Her Cowboy Defender. Kerry Connor

I really am. But I have to be somewhere in less than thirty minutes, and it really is a matter of life and death. I know how clichéd that sounds, but in this case, it couldn’t be more true. Now toss your keys over toward me.”

       He didn’t move, the weight of his keys suddenly heavy in his fingers. He quickly considered his few options. Maybe if he pretended to throw them, distracted her long enough to dive back into the truck—

       She cocked the weapon, her expression hard as stone.

       “I told you, don’t even think of trying anything. If you don’t think it’s worth stealing, then it’s certainly not worth getting shot over.”

       “But it is worth shooting somebody for?”

       “If I have to.”

       He stared at her, gauging her seriousness.

       The way she handled the gun, her grip tight and unwavering, told him she knew exactly how to use it.

       The way she looked at him, her eyes cold and unflinching, told him she wouldn’t hesitate to.

       Damn. It didn’t look like he had a choice.

       Biting back a curse, he slowly swung his arm and tossed the keys toward her. He didn’t bother to see where they landed.

       She flicked her gaze down for only a second, not nearly long enough for him to make a move if he was crazy enough to try. When her attention was back on his face, she bent slowly at the knees, never losing her aim on him. As soon as she was close enough to the ground, she lowered one hand from the gun just long enough to scoop up the keys which had landed practically at her feet. As soon as she had them, she immediately started to rise again, gesturing toward him with a jerk of her chin. “Step away.”

       He did as ordered, slowly moving backward, one frustrating step following another. After his first few steps, she was again on her feet and began to match his motions, stepping forward to the truck. Finally he was standing well behind the tailgate and she came to a stop next to the still-open door.

       She glanced inside, then began to climb into the truck. Her movements were awkward, since she was still keeping the gun on him with one hand, but her aim remained true enough. “I really am sorry about this,” she said. “I’ll toss your phone out the window on the other side. You can call someone to come and get you.”

       “You aren’t worried we’ll catch up with you?”

       “By the time you do, it won’t matter anymore,” she said flatly.

       Before he could wonder what she meant by that, she started to straighten in the seat, only to stop. A second later, she glanced back at him. “This is a manual.”

       “Yeah, so?”

       “I can’t drive a stick shift.”

       He snorted. “Well, that’s too bad for you.”

       She didn’t say anything for a moment, staring at him long and hard. “You’re going to have to drive.”

       “Excuse me?”

       She jerked her head toward the cab. “Get in.”

       An incredulous laugh burst from his mouth. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. It’s not enough you want to steal my truck. Now you want to hijack me into being your driver?”

       “I don’t have a choice. The way I see it, neither do you.”

       “Or what? You’re going to shoot me? Then who’s going to drive you?”

       “If you refuse to drive me, then I’m not going to be where I need to be in time and somebody very important to me is going to die. So I might as well shoot you, because you will have just killed someone I love.”

       The seriousness in her voice killed the last traces of dark humor inside him. He hadn’t considered her earlier words too deeply, but the intensity in this statement left no doubt she meant everything she said. Something was going on here. Someone she cared about was in very real danger. She believed that much.

       Still, Cade hesitated. If anything, her words gave him more of a reason to want out of this. Whatever this mess was, it wasn’t something any sane person would want any part of.

       She motioned with the gun. “If you think I won’t do it, I sincerely suggest you think again.”

       And he saw the truth in her eyes. She would shoot him without a second thought. If he wanted to keep breathing, his only chance was to go along with her demand. And as much as he didn’t want to be killed, he didn’t really want to be responsible for it happening to someone else, either.

       Matching her glare, he started forward slowly. After a few moments, she disappeared inside the cab. When he reached the open door, he found she’d slid across the seat and was backed up against the passenger door. The gun in her hands instantly adjusted so the barrel was centered right on his head.

       Climbing in, he glanced down to find the keys already in the ignition. No point delaying the obvious, he supposed. With a grimace, he tugged the door shut, then reached forward and started the engine.

       “All right,” he said, shifting the truck into gear. “Where are we going?”

      HOLDING THE GUN STEADY with her right hand, Piper pulled the map from her bag and held it out to him. “Here.”

       He took it from her with some reluctance, giving it a perfunctory glance. “What is this?”

       “Where I need to go.”

       He looked at it again, frowning slightly. “This is Cartwright.”

       “What’s that?”

       “An old ghost town in the middle of the desert. There’s not much there now.”

       “Well, there will be in twenty-five minutes.” At the very least someone. Several someones most likely, but there was only one she truly cared about being there. “If you know where it is, then you must know how to get there.”

       “Yeah.”

       “Then drive.”

       Clenching the map in his hand, he pulled back onto the road and started forward.

       “Can we get there in twenty-five minutes?” she asked.

       “Probably.”

       “That isn’t good enough. Drive fast—but not fast enough that anything bad should happen. Neither of us wants this gun to go off accidentally.”

       The muscles on his neck bulged from his clear tension, but he didn’t respond. The truck accelerated smoothly, picking up speed without jostling her.

       She kept her eyes on him, not about to let her guard down when so much depended on him cooperating and getting her where she needed to be. He stared straight ahead, his jaw clenched. It was a strong jaw, perfectly fitting his plainly masculine profile. He had to be in his late thirties, his skin tanned from the sun, faint laugh lines worn into the corners around his eyes. It was a nice face. She suspected he was a nice guy. She remembered the clear thread of concern in his deep voice when he’d first pulled over. All he’d wanted to do was help her. And she’d pointed a gun at him and threatened to kill him.

       Guilt, sharp and painful, stabbed at her. She ruthlessly pushed the feeling aside. The people she was dealing with weren’t letting anything stop them from getting what they wanted. She couldn’t afford to, either. And given a choice between Tara and this stranger, there was no question what she would do. The only thing that mattered was getting to the rendezvous on time, whatever it took.

       Then it hit her. No, that wasn’t all that mattered. What happened at the meeting also mattered a great deal. She’d had a plan, a risky, dangerous, improbable plan, but the only one—the only chance—she had. The rental car had been a key part of that plan. Without it, this wasn’t going to work.

       Unless…