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Closing the lid, he gently clutched her shoulders and turned her to the passenger side of the truck. He opened the door and helped her inside. "Buckle up."
She watched him walk in front of the truck and admired his strength. If she were honest with herself, she was grateful for it now. But she'd be careful not to rely on him too much. She'd need to keep her distance, so she didn't fall for him. That wouldn't do; then he'd go away for sure.
"You're safe now, Megan. Marcus may follow us for a while, but we'll make sure he's waylaid soon enough and unable to follow. Okay?"
True to his word, about twenty miles from town, Ford called someone and told them where they were and gave them a description of Marcus' car. It wasn't more than five minutes later, and a cop pulled onto the highway behind Marcus and turned on the lights. She watched this mostly from the side mirror just outside of her window. Seeing Marcus pull over to the curb, she twisted in the seat and glanced out the back window. Holy hell!
Turning forward, she looked at the side of Ford's face, the hint of a smile on his lips. "We're safe now." His sexy voice floated over her, and she had the weirdest sensation of a warm blanket wrapping itself around her.
"How did you do that?"
His smile grew into a stunning transformation of his face for the second time today. Wow!
"I know people."
"Right. But how powerful are these people?"
He gave her a sidelong glance and chills ran through her. Had she mentioned that she thought he was handsome? The realization of all that was him, sitting this close to her and those looks she swore she saw him give her, sent a thrill through her.
"My years as a bounty hunter have put me in touch with many people in law enforcement, so you decide how powerful they are." He turned back to watching the road, but often glanced in the rearview mirror. After a mile or so, he continued, "Besides, asking someone to stop a known associate with a drug cartel isn't calling in a huge favor." He smiled, though it was fleeting. She settled into the seat and watched the scenery fly past the window, the sun shining high in the May sky. Her thoughts ran through her mind faster than the trees and buildings outside the truck.
Ford leaned forward and turned the radio on. "What do you like to listen to?"
Her head still resting on the headrest, she rolled to face him. "Anything Bob Seger or classic rock and some of the newer country. What do you like to listen to?"
"About the same. Throw in some AC/DC and a bit of Zeppelin, and I'm a happy man."
"Seems like we're well matched."
The glance he gave her settled low in her core. She watched his jaw tighten and his Adam's apple bob but tried not to think of what any of that meant. She shouldn't have said that but trying to backtrack now seemed stupid and maybe insulting, so she opted to be quiet.
Calculating the distance they'd traveled and the total trip, she figured they were within twenty miles of their destination. He'd said ninety miles. Nerves began tightening in her gut, and her breathing grew shallow. Maybe she was making a mistake; she didn't know him at all. As she now sat thinking about it, she'd agreed to come with him because she didn't think she had any other choice; yes, she oddly felt safe with him, but now she realized they'd be in a house where no one would know where to find her, and he seemed to just control everything about the situation. What if this was some crazy master plan? He could be anyone at all, and she'd done nothing to research anything about him.
Her fingers twisted painfully in her lap. Her breathing shallowed and she fought the panic by swallowing rapidly. Her purse was in the box of the truck, so she had no money save for her tips from yesterday, which was a good day, but, still … And for that matter, her phone was back there too.
"What's making you panic right now?"
"Nothing."
"Clearly not nothing. So, let's talk it out."
She swallowed again, looked out the side window and softly stated, "I don't know you or anything about you."
"Hm." He navigated a turn off the highway and reset the cruise. "Not much to tell, really. I lost my parents four years ago. My family wants justice for them, and so do I."
"But that doesn't tell me much. I mean, it does, but why are you helpingme?"
That was the real question. It simply made no sense that a stranger would care about her or her situation. She had only had one interaction with him before the fire, and now suddenly, he was spiriting her away to safety.
"You're all alone. You're in trouble. You need someone to help you."
Twisting in her seat, she looked at his face. The sun streaming in through the window highlighted his eyes. The blackness took on a whole new look in the light. Not so dark and mysterious but shiny and … beautiful. He had thick lashes and a strong, firm jawline. His classic nose and cheekbones showed great bone structure. From her nurse’s perspective, he was healthy and strong. A great specimen to mate with and bare children; that is, if she were looking.
"Right. But why do you feel compelled to be the person to help me?"
Chapter11
Wasn't that the million-dollar question?
