Clenching his jaw, he nodded and opened the passenger door for her. “Why can’t we call the police?” she asked as they pulled out of the garage.

“It’s not safe.”

“The police aren’t safe? You’re the one who just killed a man.” Her voice was incredulous.

“You think I should have let him kill you instead?”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it. You’re dragging me into whatever this is and I have a right to know what’s going on.”

“I know that. I…” He couldn’t think straight around her. He desperately wanted to confess everything, but couldn’t find the right words. He hadn’t even planned to see her. He’d just wanted to protect her, not admit who he’d turned into. So much had changed in her life and he knew he couldn’t be a part of it anymore. Still, she deserved the truth though it might terrify her. No, it definitely would. He thought he’d been prepared for that if he was forced to talk to her, but now…he couldn’t stand the thought of her loathing him even more.

The need for self-preservation kicked in. He had to hold off a little longer.

“Are you going to finish that thought?” Her voice was quiet, but he didn’t miss the slight note of concern.

“I just want to take care of this, then I promise to tell you everything. Okay?”

“I…okay.”

He knew the only reason she was agreeing with him was because she had no choice. He’d dragged her from the house using the subtle threat of tying her up. It might not be physical but he’d taken her freedom away. More than most he knew what it was like to have freedom stolen, and he’d never imagined he’d have to do the same thing to Alexis.

The drive to the beach wasn’t far but the silence that stretched between them felt endless. A giant, black void that made him wish he was better with words. If he could say something, anything, to ease her fears he would. Even though he’d touched and kissed every inch of her sweet body, right now he might as well have been sitting next to a stranger. A stranger who would likely claw his eyes out given half a chance.

When he reached the deserted stretch, he continued down the long, isolated road until it dead-ended. He stopped in front of a three-story waterfront house with boarded-up windows. No doubt someone’s vacation house.

“Do you know who owns this?” he asked as he parked.

She shook her head. “No. Most of these places are only used in the summer.”

The icy wind whipped against his face and cut through his thick sweater when he stepped from the vehicle. As an afterthought, he grabbed the keys from the ignition.

“Nice,” Alexis muttered.

Since it was so cold he doubted anyone would be on the beach, but he hiked up one of the sand dunes. After a brief survey of the area, he returned with the body.

As a precaution he checked the dead man’s pockets one more time, but found nothing else. He’d lifted a cheap throwaway phone earlier, and those were almost impossible to track. He dragged the body into a patch of beach grass and sea oats then noted the address and location. When they were on their way out of town, he’d make an anonymous call to the police.

He jumped back in his vehicle and hit one of the speed dials on his phone.

“Hunter, I take it you’re in the States now.” Father O’Reilly’s thick Irish accent was unmistakable. The priest was the first person he’d called once he’d made it to a secure line. It didn’t matter that six years had passed. His friend had been more than willing to help.

“Hi, Father. Have—”

“Will you stop calling me Father? I retired a decade ago.”

Despite the situation, he smiled to himself and ignored the heated stare from Alexis. She was practically drilling holes into him. “Sorry. Old habits die hard, I guess. Besides, what am I going to do, call you Patrick?”

The older man chuckled. “Point taken. Let me guess, you’re calling to make sure a certain package made it here.”

Hunter turned left onto the main road and kept to the speed limit. He couldn’t risk being pulled over by acting careless. “Yes.”

“It did and it’s safe. Don’t worry.”

“If anything happens to me or Alexis—”

“I know what to do.”

“Thank you, Fath…thanks. I’ll call you in a couple of days with any updates.”

As they disconnected, he glanced in the mirror and noticed an oversized SUV similar to the one he drove trailing behind him. The vehicle had simply appeared when they’d entered the downtown area. It hadn’t followed them to the beach and while it could be nothing, he wasn’t taking any chances.

“Who was that on the phone? And what do you mean if anything happens to you or me? I’m not being dragged into whatever this craziness is.”

“Hold on.” Gunning the engine, he took a sharp left.

The SUV followed.

He flipped on his right blinker and the other vehicle did the same. Definitely tailing him. The guy wasn’t even trying to hide it. But so far he hadn’t gained or made any overtly aggressive moves. Gripping the wheel, he swerved another left. The vehicle continued to follow.

“Are we being followed?” Alexis swiveled in her seat.

