The Marshal's Witness (13 page)

He groaned and grabbed her hand. “Careful. I want to last.” He kissed her fiercely as he entered her, slowly at first, giving her time to adjust, then faster and faster. His tongue stroked against hers in time with his thrusts, just like Jessica had fantasized.

She couldn’t be still. She had to touch him, stroke
him, bring him the same wild pleasure he was giving her. She ran her nails down his back to his powerful hips, squeezing, molding the muscles beneath her fingertips, convinced no other man could be this perfect. No other man could ever be...Ryan.

No one would ever take his place in her heart and soul. She screamed as her body climaxed around him. Two more deep thrusts and he hurtled over
the edge into ecstasy with her.

Chapter Fifteen

Ryan hated to wake Jessica, but they’d already spent far too much time in the cabin. After the encounter with the gunman yesterday, he couldn’t fool himself any longer thinking he’d be able to keep Jessica safe up in the mountains. There were too many variables, too many fronts to cover. He had to get Jessica out of here—now.

After throwing some clothes on
and repacking his gear, Ryan gently shook Jessica awake. She was so groggy, he wasn’t even sure she
was
awake when he steered her into the bathroom. When he heard the sound of running water from the other side of the door, he hurried outside and climbed up the nearest tree to have a look around.

No sign of anyone following them, but he wasn’t taking any more chances. Yesterday had been far
too close.

Back inside the cabin, Jessica’s face was flaming red and she wouldn’t meet his gaze. He hoped she was just feeling shy after all they’d done together last night. He hoped she wasn’t regretting anything. He’d been honest with her.

So why did he feel like such a jerk?

He forced his feelings of guilt aside as they left the cabin, but as they headed into the woods he couldn’t
stop thinking about last night. He kept telling himself to forget how wonderful she’d felt in his arms, and how he couldn’t get enough of her, making love to her twice before falling into an exhausted sleep.

When he’d looked into her eyes this morning, it had taken all of his control not to grab her and make love to her again. The only reason he hadn’t was because of the urgent need to get
her out of the mountains before anyone else caught up to them.

He gritted his teeth and tried again to concentrate on his mission, his goal of keeping her safe. What he really needed was a cold dip in a creek. The icy water was the only thing he could think of that might take his mind off what he really wanted.

Jessica.

* * *

J
ESSICA
HIKED
BEHIND
Ryan, like she had so many
times now, only today everything was different. From the moment they’d made love, everything had changed. For her, at least. If they made it out of these mountains alive, Ryan would go back to being a U.S. Marshal. He’d happily leave her behind, no regrets.

Unlike her.

He hadn’t lied to her about his intentions. Family was the most important thing in Ryan’s life. Jessica had known that
even before his declaration last night. She’d seen his love for his family shining in his eyes when he’d told her stories about them.

They’d only known each other for a short time, certainly not enough time for him to decide he cared enough about her to give up everything that was important to him. She couldn’t fault him for that.

For her, though, it was different. She’d already given
up everything important in her life. And she didn’t have a family she had to sacrifice.

But to love her, Ryan would have to give up more than he could bear.

Ahead of her, Ryan held up a branch so she could pass beneath it. He gave her one of his sexy, easy smiles and took the lead again. She sighed and followed him, shoving away her melancholy thoughts. Instead, she focused on being
stealthy, on practicing what he’d taught her about leaving almost no trace when she passed through the forest.

She preferred not to dwell on the reason for such stealth. If she let herself think about everything that had happened in the past few days and about the people who were hunting her, she’d become too emotional and unable to function. Instead, she concentrated on blending into her
surroundings and keeping alert for any sounds that might tell her if someone was nearby.

They followed a gradual upward slope all day until they were high into the mountains. It was much colder now than it had been before.

Ryan dropped back beside her. “We’re in for some bad weather. I’d like to make it to the next ridge and find a cave to shelter in before it arrives. If we keep going
and don’t break for a while, are you okay with that?”

“No problem. I’m fine.”

