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“Jesus, Rowan,” she whimpers, her beautiful features drawing tight with a heartbreaking expression.

I lift my hand and wrap it around the back of her neck, and giving her a pleading look, I beg, “Promise me, Annie.”

Her body trembles as she stares into my eyes, and then she whispers, “I promise I won’t let them take me.”

“That’s good enough for me.” I lean in and press my mouth to her forehead, then hold still. After a few seconds have passed, I pull back and meet her green gaze again. “But that’s worst-case scenario. I’ve survived hell before, and I didn’t have you to fight for.” I tilt my head, and reverence coats my words as I say, “And fuck, Annie, you are worth a thousand battles against a million men. I promise to give it everything I have.”

Her eyebrows pull together, then she throws her arms around my neck and crushes her mouth to mine.

I won’t fail my woman.

When the private jet rolls to a stop, I take off my seat belt, and getting up, I move from window to window to check if I can see anything outside.

I head to the cockpit and knock on the door. When one of the pilots opens it, I step inside and glance around the front area of the plane, then lock eyes with the one who’s closest to me. “Did you see anything suspicious when you landed? Any cars parked near the airfield?”

He bends and points in the direction of the hangars. “Besides two black SUVs driving along the road that runs next to the airport, I didn’t see anything out of place.”

I nod, and leaving the cockpit, I head through the galley and order the flight attendant, “Open the door now.” When I walk into the cabin, I say, “Come, Annie.”

She darts up and jogs the short distance. “Did you see anything?”

“The pilots saw two SUVs. It could be nothing.”

When the flight attendant opens the door and the stairs fold out, I pull a gun from behind my back and take Annie’s hand.

As we disembark, I scan the area, and the instant we’re on the tarmac, I begin to run. Annie keeps up pretty well, and I only slow down when we get to the open hangar doors.

I duck my head inside, glancing over the area, and seeing the Camaro Luis arranged, I hurry toward it. Finding the key stuck on the inside of the fender, I quickly unlock the passenger-side door.

Annie gets in without wasting a second while I run around the front, and once I slide in behind the steering wheel, I lay my gun on my lap and start the engine.

“If I say get down—”

“I’ll move into the space by my feet,” she cuts in.

The corner of my mouth lifts. “You learn fast.”

“I have a good teacher.” She smiles, but it doesn’t clear the worry from her eyes.

“Are you ready for this?” I ask, needing to hear her say the words.

“Yes.” She lifts her hand and brushes her palm over my beard. “Let’s do this so we can sail away on the yacht and finally have sex.”

Chuckling, I mutter, “If that’s not incentive, I don’t know what is.”

She lets out a burst of laughter, then leans in and presses a quick kiss to my mouth. “I love you, my darkness. Kick ass and make them wish they never laid eyes on us.”

Her words soak deep into my heart, and as I press down on the gas, I say, “Anything for you, my light.”

I push the pedal to the floor, and the tires of the Camaro spin before the car tears out of the hangar. Spotting the SUVs nearing the entrance, I jerk the steering wheel, and the nose turns to the left before I floor it toward the fence that surrounds the airfield.

We hit a patch of grass, then drive through the fence. I lose some speed, but we make it to a dirt road. The backside fishtails, sending plumes of dust into the air, and it has Annie grabbing hold of the door and hanging on tight.

With a firm grip on the steering wheel, I correct the Camaro, and then we’re speeding away from the airfield.

Looking in the rearview mirror, I see the SUVs making U-turns.

“That buys us some time,” I tell Annie.