'I've never been much for speeding,' Ashley said uneasily the next afternoon. She eyed the souped-up dark town car parked in front of her, then glanced at the oval course laid out in a field about ten miles from the lodge.
The sealed concrete road went straight for about a quarter mile before curving through a series of turns. It disappeared behind a screen of trees, but she knew that on the far side of the track someone was spraying the surface with a slick mixture designed to make the tires slip. Assuming she survived that, the next section of the course would include an ambush, complete with gunshots and explosions. Being a passenger had been harrowing enough. Now it was her turn to drive.
She understood the point of the exercise. The people who took this course for real were powerful enough to be kidnapping targets. Should that happen on the road, they had to be prepared. This afternoon wouldn't substitute for a professional driving course, but it was an introduction. Ashley tried to find humor in the situation by wondering if the training would help her get a better parking place at the grocery store.
Zane patted her back. 'You don't get special concession just because you're female.'
She glared at him. 'Did I ask for any?'
He shrugged. 'You look kinda whiny.'
She planted her hands on her hips. 'Do you think annoying me is going to make me drive better?'
'It'll keep you from being nervous.'
Jeff strolled over and glanced down at the list on his clipboard. 'Ashley, you're up next as the driver. Are you ready?'
'Only if I get to kill Zane when I get back.'
Jeff chuckled. 'Is he getting on your nerves?'
'Like nails on a chalkboard.'
'Were you scared?'
She looked at the big car and then at the course. 'Maybe.'
'So it worked.'
She sighed. 'I hate it when you two act all superior just because you're professional soldiers.'
Jeff opened the driver's door and reached inside for the safety helmet. 'Relax, concentrate and drive fast.'
'Can I do just two out of three?' she asked.
'No. All three are required.'
Grumbling under her breath, she fastened on the helmet, then slid behind the wheel of the town car. Two men, bankers from New York, got into the rear. Zane rode shotgun. Jeff stood at the side of the track with a clipboard in one hand and a stopwatch in the other.
'Whenever you're ready,' he called.
Ashley nodded. She took a deep breath to try to ease the tension in her body. It didn't work. She wiped her damp palms on her jeans and tried to tell herself that this was just pretend. Nothing bad was going to happen. Except she knew that it could. One of the participants had overturned the other town car an hour before. No one had been hurt but the car had been totaled.
She glanced at her passengers. 'Helmets on, gentlemen,' she said.
When everyone was safely buckled in, she started the car and drove onto the track.
The purpose of the exercise was to feel what it was like to have to drive evasively. They'd all seen a video on the subject and watched a demonstration. Now they were being given a chance to practice it for themselves.
Based on the way the cars had fishtailed all over the road, Ashley knew she was in for a challenge.
'You're driving like a girl,' Zane said blandly as she eased into the first curve.
She didn't bother looking at him. 'This kind of strategy may work on your recruits,' she said, 'but as I am a girl, it doesn't do a thing for me.'
As she left the first curve, she accelerated. The exercise was timed, but she would lose points for skidding off the road.
There were three
The vehicle moved straight for the first twenty feet, then began to slide off the road. Ashley had watched the other drivers try to fight with the car. Instead she guided it to the side of the road. Once they settled onto the dirt shoulder, she pressed on the accelerator. The tires had traction and she was able to steer around the last of the slick trap.
Only when she was back on the road did she risk glancing at Zane.
He didn't react at all. 'Not bad,' he murmured.
Ashley allowed herself a grin. She knew she'd done a whole lot better than not bad. She was about to tell him so when gunfire exploded all around the car.
'Get down,' she yelled.
A smaller vehicle pulled out next to her and moved close, trying to crowd her off the road.
She ignored the gunfire and the other car, instead concentrating on the track in front of her. She gunned the engine, shooting forward. There was an explosion off to her right, but Ashley ignored it. Another car came up on her right. She swung her car toward it, bashing it once, then sped off toward the finish line.
It was only when she'd stopped the car that she realized her heart was racing. She'd done it! She'd completed the course.
'What's my time?' she asked Zane.
'Three seconds behind Henry's.'
'Three seconds?' She jumped out of the car and practically danced to where Jeff was standing with a clipboard of his own. 'I'm right behind Henry. In second place.'
'I know,' he said without looking at her.
She slapped the back of her hand against his upper arm. 'Come on.' She leaned close. 'Admit it. You think I'm pretty hot stuff.'
He looked up. She saw the pride and affection in his eyes. 'I'm more impressed than you know.'
Chapter 13
A sharp cry cut through the night. Ashley's first thought was that this was yet another trick of Jeff's staff at the executive retreat. But when she opened her eyes, she recognized Jeff's bedroom in his large house on Queen Anne Hill. This wasn't a drill.
She blinked in the darkness and tried to figure out what she'd heard. Was Maggie having a bad dream? Her daughter didn't usually-
The cry came again, but not from down the hall. Instead, the sharp outburst of pain came from the man lying next to her. Ashley turned toward Jeff. As she did so, she glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearly two in the morning. Often she returned to her own bed to sleep, but tonight something had compelled her to stay with Jeff. Now, as she watched him fight with the covers and speak harsh, unintelligible phrases, she was glad she was there for him.
She reached out to touch his arm, then remembered the weekend they'd just spent together. He was very much a warrior. While she'd had clues about his skills before, now she had firsthand knowledge. She wanted to wake him up without finding herself in some kind of death grip. She knew he wouldn't deliberately hurt her, but she had no idea of the content of his dream. In the second or two it took him to return to reality, he could do a lot of damage.
So instead of touching him, she turned on the light sitting on the nightstand and softly spoke his name.
He came awake instantly. His eyes opened and he made a quick, visual search of the room. When his gaze settled on her, he stiffened. 'I was dreaming.'
She nodded. 'You cried out. Are you all right?' It was only as she spoke the words that she realized he was