He narrowed his eyes and studied her intently, as if he’d heard something in her voice or seen something in her eyes that concerned him. She forced a smile and tried to erase any signs of stress from her face. If he knew how badly she’d fallen for him, how miserable she was inside right now, he’d pity her.

She didn’t want his pity.

He finally turned away and took the lead again.

* * *

“E
RMGPH
.”

Jessica had whispered something in her sleep but Ryan couldn’t make it out. After a lunch of beef jerky and crackers that Ryan had confiscated from the ranger’s cabin, Jessica had fallen asleep on the ground with her head pillowed on her arms. Knowing he was the reason for the dark
circles under her eyes, he’d let her sleep as long as he could, but they needed to get moving if they were going to make it to the rendezvous point he’d arranged with Stuart when he called him at the cabin.

She mumbled again.

“What did you say, sweetheart?”

“Eugene,” she whispered, followed by a gentle snort. “Eddie.”

He grinned. Even in her sleep she was still trying to figure
out his middle name. He crouched down on his heels and gently swept her hair back from her face. “Wake up, sleeping beauty. We have to get going. We need to get to the top of the next rise so I can look around.”

Jessica groaned and sat up. “Meaning you want to see if anyone else is following us?”

His warm fingers entwined with hers and he gave her a reassuring squeeze. “While you were
in the shower back at the cabin I made a call to my friend, Stuart. He’s going to pick us up. All we have to do is make it to a little two-lane road north of here. He’ll be waiting for us.”

“I don’t suppose that little road is just over the top of the next rise, is it?”

He tenderly kissed her lips. “Sorry. We’re in pretty deep. That road is a good, long hike from here.”

“Then what
are we waiting for? Let’s go.”

“You sure you’re ready?”

“No, but let’s go, anyway.”

He gave her another quick kiss and hauled her to her feet.

* * *

T
HEY
REACHED
THE
top of the next rise, the rise that did
not
have a little two-lane road waiting on the other side. How far away was the road? No point in asking. She wouldn’t want to hear his answer.

Ryan was going slower
now, although he was still keeping a grueling pace. But at least it was closer to what she could handle. With his long legs, she had to make two strides to his one.

When they reached the top, he said, “I’ll have to climb another tree to scout the area. You’re coming with me.”

“I’m not climbing another tree. No way. That’s where I draw the line. No way, never. Forget it.”

Minutes
later, she sat on a ridiculously thin branch fifteen feet off the ground. Ryan had cast a spell on her. How else could he have gotten her to climb the tree?

His spell only went so far, though. He’d tried to cajole her into climbing higher, but she absolutely refused, so he’d left her in a part of the tree that was well concealed.

He’d hefted himself up the trunk above her with the grace
and stealth of a leopard. She couldn’t see him anymore, he’d gone so high. The way the breezes shook the branch she was on, she couldn’t imagine how he clung to the top of the tree without falling since he was probably hanging on with only one hand and using his binoculars.

Shivering in the cold wind, she watched the forest around her and listened for any sounds. Thankfully, nothing seemed
out of place. No more men with guns were roaming around below, at least not that she could see.

The sun was just starting to set when Ryan appeared on the other side of the tree trunk on a nearby branch. Jessica was so startled she almost pitched out of the tree, but Ryan grabbed her arm and steadied her.

“Sugar. You scared me half to death.”

Ryan didn’t respond, not even to tease
her about saying
sugar
again. He wrapped an arm around her waist and scrambled down out of the tree. He set her on her feet, his expression grim.

“What’s going on?” she asked. “You’re scaring me.”

“There’s another gunman out there,” he said, not mincing words. “He’s coming up fast, and he’s not some city-slicker crook bumbling around in the woods. He’s stealthy, focused, dangerous. We
have to get out of here. Now.”

Chapter Sixteen

Ryan didn’t stop until they reached a small rocky outcrop. He wished he could find a better place to defend Jessica, but he was out of time. He needed her tucked away safe somewhere while he confronted the man who was just minutes away.

He grabbed her, ignoring her squeak of protest, and lifted her over his head. “Grab that rock right there. Haul yourself up
onto the ledge.”

