Thomas pulled his head from beneath the shower’s spray and let the hot water beat down on his sore leg for a few minutes. Between ibuprofen and the heat, the electric shocks of pinched nerves and the ache of muscle cramps had subsided enough that he thought he could forgo the prescription painkiller he kept on hand. Other than past midnight, he had no idea what time it was. The house was finally quiet. Everyone had gone except for Keir, who was parked out front, keeping an eye on things through the night. Because of her injury, stairs were tricky for Ruby, so she was sleeping down in Millie’s room. He was alone upstairs with Jane.
Correction. He was simply alone.
Jane had retired to her room long before the last of their guests had left. But he’d seen her light on beneath her door and knew she was still up, probably scribbling notes or drawing rudimentary blueprints of crime scenes—real or imagined—in that journal of hers. She’d let him read what she’d remembered from the night her husband had been murdered, trying to figure out how Badge Man had gotten into their house without breaking in, how he’d tracked her to the running path and how Saturday night’s sting operation was going to play out without anyone else dying.
No wonder the woman couldn’t sleep. Her nightmares were real. And she couldn’t make them go away simply by waking up.
He wished she’d talk to him, though. After helping his father get ready for bed, she’d thanked him for the tepid coffee he’d brought her, set it on the kitchen island without taking a sip and excused herself to go to bed. He knew she was exhausted and frightened. He knew she was fighting an ongoing battle to keep the demons of PTSD at bay.
But he also knew she was smart and strong and determined to do whatever was asked of her to expose not one criminal mastermind, but two, and see them both put away. He only wished she’d let him share the burden she carried. That’s what big shoulders and life experience and late-night conversations were for, weren’t they?
He wasn’t just a cop coordinating a makeshift joint task force—he was a man protecting what was his. Short of barging into her bedroom again, though, he wasn’t going to get the chance to explain that to her. He grunted a humorless sound in his throat and shut off the water. If he did tell her what he felt, would she listen? Would she at least let him hold her again tonight, and allow herself those few precious hours when she could drop her guard and feel safe?
He was knotting a towel around his waist when he heard a soft knock on the bathroom door. Thomas released the tension that had strained across his chest and smiled.
“Are you decent?” Jane asked.
“No. But you can come in, anyway.”
He saw a misty silhouette of pink and plaid and heard a soft laugh when the door opened. “That’s an old joke.”
“Well, it’s not because I’m an old man.”
Any evidence of a smile had vanished by the time the steam from the shower had cleared the room. For a split second, he thought something was wrong. But then he realized the cloud of steam had impeded her vision, too. Her gaze was wide and staring, scanning him from shoulder to shoulder, from chest to towel and farther down, her eyes darkening with a hungry look as she took in his state of undress.
The breathless parting of her lips triggered a heated response low in his belly. “Did you need something?” he asked, hearing the timbre of his voice drop a few pitches and grow husky.
“I, um, came in to check your leg before you turned in for the night.” She cleared her throat, trying to erase the hoarseness that had sneaked into her voice, too. “And your arm.”
Thomas dutifully stood still, curling his toes into the bath mat as she stepped into the room. His eyes invariably moved to that sexy strip of skin showing beneath her pajama top. Reining in the desire that instantly traveled south, he squeezed his eyes shut and inhaled a steadying breath, only to breathe in the citrusy scent of her hair. Cursing his own randy libido, he resolutely stared into the mirror over the sink, counting the gray wisps dappled through the darker hair curling across his chest.
For several seconds, Jane was all businesslike, taking his arm and turning it to inspect the new skin growing over the wound. “This is healing nicely. I think we’ll let it air out tonight and wait until the morning to put on a new bandage.”
Good grief. Was she sneaking peeks at his chest? Had her fingers lingered longer than was necessary against his skin? And was that a pert nipple straining against the pink cotton of her T-shirt reflecting in the mirror? Was she as aware of her actions and reactions as he was? Maybe he should have rethought this and excused himself to get dressed before she examined him further.
When she knelt in front of him and wrapped her hands around his ankle and calf, Thomas audibly groaned.
“Does that still hurt?” Running her fingers over his tensed muscles and the harder ridges of surgical scars and skin grafts was sparking a very different sort of ache in his body. And he couldn’t say he was still feeling the heat from that shower. “On a scale of one to ten, what’s your pain level?”
“Jane...” Her fingers were dancing perilously close to the promised land if she massaged much farther up beneath the towel.
