bodies, childrenâs bodies burned and broken, clothing ripped and ornaments cut from the corpses of his people.
The need for revenge swept through his mind so fast that he staggered. Then he caught a glimpse of a tall,shapely body, the silhouette of a beautiful face, hair as black as midnight, and knew a moment of regret. What an irony, that the soul he sought had come back in such a form.
Then their gazes met, and within the space of a heartbeat, all the warning signs John had come to recognize were gone and he knew this wasnât the person he sought, although there had to be a connection.
Her face was heart-shaped, her features strong but perfectly proportioned. Full lips marked a wide, expressive mouth that was, at the moment, twisted in some sort of grief. When his gaze moved back to her eyes, he felt himself drowning in the tears blurring her vision.
Pain shot through his gut so fast it left him momentarily breathless. He hated to see a woman cry. They stared at each other, eye to eye, separated by less than a yard. Finally John found his voice.
âAre you hurt?â he asked.
Alicia shuddered. His voice sifted through her wounded spirit like cold water on a burn, easing the shock and pain of what she was feeling, if only for a moment.
âNoâ¦I, uhâ¦â She swiped at the tears on her cheeks and then threw back her head, unaware that the simple lift of her chin had given her the look of an able opponent, not a victim. âCrap,â she mumbled, her fingers shaking as she tried to pull the nozzle away from the pump. âI need gas.â
Not wanting to lose the connection with her, John moved a step closer.
âSwipe your card. Iâll pump it for you,â he offered.
But Alicia knew that credit card transactions could be traced, and since the last thing she wanted was to lether father know where she was, she hadnât even brought a card with her.
âUhâ¦Iâm going to pay cash.â
John pointed toward the sign at the pumps. âThen thank the economy for the problem, but they wonât turn on the pump until youâve prepaid.â
âYesâ¦of course,â Alicia said, and tried to put the nozzle back on the pump. But her vision was still blurred from tears, and she kept missing the slot.
âHere, let me,â he said softly, then swiped his own card, waited for the approval to come up, then stuck the nozzle in her gas tank.
Alicia took a deep breath. When the stranger moved between her and her car, she suddenly shuddered. In spite of the mess she was in, she didnât understand the urge she felt to put her hand on the back of his neck. Instead, she began digging through her purse, pulled out a handful of bills and then found herself fixated by a single bead of sweat that had escaped his hairline and was sliding down the jut of his jaw.
Her nostrils flared as the thought of being naked under this man flashed through her mind.
God. Where had that come from?
When the man turned around, Alicia thought that from the look in his eyes, he was on the same page.
âThank you for your help,â she said, and thrust the handful of bills into his hand.
Before John could respond, another car pulled off the highway and up to the pumps, coming to a stop right behind the woman. He saw her eyes widen and her pupils dilated in shock.
âOh no. Oh Godâ¦He found me.â
Two
J ohn didnât know who the man was, other than a big bald bodybuilder, but the woman was obviously afraid of him. He made a point of never involving himself in marital discord, but there was no way he was going to lose track of her until he figured out how she fit into the puzzle of the soul he sought. He replaced the nozzle and stepped back to watch from between the pumps as the man continued to approach.
âGet away from me, Dieter,â Alicia warned.
Dieter paused, smiling openly as if to say this was out of his hands.
âCome, come, Alicia, your
The need for revenge swept through his mind so fast that he staggered. Then he caught a glimpse of a tall,shapely body, the silhouette of a beautiful face, hair as black as midnight, and knew a moment of regret. What an irony, that the soul he sought had come back in such a form.
Then their gazes met, and within the space of a heartbeat, all the warning signs John had come to recognize were gone and he knew this wasnât the person he sought, although there had to be a connection.
Her face was heart-shaped, her features strong but perfectly proportioned. Full lips marked a wide, expressive mouth that was, at the moment, twisted in some sort of grief. When his gaze moved back to her eyes, he felt himself drowning in the tears blurring her vision.
Pain shot through his gut so fast it left him momentarily breathless. He hated to see a woman cry. They stared at each other, eye to eye, separated by less than a yard. Finally John found his voice.
âAre you hurt?â he asked.
Alicia shuddered. His voice sifted through her wounded spirit like cold water on a burn, easing the shock and pain of what she was feeling, if only for a moment.
âNoâ¦I, uhâ¦â She swiped at the tears on her cheeks and then threw back her head, unaware that the simple lift of her chin had given her the look of an able opponent, not a victim. âCrap,â she mumbled, her fingers shaking as she tried to pull the nozzle away from the pump. âI need gas.â
Not wanting to lose the connection with her, John moved a step closer.
âSwipe your card. Iâll pump it for you,â he offered.
But Alicia knew that credit card transactions could be traced, and since the last thing she wanted was to lether father know where she was, she hadnât even brought a card with her.
âUhâ¦Iâm going to pay cash.â
John pointed toward the sign at the pumps. âThen thank the economy for the problem, but they wonât turn on the pump until youâve prepaid.â
âYesâ¦of course,â Alicia said, and tried to put the nozzle back on the pump. But her vision was still blurred from tears, and she kept missing the slot.
âHere, let me,â he said softly, then swiped his own card, waited for the approval to come up, then stuck the nozzle in her gas tank.
Alicia took a deep breath. When the stranger moved between her and her car, she suddenly shuddered. In spite of the mess she was in, she didnât understand the urge she felt to put her hand on the back of his neck. Instead, she began digging through her purse, pulled out a handful of bills and then found herself fixated by a single bead of sweat that had escaped his hairline and was sliding down the jut of his jaw.
Her nostrils flared as the thought of being naked under this man flashed through her mind.
God. Where had that come from?
When the man turned around, Alicia thought that from the look in his eyes, he was on the same page.
âThank you for your help,â she said, and thrust the handful of bills into his hand.
Before John could respond, another car pulled off the highway and up to the pumps, coming to a stop right behind the woman. He saw her eyes widen and her pupils dilated in shock.
âOh no. Oh Godâ¦He found me.â
Two
J ohn didnât know who the man was, other than a big bald bodybuilder, but the woman was obviously afraid of him. He made a point of never involving himself in marital discord, but there was no way he was going to lose track of her until he figured out how she fit into the puzzle of the soul he sought. He replaced the nozzle and stepped back to watch from between the pumps as the man continued to approach.
âGet away from me, Dieter,â Alicia warned.
Dieter paused, smiling openly as if to say this was out of his hands.
âCome, come, Alicia, your
Similar Books
