Jodie Bailey - Crossfire

Andrea arched an eyebrow as her fear dissolved into fierce she-wolf protection. Specialist Cameron was one of her success stories, fighting his way out of a vicious cycle of PTSD-fueled alcohol addiction. The way he laughed so easily and carried himself with such dignity reminded her too much of Brendan, making her realize how much she had to make up for. No way was this street thug going to bully her into giving up confidential information on that kid.

She spaced her feet wider and squared her shoulders. If she got the man talking, maybe it would buy time to work her way around him to the door. “And you are?” From this angle, there was no view of the parking lot, but she desperately hoped someone driving by on Victory Drive would get a clue as to what was happening.

“You got a nice place here. Still smells a little like fresh paint sometimes, huh? You’ve been open here, what? Six months?” He stepped closer. “Shame if something should happen to this building if you don’t stop what you’re doing.”

Andrea’s knees weakened. She gripped the edge of the desk. “What’s that supposed to mean? Who are you?” Only God could have gotten those words out of her mouth without them trembling.

“Just admiring your pretty building. And its...interesting location. Now...” He took one more step toward Andrea as she held her ground. “I am here to find my friend and to get a look at his file.” The man’s voice dropped as his jaw hardened. “If that’s not asking too much of you. If it is, you can step out of the way and let me find it myself. Or I can move you. You can choose.”

Without taking the time for her mind to process the action, Andrea reached behind her, jammed the lock, and yanked the office door shut as the man lunged. In less than a blink, his body thudded into the heavy wooden door as she sidestepped around him, adrenaline charging through her on electric rails.

She lunged for the front door and the relative safety of the parking lot. Just as her fingertips made contact with the glass, a corded arm snapped around her waist and jerked her back, lifting her feet from the floor.

“Very, very bad idea, Doc.” The voice rumbled against her ear and washed cold fear down her spine. “I want the kid. And if you can’t give me the kid, I want his file, because I need what’s in it. And if you can’t give me that, then you can come with me and tell me everything you know. As far as I’m concerned, that’s the easiest way to solve two very big problems.” He yanked her tighter against his chest. “Sound like a good plan to you?”

No. She struggled against the weight that held her back, clawed at the sleeves of his shirt, kicked at the air. Her mind searched her old army training for a way out. He held her too tight for an elbow to the ribs, too high for a heel to the instep. In a feat of sheer muscle memory, she jerked her head back as hard as she could and connected with the soft tissue of his nose.

Her attacker roared, and his grip loosened enough for her to break free and drop to the floor. Her knees and hands struggled for grip on the ancient tile.

His hands clamped around her ankle as her fingertips brushed the door and jerked her away from the only chance she had at freedom. Andrea scratched at the gray tile, clawing for traction, her fingernails catching a rough edge and ripping off. This would not be her end, on the floor of her own lobby. With a silent prayer and the last of her energy, she threw herself onto her back, her ankle twisting in her attacker’s grip, and kicked her free foot straight up.

The sound of teeth crunching together echoed through the room as her heel connected with the stranger’s chin and drove his head back.

He staggered back, hands covering his face, teetering as though he might fall.

Andrea skittered across the floor and half rose in a backward drive for freedom.

With a howl that should have shaken the windows, the man ripped his hands from his face, blood slinging across the floor, and roared toward her again, his eyes glinting black murder.

As his fingers grasped her forearm and jerked her forward in a grip that felt like iron, the door opened and Andrea struggled for footing. As she did, a solid object crashed into the back of her shoulders, doubling her over as a second attacker rammed into her, knocking her onto her face.

There was a crash, a grunt and the sounds of fists on flesh. A swift kick jolted her thigh, as someone vaulted over her and out the door, then there was only silence, save the heavy breathing of the one man left in the lobby.

Andrea pushed to her hands and knees as fast as her shaking limbs would allow. Dragging in what might be her last breath, she steeled herself and prepared to go down fighting.

* * *

First Sergeant Josh Walker scrambled up, his first instinct to aid the woman on the floor, but he had to catch the man who had done this to her. He charged out the door in time to watch a burgundy sedan rocket out of the parking lot in a spray of dust and tire smoke. A groan roiled in the back of his throat as he balled his fists in frustration. The car was definitely a Chevy, but it was too far away to get the license plate. There was no way the police would arrive on the scene before that clown blended in with the end-of-duty-day traffic on Victory Drive.

The soft scrape of the door opening behind him pulled him to more immediate concerns. The woman. In the lobby. Nausea coiled in his stomach and looped through the familiar burn of condemnation. He’d chased off her attacker but had failed to catch him. He never seemed to quite follow through.

Josh pivoted and drew back as the woman’s fist rocketed toward his head. He ducked to one side, but his awkward stance kept him from moving fast enough. The solid blow caught him square on his cheekbone, shooting stars through his field of vision. A series of rapid blinks cleared his eyesight in time to watch her rear back for round two.

Steadying himself on the door frame, he caught her fist with his free hand, squeezing a little tighter than he would have if she hadn’t just coldcocked him. “Hey, hey. I’m the good guy. I promise.” Leftover adrenaline edged his words and clouded his vision.

She jerked her arm to free herself from his grip, and he eased up a little, recognizing the fringes of hysteria in her green eyes. “Look at me.” He dropped his voice to what he hoped was a soothing whisper, the one that used to work on his black lab during rocking thunderstorms. “Look at me. You’re safe.”

Her attention finally focused on him and, as the energy dissipated, he relaxed his hold on her hand only to tighten it again in a jolt of recognition. Andrea Donovan? The world couldn’t possibly be that small.

The way her jaw slackened spoke more than words. It was her. And what was more amazing...she recognized him, too.

“Josh Walker?” His name rode an exhale barely above a whisper, one that held as much incredulity as he felt.

Josh nodded once, his voice free-falling to the pit of his stomach. It was ridiculous he hadn’t recognized her sooner. It couldn’t be possible that the last time he’d laid eyes on Andrea had been right out of high school. Too many years ago. He should do now what he’d been so tempted to do then, pull her close and shield her from the pain that tried to beat its way into her life.

With a deep sigh and a shake of her head, Andrea extricated herself from his grip and stepped back. She winced and stumbled as her weight shifted to her right foot.

Josh reached out and grasped the arms of the woman he had tried so often to forget, keeping her from slumping to the floor. Shoving his shock aside, he focused on the task at hand. Blending the past with the present was more than his brain could handle at this point. “Take it easy. You took a pretty vicious twist when you whipped around on him. Nice blow to the jaw, by the way.” His lip curved into a wry smile. “His, not mine.” When she didn’t respond, his practiced eyes took in her pale face and tight lips. “You okay?”