Barb Han - Hard Target

He finished chewing his bite of hamburger and swallowed before he set his food on the wrapper and used a napkin to clean his hands.

“My name is Reed, and you have my word.” He stuck his hand out between them.

She took it, knowing she shouldn’t. There was no way he could guarantee her safety. The instant they’d made contact, a spark ran between them. She didn’t withdraw her hand. Neither did he.

Their eyes locked, and she felt another jolt. An underlying sexual current simmered between them, which was shocking given what she’d been through. He was the first person in ages who’d expressed interest in helping and protecting her, she reasoned, and it felt nice to have that.

Under different circumstances, she might enjoy the spark. Not now. All she could think about was getting out of this mess and going into hiding.

Another thing was certain. By the set of his jaw, she could tell that Reed Campbell meant what he said. No doubt about it. Could he deliver against a rebel faction that could have law enforcement officers bought and paid for?

He looked like the kind of man who, once he gave his word, would die trying to deliver on his commitments. And something about the depths of his eyes had her wanting to move a little closer toward his strength, his light.

All her danger signals flared.

Getting too close to a man who could have her locked up was a bad idea, no matter how much honesty radiated from his brown eyes.

His cell buzzed, and she pulled her hand back, breaking their grasp.

A half-eaten burger sat on his knee on top of the wrapper. He answered the call, keeping his gaze on her.

Was he afraid she’d take off? He had to know she’d scatter like a squirrel at one loud noise.

At six-two with muscles for days, he must realize he could be physically intimidating. Was that why he seemed to make so much of an effort to keep her calm?

Against her better judgment, it was working. She felt a sense of being protected with him near. A luxury she couldn’t afford.

“Uh-huh, I have her right here,” he said. His gaze narrowed.

Trouble?

“Thanks, but I’ve got this one.”

Was someone offering to take her off his hands? This seemed out of the blue. No way could it be standard procedure.

A shudder of fear roared through her. She folded her arms to stave off the chill skittering across her skin.

“No, I’m sure.” He shook his head as if for emphasis. “We’re heading northbound on I-45. Why?”

Emily’s chest squeezed, and she knew something was wrong. Agent Campbell gave the person on the phone the wrong location. Why would he do that?

“Will do.” Agent Campbell ended his call.

“Who was that?”

He sat looking dumbfounded for a second. “That was odd. Agent Stephen Taylor volunteered to meet me and take you off my hands. Said he was headed in and it wouldn’t be any trouble to take you along with him.”

“I don’t know this area at all, but we’re sitting in a parking lot, and you told him we were on the highway. Why?”

Using the paper wrap, he wadded up the few bites of hamburger he had left and tossed it in the bag. “That call doesn’t sit right. Something’s off.”

Emily gasped. “That can’t be normal.”

“Nope. Never happened to me before in six years of service.” He checked his rearview mirror.

The last thing Emily wanted to do was tell the agent more about what had happened to her. In fact, she’d like to be able to forget it altogether. But both of their lives were in danger now, and he deserved to know the risk he was taking. “There was a man back in Mexico. They called him Dueño. He promised to...”

Saying the words out loud proved harder than she expected. Tears pricked the backs of her eyes.

Gray clouds rolled in from the coast as the winds picked up speed.

The agent sat quietly, hands resting on the steering wheel, giving her the space she needed to find the courage to tell him the rest.

“To find me no matter what. I know he has law enforcement on his payroll. I overheard them talking about it.”

Agent Campbell started the ignition, and eased the Jeep into traffic. “They give any names?”

His rich timbre was laced with anger. She could imagine how an honest man like him would take it personally if one of his own was on the take. “No. All I knew was that once I got away from him, I had to disappear. I couldn’t trust law enforcement or anyone else. That’s why I can’t let you take me in. I’m begging you to let me go.”

Thunder rumbled in the distance.

“Hate to believe agents are on the take.” He looked to be searching his memory as he narrowed his gaze onto the stretch of road in front of them. He muttered a string of curse words. “There have been a few articles in the paper hinting at the possibility. The department issued a warning. We’d picked up a few bad eggs during a hiring surge, but we’ve been assured they were weeded out.”

“You take me in and he’ll get to me. He has people on the inside. I can identify him and testify. They’ll kill me.”

“Slow down. I’m not going to let that happen. We can figure this out.”

“They won’t stop until they find me.”

“Which is why it’s a bad idea for me to let you go. At least while you’re with me, I can protect you.”

“Can’t you tell your department you let me go?”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because you have to. I know what they wanted when they targeted me. There’s a fortune on the line.”

“Hold on a sec. You led me to believe this was random,” he said. His eyes flashed anger.

“I’m sorry. I lied. I wasn’t sure if I could trust you before.” She had to now.

His grip on the steering wheel tightened. His gaze intensified. “What else?”

“They wanted my passwords. I work at a computer company. We keep account information secure for big banking institutions. I’m sure they planned on moving money.”

“Cybercrime can be harder to track if they know what they’re doing. Why didn’t you just give them the passwords and save yourself?”

She deadpanned him. “I figured they’d kill me either way. Even so, I couldn’t give them passwords if I’d wanted to. I always change them before I leave for vacation. I didn’t have my new ones memorized.”

“He beat you because he didn’t believe you.”

“Not for a second.”

“I’m assuming you have your codes written down somewhere?”

She nodded. A thought struck her. “What if they get to my place and find them? I’m sure they knew where I lived.”

Agent Campbell’s cell buzzed again. He put on his turn signal, moved into the left turn lane and then shot a glance at her before answering. He turned on his hazard lights, even though there were no cars coming.

Thunder rumbled louder. A storm was coming.

“Yes, sir, I heard from the agent.”

There was a long pause.

“No, I didn’t turn over the witness. I can run her in to make a statement.”

Emily slipped her hand as close to the seat belt release button as she could without drawing attention. Her pulse kicked up a notch.

A light rain started, nothing more than a spring shower. The glorious liquid spotted the windshield.

She had enough sustenance in her to manage a good sprint. Would it be enough to get away? Her feet still ached and her head pounded. A good night of sleep, some medicine, and she’d recover. But would her body give her what she needed to get away now?

Possibilities clicked through her mind.

If she made a run for it, could she disappear in the neighboring subdivision? Maybe hide in a parked car?

The capable agent in the seat next to her would catch her. His muscled thighs said he could outrun her if he needed to. One look at the ripple of muscles underneath his shirtsleeve said he was much stronger than she.