Dangerous Attraction Romantic Suspense Boxed Set by Patricia Rosemoor, Toni Anderson, REBECCA YORK, Dana Marton, Sharon Hamilton, Kaylea Cross, Debra Burroughs, Lori Ryan, Jill Sanders, Marie Astor Page A

lost a shoe and glanced back. It was nowhere to be seen, swallowed up by the mob still gathered on the sidewalk, holding their hands to their faces in horror and disbelief, some crying and wailing. The sounds made her skin crawl in primal reaction. Fire trucks and police vehicles were beginning to show up on scene, sirens and lights going. “Wait,” she insisted, yanking against his hold. His fingers were like iron bands around her upper arm.
    “We’ve gotta get the hell out of here,” he shot back, walking faster. Khalia kicked off her other shoe to save herself a broken ankle as she struggled to keep up. “Suicide bombers like to wait until the first responders show up to the initial blast and then—”
    More screams. Hunter jerked his head around and she followed his gaze just in time to see a second white delivery truck racing toward the stricken building. A scream built in her throat, but never escaped.
    Hunter swore and tackled her again, this time bringing her down to the sidewalk with a bone-jarring thud. She cried out as he landed on top of her, slamming her ribs and hip bones into the unforgiving concrete. His arms came up over her head to shield her, the force of them scraping her cheek and temple against the rough surface. Before she could draw breath another explosion tore through the air, even stronger than the first one. Her teeth clacked together when the shockwave rolled through the ground.
    More screams. Closer this time. Terrified and blood curdling. Heavy things slammed into the ground nearby. The heat of the blast washed over her, stinging her skin. Hunks of burning metal whipped past them, gouging out chunks of pavement and concrete where they landed. Khalia was too afraid to move. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think.
    Seconds later Hunter got up and lifted her once again. Her heart was slamming out of control. She grabbed hold of his shoulders for support and cowered against him, darting glances around to see what was happening. She saw people stumbling around with burns and bleeding wounds. The carnage was horrific. Her whole body started shaking.
    He grabbed hold of her hand, clamped his long fingers around hers and yanked forward, away from the scene. She fell, scraping both knees and her free palm. He scooped her up again, tossed her over one broad shoulder, and ran. Khalia clung to the back of his shirt for balance. Every running step sent her midsection slamming down on his shoulder. All she could do was tense her stomach muscles and hold on. She kept her eyes closed and fought the urge to cover both ears with her hands because she needed to keep her grip on Hunter or she’d fall.
    Through the weird numbness creeping over her she could still hear those terrible screams rising up and shuddered. Hunter was talking to someone over the walkie talkie, shouting instructions she didn’t catch. Her hands dug into his shirt, fingers frozen there like talons. Were more bombers still coming? Did they have other targets in mind across the city? Any courage she’d thought she had was gone. She should never have come here. What the hell had she been thinking?
    After an unknown amount of time Hunter stopped and slid her off his shoulder to her feet, steadying her with a firm grip on her waist when she swayed. She blinked up at him, trembling all over. They were now blocks away from the bombing site, on a road with hardly any traffic.
    He leaned his face close to hers. “You’re okay. Gage is right there,” he panted, skin streaked with sweat and grime, not a hint of fear anywhere in his expression. She followed his pointing finger down the road to see the two black SUVs roaring up. “Come on.”
    When he grabbed her hand and pulled again, she followed, her legs wooden but at least functioning. Together they ran to the waiting vehicles. Gage jumped out and popped open the back door before climbing back behind the wheel. Hunter shoved her headlong into the backseat and climbed in behind her,