Authors: Elle Saint James
Tags: #Romance
Ava, meanwhile, remained fast asleep. She was so beautiful. So amazing. It was so hard to ever think of losing her. The internal vow to protect her until his dying breath was entrenched firmly in his soul. He’d likely always feel this way. And he admitted only to himself in the deepest reaches of his mind that he never wanted to be without her.
Troy saw him watching her and asked, “What are you thinking?”
“That I’m in love with her and I can’t live without her.” Declan’s mouth started moving before his brain had caught up with the plan for what he was about to say.
Troy blinked. “What?”
Declan found it was a relief to express his feelings for Ava. So he said, “You heard me,” as if he’d planned to reveal the depths of his soul all along.
Their gazes met as Declan’s old fears warred with making this new declaration of love. But love won out because the more he thought about Ava being in his life, the more he wanted her there forever. Maybe it was because she was ensconced in his childhood home, and that made him soft. But he didn’t think so.
Maybe he’d finally realized the past couple of days in his life had been the best he’d ever experienced even though they’d been on the run since minutes after they’d met.
“You know I’ve been smitten since the motel,” his friend whispered. “I didn’t want to tell you yet, but I want to make a life with her.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“And now you do, too?” Declan nodded with a smile. Troy returned the grin. “Somehow I expected you to put up more of a fight.”
Declan shook his head. “That would be pointless. I don’t want to lose her.”
“I don’t want to lose her either.”
Declan nodded as if a firm decision had been made. “Good, then we’re agreed. When we get to Colorado, let’s make a pitch. We can show her our place, take her to a stadium show, and see if she’d like to stay with us. Permanently.”
Troy barked out a sudden laugh, and Ava stirred. He slapped his hand over his mouth, and they both held their breath until she was breathing evenly again.
They got up from the bed and went out into the main part of the basement for further discussion.
Troy stretched and whispered, “Shit. I haven’t slept so good in ages.”
“Yeah. I thought it was the head wound, but I think Ava has more to do with my overall attitude than anything else.”
He glanced over at a window that faced the eastern sky. The sky brightened almost before his eyes. He could see the outline of the barn where they’d hidden the van. “It was good to catch up on our rest, but we probably shouldn’t have slept so long. The sky’s bright. It’s nearly daybreak.”
“Yeah, I know. Storms always make me sleep better. And it sounds like the bad weather has already passed though.” He nodded once at the closed door to the bedroom. “You stay with her for now. Let’s let her sleep. I’ll go try to find some old farm equipment tanks with enough gas to siphon out for the van.”
“What if she wakes up?”
Declan shrugged. “Do what comes naturally.”
“Thanks, man. Are you sure your head is okay?”
He nodded. The throbbing pain had mostly gone away after the amazing blow job the night before. Also the uninterrupted sleep had helped. “I’ll be fine. Just keep our girl safe.”
Troy grinned and nodded. “Will do. Safe and very happy.”
Declan exited by way of the back door, shaking his head. Maybe he should have volunteered to make Ava “safe and happy” this morning. Instead, he kept moving. He brushed his fingers along the wooden chimes, sending low tubular knocking sounds into the air around him.
The rainstorm had given the yard and surrounding land a good soaking. Hopefully the van wouldn’t sink into any potholes on the way out of the property. They’d re-graveled the road for prospective buyers coming to look at the house and surrounding property, but hadn’t regraded it back to completely level as a cost-cutting measure.
The new owners could do that if they wanted to pay for it. The value of this property was really in the land and not the structures available on it. He’d long ago made his peace with giving this place up. He wouldn’t have done it on his own, but his sister wanted it taken care of, so he’d acquiesced and let
her
start the process to sell the property. It wasn’t like he was planning on ever coming back here to live.
Although this unexpected visit made him reconsider the prospect of losing his childhood home. His sister never planned to live here. She didn’t want to deal with out-of-state property issues. Plus, she’d hated ranch life back when they were kids. His parents moved away years ago and put the property in his and his sister’s name after they went into a retirement home. Perhaps he’d buy his sister out. Selling the property had never been about the money. He had plenty of that from other ventures even after his ex had taken more than her fair share. Declan might reconsider getting rid of this property now as he’d just made some new memories worth keeping.
Troy didn’t have a family history anywhere, and on some level Declan felt a little guilty for his amazing childhood on this property. He’d had his fill of being a cowboy in his youth. He knew he didn’t want to farm or ranch this land in the future, but maybe he’d simply hang on to it for old times’ sake. In memory of an extraordinary woman he’d hidden out with here in the stories he’d tell in the future about his journey.
He’d tell the stories about a woman who made him very happy.
Declan searched methodically and soon found what he was looking for in the second outbuilding from the house, next to a riding lawnmower. It was likely put here to keep the grass surrounding the house tidy for the eventual sale. He was whistling by the time he’d carried the full gas can to the barn.
He went inside the large structure by way of the back door to the barn this time and opposite of the way they’d driven the van through the large doors on the front side last night.
And likely why he noticed the crude bomb attached to the back rear bumper of the silver minivan immediately.
Troy went back to the room so he could watch Ava sleep after Declan left to search for gas to get the minivan running again. She’d rolled to her back, both breasts on display for his pleasure. He stared at her for a long time just getting his fill of her, knowing that a lifetime wouldn’t be enough time. He might never get his fill.
He licked his lips, glanced over his shoulder wondering how long Declan would be. After a few minutes, Troy decided it didn’t matter. He should take every opportunity to enjoy himself in case things didn’t work out between them once they got to Colorado. Thus far, Ava had been fairly adamant about a permanent life with the two of them being out of the question.