She grumbled but pulled herself up, with Ryan helping her by lifting her from below.

“Jessica?”

“What?”

He grinned at the irritation in her voice. “Make sure there aren’t any bears up there.”

“Ryan!”

“Here comes the backpack.” He tossed it up on the ledge and she grabbed it.

“Aren’t you coming up?” she asked.

“Later. We have company arriving
any minute. Get as far back as you can, out of sight. Don’t make any noise. Jessie, the phone is in the backpack. You’ll have to put the battery in it to use it. The GPS locator is in there, too. If I’m not back in thirty minutes, call Stuart. He’s the first contact under the favorites button. Tell him the coordinates on the GPS and he’ll come get you.”

“What do you mean, if you’re not back?
Aren’t you coming up here with me?”

Ryan hated the panic in her voice, but he didn’t have time to reassure her. “Just be quiet, and call Stuart if things go bad.”

“You’re leaving me?”

His face tightened at the fear in her voice. “I don’t have a choice.”

He reached up and squeezed her hand. Then he turned and jogged back into the trees.

* * *

A
S
SOON
AS
Ryan was gone,
Jessica grabbed the backpack and tossed it back down. She turned around, feet first and lowered herself down off the ledge, and dropped to the ground.

She landed on the backpack and rolled to her feet. She tried to throw the pack on her shoulders like Ryan always did, but it was too heavy. She impatiently dug out most of what was in the pack and tossed it aside, keeping only the essentials
they would need to make it to where Stuart was going to meet them.

Irritation flashed through her as she tugged the still-heavy backpack over her shoulder. Ryan shouldn’t have left her.
She
understood that he didn’t want to worry about her while he tried to locate the man who was after them. But what
he
didn’t understand was that she wasn’t going to sit around while someone took shots at
him. Not this time.

What was it Ryan had told her once, in the hospital?

She was going to help him, whether he wanted her to or not.

* * *

R
YAN
WIPED
A
trickle of blood from his brow and circled his opponent, looking for an opening. Both of them were bloody and bruised and had been trying to get the best of each other for the better part of the last ten minutes.

He didn’t
know if the other man had a gun or not. They’d both practically run into each other on the path through the woods. Neither of them had the opportunity to go for their guns.

“Who are you?” Ryan asked as he threw a punch that knocked the other man back a few feet. “Who do you work for?”

The man wiped the smear of blood from his mouth and scowled at Ryan. “I’m the man who’s going to kill
you.” He charged forward, wrapping his arms around Ryan’s waist, knocking him down.

Ryan struggled to get his hands beneath the other man’s jaw, trying to force him back.

“Get off him!”

Ryan froze at the sound of Jessica’s voice. She was standing a few feet away, holding her knife in the air.

The man above Ryan grinned and jumped off him. Ryan shouted a warning at Jessica,
but it was too late. The other man had knocked the knife from her hands and grabbed her around the waist.

Ryan drew himself into a crouch, but he stilled when he came face-to-face with the business end of the gun that he’d suspected the stranger had all along. The stranger held Jessica clasped against him, his thick forearm pressed against her neck, forcing her head up at an awkward angle.
His gun pointed straight at Ryan.

“Back up. Now,” the man said, his eyes narrowing.

Ryan took a step back. He didn’t look at Jessica’s face. He knew the fear in her eyes would distract him. He needed to focus, to watch for a weakness, an opening, so he could figure a way out of this mess.

“Keep backing up,” the man ordered. He pressed his forearm tighter against Jessica’s throat.

“Ease up,” Ryan said. He held his hands in a conciliatory gesture and quickly stepped back, putting several more feet of space between them.

The man relaxed his hold just enough to let Jessica draw a deep, gasping breath into her lungs.

Ryan risked a quick glance at her face.

She wasn’t terrified.

She was furious.

She was also digging her hand into her jacket pocket.
What was she doing?

“What do you want?” Ryan yelled, trying to distract the gunman. At the same time he wished he could shake Jessica and make her drop whatever crazy plan she was hatching.

