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How do I tell him that wasn't the plan? I don't. Keep looking. It has to be here.
"I need a few minutes," she said, digging her hands into another box.
"We don't have a few minutes," Strap growled at her. "We havetwo. We need to go now."
She shook her head, continuing to dig. Strap slid whatever he’d found into her bag, but she didn't bother with it. She kept looking for the Saliera.
"Hey. Stick to what we are here for. Don't get greedy."
Her fingers brushed away packing paper to reveal the gaudy, two-headed salt-and-pepper shaker created in 1540 for the current king of France. Damn, it was more impressive than she thought. This thing would bring in millions on the black market.
She slipped it into her backpack as Strap yanked her back.
The vehicle came to a stop which meant they were out of time. This was the stop before the main open road.
The truck jerked forward, shifting into first gear, and both lost their balance. Cargo swayed and tilted, and Strap's grip on her slipped away.
She stumbled backward, slamming into the back doors along with several heavy crates. One door swung open, and crates scooted out, smashing onto the road. The security car behind them came to a screeching halt, sliding sideways.
Her stomach flipped as the semi jerked again. Stacked boxes and a couple easels fell on her, pushing her into the closed door that jolted and then broke free. Mickey scrambled to grab onto anything she could to keep from falling out as the truck gained speed, the driver obviously not aware of the situation.
Her fingers wrapped around a bar on the inside of the door as it swung wide, flinging her into the air and slamming her against the side of the metal trailer. Her stomach flipped as the air in her lungs was knocked out of her.
"Mickey!" Strap screamed her name, but she could only hold tighter onto the door, unable to talk or breathe.
The semi continued to gain speed, whipping her hair around and stinging her face. Sweat formed, and her fingers cramped.
She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting this to be how she died. She hadn’t finished her short life’s ultimate purpose yet.
NINE
STRAP
Strap’s heart dropped at the sight of his mate being flung against the trailer door like a ragdoll. Instinctively he lurched forward to save her, but the packed cargo slammed into him, knocking him farther away and trapping him on the floor.
His eyes flicked between her hopelessly holding onto the handle and the vehicles on the road roaring closer to them. She was about ten seconds from getting crushed, and he would be damned if he just watched it happen helplessly.
Strap did the only thing he could think of.
Taking a leap of faith, he jumped out of the truck’s back opening and into the air. Shifting into his condor form, he pushed himself higher, barely missing the cars behind the truck. Those people just got a show of a lifetime.
He pulled a tight turn in the sky and circled back, diving straight for his mate.
Waiting for the right opportunity, Strap kicked his talons forward, snatching Mickey around her ribs and hauling her away from the truck. Mickey let out a scream and stared down at the mess on the roadway.
Holding on tightly to his mate's body, he made his way back to the car. All around them were trees and woods. Swooping down to the rendezvous spot, he laid her on a nearby patch of grass.
Strap was pissed. All of his anxiety and adrenaline for saving her quickly melted into anger. He landed a few feet away and shifted back into his human form, uncaring about the crunch of leaves and the snap of twigs under his bare feet.
“What the fuck was that?” His voice boomed, arms crossing and uncrossing as he paced back and forth. Deep underneath his anger was worry. He was scared to death for her life. He thought they were stealing a statue, and then she almost risked herself for something he didn’t even know they were getting.
And to top it all off, after her continued silence, he cast a glare in her direction, and she was smiling.Smiling!What the holy fuck? She was just casually lying on the ground, now laughing, with a huge-ass smile on her face.
“We could have died.Youcould have died. Why did you pull a stunt like that? I wanted to help you, and youliedto me. What the hell were we even stealing?”
Mickey’s laughter subsided into giggles, and finally, Strap’s fury fell away at her strange happiness. It was useless to lecture someone who wasn’t going to listen, and she was his mate, not his kid.
Strap was about to sit in the grass, but at the thought of getting insect bites on his … butt … he chose against it. Instead, he folded his arms over his chest and left them there.
