“Let me worry about the logistics. I just need you to stick close to me and do what I say. Think you can handle that?”
She didn’t even attempt to argue. That’s when he knew she was truly afraid. For all of her toughness and apparent need to be in control, what happened between her and the man who assaulted her in this room had Kaya Laurent rattled.
He gently caught her chin and lifted her gaze to his. “You can trust me. Okay?”
“Okay.”
As she quickly slipped out of her heels, he crept toward the open door and looked out. The hallway was empty now. The mansion was being cleared of wedding guests and all but a handful of security personnel.
“Come on,” Aric said, taking her free hand. “The only way we’re getting out of here is by getting lost inside the crowd.”
He saw the flicker of apprehension in her eyes, but when the time came to make their dash between the clusters of people being corralled back out to the gardens, she proved herself a match for both his pace and his nerve.
It wasn’t easy keeping the shadows gathered around them as they hurried out to the sunlit lawn. The pack of moving bodies all around them was the only thing he had to work with, and once he and Kaya made their break for the perimeter of the massive property, he wouldn’t even have that small advantage on his side.
Aric took the first opportunity he had to veer away from the crowd, using the shade behind one of the large white catering tents for cover. “Shit,” he bit off in a harsh whisper. “The closest edge of the tree line is about a hundred yards from here. I can’t shield both of us that far in open daylight, so we’re going to have to make a run for it.”
Kaya’s beautiful face was set in a look of pure determination. “I’m ready.”
God help him, it was all he could do to resist touching her now. There was chaos and danger churning all around them, but all he wanted to do was bury his hands in her tangled hair and kiss her. Instead he dragged his hungry gaze from her trusting brown eyes and measured their chances of escaping without being caught.
The odds weren’t good. Guards fanned out over the rolling lawn and gardens, some trying to calm anxious guests while others prowled the grounds like soldiers eager for a fight. Aric cursed under his breath. If he and Kaya didn’t get out of there fast, their fucked up mission was heading straight into the catastrophe zone.
“Okay,” he uttered quietly, spotting a narrow break. “Now, Kaya.”
Together, they dashed for the next tent several yards away. When the coast was clear for another brief moment, they hunkered low and scrambled another few yards along the edge of the gardens, using the shadows behind elaborate topiary and fountains to hide them as they arduously worked their way toward the thick forest that rose up like a wall along the furthest edge of the estate.
“We made it,” Kaya said, breathless as they ducked into the cool shade of the towering trees.
Aric didn’t have the heart to tell her otherwise. He reached down and grabbed a fistful of her gauzy pink skirt, making her gasp when he tore a long piece loose.
She frowned as she watched him jog in the opposite direction of where they were headed and stuff the scrap into some of the bramble. “What’s that for?”
“The dogs.”
He’d been hearing them for several minutes, barking in the distance as the canine units were loosed along the perimeter of the property.
Now Kaya heard them too. He saw her dread deepen as the baying and howling grew louder.
Closer.
He took her hand. “Let’s go. We can reach the fence before they’re on top of us. If the guards send more dogs in from behind, your scent on that piece of silk will keep them occupied for a few minutes. Long enough to give us a chance to get on the other side.”
Or so he hoped.
While bending shadows would shield them from being seen, it was useless against the scent-tracking capabilities of a pack of highly trained dogs.
“This way,” he said, leading Kaya deeper into the thicket.
They raced hell for leather over the uneven ground, dodging low branches and sharp switches that lashed them as they passed. She still held her sandals in her hand, which would have been little help to her anyway on the loamy carpet and rock-strewn path they cut through the woods.
If Kaya was uncomfortable, she didn’t seem to notice or care. She navigated the terrain as ably as he did, never mind that she was doing it barefoot in a dress. She’d make one hell of a warrior one day, provided this botched mission didn’t get both of them bounced right out of the running.
“There it is, Aric.” She pointed ahead of them to where a tall hedge of silver links topped with razor wire gleamed in the sparse light of the woods.
Not only was it electrified, but also equipped with small surveillance cameras. Aric disabled them with a focused mental command. The fence would require a bit more effort.
“Give me one of your shoes,” he told her as they neared the structure. She handed over one of the delicate designer sandals and he tossed it at the fence.
At the instant of contact, a loud pop exploded, sending sparks shooting out in all directions like fireworks. Even though the ten-thousand volts was expected, Aric cursed in frustration. He could probably short it out with his mind, but only for a few seconds. Not long enough that he’d be willing to risk Kaya’s life by asking her to climb it.
“Put your arms around me.”
She gave him a dubious look. “What for?”
“So I can save your pretty ass. Hold on to me, Kaya. Now.”
As soon as she’d looped