The stranger aimed his gun straight at Ryan’s heart, but his arm jerked up in the air, accompanied by his scream as the shot went wild over Ryan’s head and the gun fell from his hand.

For a moment,
Ryan didn’t move. Jessica must have hidden his large hunting knife in her jacket. She’d somehow managed to grab it and stabbed the man’s gun arm. The blade had passed all the way through his forearm and was grotesquely sticking out through the top.

The man’s screams turned into violent curses. He backhanded Jessica with his other arm, knocking her to the ground.

Ryan roared and drew
his gun, but the other man ducked behind a tree, hugging his injured arm across his chest as he ran into the forest. Ryan dropped to his knees beside Jessica. A quick glance at her told him she was all right. He fired off a few more shots into the trees and lunged to his feet to go after the stranger.

“Ryan, if you leave me again, I’ll follow you again.”

Jessica’s threat had him skidding
to a stop.

She jumped up and ran to him. “You’re a stubborn, pigheaded man. Haven’t you learned yet to quit leaving me behind? Let him go. You’re too angry. If you go charging after him now, he’ll hear you coming. And what about the shots you fired? Surely anyone else who might be after us heard them. Shouldn’t we get out of here before they find us?”

Ryan swallowed hard and tamped down
his rage. Jessica was right. Charging into the woods like some bull crashing through the undergrowth would just get him killed, and then Jessica would be left to fend for herself.

Although, judging from the damage she’d just done, maybe she wasn’t as defenseless as he’d thought. Still, the thought of everything that could have gone wrong when she drew her knife had him feeling sick inside.

He grabbed her shoulders and gave her a small shake. “What were you thinking? You could have been killed. If he’d moved his arm...if the blade had glanced off—” He shut his eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. When he opened his eyes again, he was still barely in control.

“Don’t. Ever. Do. That. Again.” He clasped her to him and covered her mouth with his, desperate to feel her against
him and assure himself she was okay. When he began hardening, he reluctantly broke the kiss.

“I will never forget the sight of that man holding a gun with his arm across your throat.”

“Don’t worry,” she gasped, reeling from the kiss. “Neither will I. I’m so sorry that I interfered. I thought you needed my help, and all I did was make it worse.”

He pulled her to him, hugging her
tightly. “If, God forbid, you’re ever being held like that by someone, don’t try to stab them. Pick up your legs and drop right out of his arms. He won’t expect it, and it will leave the way clear for me to shoot him. You got that? No more stunts like you pulled with that knife.” He grasped her arms and held her out in front of him. “We need to go back for the pack. My GPS—”

“Is right over
there. I stashed the pack behind a tree.”

He smiled at her. “You’re an amazing woman, do you know that, Jessica Delaney?”

“What? I’m not Jessica Benedict anymore?” she teased.

“No,” he agreed. “You’re not.

“Come on,” he said, grabbing her hand. “Let’s get out of here before anyone catches up, and before that man you knifed decides to come back for round two.”

A few minutes
later, Ryan and Jessica burst out of the forest onto a narrow, paved road. Jessica heard the roar of an engine a split second before a dark SUV barreled out of the trees on the other side of the road. It screeched to a halt in front of them, rocking on its springs.

Ryan trained his gun on the forest where they’d just emerged, shoving Jessica behind him toward the truck. “Get in.”

The
back door opened and a man leaned out. He grabbed Jessica by the waist and hauled her inside. Then he leaned across her and pulled the door closed.

“You must be Jessica. I’m Stuart Lanier. Pleased to meet you.” He winked and reached for her seat belt.

She stared at him in confusion. “Have we met before? You look so familiar.”

He hesitated before snapping the seat belt on her. “If
that’s a pickup line, don’t bother. I’m yours already, beautiful.” He winked again, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. His face was tight with strain. He hopped back into the front driver’s seat, sliding his wiry frame in behind the steering wheel.

Ryan jerked the front passenger door open and jumped in. “Go, go, go!”

