“Thanks.” I slid the paper into his file. He’d just helped the opposition.
He tensed next to me, his eyes darting around.
I scanned the area. A few cars drove by near the corner, the only place they could drive close before turning along the parking area behind my building, but nothing interesting was going on. “What?”
“Just thought I saw someone.” He hunched his shoulders.
A screech of tires echoed around the corner, and a brown SUV sped near with the window rolled down. A long, black barrel poked out, and a weird pattering filled the air. What the heck?
Out of nowhere, a large body tackled me to the ground and tumbled me toward the bushes, covering me. The wind whooshed out of my lungs. Fear and panic ripped through me. I struggled to breathe; my face pressed sideways into the grass. “Hey!” Dirt filled my nose. The guy over me was hard as January ice over the lake.
Then silence.
He shifted, rolled me over, and tugged me to my feet. Clumps of dirty grass dropped from my suit. I still clutched my files in trembling hands. Paper cut into my thumb. What had just happened?
The world narrowed in focus. I stared up into the deepest, bluest eyes I had ever seen. I knew those eyes. “Aiden,” I whispered. He’d just saved me.
Again.
Chapter 4
“Aingeal,”Aiden murmured. After being free for a day, he looked even better out of the orange jumpsuit. Faded jeans hung low over tight hips under a black T-shirt, giving him even more of a badass look.
“What are you doing here?” I sputtered, trying to regain some sense of reality.
“I was looking for you. Figured we should talk.” His gaze narrowed when I swayed. The world seemed to be spinning oddly again. “Anna, are you all right?” he asked urgently as the sound of sirens trilled through the air. His sensuous lips and lilting speech brought goose bumps to my skin.
“Um, yes. I, ah, well. I have anxiety and night terrors still.” I gulped, trying to breathe. My skin tingled. Panic attack? Probably on its way.
He studied me.
Realization hit, and heat flashed into my face. “Oh. You meanthis time.”
He smiled then, and I swear, the sun parted through the clouds. Seriously. “Yeah. I mean this time.” His voice was so gentle, I wanted to cry.
That quickly, I returned to reality. This disaster and danger. My stomach heaved, and my knees buckled. Someone had shot at me. I started to fall.
Strong arms swooped me into the air. “I’ve got you.”
Aidan Devlin had just saved me. Again.
His dark eyebrows lifted as several police vehicles barreled to a stop in their side parking lot. Befuddled, I took stock. My wide gaze landed on Randy, who leaped to his feet, his eyes wild with fear.
“What the fuck?” he bellowed.
I tried to spit out a piece of grass and remember that I was a lawyer, all grown up, and not a terrified ten-year-old kid who’d been kidnapped by a psychopath. “Are you all right, Mr. Taylor?”
Uniformed cops spilled out of the police station. Emergency vehicle doors opened from the parking area, and boots hit the ground.
Randy glared. “Who shot at you?”
Aiden tightened his arms. “I think they were shooting at you, sport.” His voice still hinted of Ireland, the lilting tone sounding like my Mom’s and grounding me for a moment. I leaned my face into the strong cords of his neck and breathed in salt, musk, and man, trying to calm my stomach. Trying to ignore the nerves firing all over my body. He held me easily, securely in his solid arms as I regained my equilibrium. I so didn’t want to puke in front of him.
“It’s all right, Angel.” He pulled me closer, dipping his head to cradle my face in comfort. To shield me on all fronts—from any more hurts. It was the same way he’d held me when he’d saved me before.
Did he remember doing so?
This was crazy. I should stand on my own feet like some modern-day lady of justice. But I didn’t. I burrowed deeper. Into strength and safety. It’s where I had wanted to be for well over a decade. I’m not sure what that says about me, but it’s probably not something to put on a headstone.
