know the point.” His voice was a
deep, sexy growl, and she felt an answering throb in her belly and
her sex.
Impulsively, she stepped forward and squeezed
his hand while she gave him a peck on the cheek. He turned his head
and their lips met, but the contact was too brief as she backed
away again, her heart hammering in her throat and ears.
“Goodbye, Matt.”
Evie turned to go just as the lights in the
pavilion snapped out. She stumbled to a halt as the crowd gasped.
Scattered headlights illuminated the area, but not enough to see
more than a few inches.
A car backfired, and Evie nearly leapt out of
her skin. Someone screamed, and then a chorus of screams erupted
when the car backfired again. The crowd surged, knocking her off
balance. A hand wrapped around her arm and tugged her up against a
hard chest.
“We have to get out of here.” It was Matt’s
voice in her ear and she turned her head, prepared to ask him
why—until the car backfired again and she realized what was really
happening.
That wasn’t a car. It was a gun.
CHAPTER FOUR
MATT STOOD IN THE DARKNESS with Evie pressed
against his body and listened. She was soft and warm, but he had no
time to enjoy the feel of her in his arms. Something was wrong. The
power could go out, sure enough, but those had been gunshots in the
aftermath.
Probably just some drunken rednecks, but Matt
never assumed. He didn’t even want to be thinking about work now,
but his instincts had jolted into high gear the instant the lights
went out. Too many years in HOT had made him into a military
machine that kicked into action at the slightest hint of
trouble.
Someone might be playing, but they were
playing dangerously, shooting a weapon in a crowded area. It was
utterly dark—and then a couple of cars popped on their headlights,
shining straight at the crowd. Matt swore. The lights weren’t
helpful so much as blinding.
The gun sounded again, and someone screamed.
The crowd started to surge forward.
“Come on.” He started to pull Evie toward the
woods.
“Where are we going?”
“Away from the crowd.”
“Shouldn’t we get to a car?”
“We will. But right now, we need to go this
way.”
Out of habit, he’d assessed the area when
he’d first arrived, and he’d kept a mental calculation of landmarks
and cover the entire time he’d been here tonight. It was as natural
to him as breathing, and just as necessary to his survival. Though
his eyes hadn’t quite adjusted, he knew the parking lot was a
couple hundred yards away even without the headlights for
reference.
Too far across open ground to make a run for
it, especially when the person on his six was a woman in
high-heeled shoes.
Matt reached instinctively for his
military-issue nine mil before he remembered it wasn’t there. Damn
thing was in a locker with all his other gear, far away at Fort
Bragg.
Hell, he didn’t even have a knife. He should
have—every Southern man carried at least a pocketknife—but he
didn’t. Colonel Mendez had told him to keep out of trouble, so he
was keeping out. Besides, this was Rochambeau, not some third world
shithole where the latest terrorist scumbag was hiding away.
Yeah, sometimes a crazy Cajun got a little
out of hand, which is what he suspected now. Didn’t mean it wasn’t
dangerous though.
Matt started moving again, getting farther
from the pavilion. This time when he stopped, he drew Evie up close
behind him.
He could feel her trembling but he knew she’d
never admit to being afraid. That had never been Evie’s style.
“It’ll be okay.” He spoke over his shoulder.
“Trust me.”
He scanned the darkness, wishing he had his
night-vision goggles. With NVGs, he’d be able to distinguish
terrain, see movement. Find this jerk and take him down before
anyone got hurt.
But first he needed to get Evie somewhere
safe, away from the shots. And then he would find this guy
and kick the fucker’s ass for being so damn stupid. If the cops
didn’t get
deep, sexy growl, and she felt an answering throb in her belly and
her sex.
Impulsively, she stepped forward and squeezed
his hand while she gave him a peck on the cheek. He turned his head
and their lips met, but the contact was too brief as she backed
away again, her heart hammering in her throat and ears.
“Goodbye, Matt.”
Evie turned to go just as the lights in the
pavilion snapped out. She stumbled to a halt as the crowd gasped.
Scattered headlights illuminated the area, but not enough to see
more than a few inches.
A car backfired, and Evie nearly leapt out of
her skin. Someone screamed, and then a chorus of screams erupted
when the car backfired again. The crowd surged, knocking her off
balance. A hand wrapped around her arm and tugged her up against a
hard chest.
“We have to get out of here.” It was Matt’s
voice in her ear and she turned her head, prepared to ask him
why—until the car backfired again and she realized what was really
happening.
That wasn’t a car. It was a gun.
CHAPTER FOUR
MATT STOOD IN THE DARKNESS with Evie pressed
against his body and listened. She was soft and warm, but he had no
time to enjoy the feel of her in his arms. Something was wrong. The
power could go out, sure enough, but those had been gunshots in the
aftermath.
Probably just some drunken rednecks, but Matt
never assumed. He didn’t even want to be thinking about work now,
but his instincts had jolted into high gear the instant the lights
went out. Too many years in HOT had made him into a military
machine that kicked into action at the slightest hint of
trouble.
Someone might be playing, but they were
playing dangerously, shooting a weapon in a crowded area. It was
utterly dark—and then a couple of cars popped on their headlights,
shining straight at the crowd. Matt swore. The lights weren’t
helpful so much as blinding.
The gun sounded again, and someone screamed.
The crowd started to surge forward.
“Come on.” He started to pull Evie toward the
woods.
“Where are we going?”
“Away from the crowd.”
“Shouldn’t we get to a car?”
“We will. But right now, we need to go this
way.”
Out of habit, he’d assessed the area when
he’d first arrived, and he’d kept a mental calculation of landmarks
and cover the entire time he’d been here tonight. It was as natural
to him as breathing, and just as necessary to his survival. Though
his eyes hadn’t quite adjusted, he knew the parking lot was a
couple hundred yards away even without the headlights for
reference.
Too far across open ground to make a run for
it, especially when the person on his six was a woman in
high-heeled shoes.
Matt reached instinctively for his
military-issue nine mil before he remembered it wasn’t there. Damn
thing was in a locker with all his other gear, far away at Fort
Bragg.
Hell, he didn’t even have a knife. He should
have—every Southern man carried at least a pocketknife—but he
didn’t. Colonel Mendez had told him to keep out of trouble, so he
was keeping out. Besides, this was Rochambeau, not some third world
shithole where the latest terrorist scumbag was hiding away.
Yeah, sometimes a crazy Cajun got a little
out of hand, which is what he suspected now. Didn’t mean it wasn’t
dangerous though.
Matt started moving again, getting farther
from the pavilion. This time when he stopped, he drew Evie up close
behind him.
He could feel her trembling but he knew she’d
never admit to being afraid. That had never been Evie’s style.
“It’ll be okay.” He spoke over his shoulder.
“Trust me.”
He scanned the darkness, wishing he had his
night-vision goggles. With NVGs, he’d be able to distinguish
terrain, see movement. Find this jerk and take him down before
anyone got hurt.
But first he needed to get Evie somewhere
safe, away from the shots. And then he would find this guy
and kick the fucker’s ass for being so damn stupid. If the cops
didn’t get
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