Sara rolled her eyes. "The whole world is dangerous. To not put myself in danger would be to hide in a hole for the rest of my life."

"Yes, and the bunker made the perfect hole. Yet here we are, in a stalled-out truck, trying to survive disease, desolation, and c.r.a.ppy beef jerky long enough to make it to a destination where we don't even know if there will be anyone waiting for us or not." He sighed and looked as if he wanted to say more but struggled to find the words. "Sometimes it all gets to be too much. The unknown. The danger. The complete collapse of the world we once knew. Sometimes I want to hold on to what I have and never let it go, and that's you."

Sara crawled across the seat and into his lap, her dinner forgotten. "I'm not going anywhere you're not going." She kissed him, savoring every second of his lips on hers.

"Promise me," he said against her mouth. "Promise me you'll always carry your gun and your knife. Promise me you won't go into any situations that have the potential to be life altering without at least pausing long enough to think about the possible outcome. Promise me you won't leave me like everyone else has because I'm not sure I could live through it."

"I promise," she said, slipping her hands under the hem of his shirt and pulling it over his head. She tossed it to the floor of the truck then settled herself deeper in his lap. His desire for her pressed against her center, making her burn for his touch. She laid her palms on his chest, loving the way his naked skin looked in the sunset's amber light. Every time she saw him naked, she was amazed at how beyond gorgeous he was. "Promise me no matter what stupid mistakes I make along the way, you'll still come with me to the bookstore to find my family. I'm not sure I'm strong enough to face the truth without you by my side."

Dane added her shirt to the growing pile of clothes on the floor. Her bra followed a moment later. The sunlight in the windshield warmed her skin while the cool air inside the truck kissed her nipples, hardening them into peaks. Dane brushed his thumb against one, and a little moan escaped her lips.

"I promise, I will do whatever it takes to get to the bookstore." He dipped his head and sucked her cold nipple into his hot mouth. She arched into him, holding his head in place. His tongue lapped at her tight bud, sending rivers of lava to her belly. When he bit down gently, nipping her sensitive skin, she thought she might lose herself completely.

Dane twisted to the side, taking her with him. He pushed the remains of their dinner onto their clothes, food the last thing on either of their minds. The truck's bench seat chilled her, and she shrieked a little as Dane lay on top of her, pressing her into it.

His mouth found hers, hot and eager. Their tongues collided, dancing together. Then before she'd had her fill, he left her mouth and placed kisses down the column of her throat. He paused to pay tribute to her other breast, and she begged for more. He obliged by kissing a path down her torso until he reached the waistband of her pants.

In an instant, she lay naked before him, one foot dangling to the floor while he propped the other leg against the back of the seat. Dane shimmied out of his own jeans, pausing long enough to retrieve a condom from his pocket.

Then he moved between her legs, rubbing his thumb in small circles in a spot that had her writhing on the bench. When she thought she might be pushed over the edge, he stopped and sheathed himself before plunging into her heat. He grabbed her hips, pulling her to him while he thrust deep. He filled her so completely in body and in mind she lost herself to the overwhelming sensations. She never wanted this moment with him to end. Never wanted to face another day without him. Never wanted to know what tomorrow would bring if it didn't include him.

As he pushed himself deep inside, she thrust against him, savoring their bodies joining together so fully. But it wasn't enough. She wanted-no, needed-to be in control of this moment.

"Stop," she whispered. "I want to move."

"Why, darlin'? This feels so good."

Sara pushed against him until he stopped then motioned for him to get up and sit on the seat again. He did what she wanted, leaning away while the rest of him stood at attention. She straddled his lap, hovering over him long enough to kiss him. Her hands tangled in his short hair, demanding more from him.

Without breaking their kiss, she lowered herself inch-by-inch onto his hardened length, until he filled her as deep as she could take him. She gasped against his mouth as he thrust into her, deeper, harder than before.

