Over the past several weeks, Colette had learned little things about herself, idiosyncrasies that amnesia had stolen momentarily. She’d discovered her abhorrence for the sight of blood, the fact that she hated green beans and now she realized how much she hated silence.
They had gotten up before dawn and left the motel. For the past hour they’d traveled at a fast clip down the highway, not a word spoken between them.
The sun peeked over the horizon, sending out shafts of light to dance amid the early morning clouds. It was going to be a beautiful day despite the fact that she was on her way to California for a trial that would probably make her a dead woman.
She sighed and shot a surreptitious glance at Hank. His attention was focused on the highway, his face devoid of all expression.
He was such an enigma, so hard on the surface, and yet she sensed a core of good in him that alleviated any fear she might have of him. He had a job to do and getting her to California was that job. She couldn’t hate him for that.
Since the moment of awakening that morning, Colette had waffled back and forth in deciding what was best for her to do. If her memories came back or somehow the government managed to retrieve them, should she testify or not? Her head insisted she testify, do whatever she could to put Cameron Collier behind bars. However, the prospect of revenge from the man and his cohorts made her faint of heart.
She didn’t want to spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder for danger. There had to be a way out of this mess, but at the moment it eluded her.
She looked in the back seat, where Brook sat contented in the car seat. She moved her gaze back to Hank again, wanting something to occupy her thoughts besides her dilemma.
“How long will it take us to reach San Bernardino?” she asked, wanting to break the silence that had lingered too long for comfort.
“We’ll be there by tomorrow night.”
“Where are we going once we get there? Another four-star motel room?”
“No. There’s a safe house there. That’s where we’ll stay from now until the end of your testimony.”
“A safe house?”
He nodded. “A place owned by the government in a nice quiet suburb on the west side of the city. We’ll be okay there.”
“And then after I testify I just leave and wait for Collier’s retribution?”
“There’s another alternative. You could enter the witness protection plan.”
Colette frowned. “But doesn’t that mean I promise never to contact my friends or family again?” She shook her head. “No, that’s not a viable option as far as I’m concerned.” She stared out the window, where the sun had fully risen and chased away the last of the morning clouds. “As soon as I find Brook’s father, everything will be all right,” she said more to herself than to him.
“What do you mean by that?”
She shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. I just feel like I could face whatever testifying might bring if I knew Brook’s father stood beside me, supported me and loved me.”
“What makes you think if you find him, that’s what he’ll do?” He glanced at her, his dark brow arched upward. “Maybe he’s just a coldhearted bastard.”
Colette shook her head. “No, that’s not possible. I could never love a coldhearted bastard.”
“And what makes you think you love Brook’s father?”
A blush warmed Colette’s cheeks. “Well, because…because I wouldn’t sleep with a man I didn’t love.”
Hank’s eyes glittered darkly. “That wasn’t the song you were singing last night.”
The blush grew hotter as she remembered how close she’d come to falling into bed with him. “A gentleman wouldn’t bring that up.”
He laughed, the sound rusty, as if laughing wasn’t something he did much. “Colette, I might be many things, but I never pretended to be a gentleman.”
She looked down at her hands clasped together in her lap. “I will admit something about you attracts me. It’s probably post-pregnancy hormones or something like that.”
He shook his head. “Can’t be that for me because I’ve never been pregnant.” His eyes sparkled wickedly as he gazed at her again. “And I feel the same kind of inexplicable lust where you’re concerned.”
The car interior suddenly seemed to shrink. The air grew thick and made it difficult to breathe. Colette lowered her window a couple of inches, although the warm outside air did little to relieve the heat that coiled inside her.
“It doesn’t matter,” she finally said. “I mean, just because we both feel it, doesn’t mean we have to follow through on it. We’re both adults.”
“Hmm, of course the fact that we’re both adults is a good reason for following through on the attraction. Get it out of our system. As long as we both understand the rules.”
“Ah, yes, the rules of seduction, right? No promises, no commitment.” She eyed him thoughtfully. “Have you always played by those rules?”
He was silent for so long she wondered if he would answer her at all. “A long time ago I didn’t play by those rules,” he finally said, his voice so soft she had to lean toward him to hear. “I committed, I promised, I married the woman of my dreams and on a rain-slick road a drunk driver destroyed it all.”
