“Deployed.” The jet began to shake violently.
The jet’s tires hit the pavement with a teeth rattling jerk. “I’m down.”
The big, bad biker let out horrified gasp as we careened down the highway. “Good God woman, you trying to kill us?”
“You try seeing out that friggin’ blood covered, smashed all to hell windshield.”
“Shut up Dixon,” Derek commanded. “Thrust levers in reverse, Angel. Your speed should be knots.”
Dixon knocked my hand out of the way, slammed the reverse levers back and hit the brakes.
The jet veered sharply to the left. “Shit! Watch out for the car!”
“I see it,” Dixon snarled and smoothly brought the aircraft back to the center of roadway. The wing missed the car by a scant inch.
“The pilot is trying to get the hatch open,”
Granny warned.
“Crap!” I scrambled out of my seat.
Dixon yelled, “Where the hell are you going?”
“Your idiot pilot is trying to open the hatch.”
“Stand down, Jackson,” he bellowed. “Grab the fire extinguisher we’ve got a fire in engine two.”
Granny materialized by the pilot. “”You heard your boss. Get the fire extinguisher.”
Jackson screamed like a little girl, heaved the door open and jumped.
Through the billowing black smoke, I caught a fleeting glimpse of him rolling down the highway.
Ouch! That had to hurt.
The jet skidded to a stop.
One look at the animosity on Dixon’s face, I slung my purse over my shoulder and bolted down the ramp.
“Dammit, Zelda, don’t make me chase you.”
I increased my speed praying the sedative would slow him down. “Leave me the hell alone.”
“Not a chance,” he shouted furiously. “When I’m done with you, you’re gonna be one obedient little girl.”
“Fat chance,” I yelled and glanced over my shoulder. Shit! He was gaining on me.
Two cops appeared out of the smoke and tackled Dixon.
They hit the pavement hard and rolled over and over in a tangle of arms and legs.
To my utter amazement, Dixon made Jackie Chan look like an amateur. The officers were no match for his ferocity or skill.
Three large, burly cops joined the fray and succeeded in dragging the big, bad biker to the ground. They piled on top of him and lit him up with a stun gun.
If he ever caught me, I was so dead.
The hair on the back of my neck stood at attention. Derek. I scanned the skies. There. A tiny black dot on the eastern horizon morphed into Black Hawk helicopter. The Genghis Khan wannabe hadn’t wasted any time coming after me. I fled into the desert.
Gangster’s Paradise blared from my purse. I yanked out my cell phone and snarled, “What?”
Derek answered, “Do you really think you can outrun a helicopter?”
“I can try.”
“Angel, we don’t even need binoculars to spot you in that neon orange jumpsuit. If you’re thinking of waiting until dark to make your escape, think again. That jumpsuit is florescent.”
I looked around frantically for a hiding place.
Crap! Nothing but flat, sandy desert dotted with a few scrubby Palo Verde trees and cactus. In the distance, wind scoured mountains rose sharply from the desert floor.
The helicopter hovered overhead, whipping the sand into a mini dust storm.
I caught a brief glimpse of Derek grinning like a hyena as the chopper dropped lower and lower.
The jerk was sand blasting me on purpose. I flipped him the bird and kept walking.
“You really don’t want me to chase you down, now do you?”
A wave of weariness swept over me. No, I didn’t. Sweat slithered down my face, I was covered in sand and the relentless sun was giving me one hell of a headache.
“Come and get me, sugar.” I disconnected and ambled over to a rusty telephone junction box shaded by a scraggly tree. Making sure it was free of critters I sat and watched the helicopter land.
Derek jumped out wearing his black tactical jumpsuit and as usual, was armed to the teeth.
What? Did he think I was going to attack him?
Okay, I was. His cocky walk had me gritting my teeth. I really, really wanted to hurt him.
Hank climbed out the helicopter with his gear.
His bald head glistening in the sun, Ed trailed after him.
I hunched my shoulders, allowed my weariness to show and tried to be the picture of defeat.
Believe me it wasn’t that much of a stretch.
The relentless CIA agent came to a halt a good six feet away and surveyed me intently. “Whatever you’re planning, it isn’t going to work.”
What a suspicious bastard! I allowed tears to run down my cheek and sobbed, “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t. It’s too much. I’m tired of being bullied and chased. I’ll give you the gold. Please, just leave me and my family alone.”
