Page 50 of Dark ’N’ Deadly

Knowing she was about to drive into a dangerous situation was messing with his perspective and his objectivity, because he wanted to do something he shouldn’t. Something he’d sworn to himself that he wouldn’t do again.

Leaning into the cab, he slipped his hand to her nape, drew her to him, kissed her quickly, then drew back. Startled green eyes locked with his. For one long moment, they remained that way, their faces only inches apart. Then her hand shot out, cupping the back of his head, tugging his mouth to hers.

The kiss was frenzied and hot. Deep and wet. He was drowning and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Her taste, the very essence of her breath was warm and honey sweet. He knew damn well that Dayne was waiting for him, watching him kiss her, and he didn’t care.

He pulled away, his chest heaving as he sucked in air. Her lips were parted as she did the same.

To keep from reaching for her again, he fisted his hands at his sides. Don’t go, he wanted to say but didn’t. Couldn’t.

Only after he shut the driver-side door and turned away did he fully understand what had just happened.

Something inside him had snapped, and he’d had the unsettling feeling he would never see her again.

Chapter Sixteen

Rain fell steadily as Tess drove north on Sawmill Road. Lightning lit the sky, but all she heard was the steady thumping of the windshield wipers.

Gripping the wheel tighter, she sucked in long, even breaths.

I can do this. I can do this.

Lightning flashed again, closer this time, followed by a rumble of thunder that was loud enough to hear above the engine and the wiper blades flicking back and forth.

No matter what happened, the dozen or so federal agents, including Eric, Dayne, and their K-9s, were looking out for her. If everything went down the toilet, they’d be there for her.

Unless the chopper is grounded.

With every passing minute, that eventuality seemed more and more likely. The ATF wouldn’t send their pilot into a storm if it was too dangerous. Then, she’d be alone. Help might be parked less than a mile away, but if they couldn’t see or hear her, how would they know if she was in trouble?

She touched her fingers to her lips, which were still sensitive from the desperate kiss she and Eric had shared. The man could be so icy and distant one second, briefing her with the exacting precision of a drill sergeant, then turn all passionate and fiery hot the next. She’d sensed his need for distance after their kiss that morning, and she’d needed it, too. But the moment his lips contacted hers again, she hadn’t thought twice about throwing caution to the wind and had welcomed it with wild abandon.

A large sign came into view on the left side of the road. The elementary school. School wasn’t in session yet, but there were enough cars in the lot to mask the presence of all the federal vehicles she knew were parked there.

She swallowed the rising lump in her throat. Less than a mile ahead were sovereign citizens who wanted to construct a deadly device that would kill hundreds. The idea of anyone getting hurt because of—

No. Don’t go there. Don’t even think it.

It wasn’t Jesse’s fault, and it wasn’t hers. Neither of them knew these people could be so violent. Ten years ago, she’d run from that malevolence, and she thanked God her brother had finally decided it was time to escape. Only it wasn’t her past anymore. It was her present, front and center because she’d never faced it head-on. Maybe if she had, maybe if she’d spoken up then, her brother could have been living a normal life all this time. Her cowardice had placed Jesse’s future in grave jeopardy.

The odometer indicated she’d gone three-quarters of a mile past the school. The rain had let up enough that she turned down the wiper speed. An old red barn on the right side of the road rose up to greet her, and she slowed before turning into the dirt driveway.

Her heart thumped wildly, her palms damp where she gripped the wheel. Two other vehicles were parked near the barn, one a white sedan, and the other a dark blue SUV—like the one the man had gotten into at the department store parking lot.

She swallowed. There had to be thousands of dark blue SUVs in New Jersey. Just because one was parked here didn’t mean a thing. I hope.

Knocking sounded on the driver-side window, and she flinched, uttering a tiny cry. A man stood beside the truck, peering through the glass, and she hadn’t even seen where he’d come from. Through the rain-spattered window, she searched his features.

I don’t know him.

She nearly sagged with relief. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped out.

“Who the hell are you?” the man barked, and she instantly recognized the same voice over the phone. He was tall, at least six feet, and with a receding hairline. Dark brown eyes bored into her. Another man stood by the barn door. She didn’t recognize him, either. Just because it wasn’t Mark Pritchard didn’t mean the man wasn’t equally as dangerous, or more so, but it was a good sign.

“I’m Jesse McTavish’s sister. He couldn’t make it, so I came in his place.”

The man slowly shook his head. “That’s not part of the deal.”

“He’s in the hospital,” she said, stepping closer, wanting to make sure the microphone hidden behind the front grill would pick up their conversation. “Appendicitis.”