“Oh, Hank. I’m so sorry.” She touched his arm, unsurprised when he jerked away from her touch.
He shrugged. “It was a long time ago. A lifetime ago. There’s a truck stop just ahead. We’ll stop and get some breakfast.”
Colette realized he wouldn’t share any more of his past with her, was probably irritated that he’d said as much as he had. Part of her was glad. The tragedy of his past only sharpened his appeal, and that’s the last thing she needed.
Within minutes they sat at a table in the Star Truck Stop, waiting for their breakfast to be delivered. Hank sat facing the door, his gaze moving around the well-lit interior like a hawk seeking prey.
“Everything all right?” she asked.
“Fine. Just being cautious.”
“Aren’t you going to read the menu?” She gestured to the slick tri-fold menu in front of him.
“It’s been my experience that the best thing to order in a place like this is the daily special.”
She closed her menu. “I guess I’ll trust you on this and do the same.”
His lips curved up at the corners. “Ah, we’re making progress. You’re beginning to trust me.”
“For the moment I have little choice but to trust you,” she returned.
The waitress arrived to pour steaming coffee and take their orders. She cooed over Brook, winked flirtatiously at Hank and smiled briskly at Colette, then left their table.
As she sipped the hot coffee, Colette noticed that each time the door opened, Hank tensed, his eyes narrowed in wariness. “You think we’re still in danger?” she asked.
“Collier knows we have to head toward California. Whoever he had working at the ranch will have told him we left. Collier’s men will be looking for us.”
“You don’t have any idea who at the ranch might be working for Collier?”
Hank shook his head. “We ran a background check on the ranch hands, but it turned up nothing substantial on anyone.”
“I know how we can fool them.”
“How?”
“You could take me to Mexico instead of San Bernardino.”
“Nice try.” He smiled thinly. “I think I liked you better with your memory. At least then you were determined to testify against Collier.”
“Then why did I run?”
His gaze slid away from hers. “Who knows? Maybe you got tired of me beating you in gin rummy, or maybe you got sick of fast food. I don’t know why you ran. I only know you’d be a fool to do it again.”
“I promised you I wouldn’t try,” she reminded him.
“And you never break promises.”
She nodded. “And you never make them.”
Their conversation halted as the waitress reappeared with their breakfast orders. Colette eyed the heaping plate in dismay. “Maybe I should have ordered from the menu. This special would feed three hungry women.”
“Better eat what you can. Who knows where we’ll be at lunchtime.”
It was obvious Hank didn’t intend to waste time on small talk. He attacked the meal as if afraid it might be his last. Colette ate as much as she could, then shoved her plate away and instead focused on her coffee.
There were so many questions she wanted to ask him, not only about her past, but about his own, as well. She’d placed her life and that of her daughter’s in his hands, yet knew almost nothing about him.
“Are your parents alive, Hank?”
He looked up from his plate in surprise at the unexpected question. “My mother passed away when I was twenty-two and I don’t know about my father. I never knew him. He divorced my mother when she was pregnant and she never heard from him again. Why?”
“Just curious. I suddenly realize I know nothing about you.”
His eyes gazed at her darkly. “You don’t need to know anything about me other than I intend to get you to San Bernardino alive.” He focused back on his breakfast.
Colette swallowed a sigh and looked at the television bolted into the wall over the counter where a talk show host was interviewing runaway teens.
If only I’d stayed at the ranch. If only I hadn’t wanted to see life in a big city, she thought. However, all the if-only’s in the world couldn’t change her position now.
She sat up straighter in the booth as the television displayed a breaking news story and a live picture of the Sleepy-Time Motel appeared. “Hank…look.”
“Early this morning police were called to the scene of what they thought would be a bloody murder when gunshots were reported at this motel.” The woman reporter paused to take a breath. “The desk clerk confirmed that the room had been rented by a single white male. However, when police entered, they found no body, no blood, only broken windows and dozens of bullet holes in both beds.”
“Come on. We need to get back on the road,” Hank said, his voice cutting through the horror that built in Colette.
Minutes later they were back in the car, eating up miles at the speed limit rate. “Hank…that was our room, wasn’t it?” Colette finally said.
“I imagine it was,” he agreed.
“But how…how did they find us? How did they know it was our room?”