Sara bit his lip and scratched her nails down his shoulders and chest. Dane gripped her hips in his large hands and pulled her down on top of him, but she fought him. This was her time to be in control, and she wouldn't allow Dane to take over.

"No, let me," she said, almost a question more than a directive. Dane was stronger than her and could easy take what he wanted. But if he let her, she could give him so much more.

Grabbing his wrists, she held them against the seat and away from her body. As she began to move, Dane groaned. His expression showed pa.s.sion burned inside him, and she could tell it took all of his willpower to play along with her. She picked up her pace to please him.

As her body came apart, shattering in a burst of energy and endorphins, Dane called out his release and pulled her flush against his chest. Their bodies heaved together as they tried to catch their breath.

"Promise me you will always love me," she whispered in his ear, tears clouding her vision. She'd known for a long time she loved Dane, but the day's events made the depth of her love clear.

"I promise if you promise," he said, his breathing still fast and heavy against her neck.

Sara wanted to say "I promise," but the words caught in her throat. Instead of words to answer him, she kissed him, sweetly, tenderly, and as if they had all the time in the world to simply be together.

Chapter Twenty.

Dane woke to screaming. Not just any screaming-Sara screaming his name in a blood-curdling, ear-piercing wail kind of way.

"Sara!" he yelled, not knowing why she would scream when they both knew making so much noise would draw unwanted attention. She screamed again, but this time the sound came out m.u.f.fled, as if she held a pillow over her face.

He shot up to sitting and twisted in the direction of the scream. Before his eyes even focused, he shoved his feet into his shoes and jumped from the truck, cursing. He'd taken the time to strap on his gun but hadn't bothered to put on his d.a.m.n shoes when he'd gotten into the rest of his clothes last night before falling asleep. If he had, he'd be seconds faster getting to Sara. Those seconds could mean the difference between life and death in this world.

He landed hard on the pavement, his body not yet awake enough to spring from the vehicle like a cheetah from a jungle branch. His palms burned from sc.r.a.ping the blacktop, but he didn't care. Finding his feet, he sprinted off in the direction where he'd seen movement disappearing into the woods. Sara's voice called to him again, this time from beyond the tree line.

"Fight, Sara, fight!" Dane yelled. He didn't know what else to say. Was fighting even the right answer? He had no idea what she was up against. Who had taken Sara? Why? Where?

Nothing made sense. One minute he'd been asleep with Sara spooned against his chest on the truck's bench seat, and the next she was gone.

Dane pulled a small pistol from his ankle holster and aimed into the trees. For a second, he even considered firing a shot or two and hoping for the best. But knowing he could just as likely hit Sara as he could her captor stopped him.

As he pa.s.sed the first tree and entered the darkness of the forest, he was tackled from the side, landing hard on the ground. Multiple punches pummeled his side, taking Dane's breath away. He struggled to draw air into his lungs while fighting off the fist still beating him.

He managed to free one arm and swung blindly, hoping to connect with any part of his a.s.sailant. The crunch of his knuckles. .h.i.tting something hard told him he'd likely hit a jaw or nose. The fist pounding him stopped for a moment, giving him an opportunity to squirm out from underneath the heavy man. Staggering to his feet, Dane tried to get his bearings again. Which way had Sara been taken? He moved in the direction he thought was right, but fell as a large hand wrapped around his ankle. He put his hands out to catch himself, but his balance shifted. Twisting in the air, he landed hard, his head falling to the side.

Pain shot through his skull. His teeth rattled. With the taste of pennies on his tongue, the world went black.

Sara struggled against the hands holding her. Her body ached with exertion from the long fight through the woods. She still had no idea who'd taken her from the truck, or why. But regardless of the reason, this situation was bad. Very bad.

"Let me go!" she yelled with another burst of energy. "Why are you taking me?"

"Simple. Supplies. You've got them, and we want them. If you didn't want us to find your stash, then you shouldn't have rumbled into our territory last night."