“Not sure yet,” he muttered.

As he drove through town, he was thankful for the near empty streets. Keeping his eyes on the rearview mirror, he reached out and lightly grasped her leg. He wanted—needed—to feel her. Just for a moment. He didn’t deserve to touch her but he couldn’t feign being sorry. After so many years of thinking and dreaming about her, it was almost impossible to believe she sat so close to him. The circumstances were crap, but feeling her somehow grounded him. Which was insane.

“Don’t touch me,” she growled.

Immediately he jerked his hand back. At that moment he loathed himself. Touching her like that when she hadn’t asked to be dragged into the vehicle with him.

“Do you trust me?” he asked, then immediately wanted to take the question back.

Her eyebrows rose in disbelief.

Guess that would have to be good enough. “I need you to get on the floorboard.”

“Are you going to let me go? And will you answer all my questions?”

He checked the rearview mirror again. Still had a tail. “As soon as we lose this guy, I’ll answer your questions.” But he wouldn’t let her go.

“Fine,” she said through gritted teeth.

Gripping the wheel tightly, he maneuvered a quick U-turn, completely surprising the other driver. White smoke rose up behind him and black skid marks covered the pavement.

He watched as the driver’s side window of the other vehicle rolled down. Hunter braced himself for the impending impact. “Stay down!” he shouted at Alexis.

He had nowhere to go unless he wanted to crash into one of the stores. An avalanche of bullets sprayed the driver’s side. It sounded like heavy rainfall on a tin roof. Jerking to the right, he somehow managed to avoid getting shot.

Alexis let out a brief scream but didn’t make a move to get up.

As more loud pings ricocheted off the vehicle, he braced himself for the ripping pain of a bullet. Nothing struck him directly. Taking one last sharp turn, he slammed his foot on the accelerator and raced out of town.

“Is he still behind us?” Panic vibrated through her shaky voice.

He wasn’t sure why she was whispering, but the frightened look in her wide eyes tore at his heart. The last thing he’d ever wanted to do was bring this to her doorstep. It was just another reminder that he had no place in her or their son’s life. “He’s still there.”

“Who is he?”

“I don’t know. He works for the men who want me dead.” That was as honest as he could be without laying everything on her.

No red lights on this stretch of road. He retraced his steps back to the two-lane road he’d taken to dump the body. Getting this guy away from the general public was the most important thing.

He couldn’t have any more deaths hanging over his head.

The back window exploded and Alexis screamed again. Shards of glass spewed all the way to the front seat. He sank lower in his seat and started swerving erratically across the deserted two-lane road.

“Hunter, talk to me! Are you okay? Did you get shot?”

“I’m fine. This is almost over but I need you to strap in, now.” He gritted his teeth.

Without questioning him, she brushed glass off the seat and scrambled back into it. She did as he said, then sank lower against the seat.

The SUV couldn’t close the distance enough to slam into him. Maybe if he forced the guy’s hand, Hunter would get an advantage. Something had to give. He was running out of time.

And out of road.

He had a gun, but the chance of hitting the guy from a moving vehicle was slim. And he was sure the SUV had bullet-resistant glass. His hands tightened around the steering wheel. The stretch of road deadened into sand and beach, leaving him nowhere to run. Keeping his foot heavy on the gas, he waited until the needle pointed above ninety.

Then he tapped on the brakes, careful not to depress too hard.

The SUV gained rapid ground. Hunter took the only chance he had and smashed on the brakes. Glass and metal crunched sickeningly as the guy collided into the back of them.

As he jerked forward, Hunter tried to gain control, but the brakes refused to cooperate. He yanked the wheel. The vehicle whipped around into a one eighty, forcing the back of the vehicle to crash into a wooden telephone pole. The impact of the collision jarred him straight to his bones.

At least they hadn’t flipped. And somehow, the engine still ran. When he’d rented the vehicle, the first thing he’d done was disable the airbags. His head slammed back against the headrest, jarring his focus. Without the airbag deploying he didn’t risk being knocked out. The chance of it happening was slim, but he was glad he’d taken the extra precaution.

As he gathered his bearings, he watched the other vehicle spin out of control. The SUV jerked sharply, then toppled on its side. It skidded into a ditch, and smoke billowed out from under the hood.