He carried her down the trail to the wall of shrubs and trees at the edge of the road.Pulling her closer to his body so branches didn’t scratch her face, he shouldered his way through the pokey twigs.He jumped over the ditch and a sluice of rain poured down on his head.Josie tucked her face into his neck as he ran to the passenger’s side of his vehicle.He pulled open the door and fit her into the seat.Then he jogged around and climbed into the driver’s side.
Josie cranked the heat.The clank of her teeth smacking together echoed in the car.He reached into the back and grabbed a sweater.“Here.”
She fit her arms and head through then clicked her seatbelt into place.“Thanks.”
Crossing his own seatbelt over his chest, he sent her a steadying look.“You going to tell me what happened now?”
“Someone—”
“I know that much.Who?And how did you get so far from the road?”
She settled back and he turned on the seat warmers.After checking his rearview mirror, he made a U-turn and headed back down the mountain.
“I don’t know who.It was a blue Dodge truck.I was running and heard it approach, but it didn’t pass me.I waved it around and that’s when it charged at me.”
The air in Quin’s lungs turned stagnant.He opened and closed his fists around the steering wheel, keeping his gaze on the winding road.Punching something wouldn’t help the situation, but he sure as shit wanted to knock out the bastard who could have seriously injured—or killed—Josie.
“I ran into the forest.The driver tried so hard to run me over, I thought for sure they’d come to finish the job.That’s when I fell down the ravine.”
Anger bubbled inside him.“You should have called me.”
“I called McKenna and Dez, but they didn’t answer.”
“You were just going to walk in the rain with a psychopath in the area trying to kill you?”
“No,” she hissed, her tone defensive.“I was going to get to the road and flag someone down.”
“You mean the asshole in the blue Dodge?Odds are that’s the only person you’d find up here right now.”
She shifted in the seat.“I don’t know what you want me to say.You try thinking clearly in that situation, while injured.”
He relaxed his shoulders.Fuck, he was acting like an asshole.“I’m sorry, okay?Just mad that you could have been killed.I’m glad I called you when I did.”
The cutting truth was that she would have risked her life rather than call him.And that hurt like a fucking bitch.
CHAPTER 6
Rain splattered onthe windshield, and the wipers swished at top speed.Quin’s car idled in the parking lot of the town’s only Japanese restaurant.Josie burrowed her neck in the sweater Quin had given her.She’d never get his rich, spicy scent out of her head now—not when the intoxicating smell was on top of her and she was inhaling it as if it were aromatherapy.Maybe it was.
“Avocado roll?”
“I’m really not hungry.”She pressed her hand to her belly and turned her head toward the window.Many things had stolen her appetite.Quin and his less-than-chipper attitude made the list.
“Well, by the time the cops get to your house to take a statement it’ll be late and you won’t want to go out.Better to get something now and if you’re hungry later you can eat.”
She flicked her wrist.“Fine.”
He opened the door and cold air and rain rushed inside.He leaned out of the spray and caught her forearm.“Lock the door, and if anything fishy happens, lay on the horn.”
“’Kay.”
He shut the door and ran inside the restaurant.Her stomach constricted.God, she just wanted to go home and crawl into bed and it was just after noon.Now she had to give a statement to a police officer while harboring a fugitive.
Fan-freaking-tastic.
She shivered and folded her arms across her chest.Nothing would get her warm, except maybe a steaming bath and a fire.
Her phone buzzed next to her leg.She glanced at the screen: McKenna.She really didn’t feel like rehashing everything that had happened, but her friend would be worried.She swiped the screen then pressed the phone to her ear.“Hello?”