"Well, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you left the supplies you wanted on the truck."

These guys weren't just dangerous. They were stupid. There were three of them-one either side of her holding her arms and one in front, leading the way, but to where?

"Don't you worry. The others will make sure to take care of your boyfriend and bring us the truck."

"Good luck. Dane will kill you before he lets you take me away, and the truck is out of gas, so you're screwed no matter how you look at it." Sara pulled herself as straight as she could, trying to appear more confident than she felt. She stumbled as her foot caught on a hidden branch beneath the underbrush. Her arms yanked in their sockets as the men held tight.

Her feet were bare, and the ground cover on the forest floor chewed into her soles with every step. She'd been sleeping when they'd pulled her from the truck, shoeless but clothed, thank G.o.d. She and Dane had thought it was safer to sleep and travel in the same clothes, but she wished they'd thought the same way about sleeping with shoes on.

"Don't worry your pretty little head over it. We brought enough gas with us to get the truck where we want it. Watch your step and keep up."

"If you have the supplies, then why won't you let me go? I don't have anything else to offer you."

The men shared a knowing look between them. "Well, we were going to beat you both and take your stuff, but then...." The guy in front shrugged as his voice dropped off.

Sara's heartbeat hammered. Something about their expressions and his vague answer made her skin crawl with unease. She didn't want to prod him to continue, but she had to know why she'd been taken from Dane. Maybe if she knew their motive, she could figure out their weak spot and get away.

"But then what?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper among the noise of their steps on the forest ground.

A hand caressed her a.s.s, and she startled, shrieking and jumping away from the unwanted touch. The men all laughed.

"Then we watched the show you put on last night, and we knew we couldn't leave you behind," one of the men said.

Sara's head swirled with this new knowledge. They'd watched her and Dane together. Her intimate moments with the man she loved, tarnished and twisted into nothing more than a peep show to them. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to stop the tears from forming in her eyes.

They'd captured her to rape her.

This could not happen. She wouldn't let it. She'd die trying to get away before letting anyone but Dane touch her.

Sara gave another tug at her arms to see if their grip had loosened at all. It hadn't. How could she get away from them and back to Dane? All of her weapons were in the truck.

She stumbled again, falling against one of the men holding her. As she righted herself, a hard length of steel pressed against her calf, just below her knee, and she stifled a smile.

Her knife.

She'd remembered to strap it onto her leg when she'd dressed last night. If she could get a few moments alone, away from their watchful eyes, maybe she could retrieve her knife and have a way to protect and defend herself. At the very least, she could use it to hurt them if they tried to put their hands on her. It wasn't much, but if she used it right, she might be able to do some big damage.

Why weren't they raping her here, in the dry leaves, if that was all they wanted with her? Why were they bothering to take her somewhere just to use her?

It didn't make sense.

"All this talk about last night's performance has got me worked up again. I wish camp weren't so d.a.m.n far away." The man to her left ran his free hand across his crotch.

Sara tasted bile in her throat. No way would she let him get anywhere near her naked body.

"Maybe we shouldn't bother with camp?" the man on her right said as if it were a question rather than a statement to ponder.

"We're not far enough from her boyfriend." The guy leading the way had stopped and turned to address them as if this was a discussion of great importance. "We wouldn't want to be in the middle of something just to get interrupted by having to kill him. Let's get her where it's safe, and then we can each have our own private time with her."

He stepped close to her and held her chin, running his thumb over her bottom lip. Sara bit him as hard as she could before he pulled his hand away.

"Like it rough, do you?" he questioned, eyeing his thumb. A half-moon of bite marks turned red. She hadn't broken the skin, but she could still taste his filth in her mouth. She spit in his direction.

"Touch me again, and I'll show you how rough I can be." In her head, she heard Dane's voice chanting, "Fight, Sara, fight!" She would fight. She'd fight until she couldn't anymore.

