LITMIR.BIZ

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on a second. Don’t try to move until we’re sure you’re not hurt.”

      She didn’t listen and, instead, scrambled to undo her restraint. The woman was obviously suffering from shock.

      The latch freed and Davis caught her before she could fall forward. His arm circled her waist and she froze. He lifted her out of the car and set her on her feet. The moment she was safely on ground, she pushed his hands away and distanced herself from him. It was clear he made her nervous.

      The storm around them was no comparison to the one raging in her startling emerald green eyes. It had been a long time since he’d seen such panic. Was it just because of her near-death experience or fueled by something more?

      Her light brown hair, once tied into a ponytail, was now mostly escaping. The first thing to strike him as unusual was that she seemed familiar. Impossible. They’d never met before; he was almost certain of it.

      Davis realized he was staring and quickly pulled himself together. Too much time spent alone, obviously. “We need to get you out of here. The storm’s not easing any. Can you walk?”

      She took a tentative step forward. “Yes, I think so.”

      “Good.”

      He gazed up at the sky. The weather conditions were definitely worsening and he had a decision to make. He couldn’t leave her here and the car didn’t appear drivable. But there was another option. He could take her back into town and deposit her at the hotel then wait out the rest of the snowstorm from Maggie’s Diner.

      His was the only house past the last curve. No one came this far up the mountain by accident. So what brought her here? Old fears from his past life slowly crept in. She didn’t appear to be a threat, but he’d learned the hard way not to depend on appearances. Bad people came in innocent-looking packages, and in the spy business, you never let down your guard.

      “What were you doing up here on the mountain in this storm anyway?” he asked through narrowed eyes, carefully gauging her reaction.

      “I’m...searching for someone.”

      Her body language told him she wasn’t being completely honest and he needed answers.

      “There’s no one up here but me, so let’s try this again. Who are you and why are you really here?”

      Her gaze collided with his, and he lost his equilibrium for a second. Even scared to death and as cagey as a trapped bear, she had the type of beauty that took his breath away. He hadn’t thought of another woman in such a way since Abby, and it bothered him that a total stranger could illicit such thoughts.

      “My name is Reyna Peterson and I have told you the truth,” she retorted, bristling at his tone. “I am trying to find someone. A friend of my husband’s.”

      She was married. A simple gold band on her left hand seemed to confirm her story, but he couldn’t let go of the doubts. “Oh yeah? What’s the friend’s name?”

      She hesitated, evidently torn between answering his question and keeping her secrets. His internal radar pegged the top of the chart.

      She cleared her throat. “Jase Bradford. His name is Jase Bradford.”

      Shock and disbelief threatened to buckle his knees. He hadn’t heard that name in years. He had long ago buried the person he’d been back then.

      Somehow, Davis managed to get coherent words to come out of his mouth. “There’s no one by that name around these parts. Your husband is mistaken.” A hard edge crept into his tone as it always did whenever he thought about the past.

      Reyna stared at him in a way that conveyed she either didn’t believe him or didn’t want to.

      “Eddie was so sure I would find him here...” she murmured, almost to herself.

      Eddie. Eddie Peterson? No, not possible. He couldn’t have heard right. “Your husband’s name is...Eddie?” He latched on to the name as a distraction because it felt as if someone had slugged him hard in the chest. With the exception of his former handler, Kyle Jennings, Eddie was the last remaining member of the Scorpion team still alive. Eddie wouldn’t be trying to make contact with him without good cause. And why send his wife? Had something happened to his former comrade?

      “Yes,” she confirmed reluctantly. The second the words were out, he could see she thought better of sharing them. “I’m sorry. None of this is your problem.”

      She had no idea how wrong she was. Eddie Peterson had been one of his own. He’d recruited him personally as part of the elite Scorpion team after the failed weapons mission near Tora Bora had taken the lives of two crucial team members. Eddie had been a good fit with the team and they’d grown close while serving side by side. Her husband was his problem. And now so was she.

      Davis’s plans had now changed. Instead of going back to Defiance, he’d take her to his place. See what he could find out by morning. Pray that all of this would turn out to be just some strange coincidence and then send her on her way. Unfortunately, he didn’t believe in coincidences. Especially ones this huge.

      A deluge of wintry mix pelted his face like tiny bullets and his feet were numb. “There’s no way to get your car out of here tonight.” He crooked a thumb in the direction of his SUV. “My ride’s just up there. Let’s get you warm. You’re shivering. I can come back and get whatever you need for the night and we’ll deal with the car in the morning.”

      Reyna didn’t budge. He could see she didn’t trust him. Not the normal reaction of someone just rescued from almost certain death.

      “We’ll be stuck up here if we stay much longer,” he added, hoping to convince her.

      She hesitated another second before giving in. “You’re right. We need to get out of the storm. It’s got to be well below freezing out here.”

      Try as he might, he couldn’t get a good read off her, and he didn’t like it. Not one bit. “Watch your step.”

      She clutched the edge of his jacket in a vise grip as she followed close behind, slipping over the icy mess.

      Davis reached for her hand to help her the last bit of the way up to the road. The touch of her hand in his sparked a sweet memory of Abby from long ago. They had slipped away for a few brief moments alone between missions. They’d climbed a snowcapped mountain in Afghanistan and spent the afternoon together, just enjoying the breathtaking view and the quiet they’d found amid a raging war.

      Back then he’d still believed love was possible. That was before he’d lost Abby. He shoved that painful memory deep within the dark recesses of his broken heart.

      Through the swirling storm, he located the Jeep and they trudged through deep snow the short distance. He forced open the passenger door and waited while she climbed inside.

      Davis went around to the driver’s side, got in and cranked the heater up another notch. Reyna was shaking uncontrollably. He grabbed a blanket from the backseat and wrapped it around her shoulders.

      For the first time she smiled and it caught him completely off guard. She had a pretty smile. It eased some of the tautness from around her mouth and eyes.

      “Thank you for saving me,” she whispered. “If you hadn’t come along when you did, I—I wouldn’t have made it. With the temperature dropping so quickly and prolonged exposure to the elements, hypothermia doesn’t take long to set in...” He gave her a quizzical look and she laughed. “Sorry, I’m sure you must know all about the dangers of exposure living up here. I’m a doctor,” she explained. “Sometimes it’s hard to shut it off.”

      He absorbed this new piece of information with a nod. He remembered something Eddie had said once about his wife studying to be a pediatric surgeon. That part seemed to lend credence to her story.

      “My place is a couple of miles farther up the road. You can spend the night there. In the morning, I’ll see if I can get the car unstuck.” Her smile disappeared.

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