“Your quad is still knotted like a rock.” She dug her knuckles into the damaged muscle and he flinched. “If I could loosen it up.”
Enough. There were limits even to his patience. Thomas grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her to her feet. “I am not an invalid.”
“I never said you were.”
“I’m a man.” Her hands braced against his chest as he lifted her onto her toes. “I don’t want to be your boss, a father figure, your best buddy or even friends with benefits—and no, I’m not so old that I don’t know what that means. I don’t want a nursemaid. And I don’t want security to be the only thing you need from me.” He eased his grip on her arms and moved his hands up to her face. He slipped his fingers into her silky hair, tilting those green-gold eyes and beautiful mouth up to his. “But if I don’t kiss you right now, if I don’t hold you...”
For an endless moment, they were locked together like that, searching each other’s eyes for understanding.
Then Jane slid her arms around his neck and kissed him boldly on the mouth. There were no more words, nothing to discuss, only a long-denied need rising to the surface.
Thomas took over the kiss, sliding his tongue into her mouth as his hands found their way to the skin at her waist and snapped her body to his. Her hands roamed over his shoulders and chest and up against his damp hair. She nipped at his chin when he came up for air. She tugged at his towel when he backed her against the sink and rubbed his thighs against hers. He slipped her pink shirt off and covered her small, perfect breasts with his hands while she pressed kisses to his chest and squeezed his bare bottom. Every place she touched him kindled a new fire that heated his blood. A flick of her tongue against his own taut nipple made him gasp for breath and sent a jolt of need straight to his groin.
He reclaimed her mouth, telling her with his tongue all the things he wanted to do with her body. Her eager responses made him feel male, powerful, whole. He tugged at the elastic of her pants, and they pooled around her ankles. He slipped his hands beneath her bottom and lifted her onto the edge of the counter. Her knees squeezed around his hips as he moved between her legs. This was what he needed, man to woman, skin to skin, need to need.
He peppered kisses down her neck and over the curve of one breast until he pulled a sweet, pearled nipple into his mouth. Jane jerked against the intimate touch, but she tunneled her fingers into his hair and held him there until he tasted her again. He grinned at the needy hum in her throat and turned his attentions to the other breast until that hum became a breathy groan.
He kissed her again, slipping one finger inside her hot, weepy center, testing her readiness for him. She bucked against his hand and he slipped a second finger inside, teasing the delicate vibrations of her response.
The soft claw of ten fingertips kneaded his shoulders as she gasped against his mouth. “Thomas... You better want this as badly as I do.”
“I do.”
Sparing one moment for reason, he opened the drawers on either side of her in a frantic search to find a box of condoms he hoped one of his boys left behind. They shared a laugh when they finally found a packet in the last drawer. Jane’s hands were there with his to slide it on. And then he was inside her. Pausing a moment to catch his breath and savor the moment, he saw them reflected together in the mirror, and Thomas knew that nothing in his life had ever looked so sexy, ever felt so right.
The word love was right on the tip of his tongue, but Jane locked her feet around his backside and pulled him into her so deeply, he thought he’d lose it right there. Before the pleasure could overtake him, he leaned her back against his arm, slipped his thumb down to that sensitive spot where they were joined, claimed her mouth with his and swallowed up the joyous gasps of her release. And while the aftershocks of her climax danced around his hard length, he pumped into her again and again until it was all he could do to stay on his feet and ride the waves of his own release deep inside her.
When he knew himself again, when he felt warm hands gently stroking the length of his spine and soft lips pressed against the juncture of his shoulder and neck, Thomas hugged Jane close until their breathing synced into an even rhythm. He disposed of the condom, washed them both with his damp towel, scooped her off the counter and lifted her into his arms.
“Your leg.”
“Not an old man. Remember?”
He kissed her answering smile, feeling his strength returning, his happiness, too, both growing more powerful than he’d felt in a long time. Jane looped her arms around his neck and he carried her through the hallway to his bedroom. He laid her against the pillows and she scurried beneath the covers, holding them up so he could crawl in beside her.
Thomas wrapped her in his arms and she snuggled up against him, sliding a creamy thigh between his legs, pillowing a breast against his bare skin, heedless of the scars and years and losses between them.
And when she drifted off to sleep the way she had each night he held her, Thomas pressed a kiss to the crown of her head and whispered, “I love you.”
* * *
JANE AWOKE TO BLACKNESS. She was trapped. Her legs were bound. She couldn’t breathe. “No!”
