Under Fire (Elite Force 3)

“Of course you do. That’s why I’m here. I just didn’t expect… Forget it.” She didn’t dare look at him, just held the vehicle steady as—thank God—they cleared the bridge. “Tell your connections those goons back there are driving my car, which means somehow they got on base.”

The highway was marginally wider, at least. Except for the oncoming traffic on one side and a steep drop-off into the water on the other. Risking a look in the rearview mirror, she bit back a scream as the image filled with the car still hot on their tail. Her car. With two men in front, blurry shapes at such a high speed. Liam’s curse hissed low and long, riding the wind whipping through the shot-out windows.

Bluetooth headset in place, he took the wheel back. “I’ve got it now.”

He whipped past a Mack truck, then… nothing. No one followed them except the truck. For now. The hammering of her heart grew stronger in the aftermath. Her heartbeat?

No. His.

She still had her hand over Liam’s chest, taking reassurance from the steady beat. Betraying a little too much about herself. She wasn’t the clinging-vine type, damn it. She snatched her arm away and twisted her fingers in her lap.

People told her she had nerves of steel. She’d worked earthquake-ravaged regions, walking in rubble shifting with aftershocks. She’d trekked up a rugged mountain trail, searching for a missing child, with wolves howling in the wind. There had even been times she’d helped the police track an escaped convict. But sitting here while Liam’s life was at risk because of her? That was threatening to send her over the edge faster than any jolt from a car. She shouldn’t have come here. She should have gone from cop to cop to cop until somebody listened to her…

Listened to her say what? Bottom line, she knew so little. How could this bring down such a firestorm onto her life?

Dimly, she registered Liam speaking cryptically into the phone, lots of alphas and bravos and other code-sounding talk. And then an end to the conversation, roger and out.

He tossed the phone back into the cup holder between them and checked the rearview mirror again. “Looks like we’ve lost them. You did great, keeping your cool.”

“Thanks, but I really don’t deserve any praise. It wasn’t like you left me any choice.”

“Plenty of people still would have panicked. You’re a good wingman.” His eyes held hers in the rearview mirror.

Her stomach did a tumble that had nothing to do with fear. She looked down and away. Her gaze landed on his cell. “Your phone? May I use it, please?”

“Sure.” His hand fell to rest on it. Nicks and scars shone along his knuckles. “But first I need to know, who are you contacting? You have to be careful who you speak to.”

“Brandon deserves to know what’s going on, even if I just leave a message. Maybe I shouldn’t tie up your phone after all. I’ll just fish my bag from the back.” She started to twist around, the seat belt cutting into her neck. She reached to unbuckle—

Liam’s hand shot out and stopped her with a light touch on the shoulder. Just a simple brush, but electric and immobilizing.

His hand slid away. “Stay put. Use my phone, since we’re certain it’s secure. If you reach your friend before we can get one of our people to pick him up, tell him to come straight to base, to the OSI. Once we get there, you won’t be able to use your cell phone in the building.” His brow furrowed. “On second thought, I think you should get your phone after all and pass it to me.”

“Why?” But she was already reaching into the back even as she questioned him, careful not to ditch her seat belt even though it pinched like a son of a gun. She wrenched and yanked the backpack from beside her panting dog.

“If what you say is true about tapped phones, they could have been tracking you through your cell.”

“Oh God.” She unzipped her bag fast and tunneled inside. She handled her iPhone like it was a snake.

He snatched it from her hand and pitched it out the window, into the ocean. She felt the plop in the pit of her stomach. Had she lured these people directly to Liam? To Brandon too?

Damn it, she refused to let fear take over. She had to find her old calm under pressure. She may have brought this trouble to Liam’s doorstep, but she would do her best to hold up her end of things. “Your phone, please? I need to call him and warn him now more than ever.”

He scooped it up. “Here. Even though my phone’s secure, keep it brief, just in case.”

“Thank you…” For the phone and so much more. She really hated herself right now for all she was asking of Liam.

As she dialed, police sirens whined faintly in the background along with the ringing phone, ringing, ringing, until finally Brandon’s voice mail picked up again.

Hell. Her hand fisted around Liam’s phone.

Leaving a message felt like a pitifully inadequate option, with buildings blowing up and a high-speed chase on a bridge. She couldn’t even bring herself to entertain the notion that he wasn’t picking up because whoever had been threatening her and Liam may have already gotten to Brandon.

***

Twirling a sprig of honeysuckle vine between her fingers, Catriona leaned a hip against the chain-link gate and watched Brandon, in his truck. He’d been sitting there for at least twenty minutes. But then he did that sometimes. Zoned out, thinking.

Except she wasn’t doing much else either. Just standing here. A little pathetic actually, watching and drooling over him.