Ryker instantly made it to his side. No doubt to keep him from doing something disastrous. “This won’t work, Reese.”
“It already did.” Reese motioned for Anya.
She faltered and looked at Heath.
Heath counted agents again. If he and his brothers moved at the same time . . .
Ryker put a hand on his arm. “We’ll fight this the right way.” His voice vibrated with anger and determination.
Heath settled himself into battle mode and calmed down before he did something that got Anya hurt. Anger burned him from within, and even his breath heated. The idea of her out of his sight flowed lava-hot adrenaline through his veins. “If anything happens to her, I’m coming after you, and I’m gonna take my time.”
Reese paled just enough to be noticeable. “You just threatened an FBI agent.”
“Yeah, I did. And I meant every fucking word,” Heath said, his voice deadly soft. The need to grab her and run nearly pushed him into doing something stupid. Ryker clapped a hand on his arm as if knowing exactly what he was thinking.
Anya hurried toward the agent. “It’s okay, Heath.” Her voice warned him not to do anything at the moment, and panic had filled her pretty eyes. “Reese loved Loretta. I’ll be safe.”
Reese nodded. “I’m glad you’re seeing reason.”
“Where are we going?” she asked, looking uneasily at the surrounding agents.
“To my office for a couple of hours and then to a safe house,” Reese said, gesturing her toward the door.
She paused and gave Heath a nod. Her eyes clouded, and her lower lip trembled. Then her shoulders went back. “I’ll be fine.”
Rage and helplessness kept him rooted in place. “I’ll come get you,” he said, his throat hurting and his voice sounding like his vocal cords had lost a fight with a blade.
Her gaze softened. “I know.” Then she walked right out the door, surrounded by FBI agents.
Anya’s mind spun as she was hustled into the back of a black SUV with Reese at her side. She had to get out of there. This was wrong. She needed to be with Heath.
“Go,” Reese ordered a blond man in the driver’s seat. The guy smoothly pulled away from the curb.
The leather was new, and the side doors were solid. Anya looked out the rear window to see three other black vehicles move into place behind them. “All for little ole me?” she muttered, her lungs compressing.
“I promised your sister,” Reese said, holding the mic of his wrist comm unit to his mouth. His gaze was serious and his body tense. “Status?”
He seemed to listen to somebody, and Anya peered at his ear to see a white earbud like Secret Service guys on television shows used.
“What did they say?” she whispered. She looked frantically around.
“No movement following us.” Reese peered out the window before reaching into the far back for a bulletproof vest. He tugged it over Anya’s head and quickly fastened the straps.
Anya coughed out and allowed him to finish. The vest was heavy around her sweater, and the sense of danger pressed in. The vest was like a vise. “You think he’ll try to shoot me?”
“No, but I’m not taking chances.” Reese sat back, scanning the buildings flying by outside, his jaw hard. “We’ll be at our offices in a minute, and there’s a procedure for taking a witness from the car inside. I have the back parking lot secure, but we’ll still jump out and get into the building immediately. Once inside, you’ll wait in my office until we take you to a safe house. It’s being readied and secured.”
The world tilted. Anya shook her head and tried to focus. “I don’t have a say in any of this?”
“Nope. That’s why I acquired a court order. Unless it gets stayed or overturned, you’re mine for the time being.” He kept his focus out the front window, his voice full of authority. “Take Pine Street, Kent.”
Kent didn’t speak as he made a sharp right turn.
Anya shivered, remembering the look in Heath’s eyes. He wouldn’t give up on finding her, and things might get bloody. This was a disaster. The day narrowed, and she tried to concentrate. Damn adrenaline. “I’m not a witness, and you know it.”
“Don’t care.”
“Figures my sister would fall for somebody like you,” Anya muttered, anger taking her. The FBI had no right to do this. “I loved her, but she was pushy, too.”
