Connor tossed one more frantic look behind his shoulder before jumping inside and closing the door. He bent down and fumbled with some wiring under the steering wheel. Antonia was no amateur when it came to hot-wiring cars and she observed as he took the steps to bring the engine to life.

The stranger pumped the pedal a few times and pulled out onto the street.

Did you just take this truck from the thief who was trying to steal it himself? she asked.

Yes, I did. My guys got caught up in the police raid and had to bail.

He exchanged a few glances between her and the road ahead. He had a tight grip on the steering wheel as he maneuvered the Hummer at a consistent speed, slightly above what she knew to be the speed limit.

Start talking, he said. And I might let you go.

What? Let me go so you can chase me to the ends of the earth, she teased. I dont know what it is that you think I know.

Cobra. And whats in the bag? He nodded toward the backpack between them.

Cobra is the name of the group that my brother and I have been working for. I mean, we dont actually work for them, but my brother is often contacted for small jobs.

Small jobs?

I already told you. Im a courier.

A mail lady? he asked with some irony in his tone.

No. Not like that. We deliver time-sensitive, cla.s.sified materials. She swallowed and looked at the bag. Not just mail.

Then what is it?

I dont know. We arent allowed to look. Couriers get killed for snooping and snitching.

Tell me what you know of the bar we left, he said.

Dockhouse? It was my first time, so I cant help you there.

What orders were you given tonight as a courier?

My brother and I work together. He got the orders. After a successful drop, we were supposed to get paid. The man you killed back there was a scout, and I never successfully delivered.

He was hurting you. I would kill him again. Why is there a need for two couriers for one drop?

Youre asking me things I dont have answers to.

He turned slightly in the seat, hands still on the wheel. Maybe your brother does?

She shrugged. Maybe he does, but I doubt he knows enough. Cobra"thats what they call themselves anyway"is an underground secret organization for a reason. Thats all I know. When we need money, we do the job, and we get paid. It might sound naive, but I dont care to know anything else.

Why dont you care?

Antonia swallowed, willing a surge of memories to stay buried deep inside of her. Because in some cases, knowing the truth wont change a d.a.m.n thing.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

They had driven for at least thirty minutes before Connor pulled off the main highway into a service station. Four gas pumps sat out in front of the store. The place was dimly lit by two street lamps, but the lights in the convenience store were bright and inviting.

We need some fuel, and by the sound coming from your belly, I think it would be wise if you ate something. I wont cuff you if you promise not to run off or cause a scene.

She threw him a sarcastic glance. What kind of a one-sided deal is that?

Its not really a deal. Its an offer.

Its nice of you to let your prisoner eat.

Well, just imagine if youd been arrested tonight for your involvement in that crime ring. Most jail cells around here wont extend the same offer. They dont care if you starve while you wait. Besides, women like you dont belong in jail.

She pressed her lips together and stared at him from between lids scrunched into a narrow glare. Dont be so quick to judge people youve only known for such a short time.

Have you got skeletons in your closet? he asked.

The only things I keep in my closet are clothes, not dead people. She pulled back the door handle and started to exit the truck.

Connor darted around the truck to meet her. As he lifted the gas pump, he shot her a warning glance.

Its not like I have anywhere to run. This place is out in the middle of nowhere. If I call out for help, very few will hear me. If you really wanted to see me cause a scene, you should have stopped at a busier intersection, she said.

Theres a police station five miles west of here. Why dont I drop you off there?

Dont push your luck, she grumbled.

He chuckled and swiped his card through the machine.

Antonia crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the truck as he pumped gas into the tank.

Lets make it quick, Connor said, after returning the pump to the handle. Get a snack and lets head out.

I need to use the restroom.

Dont try anything foolish while youre in there either.

She rolled her eyes.

Some chimes rang above them as Connor opened the door for her.

The little convenience store looked barren and it was certainly quiet inside. She spotted a worker restocking the cooler in the back, and a cashier behind the registers in the front, but there was only one customer perusing the aisles.

Antonia headed in the direction of the restroom, fully expecting Connor to follow, but he didnt. She still wasnt convinced that he wasnt either a cop or connected to Cobra somehow because why else would he have any interest in her? What did he expect to learn from her if she knew so little?

But if this man got her out of a shooting spree without being killed in the crossfire or picked up by the police, he could very well be the man to help her get her brother back. Andrew had already entered the room down the hall before her back at the Dockhouse bar, but she had to believe that he was still alive. She could only hope that hed escaped from both the cops and Cobra.

After relieving herself, Antonia washed her hands and exited the restroom. Connor wasnt waiting right outside of the door either, but he was standing less than three feet away.

She observed as he threw two large bags of chips and four large tins of beef jerky in a shopping tote.

Get what you like. We have two hours yet on the road before we get where were going, he told her when shed joined him near the shelf.

And where would that be?

A safe and secure location. Its only so we can ask you some questions. And you might want to lay low for a while until what happened back there is sorted out.

We? Who will be asking me questions?

Im not at liberty to discuss that right now, but whatever offer was made to you for the drop, Im certain it will be tripled if you tell us what you know.