She sat up with a jolt, twisting against her bindings until she realized her legs were simply tangled up in the sheets. Had she screamed out loud? Or had that helpless terror been part of the nightmare?
The covers had gotten over her head somehow. She could see now, but the blocky objects around her were all in shadows. A thin beam of light swept across her face, blinding her for an instant. When her vision cleared, a broad figure towered over her in the darkness, and she scooted back against the pillows and headboard.
“Jane?” The tall figure backed away. The light flickered over her bare belly and she realized she was completely naked. She grasped the sheet and quilt and tugged them up to her chest. “It’s okay, honey.” She knew that voice. A deep-pitched rumble in the night. “You’re okay. It was a bad dream.”
It wasn’t him.
“What happened? Why is it so dark?” Those frissons of panic were still coursing through her blood, making it difficult for her to concentrate. “Am I awake?”
“Yes.” The shadowy figure was wearing a faded T-shirt that read USAF. United States Air Force.
The lingering vestiges of fear shook her fingers as she gripped the covers. “Thomas?”
The familiar figure nodded and held out both hands, showing her a small flashlight and a framed picture of a young couple in a wedding gown and dress uniform. “You’re in my bedroom. Kansas City, Missouri. The sun hasn’t come up yet. I didn’t want to turn on a light and wake you.” Thomas slipped the small picture frame into the top drawer of his dresser and pushed it shut. Then he sat on the edge of the bed near her feet, reaching out a hand to her. “Tell me you know where you are and who I am.”
She pushed a tangled fall of hair off her face and tucked it behind her ear. “I know who you are, Thomas.” She trained her gaze on the concerned green eyes that were waiting for her to prove she was all right. “I guess I was having a nightmare. I thought...”
“I can imagine what you thought.” He found her foot through the covers and gave her toes a reassuring squeeze before he moved closer to sit beside her. He set the flashlight on the bedside table and turned on the lamp there instead. As soon as his face came into focus, she reached out to cup his jaw and felt reassured by the brown-and-silver dots of stubble tickling her palm. He let her press her fingertips to the smooth line of his mouth and brush aside the spikes of hair that fell over his forehead before he spoke. “Are you with me now?”
Jane nodded, feeling his strength feed her own, letting his presence calm her. The memory of the needy, potent way he’d made love to her came flooding back, suffusing her with a heat that chased away the last of the dream. “Sorry for the little freak-out.”
He pressed a kiss into her palm, then captured her hand against his thigh. “You scare me when I lose you like that.”
“I don’t mean to. I suppose the stress of everything manifested itself. I don’t even remember the images. Just being afraid. But I’m okay now. I promise.” The sweatpants he wore were soft with wear and warm from the heat of his body. She wished she could snuggle up inside them herself. Instead, she glanced over at the dresser. “You were looking at Mary’s picture. Do you have any regrets about what happened between us?” She wasn’t hurt by his actions, and she wasn’t jealous of Mary. But she didn’t want him to feel guilty about the changing nature of their relationship. She hadn’t felt so thoroughly loved, so treasured and important to another person, in years. She hoped he’d found at least half that much satisfaction and a sense of being cherished from her. “I don’t.”
“Neither do I.” A grin softened his rugged features. “But I feel kind of awkward having someone watch while I make love to you.”
“Why? Are you thinking of doing it again?”
He scooted closer to her, bracing his hands on top of the quilt on either side of her and leaned in. “What kind of stamina do you think I have, woman?”
Not feeling one whit of a threat with him trapping her like that, she splayed her fingers over his heart. “A lot. More than me. As I recall, I’m the one who dozed off.”
“You’ve got more sleep to catch up on than I do.”
And there it was again. The danger in the room. Her fingers curled into the soft cotton of his shirt. “Do you think your plan will work? That Badge Man and his accomplice will show up at the reunion?”
“Unless he gets inside this house, he won’t have access to you anyplace else between now and then. The wait will make him antsy, eager to make a move. And since he’s watching us, he’ll know I’ll be there and you’ll be with me.” She believed him when he spoke, but the worry returned as he continued. “Plus, the guy who’s targeting me likes a big stage with lots of people. It’s a more public stab at me, the potential for more collateral damage to fill me with guilt. They’ll be there.”
Now she felt guilty. How could she ever allow this good man and the people he loved to be harmed? “Collateral damage? Maybe I should stick with the WITSEC program, ask Conor to relocate me. I think I’d break if anyone else got hurt because of me. Especially you. And your family.”