“I don’t know, Colette. All I do know is that it’s important we keep moving. We won’t stop anywhere tonight. We’ll drive until we reach San Bernardino.”
Colette wrapped her arms around herself and stared out at the blur of scenery. Had they slept later, they would all three be dead, shot while they slept in their beds. She shivered, a hard knot of anger growing in her stomach.
What kind of a monster was Cameron Collier? What lengths would he reach to keep her quiet? And how long could her and Hank’s luck hold out?
As the miles passed, the anger ebbed, the horror of what might have happened passed. The motion of the car, along with the big breakfast lulled Colette. She fought against sleep, then with a sigh leaned her head against the window and gave in, allowing slumber and a world of dreams to overtake her.
* * *
HANK RELAXED the moment he knew she was asleep, knowing there would be no more probing questions about his past, no sharing of little details that ultimately encouraged intimacy. He’d made that mistake before and in the process had unconsciously encouraged her to expect things he couldn’t give, anticipate a future he’d never share.
The tires sang against the hot pavement, singing his song of freedom. Once he got Colette to California, this particular job would be done. Maybe it was time he took a vacation. He’d been pushing himself hard for the past five years, ever since Rebecca’s death.
Rebecca. He frowned, surprised to discover thoughts of her brought no sharp pain, no overwhelming rage, only a hollow ache of bittersweet loss.
He tried to conjure up a mental picture of her. Brown hair shot through with strands of gold. Hazel eyes that changed hues depending on what colors she wore. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Ire swept through him as he realized it wasn’t Rebecca whose image unfolded in his mind, but rather Colette’s.
He shot a sideways glance at her. Although she was still asleep, it was not a restful slumber. Her forehead was wrinkled and she winced, as if suffering an unpleasant dream.
It was easy to imagine the nightmares that haunted her. She was not in an enviable position. Testifying against a man like Collier was probably the most dangerous thing she’d ever do in her life. Unfortunately, at this point in time, not testifying was just as dangerous. The moment Collier learned that she’d heard the incriminating conversation between him and his hit man, Colette’s head had gained a bounty.
Hopefully he could keep her safe until the trial. The prosecution would keep her safe during the trial and after that…after that she wasn’t his concern. He frowned, surprised at the bitter taste in his mouth this thought produced.
He thought of her hope in finding the baby’s father…the idea that somehow the father was a prince among men who’d keep her and the child safe, protect them and love them forever. She carried the dreams of an innocence he’d long ago lost. Eventually those dreams of hers would shatter beneath the weight of cold reality, but he wouldn’t be around to watch it happen.
Looking in his rearview mirror, he tensed as he spotted a patrol car gaining on him. He gazed down at his speedometer and relaxed somewhat. He wasn’t speeding so there should be no problem. Still as the patrol car continued to gain and the red light on the top began to spin, a bad feeling swept over Hank. Maybe he had been speeding a little. He hit the steering wheel with the palm of his hand. Just what he needed, a damned ticket.
“Colette, wake up,” he said as he slowed and looked for a place to pull over onto the shoulder of the highway.
She awoke immediately. “Wha-what’s wrong?”
“We have company.”
She turned backward and looked behind them, where the police car rode Hank’s bumper. She looked back at Hank. “Were you speeding?”
“No. At least I didn’t think so.” He pulled to a stop on the shoulder, the police car just behind.
Several cars whizzed by them before the officer got out of his car and approached Hank’s window. The bad feeling inside Hank escalated. “Afternoon, Officer,” he greeted the tall, pock-faced man who leaned down and peered into the car. “What’s the problem?”
“I need your license and registration,” the officer replied.
“I’ll like to know why I was stopped,” Hank replied. Every instinct he owned cried out that something was amiss.
“Routine check. Your license?”
Hank pulled his wallet from his back pocket, removed his driver’s license and handed it to the officer. Routine check? Usually a routine checkpoint was set up with more officers than a single one.
“Just sit tight. I need to call this in, then you and Ms. Connor can be on your way.” The officer stepped back to his car.
“Hang on,” Hank muttered to Colette. “We’re in trouble.” His gaze didn’t leave the rearview mirror. He was grateful she didn’t say anything, didn’t ask questions and scatter his concentration.