An offer tripling what Cobra had extended to her and Andrew would last them a couple more months. If Andrew spent his cut wisely, it might even last them longer than that. But that was all fine and dandy until Cobra found out theyd never made the dropif they ever found out. Maybe everyone except her brother were taken in by the cops and arrested. Maybe they, except for her brother, were all dead.

Youre a.s.suming that I want money, she said.

What do you want?

Antonia nibbled at her bottom lip. There was a good chance Andrew had escaped just like her, but she couldnt be certain unless she had concrete confirmation.

Ill need to make a phone call and think about it, she replied.

Grab some food. Well discuss more in the truck.

As they stacked their items on the counter, Connor took out his wallet. With very few words spoken in broken English, the man at the cash register rung up their items.

Antonias attention reverted to the small television located just behind the cashier.

The hard plastic enclosure the television was posted behind was extra dingy, and she could barely see the screen, but when she strained to listen, she heard the news report loud and clear.

Breaking newsAuthorities are searching for two armed suspects: A man and a woman. The pair is wanted for questioning regarding the deadly shooting that broke out earlier inside the Dockhouse bar, a private nightclub north of the city. They were seen fleeing the bar by numerous bystanders. If you spot the pair, please call the local police authorities at f.u.c.k, Connor mumbled in a low growl beside her.

The news reporter went on Caucasian male. Over six-feet tall. Blond hair. He was last seen wearing a black, lightweight jacket. Young, African-American female. Short, slender in build. She was reported to be wearing a grey hooded jacket and carrying a black backpack.

Antonia met Connors gaze. The expression on his face told her that he was just as suspicious as she was. Had the news reporter identified them? The descriptions were vague, but Antonia didnt have to check herself to remember that she wore a gray hooded top, had a black backpack, and sported a full head of black tight curls.

By that time, the cashiers movements had slowed to a snails pace as he looked from Antonia to Connor to the television and back again.

Whats the holdup? Connor grumbled.

The cashiers eyes widened and then he dropped his gaze and rung up the rest of the items with lightning speed.

Connor slid some bills on the counter to pay for the food and he and Antonia each grabbed a bag and exited the store just as fast as they had come in.

When they got a glimpse of what was waiting for them on the other side for the door, they stopped dead in their tracks.

Right near the gas pumps stood two men and the ugliest Doberman Pinscher Antonia had ever seen.

She gasped when the dog growled and bucked against the leash holding him.

She felt Connor tense beside her as he raked his attention over the scene. He grabbed her arm and shoved her behind him.

The man holding the leash gave them a lethal grin before he bent down and let the dog loose.

Antonias breath and scream caught in her throat. A gush of air rushed past her, and that was when she realized that Connor had put major distance between them.

The Doberman charged toward them, but Connor rushed head on toward the animal. The atmosphere around her seemed to shift and vibrate, and the scene before her faded in and out. A visible spark of energy pulsed around Connors body until all she could make out were pieces of clothing flapping back as he charged.

In a matter of seconds, Connor, the man, had dissolved into thin air and out protruded the limbs and head of a wolf.

The minute she recognized that Connor had changed into a full-grown wolf was the same moment he collided violently with the Doberman Pinscher.

Antonia couldnt hold her scream in any longer. It tore through her throat and sliced through the night air like a freight train.

Her empty stomach churned as she witnessed the most vicious animal fight she had ever seen. Both wolf and dog moved lightning fast, and all she could make out was light tawny fur and black shiny fur in the rumble.

She hadnt realized that she had scuttled backward until her back hit the gla.s.s door of the store. No matter how much she wanted to run, she could not tear her gaze away from the sight or cause her legs to move.

That didnt stop one of the men from coming toward her while his dog had Connor occupied. She turned abruptly and jerked at the handles to try to enter the store for help, only to realize that the door was locked.

The bewildered eyes of the man who had rung them up stared back at her through the gla.s.s.

Please open the door, she screamed.

The cashier backed away slowly, his eyes focused on what was happening outside his store.

Please, she mouthed and jostled the handle.

The dimwit shook his head slowly. He was either too frightened to open the door or didnt want to. Before she could fully process why, the man who had been coming toward her grabbed Antonia from behind.

She turned around and swung, catching him in the jaw with a left hook.

Her attacker grunted and came at her once again full force. She broke off running toward the truck, pumping her legs as fast as she could. Her chest burned with exertion as she ran, but she figured shed rather pa.s.s out from exertion than have the attacker knock her out cold. She had already been kidnapped once today. Something told her that the two men and Doberman Pinscher were not there to save her a.s.s.

Her fingertips briefly touched the car door, but then it was s.n.a.t.c.hed away as her attacker caught the hood of her jacket and jerked her backward. She landed on her a.s.s on the dusty ground, the force of the fall knocking the air right out of her.

She smelled gas and blood. She even tasted the hot metallic liquid in her mouth before realized that she had bit her tongue when her bottom had hit the ground.

Her attacker was a large brute of a man. He charged once again and leaned down to grab her. She kicked her foot out and caught him in the face once more.

Dont touch me! she screamed at him.