When she tried to pull away, he simply moved closer, forcing her to clutch the sheet against her breasts to maintain any sort of barrier between them. Even from the dim light of the lamp, she could see how dead serious he was about this. “If you relocate and get a new identity, I won’t be able to be with you—because of Dad and Millie, and my responsibilities to the department. The kids are making new lives for themselves, and I want to be a part of that.”
“You should be. Thomas, I don’t want to take anything away from you.”
“You’ve already taken the most important thing.” He pried her hand from the covers and placed it back over his heart. Jane almost cried at the silent message he was sending. “Hell, if you change your name and move someplace new, I might never be able to find you.” His eyes narrowed and lines of strain deepened beside them. “He’d still be after you, and I wouldn’t be there to protect you. I don’t want to lose you. Not now, when I think there’s a chance we could make something work.”
She reached out to soothe the worry lines. “I want that chance, too. After Freddie, I never thought... I didn’t think it was safe to care about anyone again. But I can’t help it.” She blinked a tear from her eye and swiped it off her cheek. She was still desperately afraid that someone would get hurt, but now she was determined to fight for the chance to live a normal life and find real love again. This wasn’t just for Freddie anymore. It wasn’t just for her. “I’ll do whatever you tell me to make this sting you’ve planned a success. Let’s take our lives back.”
Thomas nodded. “Let’s take our lives back.”
This time, he initiated the lovemaking. Her skin quickly warmed beneath the crush of Thomas’s chest as she hugged her arms around his neck and kissed him. He laid her back on the bed and stretched out beside her. Unlike that frantic, pent-up release earlier, this time was slow and deliberate, as if it was important to both of them to create a lasting memory that neither time nor danger nor death could ever take away.
Blissfully exhausted, her body still humming with satisfaction, Jane fell asleep in his arms again. If she’d known Thomas was the tonic to keep the nightmares at bay and find her way back to a normal life, she’d have let herself love him sooner.
* * *
SATURDAY NIGHT COULDN’T come soon enough, and now that it was here, Thomas wished he had another week to gather intel and prepare his team. He wished he had another lifetime to spend with Jane in his home and in his bed and in his family, to continue these last two idyllic days locked inside a guarded cage where the outside world couldn’t reach them. They’d lived their lives as a couple, arguing a little, touching a lot, laughing and snuggling, reviewing escape scenarios, talking about anything and everything except for the fragile L-word that neither one of them wanted to risk sharing again, in case the unthinkable happened tonight.
Thomas straightened his tie and the lapels of his suit jacket in the foyer mirror before resuming his pacing at the foot of the stairs while he waited for Jane to finish getting ready.
“You wear hole in rug,” Seamus chastised him. His father stood in the archway leading into the living room, leaning on the cane he was now using to move around the house. The blue blood running through his veins showed in the worry lines on his face. He understood the game plan for tonight. Part of him was as worried about the success of Thomas’s plan as he was—and part of him probably wanted to be in on the action, defending their family against the threats that had plagued them for too many months. But he settled for simply keeping his son company. “Always worth it to wait on a woman.”
“Jane’s not late,” Thomas automatically defended her. “I just want to get this night started and done with as soon as possible.”
Millie toddled down the hallway with the sweater she’d fetched for Seamus and helped him slip into it. “You know not to worry about a thing here, right?” She brushed aside a mote of lint from the navy blue wool and patted his father’s chest. “Seamus unlocked his service revolver and has it loaded. Gabe and Olivia have already checked the doors and locks. After they’re done eating dinner, we’ve got a new deck of cards to play penny ante poker until everyone comes home safely. We’ll be fine.”
Thomas stopped pacing and pulled back the front of his jacket to prop his hands at his waist. He frowned at the two seniors. “Dad, your hand isn’t strong enough to hold and fire that gun.”
“If anybody comes here and t-treatens my fam-ly, I will.”
Thomas raked his fingers through his hair and started toward the kitchen. “I’m telling Olivia to unload that weapon and lock it back up in the closet.”
He hadn’t taken three steps when he heard the click of heels coming down the stairs. He froze when he saw Jane, forgetting how to breathe. She wore a high-necked red sleeveless dress with a few sparkles dancing over the satiny finish.
And those high heels. Two black straps and a silver heel. His blood raced through his veins as she descended the stairs toward him. He’d never seen her in anything but her uniform clogs or running shoes or barefoot. The height of those heels and the dress that skimmed the top of her knees made her legs look longer than he remembered and, well, irresistibly hot.
