Page 96 of Her Fearless Warrior

She flung her arms around his neck. And pressed kisses all along his jaw and neck until he bent down and she could kiss his lips.

Roscoe bounded back to them. He definitely wanted to be next to the happy people.

Leila was shaking. She was so happy.

Linc pushed the hair off her face and gave her a tender kiss. “We are definitely not staying in the room with the creaky bed tonight. I’m finding us a hotel.”

She grinned.

Roscoe jumped up on them.

“He really wants in on the action.” Leila grinned as she bent down and rubbed him all over. He bounded up to his house and pushed at the closed sliding glass door, then he whined.

The door opened, and Roscoe bounded inside. Then he let out a sharp yelp before going silent.

Leila ran up to the door, wanting to know what was wrong.

“Stop,” Linc yelled.

Leila got to the door just a hair faster than Linc, who stayed behind her.

Inside, she saw Mr. and Mrs. Murphy duct-taped to their dining room chairs.

“This is so convenient,” Vugar said as Leila stared at the scared eyes of her neighbors above their duct-taped mouths. “I thought I was going to have to call you to come over, but instead you come to me, like some sort of present. Thank you, Leila.”

She looked down and saw that Roscoe was on his side, breathing rapidly. “What did you do to Roscoe?”

“I kicked him. Now just give me what I want and I won’t bother you again.”

* * *

“You lie. You’ll kill us all,” Leila said calmly.

Vugar smiled. “Maybe,” he agreed. “Guards, seize their weapons,” Vugar demanded.

Two guys dressed in black grabbed both of their guns and Linc’s knife, but not Leila’s.

“Come out from hiding behind your girlfriend, Mr. Hart.”

Linc didn’t. Instead, he grabbed the knife from the sheath at Leila’s waist.

“The boss said to quit hiding,” one of the guards said as he pushed Linc next to Leila.

“Keep your hands off him,” Leila said sharply. “I’ll tell you everything I know, which includes where the nukes are coming from. That way you can bypass the middleman.”

Linc saw Vugar’s eyes gleam.

“How soon can I get them?”

“According to what I’ve learned, you could probably have them in your hands next week.” Leila shrugged. “Let everybody else go. It’s me you want.”

“They’re my leverage that you will tell me the truth.”

“The man behind me is your leverage. I love him. Let the Murphys go.” Linc watched Vugar considering it. “They’re just going to be an inconvenience,” she prompted.

“I could kill them now,” Vugar said.

“Like you did your brother? Look what a bind that got you in. I’m pretty stubborn, if you remember. You kill my friends and you’ll never get the information you want from me.”