On a good note, at least Declan wanted her to stay as much as he did. He’d assumed that Declan would be the harder one to convince. Now he wasn’t as sure.
Carefully, he resumed his space beside her. One arm slid away from her torso, giving him full visual access to her naked body. Unable to help himself, Troy leaned down and brushed his lips across one nipple. She turned her head, but otherwise didn’t stop him. So he moved on to the next breast and teased that tip. One hand slid easily between her thighs. He invaded her pussy with one long finger and then two, but soon retreated. He stroked her clit, trying to wake her up to a climactically great day.
He resumed sucking on her breast until she moaned and a gush of juice moistened her pussy lips. She wiggled away from his fingers. Was she awake yet?
He lowered his mouth to her lips. She licked him and then laughed when he startled.
“You’re awake.”
“Hard not to be when you rub me like you want something. Besides, I’ve been awake for a while now.” Had she heard any part of the earlier conversation with Declan? That had gotten them in trouble before.
“Oh, yeah, since when?”
“Since both of you got out of bed. I was just resting my eyes until you came back. Where is Declan, by the way? He must be feeling better.”
“Yep. He went to look in some of the other outbuildings for some gas to put in the van.”
The words had barely cleared his mouth when a sudden explosion from the direction of the barn shook them.
The fear in her eyes likely mirrored his own. They scrambled out of bed and headed through the door. A quick look through the window facing the barn, and it was easy to see the fire and that the large building was no longer intact. Troy swore under his breath.
Ava blanched and raced toward the basement stairs. She took them two at a time, and he followed her. Before they got halfway to the door, Troy’s common sense kicked in. He slung one arm around her waist and stopped her. “Wait.”
She almost made it up one more tread but rested against his chest. “But why? Didn’t you say Declan was in the barn getting gas for the minivan. Maybe he’s hurt.” The terror in her voice was palpable.
“Or maybe it’s Diego trying to lure us out to kill us.” She stopped moving, and they both looked at the closed door.
“How is that even possible? How could he have found us when we didn’t even know we were coming here until we were on the road?”
“I don’t know. I just have a very bad feeling.” She was stiff in his arms and trembled with his answer.
She whimpered. “Do you think he killed Declan in the barn?” Tears streamed down her face, and warm splashes hit his hand.
With utter certainty in his tone he answered, “No.”
I hope not.
Ava wrenched from his arms and slowly climbed the stairs. “We don’t know anything unless we at least go look.”
Troy didn’t have a ready argument for that, so he followed her. “Let me go through the door first,” he said when they made it all the way upstairs.
“Why, so I can lose you, too?”
“No. Because I promised Declan I’d protect you. I’m not letting you go through the door first. Get behind me, or we’re going back down to the basement.”
“Fine.” She moved to one side, and he slowly cracked the door. There was no line of sight to the front or back doors from the hall right outside the basement door.
He eased it open enough to get his head out, making sure. He opened the door wide and heard a booming voice coming from the area outside the front door.
Diego shouted in a taunting tone, “One down and two to go.”
Troy glanced over his shoulder to see if she’d heard. Her lips trembled, but she nodded.
They moved into the hallway slowly, staying just short of the door and living room window.
“I know you’re in there,” Diego shouted. The quiet of the morning allowed his voice to carry easily to their ears. Whether they wanted to hear what he said or not. Troy didn’t.
“I’ve also wired the house to blow up. Come out, Miss Campbell, and I promise to spare the life of your other protector.”
She stepped forward, and he grabbed her tight. “He’s a liar, Ava.”
Diego continued. “My client is upset that you aren’t already dead. I require a visual proof of you alive, and then I can kill you.”
She swayed in his arms. Troy shook his head. “I mean it. Do not move. We stay together.” He gestured to the basement door.
Ava sniffed. “If he’s wired the house to blow, we won’t be any safer in the basement.”
Diego shouted again. “I have Marisol and her son. One phone call and I’ll end two more lives to get what I want, Miss Campbell. Do you really doubt my resolve?”
Her eyes rounded, and she fought Troy, but he pushed her down the hall away from Diego’s threats. True or not, he wasn’t letting her traipse to her death. They’d go down fighting.
“You’ve been elusive. I must admit to you both—since you’ll be dead soon anyway—that finding you in that cabin in Missouri was a fucking miracle.”
Ava stopped him. She didn’t try to run, but she pointed to the front. “I want to hear what he says. We won’t be safer in the basement, will we?”
“Not really,” he whispered. If the house was really wired to blow, depending on the size of the charge, any place inside was not going to be better than another.
“I’d turned around to head in the opposite direction when my engine failed. The only tow service was the place where you were staying. I’d barely gotten a look at the minivan and attached a GPS tracker beneath the front bumper before I heard others in the woods. I also put trackers on two other vehicles at other cabins in the area just in case.”
Troy wondered why he wasn’t more worried about someone coming to the barn explosion. What did he know?
“I saw that you checked the van for explosives before leaving the cabin in Missouri. I didn’t have time to wire it up, but I guess you missed the GPS device I hid in a magnet and stuck beneath the front bumper. I’m so glad I had the wherewithal to track you. Spyware is so much more available these days. Makes my job easier.”
Troy wished his annoying fucking voice would stop. At least now he knew how they’d been tracked. He traded a look with Ava. Her mouth formed a line of disapproval. She got it.
“I found your phone and tracked you for a bit until you threw it out. But the tracker on the van went dark during the storm. Imagine my delight when the signal returned in the wee hours of the morning. I was led straight to the barn up there. A pity your friend didn’t know I’d wired the hidden minivan to blow up this morning. Just like I’ve wired the house to explode.”