“Do I look okay?” she asked when she reached the foyer. “Too much? Not enough? I borrowed the dress and shoes from Kenna. She thought they’d be appropriate for a cocktail party.” Had he even blinked? She’d swept her hair up in some elegant loose knot thing that he desperately wanted to undo with his fingers. She looked amazing, and for a few seconds he felt a rush of pride and appreciation that made him wish that this was a real date. “I chose red because I thought it was patriotic. We’re celebrating the air force tonight, right?”
His father, ever more eloquent than Thomas, limped up beside her. “Well, if he won’t say it, I will. You a knockout.”
“Thank you.” Jane smiled and kissed his cheek.
Seamus turned and swatted Thomas on the arm. “Close your mouth, t-son.”
Thomas snapped his lips together, feeling the embarrassment of adolescent lust warming his cheeks. He’d never get over how this woman transformed him into a man who felt twenty or thirty years younger. “It’s perfect. You’re perfect.”
Millie pulled out her phone and nudged Thomas toward Jane. “Stand together by the stairs. I want to get a picture.”
Although he obliged by sliding his arm behind Jane’s waist, he felt duty-bound to remind all of them, including himself, that tonight wasn’t a date. “It’s not the prom, Millie.”
Jane’s hand settled at his back, brushing against the gun he’d holstered there. When she stiffened, he gave the pinch of her waist a reassuring squeeze. She didn’t need the sobering reminder that tonight’s celebration served an ulterior purpose.
“We’ll be fine, dear,” Millie assured him, snapping a couple of pictures despite the grim expression on Jane’s face. “And I know you. Those men won’t get away.”
“Do you have your tracker on you?” Thomas asked. “In case we get separated. Not that I’m letting you out of my sight.”
“Right here.” Jane patted her chest, where the tiny electronic device was hooked to her bra. “Do you?”
He touched the pocket of his jacket, indicating he was plugged into the KCPD surveillance that would be tracking their movements tonight, too. “We’ll double-check with Keir and Agent Hunt in the command van to make sure they’ve got us on radar when we get to the hotel.” He held out his arm and she linked her hand through his elbow. “Let’s do this.”
Twenty minutes later they pulled up in front of the Muehlebach Hotel in downtown Kansas City. Thomas exchanged a nod with Hud Kramer, who was working as a valet, when they got out of the car.
“We’re all hooked up by radio,” Hud confirmed, indicating the police officers and volunteering friends stationed throughout the hotel and conference center. “If anything goes down, we’ll all know about it. You’ll have backup before you know you need it.”
Then he drove off to park the truck and Thomas escorted Jane inside the historic landmark hotel. They followed the trail of bright lights across the carpeted lobby to the escalator leading down to the reception areas. They passed Al Junkert sitting in the bar off the lobby. He acknowledged them with a slight raise of his glass before turning to resume a conversation with the woman beside him.
By the time they’d checked into the air force reunion, gotten their name badges and traded hugs with Mutt and Jeff, Jane’s fingers were shaking against his arm. He covered her hand with his, stilling the nervous twitching, and leaned over to press a kiss to her temple. “Remember, we’ve got eyes all over the place here. All you have to do is enjoy the party.”
“And look for a guy with heterochromatic eyes and a neck tattoo.”
The evening progressed without incident. Mutt got up on the stage and surprised Jeff with the birthday announcement, and they all sang “Happy Birthday” and the air force hymn. A couple of the guys on the planning committee had come up with the idea of awarding prizes for the veterans who’d traveled the farthest, served the longest and had the most grandchildren. The commander at Whiteman Air Force Base gave a short speech and thanked them all for their service.
Then the band played and the dancing started. And as Thomas had asked them to, Mutt or Jeff kept Jane company whenever he couldn’t be at her side.
Thomas was returning to their table with two glasses of ice water and two beers when he spotted Jeff’s blond hair and tall frame guiding Jane across the parquet dance floor after a ’70s-era line dance ended. He set one beer in front of Mutt at the table and emptied the rest of the tray, waiting for Jeff and Jane to join them.
“Is one of those for me?” Jane asked. A sheen of perspiration dotted her forehead. Making such a conspicuous show of herself out on the dance floor was probably giving her a better workout than her morning runs.
He handed her one of the waters, and the other beer to Jeff, who swallowed a long draft before reminding them of a pledge they’d made earlier. “Don’t forget, at the end of the evening, we’ll toast Mary.”
