The Stranger and I

He spun toward her, regretting his next words. “The facility’s been compromised.”

Chapter Three

A shot of adrenaline zigzagged up Lila’s spine, leaving a trail of goose bumps in its wake. The blood pounded in her head. She squeezed her eyelids shut against the daggerlike pain that knifed behind them.

Justin gripped her shoulders and her eyes flew open. She twitched then sagged against him. He pressed her body to his, the warmth quelling the panic that rippled along her nerve endings.

Through their clothes, she felt his hard muscles already coiled for action. In contrast, she felt like jelly. If he let her go, she’d morph into a blob on the floor.

He looked down into her face, and she tried to soak up the strength she saw in his eyes. He ran his palms down her arms and squeezed her hands. “Follow me.”

His touch and words acted like an electric prod. She straightened up. The room sharpened into focus. Her nostrils flared. Her muscles tensed. She could do this.

Before grabbing her wrist, Justin swung around and killed the lights. He prowled across the floor, the satellite images casting a green glow over his taut body. He placed a chair beneath a vent, climbed on it and pushed the vent into the ceiling above them.

He beckoned to her to join him on the chair, and she teetered on its edge. Encircling her waist with his strong hands, he hoisted her up and into the vent.

He whispered, “Crawl to your right until you get to a dead end. I’ll be right behind you.”

Turning toward the blackness, she heard him scramble into the vent after her. She began crawling, her breath puffing out in short spurts, scattering the cobwebs tickling her face. The dark enclosure suffocated her, but she kept moving, afraid if she stopped, she’d die. Her head hit a wall. She gulped once, twice, to swallow the scream barreling its way up her throat.

Justin crowded in close to her, sweat dripping from his face. His hot breath, smelling of cool spearmint, bathed her cheek. He lifted out another vent and lowered himself through the square hole. As he disappeared, waves of panic engulfed her until she saw his face peering up at her.

He said, “Come down.”

She sat down on the edge of the hole and dangled her legs through the opening. Fear drummed against her temples until Justin wrapped his arms around her thighs. She slid down the rest of the way, and he held her close for just a moment. Could she stay here…forever? His heart thudded against her chest, willing her own skittering heart to mimic its steady beat.

His lips brushing her ear, he said, “We’re in a closet in the entryway. The front door is right outside. Do what I say. Once I open the front door, crouch down as far as you can and follow me out to the car. Don’t look up, don’t stop. The keys are in the ignition. If I don’t make it…”

Her strangled cry stopped him. He moved his hands up her arms to cup her face and swept the rough pad of his thumb across her lips. He dropped one hand and dug into his pocket. “If I don’t make it, call the number on this card and ask for Leo Caine.” He nudged the card into her stiff, damp hand.

Wrapping his finger around one of her curls, he bent over and pulled her face toward his, his lips brushing hers. “You can do it, Lila.”

Couldn’t they just stay in this closet and finish the kiss? All too soon, he released her, prepared his weapon and eased the closet door open. She peered out from behind his broad back. No one in the entryway. Two steps put them at the front door.

Pushing it open, he glanced back at her. “Let’s go.”

He hunched forward, folding his tall frame almost in half. She followed, her eyes darting around the perimeter of the compound.

The first shot split the hot desert air.

Following orders, she didn’t look up.

Justin moved faster, not bothering to return fire. Another shot. He dropped.

She stumbled over him. Just a few feet ahead, the car beckoned, promising safety.

Shoving her forward, he yelled, “Go.”

She took a few steps and then turned to see him gripping his leg, blood flowing between his fingers. “You’re hurt.”

He shouted, “Go, I can’t get up. It’s my leg.”

She charged back, stooping over and hooking him under the arms. “Move, damn you. You can’t leave me now.”

She felt a surge of power jolt his body as he staggered onto his good leg. She yanked open the door on the side away from the gunfire and pushed him into the car. He slumped against the seat, still holding his leg, and she scrambled over him to the driver’s seat.

A bullet smacked behind them, and a spiderweb of shattered glass spread across the back window. She punched the truck forward.

Speeding toward the closed gate, she screamed, “The gate. How do I open the gate?”

He responded through clenched teeth. “Push the red button.”

She pounded the button with her fist and the gates rolled open. The truck squealed through and raced back toward Highway 62. Away from the compound. Away from terror. Toward the unknown.

For several miles, ragged breathing and choked sobs filled the car until Justin swore softly and bent forward.

Lila glanced over, her eyes dropping to his thigh. Blood oozed through ripped denim. “Is it bad?”

He grimaced before answering. “It’s not too bad. Grazed me. Bullet didn’t go in.”

He peeled his T-shirt off his back and wound it around his leg.

Lila frowned. “You’re going to need better treatment than that.”

His lips tight, outlined in white, he pressed down on the makeshift bandage with two hands. “Can’t go to a doctor. I have a first aid-kit in the truck bed.”

Watching the blood seep through his T-shirt, she asked, “What just happened back there? How’d you know?”

Leaning back, he closed his eyes. “I heard some noises. A silencer.”

She stared hard at the road. “Who was it? Weren’t there just the seven of us at the compound?”

Feeling him tense beside her, she glanced over at him. He seemed chiseled in stone, his face etched into hard lines, the muscles in his bare chest and belly tight.

He grunted and answered, “That’s what worries me.”

“Y-you mean…?”

“I mean, it looks like an inside job. Dig into my pocket and get my phone for me.”

He shifted his hip so she could reach his front pocket. Keeping her eyes on the highway, her fingers skimmed the smooth skin above the waistband of his jeans, dancing over his hipbone to reach his pocket. The heat of her blood owed nothing to the ball of fire dropping into the desert. The warmth suffused her cheeks as she handed him the phone. If he noticed her blush, he gave no sign. Of course not, the man had the emotions of a robot.

He punched a few keys to speed dial a number and barked into the phone, “Leo, it’s Justin.” Pause. “Cut the code-name crap. The compound’s been hit.”

Lila heard only his side of the conversation, but it didn’t seem to be going well. When he finished, he dropped the phone and clamped down on his thigh with both hands again. He glared in front of him, his eyebrows drawn together.

She licked her lips. “Is there a problem?”