Katie Reus - Targeted

When they finally neared their destination, he didn’t let his guard down but allowed a sliver of relief to slide through him. The expansive parking lot was nearly empty as he drove across it toward a bundle of empty warehouses perched on Biscayne Bay. He’d parked another vehicle roughly a mile away in a grocery store parking lot, but just in case they were being tracked, he didn’t want to lead anyone directly to his backup.

“What is this place?” Sophie finally said as she slowly pulled out the pepper spray from her pocket.

He’d parked in between two unused warehouses he’d scouted out earlier. Bayside Marketplace wasn’t that far from where they were—hell, he could actually see Port Boulevard Bridge jutting over Biscayne Bay—but for how quiet and desolate the area seemed, they might as well be a thousand miles away. He glanced at her hand and shook his head.

“You can keep that if it makes you feel better, but you don’t need it against me. In fact . . .” Jack reached down and lifted up his pant leg. He handed her a simple revolver. “Take this. There’s no safety and you don’t have to pull back the hammer. It’ll make for a smoother shot if you do, but it’s not necessary. All you have to do is pull the trigger.”

Swallowing hard, she eyed him with surprise. But she didn’t hesitate to take the weapon. “Why are you giving this to me?”

“Because I don’t like that fucking fear I see in your eyes when I’d never hurt you,” he snapped, losing his tight control for a moment.

Her eyes widened, but she still held the weapon in her lap. At least it was turned away from him. “You still haven’t told me where we are.”

“Just somewhere to ditch this vehicle.” He pulled out another weapon from under his seat. Jack was all about backups. He needed to call Wesley to have someone pick up the SUV and sanitize it, but now his only priority was getting Sophie to safety.

After popping the locks he gave a cursory glance over his shoulder, then froze. There was a black Humvee gunning right for them. With a warehouse on either side, they had nowhere to go. Making a split-second decision, he pressed the button to open the sunroof. He’d been in worse circumstances, but having Sophie with him now made his heart beat just a little faster.

Sophie looked back at him. Her mouth dropped open, but before she could ask any questions, he pointed up. “These guys are going to ram us and there’s nothing we can do. As soon as we hit the water, you’re going to clear the sunroof.”

“What? What about you?” Panic laced her voice as she tucked the revolver into the waist of her skirt.

“Sophie!” he shouted, needing her to listen, needing to get through her adrenaline-jagged brain. They only had seconds now. In his periphery vision he could see the black vehicle closing in on them. Instinctively he tensed, bracing for the impact. This was gonna hurt like hell. He prayed Sophie wouldn’t be injured too badly to escape. He’d disabled the airbags—as he always did—in the SUV so at least they wouldn’t suffer under that impact. “Promise you’ll climb out the sunroof. I’ll be behind you, but I can’t worry about you while trying to save myself.”

Eyes wide, she nodded and slipped her heels off the moment before the impact. She still had her purse slung across her body like a satchel. He wanted to tell her to lose it, but there was no time.

A jarring crunch wrenched through the vehicle. Sophie let out a little scream as her body slammed forward, but she held on tight as they were propelled toward the water.

“Why aren’t you shooting at them?” she shouted as the Humvee driver gunned the engine once more, shoving them inexorably toward the small pillars that wouldn’t stand a chance under the force of the two vehicles. She quickly jerked the purse off, but snagged her wallet from it as she tossed it to the floorboards. Shoving the thin wallet down her shirt, she looked over her shoulder again, fear clouding her eyes.

He ignored her question. “We’re going to go over in a second. Through the sunroof, then swim east. Swim as hard as you can until you find cover! Don’t surface until you’re safe!” There was a lip that curved over where the string of warehouses sat. They had to reach it.

The SUV jerked forward again and the scent of burning rubber filled the air as they teetered and plunged over the edge.

Grabbing her waist, he unceremoniously shoved her upward as they hit the water. She’d have seconds before the water rushed through the opening. Then they’d be trapped until the water pressure had equalized enough for them to swim out. Jack wasn’t waiting.

Sophie let out a yelp as he kept pushing at her, but eventually her feet cleared the opening. Frigid water gushed over him in a powerful torrent, so he clutched the armrest and held his breath as the vehicle filled and the coolness submerged his body. He could hold his breath for five minutes, and he knew it wouldn’t take that long.

In the back of his mind, fear clawed at him at the thought of whoever had rammed them into the water hurting Sophie while he was trapped here, but he could only focus on one problem at a time. He’d gotten her clear of the immediate danger. The SUV rapidly filled up and he hit the bottom of the bay floor—he guessed it was maybe nine or ten feet down. Finally the interior water pressure stabilized. Weapon in hand, he blinked a few times as he swam through the sunroof. The salty water stung his eyes, but the visibility was decent. At least it was murky enough that he couldn’t see the surface clearly, which meant whoever had rammed them couldn’t see him either.

As his head cleared the opening, he nearly jerked back at the sight of Sophie swimming toward him. She grabbed his hand and pointed frantically in the direction of the warehouse. The knowledge that she’d come back for him slammed into his chest, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it. Maybe he never would.

He pushed free of the SUV and began swimming toward the warehouse. She let his hand drop and swam in short, surprisingly powerful strokes away from him. Her sleek legs kicked furiously as she kept pace with him. When she started ascending, he followed. It was dark above them, with very little sunlight pouring through the water. Weapon raised, he was ready to defend them, but they were under the protective lip.

Adrenaline punched through him as muted male voices above them talked in rapid-fire Spanish. He spoke many languages. Spanish wasn’t one of them. He might not know what they were saying, but he did know that he and Sophie needed to get the hell out of there.

Sophie’s face was pale and her teeth were chattering as she quietly treaded the icy water. A shot sounded above them as someone fired into the water where the SUV had plunged in. Her entire body jerked at the sound, but she didn’t let out a peep. Reaching for her, Jack wrapped an arm around Sophie’s waist and tugged her close. To his surprise, she curved into him, wrapping her arms and legs around him. He tried to ignore the way his entire body reacted to the familiar feel of her slim body molded to him like a second skin, but a certain part of his anatomy wouldn’t listen. Later he’d blame it on adrenaline.

“Hold on to me. I’m going to swim us until this cover ends. They won’t be able to follow,” he whispered against her ear so quietly he wasn’t sure she’d heard.

Until she nodded and tightened her grip on him. Her breasts pressed up against his chest, torturing him. After tucking his gun in his shoulder holster with his free hand, he slowly and quietly made his way along the length of the wall. Water lapped at them, splashing their faces and covering their movements. Sophie was quiet, if shaky, as he moved through the water. Once they passed under one of the warehouses, he felt a modicum of relief.