Mutt stood and raised his bottle. “And all the friends and fellow airmen and women we’ve lost along the way.” He held his hand out to Jane. “My turn again?”
When he saw that stress dimple appear on her forehead, Thomas set down their glasses and took her hand instead. “I appreciate your willingness to help, boys. But how about you let me dance at least once with my own date?” Jeff eyed his bum leg. And was that a snicker he heard from Mutt? “Yes, I can dance.”
Jeff clapped him on the shoulder and nudged them out to the dance floor as a slow song started. “We’ll see you at eleven.”
Thomas turned Jane into his arms and settled into a swaying rhythm. “Thank you for the rescue. Between these high heels and Mutt’s toe stomping, my feet are killing me.” Her hand slid from his shoulder to the nape of his neck, teasing the sensitive skin there as she summoned a weary smile. “But they have been as attentive as good watchdogs. One or the other or both have been with me all evening, whenever you’re not here.”
“I trust those yahoos with my life. I trust them with yours, too.”
A few more seconds of him enjoying her hips butting against his ended with the sobering question he knew she wanted to ask. “Have you seen anyone who looks suspicious?” He’d just come back from slyly checking with every undercover operative here. Conor serving drinks. Duff posing as one of the security guards at the front entrance. Keir in the van and Hud keeping watch for anything suspicious outside. Niall in the hotel’s security office, watching live camera feeds from several monitors. “Do you think he’s here? Watching me right now?”
He leaned in to kiss that frown on her forehead, willing the mark to relax. “Everybody’s watching you. You’re the most beautiful woman here, and they’re all wondering how I got so lucky.”
For a moment, her lips softened into a genuine smile. “Trust me, Thomas—I’m the lucky one. I’m sorry you’re not getting to enjoy your reunion.”
“I’ve had enough conversations with old cronies to catch up.” He pulled her a few inches closer and surveyed the packed room, abuzz with laughter and music and conversation, for that one person who was more interested in them than in the reunion. “It was good to see my commanding officer from Lakenheath again. I can’t believe he’s ninety years old and still fits into his old uniform. I want to age like that.”
She nodded her agreement, although her thoughts were already drifting. “Are you certain they’ll be here?”
“My aching bones, and a little profiling, tell me yes.” He stopped moving and caught her shoulders between his hands, gently rubbing away the chill he felt on her skin. She hadn’t complained once, hadn’t admitted her fear. And that kind of bravery in the face of waiting danger had to be wearing on her. “Do you need a break from the spotlight?”
“I could use a stop at the ladies’ room.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
After a quick stop at the table to retrieve her purse and let Mutt and Jeff know they were free to socialize with the other guests for a few minutes, they headed toward the exit doors and the quieter public area and restrooms beyond. They were waylaid by a table of former members of Thomas’s training class who wanted to meet Jane and chat. By the time they reached the exit doors, the band was taking a break and the commander was back up onstage to honor more of their esteemed guests and the volunteers who’d help put the reunion together. Other guests were filing back in and turning their attention to the stage.
With a hand at the small of Jane’s back, Thomas turned her away from the line of women waiting at the nearest restroom and they walked around the corner to search for another facility. But there they ran into the spill-out crowd from a function in a neighboring ballroom. Jane stopped for a second and groaned. “I just needed a few minutes of quiet and some fresh air.”
“How are your feet holding up?”
“Well, I’d rather not go for a hike right now.”
“Let’s find an empty sofa and have a seat out here.” But it was a busy night at the hotel, and locating a free spot where two people could sit together wasn’t easy to come by.
By the time they’d walked the length of the carpeted hallway and turned back, the security guard stationed near the elevators asked if they were lost. “We’re looking for a place to sit and relax for a few minutes.”
The young man smiled and pushed the elevator call button for them. “Two floors up. There’s a walkway over to the adjoining hotel across the street. It’s less crowded there.”
“Thank you.” Jane smiled up at him and stepped onto the elevator when the doors opened.
The guard followed Thomas in behind her. “I’ll ride up with you.”
The doors were already closing when Jane’s tired brain realized what she’d just seen.
One brown eye, and one blue.
“You!”
He fired the Taser in his hand at Thomas, hitting him in the chest and stunning him before he could reach the gun at his back.
“Thomas!” She caught him in her arms and collapsed to the floor with him as the guard slid a key card into the slot beside the door, overriding the second-floor command and taking them down to the basement garage.