“They work for the syndicate in Boston, kind of rival mob bosses. How about these names? Do any of them ring a bell?”
She spent the next fifteen minutes going through the sheets in her hand, Jack asking questions. The wind picked up, causing her to shiver so she flipped her hood over her head.
“Are you cold? Here, take my coat.” Slipping off his jacket, he draped it around her shoulders.
“I’m fine, Jack. I should have worn a warmer coat. It’s my own fault. I don’t want you to be cold.” She looked at his light blue button-down shirt, admiring the way it molded to his wide shoulders and tapered waist.
“I’m fine, Calico. Looking at you keeps me plenty warm.”
Her cheeks heated and she wished things could be different between them. Why couldn’t they have met and dated like every other normal person in this world? Then they could live together in her cozy, little house and raise their son together. Her dreams weren’t huge ones, why were they so impossible?
She slipped her arms into his jacket and he buttoned it up, tucking her wayward curls inside her hood. Leaning into the warmth of his hand, she closed her eyes as he caressed the side of her face.Don’t do this. Look at what it led to last time.But now they were in a public place so making out was hardly appropriate. Although, looking around, it was quite secluded.
They discussed the information for a few more minutes then she folded up the papers. She smiled at Jack as he tugged on one stray curl that had escaped its confines. The wind blew in again, taking the papers from her hand and they both lunged for them. As they moved, a whizzing sound splintered the air, sailing past their heads.What the hell?Callie whipped around. Jack grabbed her waist and pushed her to the ground, his body covering hers.
“Someone’s shooting at us.” His eyes darted around the trees. “We need to get out of here.” Scooping up the papers, he shoved them inside his shirt and pulled on her hand. He slid his arm around her waist and muttered, “Keep low and stay by my side.”
The trunk of the tree next to them exploded, splintering shards in their direction. A scream slipped from her lips and she grabbed Jack’s forearm tighter, running alongside him. He pushed at her back, keeping himself between her and the direction of the shots. She kept her feet moving, waiting for more to come. The entrance of the park grew closer.
“We need to get to my bike. It’ll be deep shit if they’ve got something ready to roll.”
Her heart pounded and her lungs tightened as she stomped a rhythm on the grass. The buzz of another few bullets whizzed past but they were almost to the entrance. Would it matter?
Jack stumbled, his hands tight around her waist. Shielding her with his body, he pulled her in closer. “Shit! I thought we’d lost them.”
A sob escaped. This was danger. Finally Fifth Avenue appeared and Jack pulled her down to hide between two parked cars.
“Bike’s over here. Stay low.”
His motorcycle? Crap, it couldn’t protect them from bullets. Jumping on, he threw her the helmet. “Put this on and hang on tight.”
Sliding behind him, she shoved the helmet on, then pushed down the visor. The motorcycle roared to life as she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against his muscled back. The wind tore at her clothes as they pulled away and she caught sight of a tall, bald man running in their direction. Twisting her neck in the large headgear, she saw no evidence of a weapon, but his long coat could have hidden an arsenal. Jack gunned the engine and swerved into traffic so abruptly she tipped to the side almost falling off.
God, was she having a heart attack? The tightness in her chest increased. People had been shooting at them. Shooting at them. Or shooting at Jack with no care about her?
Cars and people flew past, horns honked and light bounced off the metallic surface of vehicles and buildings. She held tighter to Jack’s waist, her hands in a death grip on his shirt. His solid warmth kept the world from spinning too fast. He slowed the bike down. Too many cars surrounded them.Zing. What the hell? Her head snapped and a loud ping echoed through her helmet. Turning, she spotted Baldy from the park leaning out a side window of a black sedan a few cars back. Damn, his gun was trained on them. Had the bullet hit her helmet?
“Jack!”
He accelerated, zooming around the corner. Too close. Brakes squealed and people shouted. Couldn’t they see this crazy man trying to kill them?
Her neck ached with the weird position but she needed to keep an eye on the sedan, now a half dozen cars behind them. She dug her fingers deeper into Jack’s shirt. Buildings, people, vehicles, all moving too fast to register any details. Where the hell were the police? But Jack had a price on his head and Victor had police officers on his payroll. Not a good option.
Jack made a sharp turn onto a side street and her grip tightened. Had they lost Baldy and whoever was driving? No luck, the sedan remained behind, now only a few cars back. Damn, the traffic was lighter today for some reason. Jack slowed, a line of cars stopped in front of them.You spoke too soon.He steered the bike in between until they had a good ten car lead.
They took off again but the sedan caught up when the traffic began to move. This guy sure knew how to drive in the city. He was almost on them when Jack gunned up the on ramp to the highway heading south.Not sure this is a good idea.At least in the city they could get into places the other car couldn’t.
“Jack,” she yelled. Could he even hear her with all the noise from cars and the roaring of the motorcycle? “Won’t the side roads be safer than the highway?”
“Hold on tight and watch this.”
