Barb Han - Texas Takedown

Dodging in and out of the human obstacle course, she ran harder as panic mounted. An icy grip around her rib cage squeezed. Where was Dylan?

She couldn’t even think of anything happening to him. His little girl needed him.

The sound of shots fired made her knees wobble and the crowds scatter. She steadied herself and charged ahead, fighting the urge to look back, knowing that losing a precious second of advantage could cost her her life.

Where was he?

The absence of those intense green eyes on her was like being thrust into darkness. She’d do almost anything to see him again, to know he was okay. The only reason she missed him was because she hurt for his little girl, she tried to convince herself. Samantha knew what it was like to lose a parent. It had nothing to do with the fact that he’d become her lifeline in a matter of hours. Everything about his presence was soothing.

He’d risked his life to save her and she hadn’t had a chance to thank him yet.

The thought of doing any of this without him brought on deep physical pain. She told herself it was because of his professional skills and not because of his strength or virility.

Except he had Maribel. And what if something happened to him?

Samantha would never forgive herself.

* * *

DYLAN PARKED THE CAR and ran. He’d given Samantha a three-minute head start. He ducked, narrowly avoiding the bullet that lodged into the brick two feet from his head. As far as good days went, barely escaping a head shot didn’t rack up as one of them. With so many innocent civilians around, he wouldn’t return fire and risk a stray bullet.

Zigzagging in and out of buildings, he cut left.

Samantha had no phone or GPS to guide her. She’d have to rely on the instructions he’d given her. Since she was in an understandably stressed-out state, he couldn’t count on that happening.

Risking a glance behind, he caught sight of two men following him. Neither broke off in Samantha’s direction. That was a win. Now all he had to do was shake them. Her theory of this being carried out by Thomas Kramer disintegrated. He’d worked alone, and whoever was behind this had resources.

Dylan pushed his legs harder, faster. The guys behind him were already showing signs of fatigue.

Good.

As long as he kept his pace, he could outrun them. Ducking in between houses, he circled back. Samantha should be long gone, but if she was in trouble, he hoped he’d get there in time.

The whop-whop-whop of a chopper sounded overhead; no doubt shots being fired had drawn police attention. He slid underneath a Suburban and waited.

After sixty seconds, the chopper noise faded.

Glancing around, he noted that the coast seemed clear of foot traffic, too.

As he slid out from underneath the SUV, a blow to the head came out of nowhere. Dylan stumbled forward, checking his balance by grabbing the SUV. Without turning, he dropped to a squat and, with one leg extended, swept behind him.

The contact was followed by a clunk , confirming a direct hit.

Pivoting, Dylan covered the guy who’d hit him with a quick jab and then ran. He needed to locate Samantha. He could only pray that his diversion tactic had worked. He’d promised to protect her. The thought of her being vulnerable was a sucker punch to his gut. He told himself it was because she was counting on him and he didn’t want to let her down, and that it had nothing to do with the electricity humming inside him when she was near.

He blocked the image of her lying in the alley somewhere, hurt, out of his mind.

Focusing on their next steps, he decided his first action would be to change their appearances. The hideout would most likely have a much-needed change of clothes. He hoped she’d be there. Dylan covered the few blocks quickly.

The key was with Big Mike, just as Brody had said.

“I let in a lady several minutes ago,” Big Mike said. “Said her name was Samantha. She looked scared of her own shadow.”

After a heartfelt handshake and a thank-you, Dylan headed around back and climbed up the wooden staircase.

He slipped through the back door and waited.

“Samantha,” he whispered. There was no sound of her. With DEFCON silence, he crept through the small apartment. The living room and kitchen were clear. He moved to the bedroom next, careful not to make a noise. If she was there, she wasn’t giving away her position. Why did that make his chest swell with pride?

He pushed the thought out of his mind, reminding himself that women were good at hiding things when they wanted to be. All things done in darkness eventually came to light. What else was Samantha keeping from him?

Out of his peripheral vision, he saw movement to his left inside the closet. A curtain acted as a makeshift door.

Caution dictated that he make no assumptions. The person was most likely Samantha, but until he had a visual, he wouldn’t take it for granted. There was always the possibility that someone had gotten to her.

Damn.

Dylan took a step back.

The curtain burst open and Samantha sprang toward him. She landed with her body flush with his, and he tried not to think about how long it had been since a woman had been in his arms.

“Dylan. Thank God it’s you.” Shock was in her eyes and deeply written across the lines of her forehead. “I was so scared.”

“Of course it is,” he soothed.

She gulped in air and he could see her pulse racing wildly.

“I’m here now. Everything’s okay,” he said, holding her.

“They were so close and I heard the shot. Oh, God, I panicked.” She gulped another breath like a fish struggling out of water. “I—I—I didn’t know what to do, so I ran here as fast as I could.”

Another swallow of air.

She was about to hyperventilate.

Dylan could either slap her or kiss her to snap her back to reality. Since he’d never once lifted a hand to a woman and had no plans to start now, the choice was clear. He dipped his head low and pressed his lips against hers, half expecting another knee to his groin in return.

Shock registered when her lips moved against his and her fingers tunneled into his hair, deepening the kiss.

She pulled away first, pushing him back a step and glaring at him. “We need to figure this out.”

He threw his hands up in surrender. “I was just trying to calm you down. I’m here as your friend.”

It was a kiss he wouldn’t forget anytime soon but a line that should never have been crossed, no matter how many times he’d wanted to do that in high school. Since high school.

“You’d do well to remember that.” Her breathing had steadied, but she was angry. “We need a different plan. I can go to one of my brothers’ places. You can’t be involved.”

“I’m sorry for what I did just now, but I still want to help.”

Her head was already shaking. “Not a good idea. He was specific. I should’ve just gone to my brothers in the first place and not tried to figure this out on my own. Then, you wouldn’t be here.”

Dylan figured he’d led this guy straight to her. What happened earlier was on him. His ringtone broke through the awkward moment. He immediately answered when he saw Brody’s name, noticing that he had a missed call.

“There’s no good way to put this,” Brody started, and an ominous feeling rolled through Dylan.

“Just come out with it.” This wasn’t going to be good. Waiting never made it better.

A deep sigh came across the line. “I wanted to notify you before the Amber Alert was issued. Maribel is missing.”

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