A Texas Hero. Linda Warren

and she flicked her hand across it as she pulled out stacks of twenties. She handed the guy two bags and just then a siren wailed in the distance.

      The gorilla-masked guy shoved a gun in her face. She trembled. “Did you push an alarm?”

      “N-o, no. You watched me the whole time.”

      He pressed the end of the barrel against her temple. The cold steel on her skin propelled rolls of shivers through her.

      “If you did, bitch, it’ll be the last thing you do.” The odor of sweat mixed with marijuana clogged her nostrils.

      “O-oh. Oh.” Mr. Harmon clutched his chest and crumpled to the floor.

      “Mr. Harmon!” She fell down by him to see if he was okay. He was so still. She wasn’t sure he was breathing.

      “Man, we gotta go,” the one with the clown mask shouted. “The cops are coming.”

      The other robber grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet. “We’ll take her as a hostage. If she set off the alarm, she’s gonna pay for it.”

      “Let’s go! Let’s go!”

      The guy dragged her out of the vault. She couldn’t think. Her mind was wrapped around a cold ball of fear.

      “Come on, man,” the stranger spoke up, cool as ice water. “She’s a woman. She’ll only slow you down. Take me.”

      “C’mon,” the clown guy at the door yelled. “We’re losing time. The cops will be here any second.”

      “We’re taking both of them,” the other robber decided, pushing them toward the door and to the van.

      Never get into a van. Never get into a van. The warning ran through her mind and she dug in her heels. “I’m not getting in.”

      The gorilla guy slapped her hard across the face and knocked her halfway into the van. The stranger jumped him but was stopped when the man shoved a gun into his ribs.

      “Get her into the van,” the guy growled. “I’ll deal with you later.”

      The stranger lifted her inside. He was gentle. That was the only thing that registered besides the sense of doom clogging her lungs. The doors slammed shut and they roared away onto the freeway.

      The clown guy drove and the other one sat in the back with them. The van was dark. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust. A piece of dirty, stained carpet was on the floor and heat rose up from the hot highway, warming her backside. That was the least of her worries. Her jaw ached and she couldn’t think clearly. Chloe. Her precious baby. Would she ever see her again?

      Suddenly, the siren was closer and the wail was deafening. “Lookie there, Rudy, it’s an ambulance. She didn’t alert the cops.”

      “Shut up, you idiot. Now they know my name.”

      “So? Dead people don’t talk.”

      The stranger moved beside her. “Stay calm,” he whispered.

      “What did you say to her?” Rudy demanded.

      “It’s damn hot in here,” the stranger retorted. “Doesn’t this thing have air-conditioning?”

      Rudy waved the gun. “Shut your trap.” He reached behind him and pulled out a roll of duct tape. “Tape his wrists together,” he said to her.

      She didn’t move. The heat and gas fumes hampered her breathing.

      “Now!” he screamed.

      She dragged in air and reached for the tape. The stranger held his wrists together and she nervously wounded the tape around them. His hands were strong, his fingers lean.

      “Tighter,” Rudy yelled.

      She pulled until her arms hurt and then she used her teeth to rip into it. The stranger’s dark eyes watched her. There was something in them she couldn’t define. A message, maybe. Trust me. Or was she reading what she wanted to see?

      “Holy shit, Rudy,” the driver called. “There go four police cars and a SWAT van. The old man must have woken up and called them. Too bad, suckers. We’re long gone.”

      The van rolled to a stop.

      “What the hell you stopping for?”

      “Red light, dude.”

      “Watch the man so I can tie up the woman.”

      The vehicle was basically a shell with two seats. The driver pointed a gun at them and Rudy whipped the tape around her wrists. He still had on the mask and all she could see were his dull green eyes staring at her from behind a gorilla face. Goose bumps popped up on her skin.

      “Hey, dude, we got a looker here. I might keep her.” He ran his hand up her arm and she jerked away. “She’s feisty, too.”

      “Leave her alone,” the stranger snapped

      “Shut up,” Rudy hissed, “or I’ll tape your mouth.”

      “There’s a cop car behind us,” the driver said as they moved through the light.

      “What the frickin’ hell?” Rudy looked out the small back windows. “His light’s blinking. Don’t stop.”

      “No way. I can lose him,” the driver bragged.

      “He’s going around us.”

      “Yeah, Rudy. He’s turning around up ahead. Must be heading to the bank to give assistance. Sucker! Cops are idiots.”

      “Turn off this damn highway,” Rudy ordered. “And follow the route I told you.”

      The van swerved onto another road and then another and Abby knew they were miles away from the bank...away from safety. Suddenly they turned onto a dirt road and bounced along on uneven ground, knocking her against the stranger, except he didn’t feel like a stranger anymore.

      He watched the gunman as if waiting to catch him off guard. But what could he do? His hands were tied, literally.

      The van hit a pothole and her body slammed against the stranger’s. Her shoulder pressed into his and her thigh molded to his tight muscles. His strength radiated to her and her grip of fear lessened. She wasn’t in this alone. He was her ally. Her prince? Oh, God, had the heat twisted her brain? But he would be her only hope in the hours ahead.

      And she didn’t even know his name.

      * * *

      ETHAN JAMES WATCHED the robber, reading him like he had so many other criminals. His teeth were yellow, his fingertips yellower and his eyes were dull and bloodshot. A drug-head. Which meant he was capable of anything—and he was dangerous. Ethan had to be careful.

      The woman was holding up well. No crying, screaming or panic attacks. She had to stay calm if they were going to make it out of this ordeal alive. The odds were against them. Two armed druggies, and one of them had his eye on her. This was a highly volatile situation, and there was nothing he could do but try to protect her.

      Would he risk his life for hers? He had a daughter at home to think about—a kid who was a stranger to him and seemed to hate him. But since he’d won full custody, he was trying to be a good father. He’d never had that chance before.

      He promised to take Kelsey horseback riding this morning. Another promise broken. His whole life was riddled with them, and most of them were out of his control. Because he always put his job first.

      He glanced at the woman who sat in a petrified state. Why in the hell had she stopped short? Now he might never see his daughter again. The woman was beautiful, he’d give her that. A blue-eyed blonde with inviting curves like he’d seen in numerous magazines—made to look at but not touch.

      Her hair hung to her shoulders and dripped with sweat, as his did. A sleeveless green top was cut low, too low for guys with trouble on their minds. The filth in the van stained her white