Get a grip, she said to herself. He doesn't give a s.h.i.t. She leaned back and in a cool voice said, "Fine. Thank you for your a.s.sistance. Good-bye."

She stared straight ahead, ignoring his start of surprise.

He backed up and slammed the door shut with a little too much force. She sniffled, trying to hold back the tears as Cooper started up the vehicle.

Suddenly her door opened. Mason leaned in. "It's not okay," he snapped. "But it's the job. I'll contact you later."

And he kissed her. As in he placed his lips on hers, her body temperature shot up ten degrees and curled her toes.

Then he backed up and slammed the door in her face.

She gave a happy sigh and settled back for the trip.

He did care.

"HA. d.a.m.n WELL time." Hawk looped an arm around Mason's shoulders. "Told you he wasn't stupid."

Swede smirked. "Of course if he doesn't follow through there's still a chance for us."

The others all agreed.

"She's not up for grabs," Mason snapped. Something was bugging him, but he couldn't place it. Except she was gone and d.a.m.n if his life didn't seem a little darker. A little cloudier. As if a ray of sunshine had just gone behind a cloud.

Foolish thoughts. He'd get over her like he'd gotten over every other woman he'd met. She was no d.a.m.n different.

Liar. Christ she was different.

"Let's go. We have things to do and places to be."

"We do indeed." They all stood in place and watched the dark SUV drive away. Dust clouded the air in front of them.

As they watched, another dark SUV pulled out of a hiding spot from deep in the tree-lined road and pulled in behind them.

"No." Mason stared, his heart beating against his chest. "No, please not."

"Oh, Christ," the men whispered in horror.

"Wheels. We need wheels." Swede was already on the phone. "Skip the wheels. I'm bringing in the helicopter."

The men scattered. Except Mason. He watched the two vehicles head down the road.

Then he remembered the old dirt bike he'd seen in the back of the shed. In ten seconds he'd ripped to the shed, flung the door open so hard it came off the hinge and pulled it out. The tank was half full. Good enough. He turned the key sitting in the engine, she fired up. Good baby.

Without giving a second thought, he spun her around and raced off behind Tesla.

Like h.e.l.l he was going to lose her now.

Chapter 11.

SHE SLUMPED INTO the b.u.t.tery leather seat. Tears were clinging to the corner of her eyelids. She sniffled them back. There was no way she was going to let them fall. She didn't dare. The dam would break and she'd bawl like a baby. So not good for her strong-can-handle-anything look. She had one like that... Didn't she? h.e.l.l no. She'd had one like that way back. Her initial reserve on meeting someone often gave them that impression of her. Cool. Unaffected. Disinterested. And she'd done nothing to break that barrier down to make it easier for everyone. Her father would say show them who's boss right from the get go. Then you could pick and choose who to befriend. That was after you figured out who were your enemies.

His method clearly hadn't worked so well in high school and just added to her cool edge.

She stared down at her ragged nails. They'd been perfect pale ovals once. Now they were short, jagged and b.l.o.o.d.y. She had a couple she could still use as weapons if she had to. But her fighting days were over. Hopefully.

On that reminder, she glanced out the windows. Good-bye small town. Good-bye jaunt in the back woods. h.e.l.lo more scary helicopter ride and more military.

The military she'd take any day. Now getting back into another helicopter so not.

Her stomach knotted at the reminder of her free-fall the last time. It would be good to go back in, just like falling off a bike. You had to get back on again immediately.

This was a whole different story. She'd do the bike thing any day. The helicopter, however... She took one deep breath, then another deep breath. The third one almost felt natural.

Until she noticed the driver keeping a careful eye on the road. She knew Mason wouldn't have let her leave if he didn't think it was safe to do so. But what if they were being followed? What if someone had tracked them to the house and was waiting to make their move.

Mason really shouldn't have let her leave alone. She hated that she only felt safe with him beside her. It was understandable after what she'd been through but...that was going to be difficult in the future.

d.a.m.n it, her mind was back on Mason again. And that long lovely expanse of bare skin she'd woken up to. She'd always been a morning person. To think he'd been there in her bed, and she didn't have the right to touch. She could have persuaded him...maybe, but she didn't want a ten minute bounce in bed. She wanted to get to know him. Yeah right. She wanted to jump his bones. But she couldn't have handled rejection this morning, and he would have turned her down.

With a groan she leaned her head back, determined to forget the man. And that wicked kiss he'd laid on her.

"You all right, ma'am?" Cooper asked her, concern written on his face.

She mustered up a bright smile. They were all lovely men. "I'm fine. Just not looking forward to going on another helicopter."

"You'll be fine."

Right. She was pretty d.a.m.n sure she'd been told that right before the last helicopter blew up. But there was no point in bringing that up again.

"I'm sure I will."

The second man pointed at something in his rearview mirror. He had some kind of phone in his hand, but it looked big, odd. More like a GPS unit but with other capabilities. Interesting. She loved technology. She and Harry had both been big on computers growing up.

Now she wished she had something in her hands. She had no phone, or purse, so no ID. She felt cut off from the world.

Especially without Mason.

Then her world exploded.

The first shot shattered the rear window and punctured a hole right through the front windshield.

She screamed and leaned over. That was when she realized Johann's blood was all over the front dash. And Cooper was swearing a blue streak.

Oh no. Oh c.r.a.p. Oh Lord. Please not again. She unbuckled her seatbelt and hit the floor.

"Hang on," Cooper yelled at her.