The officer sat in his car as several more vehicles went by in both directions. As the highway stretched empty of traffic once again, he got out and once again approached Hank’s car.
As he reached the back fender, Hank saw his right hand move toward his gun. Hank shoved the car into gear and pulled away, his tires spewing gravel and dust before gripping the hot pavement and shooting forward.
Colette gasped and gripped her seat as he accelerated. Hank knew he had two things going for him, the element of surprise to gain him a head start, and enough horsepower under the hood to keep whatever lead he’d managed to gain.
He took the first turn he came to, getting off the highway and onto a county road. From there he made a series of turns until they found themselves on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere.
Slowing his speed, he allowed himself to take a deep breath and relax momentarily. There was no sign they had been followed and he suspected he’d managed to lose the patrolman.
“Why did you do that?” Colette finally spoke.
“Because if I hadn’t, somebody would have found our dead bodies along the road.” He pulled off the side of the road into a grove of trees and brush. He needed to take a moment to allow his adrenaline to die down. He shut off the engine and turned to Colette, whose eyes were wide with fear. “That cop was one of Collier’s men.”
“How do you know?”
“I felt it in my gut. Besides, he had no reason to stop us, and he called you Ms. Connor. There was no way he should have known your name.” He opened his car door. “I need to walk a little bit.”
She shot a glance into the back seat where Brook slept, then opened her car door. “Mind if I join you?”
He shook his head. Together they got out of the car. The afternoon heat shimmered, but beneath the foliage where the car was parked, the air was cooler, not unpleasant. He sat on the car hood, needing to think, to plan where they went from here.
Colette scooted up next to him, her fear almost palpable. “How did he find us? How did he know to stop us?”
“Collier must have my license plate number. He must be calling in markers all over the U.S.”
She leaned against him. “What are we going to do, Hank? We can’t hide from every policeman along the way.”
“It’s not every cop we have to worry about, just those dirty ones trying to do Collier’s work.”
“How do we tell the difference between the two?”
He sighed. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out.” He was having problems concentrating with the warmth of her body against his, the scent of her perfume filling the air.
“What we need to do is ditch the car, get on a bus or a plane or something.”
“You’re right.” He raked a hand through his hair and frowned thoughtfully. “There’s a map in the glove box. Would you get it for me?”
She nodded and slid off the hood, taking with her the scent that muddied his thoughts, made it tough to concentrate.
He stood and stretched with arms overhead, the adrenaline not dissipating, but rather building inside him. As Colette rejoined him, he took the map from her and spread it out across the hood. Peering at it, he tried to figure out exactly where they were. He knew about where they’d been when the patrol car pulled them over. “We’re about here,” he said, placing his index finger on the spot on the map.
Colette once again leaned against him as she looked at where he pointed. “We aren’t too far from Provo.”
He nodded. “It looks like we can take back roads into the city, then probably our best bet is to do as you suggested. Ditch the car and get on a plane to San Bernardino. As long as we’re in the car we’re sitting ducks.”
She shivered, her eyes once again huge as she looked up at him. “Is this what my life is going to be like from now on? Running? Hiding? I’m supposed to keep Brook safe…how can I do that when I can’t even keep myself safe? If I can’t trust the police, who can I trust?”
Despite his reservations, Hank pulled her into his arms, knowing she needed the physical contact of comfort to chase away the haunting fear in her eyes. Willingly she went into his embrace, molding herself to him, as if needing to crawl inside him, meld to his strength.
“Colette, for every one dirty cop, there’s a thousand good ones,” he murmured, the adrenaline pumping through him as her warmth mingled with his, her scent invaded his head.
She nodded, her hands clutching him tighter around the neck as her body burrowed closer against his. He knew he should disentangle himself from her, knew she was experiencing a common emotional response to danger. But he understood this in some distant part of his mind, a part he didn’t have the willpower to tap in to. Instead he held her tight, as if absorbing her into his very pores.
All his senses seemed heightened. A bird chirped merrily overhead and a warm breeze rustled through the branches of the tree. The sounds of nature mingled with Colette’s soft breaths against his neck, the noise of his own heartbeat surging within his chest.
When she looked up at him, her eyes were darkened with desire, and her gaze lit the flames of desire in him. Groaning deeply, he captured her lips with his, drinking in the sweet passion she offered.
