Page 55 of Destroyed With You

“I haven’t had to do something like that in a very long time.”

We grin at each other, both breathing hard, and right then, all I want to do is kiss him. I don’t—crazed killers in a BMW could turn up at any moment. But I definitely bank the thought as a future plan.

I start the car, put it in gear, and pull out onto the road. “Where to?”

“Back toward Austin for now,” he says. “We need to find a place to hole up, and then figure out if there’s a way to break into that damn laptop without the biometrics.”

“Actually,” I say, “we need to pool our resources and see if either of us has a contact who can manufacture fake biometrics. Or a fingerprint, anyway.”

For a moment, he just stares at me. “Wallet, can, magazine. You were gathering fingerprints.”

I nod, pleased with myself for thinking of it, and with him for being up to speed.

“Excellent. You drive. I’ll call Noah.”

“Noah?”

“Tech genius. He’s how I listened in on your conversation with Bartlett.”

“You trust him?”

“I do. But, full disclosure. He’s done some work with the SOC.”

I draw in a breath, knowing that a smarter agent would say no. Because there is no way to guarantee this guy is safe. But maybe I’m not as smart as I used to be, because I nod and tell Winston that if he trusts Noah to keep it to himself, then I’m okay with him calling.

Besides, it’s not as if we have other options.

“Fast food,” I say.

“What?”

“We’ll meet him in a parking lot,” I clarify. “Whoever’s looking for us won’t expect to find us there, and if they do find us, we’ll be close enough to a highway or at least a major road to make serious tracks. Plus, I’m hungry.”

“Good plan.”

“And I think you should ask Noah to bring a car for us. He can either call an Uber to get back or he could take this car. I think he’d be better off with the ride share, though.”

“Agreed.”

Soon enough, Winston maps the way to a nearby McDonald’s, and we’re heading that direction. He texts Noah as well, who replies that he’ll meet us there soon. Since we’re out in the country, and he’s still in the city, we beat him to the restaurant. We order from the drive through, then head to the back of the parking lot where we wait, me fidgety in my seat.

“Have you noticed that neither Seagrave nor Collins has called to check in with us?” I ask.

“What are you saying?”

I shrug. “I’m not sure, really. Just that we haven’t updated either of them after Bartlett’s supposed no-show. Shouldn’t each of them be wondering if they have an agent down?”

He studies my face, then reaches for one of my French fries since he’s already finished his order. After a moment, he nods. “They both trust us to do the job, so it could be that they’re leaving us alone to do it. It could also be that they know that we’re onto them. Whichever one of them is bad.” He meets my eyes. “Or both of them, working together.”

“That’s a horrible thought,” I say. Beside me, he nods. Then he reaches across the car and holds my hand. That simple touch sends shocks running through my body, and I wish we were alone in a room, naked and wild and able to burn off some of this frantic fear and energy.

“You’re not alone,” Winston says, and for a moment I think he’s talking about my sexual fantasies. “We’re in this together.”

“Right.” I hope I’m not blushing. I’m debating the wisdom of kissing him when his phone dings, signaling that Noah has entered the parking lot.

At Winston’s nod, I flash the lights. He’s brought us a Land Rover, and he pulls into the space beside us, then moves into the Toyota’s back seat, frowning at the scattered glass.

“Just a day in the life,” Winston says, and we all laugh.