The suspicious bastard crossed his arms and commented drily, “A bit overplayed but the tears are a nice touch.”
I glared at him.
A nasty little predator’s smile curved his mouth. “That’s more like it.”
“Go fuck yourself.”
Derek’s smile got bigger. “Toss me your purse.”
“You want it, come and get it. Or is the big, bad CIA agent afraid of little ole’ me?”
Sloan laughed, genuinely amused. “You need a keeper.”
“Applying for the job?”
“I am the only one capable of handling you.”
“Prove it.” I’ll admit it’s really stupid to taunt a predator but I needed him closer. I triggered my tranquillizer ring into the ready position.
Derek’s scary index suddenly shot off the charts. “Let me see your hands.”
I held them out. “See? No guns, knives or brass knuckles.”
“Is that the ring you used on Dixon?”
I automatically glanced at my right hand and in that instant, he pounced. “Eeep!”
Hard hands spun me around and the next thing I knew I was wrapped in a Derek straitjacket. “Slick move.”
His breath warmed my left ear. “Thanks.
Subduing bad guys is my specialty.”
“I’m not a bad guy,” I retorted.
“Taking things that don’t belong to you, makes you a bad guy.”
“I’m going to return the medallion.”
“And my car?”
“That’s entirely your fault. If you hadn’t flattened my tires, I would have never had to borrow it.”
“Blaming the victim?”
“You have never been a victim. Oh wait. That’s not entirely correct. The Mexican government did rob you blind.”
“And you’re going to help me get that gold, too.”
“Like hell.”
Effortlessly, he held me immobile as he removed the ring and examined it. “Aldo make this?”
“No, I borrowed it from Aunt Sophie.”
“Do you think I’m stupid or careless enough to let you to use this on me?”
Tilting my head, I smiled up at him sweetly.
“Dixon never saw it coming.”
The steel bands of his arms tightened and Derek’s merciless mouth swooped down, devouring mine in a hot, possessive kiss.
Every nerve in my body started doing the Cha-Cha. Yes. Yes. Yes. More. More. More.
He lifted his head and murmured against my lips. “I accept the job.”
Dazed, I repeated, “Job?”
“As your keeper.”
I squawked, “What?”
His eyes were oh so amused. “Having a psychic at my beck and call will be handy.”
“Handy!?”
Derek’s sinful mouth took mine in series of a slow, intoxicating kisses. Omigod, he made my bones melt and want that fairy tale of happily ever after.
A thunderous explosion shook the ground.
Sloan raised his head, surveyed the fireball rising high into the air and sighed. “Dixon was right fond of that jet.”
“I’m a dead woman.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,” Derek commented with a grin.
“Hallefrickinlujah and who is going to protect you from Dixon? Granny?”
“I won’t need her help. Once I’ve fucked you senseless, he won’t touch you.”
“Who said romance was dead.”
Derek cocked an arrogant eyebrow. “Romance has nothing to do with this.”
“Obviously.”
“You have a problem and I’m going to fix it.”
“You know, I think I’ll take my chances with Asmoday.”
He gave me a hard shake. “That’s not an option.”
“Okay, how about I find my own cherry popper?
I’m sure in Vegas I can find a guy who would be willing to help me with my problem.”
“Are you deliberately trying to piss me off?”
“You’re the one who said you didn’t do virgins, remember?”
“No one touches you but me.”
“Guess I’ll remain a virgin then. I’m not into pity fucks.”
Exasperation flashed in Derek’s eyes. “Not even to save your life?”
“Wrong thing to say, asshole.”
Ed and Hank laughed.
Without taking his gaze off me, Derek growled, “Something funny?”
Ed quickly answered, “No, sir.”
“Sorry boss but seeing you and Zelda going toe-to-toe is funnier than hell. You scare the living shit out of most people,” Hank added.
“I’m not most people.”
“No, you’re a sticky-fingered, unruly brat that needs a firm hand,” Derek responded.
“Now you’ve done gone and hurt my feelings.”
Gangster’s Paradise erupted in Derek’s pocket.
How in the hell had he programmed that ring tone in my phone?
Shifting his grip the prick answered his cell phone. “Sloan. Okay, I’ll be right there.” He slid his phone back in his pocket. “Hank’s going to check you over.”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you?” Derek ran a gentle hand over my bruised face. “You’re running on adrenaline alone and you’re heading for a crash.”
“Like you care.”