* * *

J
ESSICA
WOKE
TO
the sound of muted voices. It was
still dark outside as the SUV bumped over a pothole in the little two-lane road they were currently traveling on. Ryan was watching the trees roll past their window, keeping guard as he and Stuart spoke to each other in low voices.

Jessica yawned, and Ryan leaned around the side of the seat to look at her.

“We’re almost there,” he said.

“Almost where?” Jessica asked, stretching
and looking out her window. It was still too dark to see much outside and she didn’t see any other cars on the road.

“A cheap motel.” His mouth quirked up in a sexy half grin. “It’s not the Hyatt, but it’s not Motel 6 either,” he said, echoing her earlier words.

“Are you making fun of me?” she demanded.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Jessica leaned forward and cocked her head, trying
to get a better look at Stuart. “Have you ever been to New York?”

His brows raised and he gave her a grin. “Are you hitting on me again?”

“Again?” Ryan asked, glancing back and forth between them.

“She thinks she knows me from somewhere,” Stuart answered.

“If we’ve met, it will come to me,” Jessica said. “I never forget a face.”

“I don’t suppose you’ve ever hired Security
Services International? My bodyguard and private investigation firm?”

Jessica shook her head. “Sorry. Never heard of it.”

“I’ll have to give you a business card later. Maybe we met in Afghanistan,” he teased. “Although if you were on our A-team I’m pretty sure I would have noticed.”

“What’s an A-team?”

Ryan frowned at Stuart and turned to Jessica. “Army Special Forces. The
team consists of twelve rangers. Stuart served on my team. He was my engineering sergeant.”

“An engineering sergeant?” Jessica asked.

“I blow things up.” Stuart gave Jessica a cocky grin, then cleared his throat at Ryan’s hard stare.

“So, what’s our plan?” Jessica asked. “How do I help?”

“You help by doing nothing,” Ryan said. “Stuart’s going to stay with you at the motel and
keep you safe. I’m going to go shake some trees and see what falls out.”

“No.”

“No?” Ryan echoed, his tone mirroring his disbelief that someone would actually refuse one of his orders. The man really needed to work on his bossiness.

“It’s my fault you’re in this mess. I’m going to help.”

“No. You’re not. The last time you tried to help, you almost got yourself killed.”

“I also saved your life.”

Ryan leaned forward, his eyes narrowed. “If you hadn’t gone storming into the middle of the fight, I wouldn’t have needed your help.”

Jessica crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes back at him. “Your father might have taught you to be just a little too independent. It’s annoying. You need to learn to accept help from other people.” She glanced pointedly at Stuart.
“Or is it just women you don’t want help from?”

“There’s nothing wrong with protecting women, and keeping them out of danger,” Ryan insisted.

She rolled her eyes.

“Besides, Stuart and I have known each other for decades. We work well as a team, and I know he has my back.”

Jessica’s eyes widened. “And I don’t, I suppose? You still don’t trust me. That’s why you never want me
to help you, isn’t it?”

His eyes dipped away and his jaw tightened. “I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.” She crossed her arms and fought the urge to kick the back of his seat.

“Uh, Ryan, maybe you should cut her some slack. She’s been through a lot.” Stuart aimed an apologetic smile at Jessica in the rearview mirror.

Ryan glared at him.

Stuart grinned.

“Just
get us to the motel,” Ryan said. “And slow down. We don’t need to catch the attention of the local cops.”

Stuart eased up on the gas and merged onto the interstate ramp.

“Don’t waste time with a motel,” Jessica said. “Let’s go to a computer store. I need a laptop.”

“Why?” Ryan asked.

“I wasn’t just an accountant for Richard DeGaullo. I hacked into a few computer systems along
the way. That’s how I contacted the FBI in the first place. I hacked into the Justice Department’s computer system to leave them messages. I couldn’t use email. DeGaullo’s security team reviewed all of our emails every day.”

Ryan’s mouth tightened into a hard line, and Jessica belatedly realized she’d never told him that part of her past. The sudden wariness in his eyes had Jessica feeling
uneasy.