Whispered Lies

Carlos sighed. “Fine.”

He turned to her. She looked up at his face, determined to do her best to convince Turga they were together.

But she wasn’t as prepared as she’d thought when Carlos pulled her into his arms and dipped his head. He covered her mouth with his, kissing her with more passion than any other man she’d ever kissed. He held her safe, protected.

She hadn’t been held or hugged in years.

Her defenses fell without a battle.

Her heart raced along with the frenzy of nerves and wild desire that spiraled up out of nowhere. She curved her hands around his neck, clutching. He drew her closer. The kiss overwhelmed her senses, drowning her in pleasure.

She moaned.

“Okay, enough,” Turga ordered, then scowled when Carlos continued. “Give me a break.”

Carlos slowly lifted his lips from hers, paused, and touched her lips once more briefly, then peeled her off him.

When he moved her to his side, he kept his arm protectively around her shoulders.

She worked to keep her knees from buckling.

Carlos tightened his grasp on her shoulders, which she took as a silent message to hang on and pull herself together.

She reached around his waist and squeezed to let him know she had it together.

One side of his mouth curved up, acknowledging her message. “Let her go,” Carlos repeated. “She won’t say a word.”

Turga stepped close to Carlos and smiled, the white teeth glowing against his dark face. “Don’t think so. You cost me good man. Eye for an eye, and all that.”

“Don’t tell me you actually care about losing someone.”

Turga’s grin widened. “Very fu

“Unavoidable casualty.” Carlos smiled sarcastically.

Turga flipped his rifle quickly and used the stock like a club to ram Carlos in the stomach.

He broke away from Gabrielle, bent double with a pained grunt, then sucked a breath and straightened.

She reached for him and Turga grabbed her.

Carlos snarled and moved so fast Gabrielle had no idea how he’d jerked her away from Turga and pushed her behind him.

Turga flipped the rifle up in just as quick a motion, which ended with the tip of the barrel an inch from Carlos’s nose.

“Should kill you right now, but only a careless man wastes a resource without first bleeding it dry. One wrong move and I wound her. Start walking.” Turga motioned toward the helicopter with his rifle.

She let Carlos take her backpack, but Gabrielle wasn’t handing her laptop over to anyone as long as she had a choice. Carlos walked them both ahead of Turga and kept a snug grip on her arm. When they reached the edge of the woods, an explosion rocked the ground.

She swung around to see flames bloom from where her Jeep had been and the second guy ru

Guess that was a grenade launcher he toted.

Sirens wailed from the highway, growing louder.

Gabrielle stumbled on the rutted ground next to the helicopter, and Carlos caught her at the waist. He lifted her inside the craft, then climbed in, settling next to her on the backseat.

Turga pushed the dead body in at their feet.

She drew back in revulsion.

Carlos leaned close. “Look out the window and breathe through your mouth.”

Turga shoved his rifle out of the way and turned a handgun on them that looked like the one Carlos had carried. Turga’s partner climbed into the pilot’s seat and started the motor.

Two police cruisers and a fire truck raced along the highway, then the lead car skidded into a turn as the helicopter blades hit full spin and caught air.

One cruiser cut through the now open gate, bouncing toward them.

The jet helicopter lifted with a lurch, flying barely over the top of the cruiser, then picking up altitude as they swung in a wide arc and flew over the woods where smoke rose from Gabrielle’s poor Jeep.

An arm circled her shoulders.

She turned to ask Carlos where he thought they were going, but her teeth were chattering so hard she was afraid she’d bite her tongue if she spoke. Shock had set in and cold clothes weren’t helping. Her whole body vibrated.

Carlos was warm, though. Why wasn’t he cold?

Who cared? She soaked up heat and comfort from his imposing body.

Gabrielle couldn’t believe she’d been so naïve as to think Durand Anguis was her biggest threat.

Warm breath brushed along the skin of her neck when Carlos leaned his face near her ear and spoke. “Just do what they say. I’ll figure a way out of this.” He rubbed the hand on her shoulder up and down her arm, then brushed a lock of hair off her face with a finger.

Her brain stumbled at the endearing action. How was she supposed to interpret his moves?

“So who is she, Carlos?” Turga raised his voice over the roar of the motor.

“I told you.” Carlos cupped her face and kissed her gently again. Had that been to soothe her or convince their kidnapper? Lifting his gaze to Turga, Carlos pulled her close, possessively. “Just been dating.”

Emotions scurried to find a home, but she couldn’t sort through the rash of reactions his touch and kiss provoked.

Carlos was trying to divert their attention from her so the least she could do for now was play along with his charade. She slipped an arm around his waist and hugged against his chest, her gaze jumping to catch their kidnapper’s assessment.

Turga made no sound or action to indicate his thoughts.

Moving his free hand to the arm she’d wrapped across his chest, Carlos rubbed up and down slowly then kissed her hair.

She was in over her head in this deadly game, but playing along with a man who looked like Carlos was no hardship. She’d sworn off hot men for relationships, which hadn’t been difficult since her lifestyle made dating unrealistic. Pretending with Carlos was safe. But marrying a male icon ten years ago who was just last year listed as one of the world’s top fifty most desirable men had been emotional suicide.

To-die-for faces and ripped bodies hadn’t appealed to her since divorcing that jerk Roberto.

But she did feel an odd pull toward Carlos that she could only attribute to the situation she was in. His very presence screamed strength and confidence.

Now that was attractive and tempting.

She believed he just might get them out of this.

Indecision camped out in Turga’s gaze. “You don’t keep women for more than one night.”

“Got comfortable.” Carlos leaned down and kissed her cheek, so tenderly her insides turned mushy. His arms tightened around her and her heart skipped a beat. She’d never felt protected or cared for. Not the way she did at this minute.

Even though Carlos was pretending, he was doing a better job than her miserable ex-husband had on their wedding night.

But Carlos was not with law enforcement.

Like that really mattered right now given their dire situation?

“We shall see.” Turga didn’t say another word until they landed fifteen minutes later in the parking lot at the rear of a building with a FOR LEASE sign on several doors. The pilot left the rotors spi

Turga jumped down from his seat, his rifle slung over his shoulder and the handgun pointed at her. This whole scene was too bizarre to comprehend. Guns, grenade launchers, jet helicopters. Deaths.

She couldn’t think about that and function.

Gabrielle waited on Carlos to climb down first, then he turned to help her. When he lowered her to the ground in front of him, he pulled her into a quick hug and whispered, “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Rather than risk losing a grip on her emotions, she nodded. She didn’t know this man, didn’t know why he had come for her or whom he worked with, but he was diverting all danger from her.

“Enough. Walk,” Turga ordered.