The men laughed, as if she'd told a joke instead of threatening them, and began walking toward their camp again.

"We'll see," the man said. "Maybe after you see our camp, you'll realize you like us enough to be given the opportunity to stay."

Sara didn't doubt for a second her opportunity to stay in camp would come with a price tag-her body-and she wouldn't pay that for anything, no matter how s.h.i.tty the rest of the world got.

She walked steadfastly, acting as if she'd resigned herself to her fate. In her silence, she ran through all the possible scenarios she could think of for what might lay ahead and how she could get away. All theories concluded with her deciding she would be better off trying to escape in the woods than risk getting to camp. She had no idea what might be waiting for her there, and with other people around, escaping could be near impossible. Her best shot, her one real option, was to try and deal with these three guys immediately.

"I need to stop. I'm exhausted. My feet are all cut up. I can't go any farther." Sara made her voice as whiny as she could.

"We're not stopping. If you can't walk, Chris can carry you."

s.h.i.t.

She'd thought they'd let her take a break. It wouldn't have been much, but she'd hoped to delay them at least a bit from getting to camp. Maybe even long enough for her to come up with a solid escape plan. "Can't we stop and rest a minute?"

"Nope."

"Can I at least stretch for a second? You've been holding my arms in the same position for hours. I'm exhausted, and my muscles are screaming at me."

The men stopped. The guy leading, who was clearly in charge at this point, turned on her. "Fine. Stretch one minute then you're getting on Chris' back if you can't walk. But try anything stupid like making a run for it, and I won't hesitate to hurt you."

Sara swallowed the lump of fear in her throat. She didn't doubt the validity of his threat. The glint in his eyes said he was a man on the edge of sanity. She nodded.

The men let her arms free, and she crumpled to the ground in a crouch. She swore a few times and rubbed her arms as if trying to get circulation flowing in them again. "c.r.a.p. Leg cramp," she squeaked, gripping her shin in her hands and cringing. She forced tears to her eyes. "G.o.d d.a.m.n it, that hurts."

Sara raised her pant leg halfway up her shin and rubbed her calf muscles in deep, slow circles, working her way up toward her knee. As she did, the men fidgeted and appeared to ignore her pain. The leader stepped off to the side to relieve himself behind a tree.

When none of them were watching, she slipped the small knife out of the sheath and stuffed it down her shirt between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, making sure the blade slid beneath her bra to lay flat against her stomach. As fast as she could, she covered her leg, moaned in pain a few more times then stood.

"Ready, princess?"

She shot him a glare but nodded then climbed up onto Chris' back, wrapping her arms around his shoulders enough to hold on, but not enough to risk him feeling the blade she had hidden. Not the best plan she could imagine, but it was all she had to work with, so she prayed it would be enough.

After another half an hour of walking through the forest, Sara couldn't delay any longer. She had no idea how much farther it was to the camp, but she couldn't risk finding out. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and steadied her nerves. This was it, her only chance.

"I need to pee," she announced.

"Hold it. We're not stopping again."

"I can't hold it." She fidgeted, attempting to ill.u.s.trate the point. "You woke me out of a dead sleep. I haven't gone since yesterday."

"Not our problem," the leader said.

"True." She tried to put an air of indifference into her voice. "I guess it's Chris' problem since he's the one who's going to have wet clothes in a minute."

"That's sick," the guy on the left said.

She shrugged, even though none of them were looking at her to see it. "Not my problem."

"Fine. Go. Right here." Chris lowered his body.

"Not here!" she shrieked. "I'm not going here, in front of all of you. In the woods. You can carry me off a little from the path. We won't go far."

"You can walk."

"True, but then I won't be able to walk the rest of the way to the camp."

The men looked at each other for a moment without saying anything. Finally, the leader guy shrugged and motioned for Chris to carry her off into the woods on his own.

Ten feet from the trail, Chris stopped. "Here."