“I take care of what’s mine.”
He pushed me down on the phone junction box.
“I expect you to sit here quietly and let Hank check you over.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Ed’s going to shoot you with his tranquillizer gun.”
I turned my attention to Ed. “You would really shoot me?”
He nodded solemnly. “Yes ma’am I would.”
“Prick.”
Sloan’s hand clamped around the back of my neck and he growled. “Behave Zelda, or I’ll put you over my knee.”
The beast would, too. “Sorry Ed, but dealing with a bunch of testosterone challenged men has made me a bit cranky.”
“Yes, ma’am, I can see how it would.”
I winced when Derek tightened his grip.
“You’re pushing it.”
“Just saying.”
Hank pulled out a blood pressure cuff and eyed me warily. “Ma’am?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
He wrapped the cuff around my arm and pumped it up.
Derek tilted my head up. “I need to have a word with Dixon and I want you to be sitting right here when I come back.”
“Yes, sir.”
He dropped a hard kiss on my mouth and strode off.
“Twenty says the boss hits him,” Hank said.
Ed watched him stride over to where a dozen officers stood around a patrol car. “Not a chance with all the cops around.”
Both men pulled their weapons and jumped back like scalded cats when I grabbed my purse.
“Relax guys; I’m just going for my wallet. I want in on the action, too.” I pulled out a twenty. “See?”
“Real easy now, hand me your purse,” Ed instructed, his tranquillizer gun pointed at my chest.
Giving him my best, I wouldn’t hurt a fly look, I carefully handed it to him. “A bit on the twitchy side, aren’t you?”
“No ma’am, the boss said you took down Dixon.”
“Yeah, so what?”
Ed snorted in disbelief. “So what?”
“No man, woman, cop, or felon has ever taken Dixon down, including the boss and believe me he’s tried, repeatedly,” Hank added.
“Really?” That brightened my rather dismal day. “Guys always tend to underestimate me. Just ask your boss.”
“The Commander won’t make that mistake again,” Ed stated confidently.
“Probably not.” God, I hated smart guys. They made my job so much more difficult. I handed Hank the twenty. “I think Derek will hit him, too.”
Hank took the money and gave me a bottle of water. “You’re still a bit dehydrated. Try not to dump it over the boss’s head this time.”
“Spoilsport.” I twisted the cap off, took a swallow and watched the show.
Derek opened the back door of the patrol car where a thoroughly pissed Dixon sat, leaned in and punched his cousin hard in the face.
Dixon swung around and kicked Derek in the chest, knocking him back into the cops standing behind him.
His teeth bared in a snarl, Derek yanked Dixon out of the patrol car and hit him again. The police officers charged in and separated them.
My radar went on red alert. Opening my psychic eye, I reached out searching for the cause.
The image of the beat all-to-hell pilot formed in my mind. Giggling insanely, he crawled along an old tumbleweed filled irrigation ditch. He was close but where? Oh shit! He was right behind me.
The pilot erupted to his feet, raised a pistol and aimed it at my back.
“Watch out,” I shouted, ramming my shoulder into Hank and slamming him to the ground.
A sharp, stabbing pain suddenly exploded in my right butt cheek. My body immediately went numb.
The ungrateful jerk had tranquillized me. Holy Mary Mother of God, I couldn’t move! “Granny!”
“Die you fucking bitch,” the pilot screamed and opened fire.
Bullets whizzed over my head.
Hank jumped on top of me and more gunshots rang out.
Through the ringing in my ears, I heard a frantic Ed say, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry Granny Annabel, I thought she was trying to escape.”
“She saved your lives,” Granny answered in a monstrous voice.
Holy crap, she was using her scary voice.
Derek bellowed, “What in the hell happened here?”
Then again so was nasty CIA agent. Hands lifted me and I could make out the fuzzy outline of Derek’s furious face. “This had better not be her blood.”
“No, sir, it’s mine,” Hank hastily answered.
“It’s just a flesh wound, sir.”
“Bella must be closely guarded while she sleeps” Granny commanded.
“I’ll keep her safe,” Derek responded, cradling me against his chest.
Aw. How sweet. The world faded to black.
Hot. Why was it so friggin’ hot? Was the air-conditioner broken again? What was that awful wailing? Geezus, it sounded like someone was strangling a bunch of cats. My neighbor’s choice of music had always sucked but wow! This was way beyond creepy. It was as if…. Crap!