She nodded quickly.
A simple act but one that dug right in and took hold inside him. Her trust meant everything. She was in his hands again, and there was so much he needed to say. But he had to take care of the threat and focus. Now. “It’ll be okay,” he said, releasing her. Pivoting, he stomped out the fire from the third bottle.
The second slowly spread fire near the bathroom.
Who would send in three Molotov cocktails? Smoke started to cloud the room. “Stay behind me.” Turning, he moved toward the window and yanked down the drape before it could catch fire. He reached for Noni’s arm and made sure she was hidden behind him before angling himself to look outside.
Three men stood in the snow, legs braced, automatic weapons in their hands. They wore dark hoodies, but he could make out tattoos along two of the guys’ necks and on their hands. A huge, lifted black truck was parked sideways behind them. Members of a street gang?
Denver shook his head. This made no sense.
Noni peeked around him. “Damn it. They found me.”
The words took a moment to sink in. Gang members were looking for her? At the thought, his body settled into battle mode and his focus narrowed. “You can explain later.” And she would. Hell yeah, she would. For now, he had to get them out of there.
She swallowed audibly. “My gun is in my pack.”
He grabbed her hand before she could open the bag. The woman had brought a fucking gun? “I’ve got this one.” Three gang members wouldn’t take much of his time. The fire alarm started to blare throughout the motel. “Shit. Let’s go. Now.” He slid his gun from beneath his jacket. “We have to get out of here before they start shooting or backup arrives.” God knew how many people would start running from the motel.
Noni clutched the back of his jacket. “Okay. Go.”
“Stay behind me and keep your head down. My truck is black and to the right.” He slowly slid open the door. Bullets instantly hit the top of the door.
A woman screamed from down the way, and people scrambled into the snowy night before running for cover.
Denver bit back a snarl. “New plan.” He shoved Noni farther back, dropped, and leaned out to fire, aiming for their legs. Killing them would just cause more problems. One. Two. Three. As if choreographed, the three men dropped one by one. What kind of idiots just stood in front of their truck? There was no way they had been hired by his enemies. He reached back and grabbed Noni’s hand, pulling her out into the cold. “Run, honey.”
Down the front of the motel, a man wearing only his underwear ran out of a room, saw the fallen gang members, and started yelling as he ran back inside and slammed his door.
Damn it. He’d definitely call 911.
Noni fought Denver, pulling back. “My car.”
He glanced toward a nondescript compact. “Rental?”
“Yes.” Good. Without pausing, he dragged her through the snow and hefted her into his truck. “Seat belt.” Slamming the door, he ran around the front and jumped in, then quickly tore out of the lot. Gunfire echoed behind them, at least one bullet hitting the tailgate. The truck fishtailed on the ice, and he corrected, heading for I-90.
She clutched the dash, her bag dropping to the floor. “Where are we going?” she gasped.
“Seat. Belt.” He didn’t like repeating himself—especially with people shooting at them. “Now.”
She turned to stare at him, her mouth slack. “What the heck, Denver?”
His very deep well of patience went dry as he drove onto I-90. “Put on your fuckin’ belt,” he snarled, punching the gas even though black ice covered the road. Anger filled him. At the men shooting at them, at the circumstances, maybe even at Noni. He’d fought hard to get over her and hadn’t even come close. He’d never be free of her.
She jerked back, her dark eyes widening. Finally showing some sense, she quickly fastened the seat belt around herself almost clumsily. “You’ve never sworn at me before.”
His anger deepened. “You’ve never put yourself in the crosshairs and used me to do it before.” Oh, he’d been the gentlest part of himself with her, and look what had happened. “Where did you hide the picture of us you put all over the Internet?” He thought he’d destroyed them all when he’d left her.
She clutched the dash. “My aunt had it.”
The picture was of the two of them at Portage Glacier, and the blue of the ice had reflected the sun, making the entire day look almost magical. In it, he had his arm over her shoulder and they looked happy. How had he forgotten that picture? Was there a part of him that had wanted to leave her something to remember him by? Even so, he never would’ve thought she’d post it all over the Internet and put them both in danger.
He’d left to keep her safe, damn it. Yet here she was, being shot at by gang members. Anger pricked up his back like hot needles, and he pushed it away, searching for the cold.
He focused on the road and took the next exit. “We’ll have to take back roads toward Snowville.” His plates were covered, so nobody could’ve gotten the numbers, but the truck was easy to spot since it was fairly new and lifted. He’d have to secure it somewhere for a while and drive something else. For now, he had to concentrate. “Are you all right?” He’d tackled her pretty hard in the motel.
“I’m fine.” She hunched her shoulders.