But the SUV was zigging and zagging so severely across the road as the driver tried to avoid letting the shooter get a clean shot at him that it was d.a.m.n near impossible to hang on. She leaned forward over the center console where the pa.s.senger was slumped and checked if he was breathing. She hadn't seen where he'd been shot, but she didn't need to look twice.

Except...he held a gun in his hand. She reached forward and pulled it free. It was covered in...yeah, she didn't want to know. She wiped off as much as she could but kept being knocked over with Cooper's evasive maneuvers. She tried to pull herself up enough to look out the back window.

"Stay down," Cooper snapped.

The SUV lurched to the side, taking her with it. d.a.m.n it. She crawled to the back of the vehicle, sat up, her head hidden by the rear corner of the big machine. But now she had a clear view out the busted rearview window.

Her gaze narrowed as she realized something else.

She had a clear shot.

Of a man leaning out of the window getting ready to take another shot.

She lifted the pistol. Checking that the safety was off, and using all the techniques she'd applied many times at a target but never in real life, she sighted on her target and pulled the trigger.

The man who'd been leaning out of the front window of the second SUV, weapon in hand, collapsed, his body hanging limp over the pa.s.senger door.

"Nice shot," Cooper crowed. "Thank you, ma'am."

"You're welcome," she muttered but had to tear her gaze away from the man she'd killed. She bowed her head and silently apologized then added out loud, "I had to do it. You were trying to kill me."

"And you remember that. We're not out of trouble yet."

She immediately pulled herself together. The SUV had dropped way back now that they were up against firepower. And with any luck there was only a driver in the vehicle too. Only it wasn't to be. As she watched, the pa.s.senger door was opened and the dead man tossed out. Another man took his place.

"There's another shooter coming up."

"d.a.m.n," Cooper called out. "We've got a bike coming down the hill on the left."

Oh no. She didn't want an innocent bystander getting in the middle of this nightmare. It was probably a teenager doing what he did best ripping rubber. She could hear the noise of the engine now that Cooper mentioned it. She was peering from the corner of the rearview mirror when a shot fired through the rear window, high but hitting part of the window still hanging, showering her in gla.s.s.

"Ack." She flung herself to the floor.

"You okay?" Cooper called, trying to look around for her.

"I'm fine. That was just a little too close."

She slid upwards into the corner again, still hidden but where she could watch as the a.s.shole aimed again. He'd miss her, but he was likely going to hit the tires. Not happening. She couldn't stand to be tossed around any more than she had been.

Besides this was starting to p.i.s.s her off.

She fired through the shattered window at their windshield. She'd missed. Only the pa.s.senger side of the windshield shattered. That just made it easier on them to shoot at her. "G.o.d d.a.m.n it," she muttered. She had to do something. Then she laughed. That part would be easier.

If they were going to shoot out tires, then she would too. That had been one of Harry's favorite targets. Tires on a rope connected to a pulley that he could slow down or speed up. This she could do. She shifted back to get the best aim possible and shot.

Bam. The tire blew and the vehicle swerved, hit a bank, lifted and rolled, coming to a loud stop in the center of the road. She grinned. d.a.m.n right. Take that a.s.sholes.

The sound of the bike grew horrifically loud as it jumped a hillock and suddenly landed right behind the SUV. She gasped and shrank back until she saw the military pants and no helmet.

Mason.

She laughed and waved.

The look on his face...yeah someone was going to catch h.e.l.l.

Cooper was already slowing down and pulling off to the side.

"Uhm, shouldn't we be going to the airport?" she called out to him.

"We will in a few minutes. The guys are here."

Well, she saw Mason, but who knew where the others were. Then she saw an open top Jeep peeling down the road behind them. They had to have been on their tail right from the beginning. Too bad they hadn't figured out she was in trouble before they sent her away. She was going to give them a piece of her mind for putting her through this.

The SUV came to a complete stop. While Cooper checked his buddy over, and she was d.a.m.n sorry about him, Tesla stayed curled up in the back, the gun tight in her hand. This day hadn't started out as one to die, but it had gone into the toilet since she'd gotten up, so there was no way in h.e.l.l she was letting go of her only weapon until the world stopped spitting on her.

Mason or no Mason.

And wait until she saw him. She was going to rip a strip off him.

Except...apparently she was going to have to stand in line.

WHEN THE FIRST shooter was taken out by Cooper's partner, Mason had cheered. He'd been trying his d.a.m.nedest to get caught up but when the shooting started, being on a bike was a h.e.l.l of a place to be. Then a second shooter had stepped in and Cooper's partner Johann had blown a tire. d.a.m.n good shooting.

Maybe not the way he'd have done things, but he didn't know what weapon Johann had at his disposal either. He still wasn't going to breathe easy until he was sure Tesla was safe. Hopefully she'd had enough sense to stay down and out of the way. Cooper would have been firm but careful with her. He was no fool. Everyone knew how valuable she was to both sides.

No, Tesla would be as safe as they could keep her. But she had to cooperate.

Then she'd seen him. And he'd been so relieved. Until he saw the gun in her hand. What the h.e.l.l was Cooper doing arming her? That wasn't a f.u.c.king toy. Sure, she was Harry's sister and all but...

When he finally parked the bike and raced to the SUV, Cooper hopped out and said, "She's fine."

Mason gave him a clipped nod and said, "I can see that."

But then he stopped. And looked inside the SUV. He stared at the dead man. Then looked at Cooper.

"Johann was taken out on the first shot," Cooper said quietly. "We had no warning."

Still Mason refused to get it. The pa.s.senger door opened and Tesla leaned out and grinned.

He glared at her. The Jeep came to a dusty stop beside them.