. But they had been through a lot tonight, and he refused to take advantage of that.

He honestly meant that. But when he started to put a hand up to stop himself, the traitor reached for her instead, and when she stepped towards him, he stopped trying to think about what was right. He wanted to feel her, needed to feel that she was safe. That they were both safe.

They clashed together, heat mixing with emotions that were raw from the events of the night. His mouth was hard on hers and she gripped his shoulders, pressing as close as she could to him.

He pulled back slightly and looked at her. Her lips were swollen and slightly parted, as if they were begging for more.

“Norah—”

“Stop, Harley. Stop thinking and just feel. I’ve already told you I cared for you, and I know you care for me too. So show me, please. Show me that I’m alive, and that even if tomorrow doesn’t come for me, I’ve at least gotten to live a little.”

“Dammit, Norah.” Harley pulled her back to him and crushed his mouth to hers.

Hands raced up her sides and buried themselves in her hair while her senses went on overload. She ran her hands up his muscled back and pressed her fingers into them, pressing him close to her again. She felt her body ready instantly for him, a delicious meeting of need and want, and she had damn well wanted him.

Harley couldn’t taste anything but her. The scent of her filled his lungs as he ripped the towel from her body. He needed to feel her against him now, with no barriers.

“Shit,” he groaned as he looked at her standing naked before him. She was perfect. He was never happier that he had been respectful with her that first night when he put his sweatshirt on before removing her tattered gown. Had he seen her then, he might have begged her to come to bed with him well before now.

He kissed her neck and ran his tongue down her collarbone until it reached her breast. He sucked in the hard peak until she moaned in pleasure and then continued his delicious exploration of her body.

He knelt in front of her and looked up into her half-closed, lust-filled eyes. The look on her face nearly drove him to the brink of insanity. He leaned forward and tasted her at her center. The part of her he knew ached for him. She cried out, sending him into a frenzy, and he felt her hands fist into his hair.

“Harley,” she said on a moan, and he tasted her pleasure on his tongue.

Unable to wait any longer to have her underneath him, he lifted her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Norah felt the bed against her back and watched as Harley took his boots off and then stepped out of his pants. Her mind went blank when she got her first look at him completely naked.

She sat up and reached for him, and he covered her body with his.

Their mouths met again as he settled in between her legs and she arched up, urging him to take all of her. He positioned himself and she cried out when he started to push into her. He was huge, and for a moment, it hurt. Once he was all the way in, he stopped and gave her body time to open to him.

“Damn, Norah.” His voice was strained, as if it were taking everything in him to hold back.

Once the pain was gone, it was replaced with a delicious ache, and she arched up into him again. He began to move, and she felt pleasure surge through her. Harley’s mouth found hers again, and she moved her hips to meet each thrust.

She felt her body climbing again, just as it had done when his mouth had been on her, and she cried out against his lips as they shattered together.

---

“HOW ARE YOU?” Harley asked as they lay together, their chests falling heavily.

“I feel amazing.” Norah smiled up at the ceiling.

“Oh shit.” Harley sat up and looked at her. “I didn’t use a— I wasn’t careful. Are you on the…shit, of course you’re not, when the hell would you have had time to take it. Dammit, Norah, I’m sorry.” He rubbed his hand over his short beard. “I wasn’t thinking.”

She smiled at him. “It’s okay, Harley. It takes two to tango, and the thought hadn’t even crossed my mind. I’m sure everything will be fine.” She laid a hand on his arm, surprised that she wasn’t at all worried about an unplanned pregnancy. “We will be careful next time.”

“Next time?” he asked, eyeing her.

“Have you already had enough of me?” she asked playfully, and he rolled her over on her back.

“Not even close.” He took her mouth with his and then scooted her up on the pillows.

She watched him, amused, as he pulled the comforter out from under them and covered their bodies with it.

“You need time to recover, and we both need sleep. But rest assured, I have no plans of letting you out of this room tomorrow. Unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

“Then let’s hope nothing becomes necessary.” She smiled and nestled into his arms.

Her last thought before she drifted into a dreamless sleep was how interesting it was the way life worked. Some things fell apart and others came together.

---

HARLEY LAY AWAKE while Norah slept soundly in his arms. He knew that what they had just shared complicated things well beyond what he had originally thought sex would. He knew himself enough to recognize when his feelings were beginning to push well past baseline attraction. The kind of feelings that led to love, future, and family. Three things he had no business promising her when he wasn’t even sure he would survive when this was all over.

She would, he promised himself. But he wasn’t so sure he would share the same fate. Even if he did, what kind of future could he provide for her? He had no job, not even a prospect of one, and he knew the police department wouldn’t take him back. Aggression was not something they took lightly.

She was used to a certain lifestyle, and even if he could provide something, it would never be to the extent Matthews had given her. Granted, he could give her love and make her happy in ways Matthews’s murdering ass couldn’t.

How could he not be falling for her? He turned his face down and looked at hers. She was beautiful, that went without saying, but she was also strong, intelligent, and trusting, even after everything she had been through. Trust that she had placed in his hands, and he would do whatever was necessary to keep.

He knew letting her go once all this was over was out of the question. If he survived, he had every intention of keeping her in his life. He wondered if she knew that she held his future in the palm of her hands.