He knew they were both functioning on sheer emotion with no thought to what was right or wrong, but he had no desire to control or change the situation. Although he knew he’d probably regret it later, at the moment he simply wanted to take whatever she offered.
She broke the kiss and took one of his hands in hers. With her eyes blazing in unspoken want, she led him to a shady, grassy area beneath the tree. She knelt down and with one smooth movement pulled her T-shirt over her head. “Hank.” Her voice was as soft as a sigh, as compelling as the sunshine to a flower. “Hank, make love to me.” She sank back in the grass and opened her arms toward him.
His desire for her ached through him, impossible to ignore. He could no more avoid going to her than he could bypass the act of breathing. He eased down next to her, vaguely aware of the lush coolness of the grass, but more captivated by the way she looked.
Dappled sunlight kissed her flushed skin and highlighted her wispy bra. With her chestnut-colored hair and her eyes picking up the green hues surrounding them, she looked like a woodland nymph.
He took her in his arms, his lips once again seeking hers as his hands caressed the silky smoothness of her shoulders, her back. She didn’t merely accept his caresses, but rather was an active participant, her hands moving up beneath his T-shirt with featherlight touches that inflamed his senses.
I should stop this, he thought as his fingers fumbled with the clasp on her bra. One of us has to be strong. This is crazy. But these thoughts were lost as her bra fell away, exposing her full breasts to his heated gaze, his reverent touch.
With his last vestige of control he knew he had to make her understand that there was no forever for them, nothing but this moment of need, this space of time here and now. He had nothing to offer her.
“Colette,” he murmured against the hollow of her neck. “Colette, you have to understand…”
“I know, your rules of seduction. No promises, no commitments.” Her voice was breathy, husky with desire. “Don’t worry, I promise I won’t forget the rules. Just love me, Hank.”
Her words snapped the last strand of his control. He sat back only long enough to pull his shirt over his head, then rejoined her in the sweet grass.
* * *
COLETTE REVELED in the passion that had been building between them since the moment she’d first seen him at the ranch. His kisses filled her soul, his caresses burned her flesh and she wanted him with a ferocity that overwhelmed her.
Each touch from him spawned renewed fire inside her, every caress carried her higher and higher. And somewhere in the back of her mind was the same strange familiarity, as if they’d been lovers in another lifetime. It was haunting, disturbing, but the impression fled as he removed her sweatpants, his hot hands stroking each inch of flesh as he bared it.
She unbuckled his belt, her fingers trembling with want, with need. He’d used the same belt to hold her captive only the night before, but now she was a willing captive, his prisoner by her own design.
With her help, he removed his jeans and within moments they were both naked. Her hands danced across the muscles and planes of his body, caressing and exploring as he did the same to her.
Their rapid breathing filled the air, mingling with husky moans and gasps of pleasure. The residual of fear, of danger that had been with her for so long, faded beneath the onslaught of passion each of Hank’s caresses evoked.
When he finally entered her, Colette’s heart swelled and tears sprang to her eyes. They were tears of joy. He filled every empty space she’d held in her heart, in her soul. It was the only thing that had felt right in her life since she’d lost her memories.
He moved deeply, slowly within her, taking her higher and higher, leading her to the edge of a precipice. As she went over the edge, she grasped his back and cried out, her cries carrying him with her.
For a long moment neither of them moved, but rather remained locked in their embrace. Colette could feel his heart beating against her own, the rhythms matching as they began to slow to a more normal beat.
With the satiation of passion came the return of reality. As breathtaking as this interlude had been, nothing had changed. Hank was still taking her to a trial, men still intended to try to kill her and they were stuck in the middle of nowhere with a car whose license tags were like a neon invitation to all of Collier’s men.
They dressed silently, the earlier intimacy replaced by an awkward silence. “We’d better get moving,” he finally said.
She nodded, vaguely disappointed to see the cold distance in his eyes. Okay, so that’s the way it’s going to be, she thought as she walked back to the car. They would pretend they hadn’t just made love. After all, she’d promised no commitments, no hope for anything other than that single moment in time. They’d satiated their lust, alleviated inner tension, nothing more.
It was back to the cold of reality. They had to get to San Bernardino. She had to find Brook’s father… before Collier’s men found them.