Unexpected. Lori Foster

in less than three seconds.

      The big man sprawled out at Eli’s feet. For one moment his eyes were open in glazed shock, then they crossed and his head lolled to the side.

      The comical expression on Eli’s face delighted her. With one novice move, she’d surprised him good, but there wasn’t time to relish her small victory.

      A roar sounded behind her and a man lunged forward. Ray spun around, leg extended, and sank the heel of her boot into his groin. He screamed like a girl as he crumpled on the spot.

      “Man, that must’ve hurt,” she said to Eli, who blinked at her in astonishment.

      In typical barlike fashion, chaos exploded around them. For the first time that night, Ray felt good. She was in her element. Meeting Eli had filled her with some strange roiling emotion, and this was just what she needed to rid herself of it. It had been too damn long since she’d had a good workout. Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she shook her hands to get them limber and looked around for fresh meat, waiting for the next attack, grinning all the while.

      “Jesus.”

      She turned to see Eli staring at her with appalled incomprehension. Big as he was, strong as he appeared to be, he still looked aghast at the various scuffles quickly escalating to brawl proportions. Damn. No time for fun now. Her first priority was keeping Mr. Moneybags safe.

      “Come on.” Ray grabbed his hand and her case and started for the back door. He allowed himself to be towed along.

      Another man reached out, snatching at the back of Eli’s jacket. Ray moved to defend him, anxious to get in one more lick, but Eli didn’t give her the chance. More aggravated than alarmed, and with no hesitation whatsoever, he punched the man in the side of the throat. The poor fellow gagged and staggered back into a table, knocking over drinks and starting another quarrel.

      Impressed, Ray looked at Eli with new eyes. Surprise of surprises, he could defend himself. What about that?

      As if he’d read her thoughts, he shook his head, flexed his knuckles, and somehow took the lead, yanking her out the door and into the chill night air.

      Now that he was relatively safe, Ray tried to release his hand, but Eli held on, his grip unbreakable unless she wanted to stop and prove a point. Which she didn’t, not yet anyway. They were still in a darkened alley in a disreputable part of town, and anything could happen. Men were known to leave bar disputes with a knife in hand, or worse, a gun. It wouldn’t do her reputation a damn bit of good if someone shot at him or managed to prick him with the tip of a switchblade. Rich people bled a lot.

      That didn’t mean, however, that she’d let him be in charge. Ray pulled him to a stop. His hand was large and lean, swallowing hers, making her feel almost . . . dainty. How absurd. She could kill a man with one blow. Nothing dainty about that.

      But he kept her hand cradled in his like a little bird in a nest. His palm was incredibly warm, his fingers long and strong and rough with calluses.

      She was trained to notice every small detail. The calluses on a wealthy man didn’t make any sense, but now wasn’t the time to ask personal questions. “Where’s your car?”

      Eli gave a mock bow. “I hate to disappoint you, but I’m not as stupid as you want to think. I took a cab.”

      “Perfect.” She nodded her approval. “Then we can both take my truck.”

      Several more men spilled out of the bar, fists and rank curses flying.

      Ray got Eli moving again with a jerk. “Come on.”

      They jogged out of the wet, smelly alley into the incredible star-filled night. Ray breathed deeply of the cool moist air. She felt strangely stirred by the sequence of events that had just taken place. Sort of antsy and restless and way too warm. She wanted to run, to throw a few more hits. She wanted to sit down and just smile.

      Shaking her head at her own odd mood, she continued at a fast clip down the road to the first side street. The moon was fat, providing plenty of light to guide them.

      Eli easily kept up with her pace, but then, given his height, his legs were a whole lot longer than hers.

      There, parked against the curb under the dubious protection of a bright street lamp, was her truck. She owned the most disreputable-looking piece of transportation on the road, and the most reliable. Ray again tried to pull away from Eli’s hold, and he again resisted her efforts.

      She looked at him over her shoulder. “It’s going to be damn tough for me to drive a stick one-handed.”

      He surveyed her truck with curiosity but no condemnation. Looking down at her, he asked, “It runs?”

      Ray didn’t take offense. “Turn me loose and I’ll show you.”

      He did.

      Keys in hand, she unlocked her door, slid behind the wheel, and reached across the seat to unlock the passenger door for Eli. He had a little trouble getting it unjammed. It was a deliberate alteration to the door, making it tough for anyone to jump into her truck without her invitation.

      She turned the engine over, proud of the throaty, rumbling purr of power, and was already coasting when Eli finally threw his shoulder into the door, jarring it loose so he could pull it open and jump in.

      She flipped on her headlights, put the truck in gear, and rolled onto the main drag, quickly gaining speed. Eli snapped on his seat belt, drawing her notice.

      Expecting his complaints to start at any second, she was surprised that he had his head back on the seat, eyes closed, looking very at ease. He didn’t seem the least put out by what had transpired thus far. Amazing, she thought, even as she admired the angles and planes of his face that, together, made a very striking appearance. What really got her, though, wasn’t his looks, but rather that small, secret smile he wore.

      He’d had fun, maybe as much fun as she’d had.

      To be sure, Ray asked, “Enjoying yourself?”

      “Just reminiscing.”

      She didn’t understand him at all.

      Because wealthy men were the only ones who could afford her, she’d become well acquainted with their idiosyncrasies. They sometimes considered her work sport and were titillated by the threat of danger—which they thought less than real. They didn’t want to be inconvenienced, dirty, or at risk. And they most definitely didn’t want to put out much physical effort.

      Yet Eli had held his own in the bar, ruthlessly defended himself, and now smiled about it.

      He was one mystery on top of another. She wouldn’t question him about it because getting to know him personally wasn’t part of her job. She didn’t want to know him, to maybe start to care. Caring was a liability, a weakness she couldn’t afford. “We’ll shop in the morning and pack in the afternoon, then leave the next day.”

      His eyes opened. Without raising his head, he turned his face toward her. Moonlight played over his features and illuminated his hazel eyes. “You can be ready that soon?”

      “You can’t?”

      His smile had been replaced with a kind of pensive reflection. “I’ll be ready. I just assumed these things required more planning.”

      Ray shrugged with feigned indifference. “What’s to plan? I already know where he is and I know how to get in. Over the years, things have gotten easier, not harder in Central American. All we really need is a few supplies and some luck.”

      He shifted closer. “If all they want is a little money, why don’t I just pay them?”

      “Because they might wait another week or more before even asking. And in the meantime, your brother is in Central America. The guys who have him aren’t much to worry about, but what if someone else finds out about him and decides they’d rather ransom him? A rich American is tough to resist. It could get ugly. With me in the picture, we get him out pronto, they get