Like firing a weapon.
Hopefully by the time regulation caught up to him,he’d have found Zimmerman.
He took Megan’s hand, andthey made it to the front of the house and the sidewalk before thecop car turned the corner. They headed down the street.
“Where are you parked?”
Would she disappear, and he’d have to find heragain? He didn’t like it. They would work much better as ateam. But when he’d suggested it, she’d flat out turned himdown.
She led him around the corner to a side-street andstopped near a vehicle.
“This your car?”
She nodded. “Later.”
“Whoa.” He held up his hands again, then got betweenher and the route she was taking around the car to leave. “Hold up.We should talk about this, go over our game plan.”
She said nothing.
“We’re both trying to findZimmerman and stop him. Working together makes sense.”
She lifted her chin. “I don’t dopartners.”
Adrian tried not to let the fact she was seriouslycute distract him. His ex-wife could attest that he wasn’t good atrelationships. “I know, on account of the fact you let me face boththose guys by myself, and one got away. The other is a lost lead.”Because he was dead.
She couldn’t hide the wince. “I’ll find Zimmerman.You don’t have to worry about making sure the FBI saves face.”
“You got this?”
She shrugged. “I usually do. Why would this be anydifferent?”
Adrian squeezed the bridge of his nose. “Fine. I needyour help. I’m flying solo on this. Maybe I’m the one whoneeds someone to kick ideas around with.”
“So call Steve.” Before he could object, she said,“Get my number.”
“That’s it?” he asked. “Get your number?”
She said nothing.
“What’s so bad about teaming up?” Whatever reasonthere was, she adamantly refused to even let herself go there.Doesn’t need anyone, doesn’t need anything. So why did she stilllook scared? It hadn’t gone away. And it hadn’t been a mistake.
There was real fear in her eyes.
“Meg—”
“Get down!”
A gunshot echoed through the night.
He felt her body jerk as he grabbed for her anddived, and then they both hit the ground.
Chapter2
The words “get down” had barely left her mouth beforethe sting of a bullet sliced across the outside of her hip, leftside. Adrian hit the ground on his back because she’d tackled him.Her mother would be so proud of the life choices that ledher here.
Like the gentleman he was, Adrian wrapped his armsaround her and shifted her to the side between him and the car. Sohis body shielded her from bullets. Or, more anyway.
Megan bit back some choice words and sat up. She benther legs and pulled out the keys to her car. Definitely time to go.She clicked the locks and reached above her head for the handle ofthe passenger door.
Adrian lifted up and fired twice over the hood of thecar. Then he ducked back down, a frown on his face.
She said, “Watch out,” and cracked the door open. Nowshe just had to get around it so she could climb in. Then, ofcourse, she’d have to start it and drive away without getting shotthrough the window. First things first.
“Meg—”
She didn’t even let him finish her name. She crabcrawled around the door and started to climb in. Ouch.
“You’re running away?”
She gritted her teeth. “Already been shot. Don’t wantto get hit again and end up a chalk outline on the street.”
“You’ve—” He blew out a breath. “Megan, keep yourhead down.” Then she could swear she heard him pass her and openthe back door. But he wouldn’t. He couldn’t have. Becausethat would mean he intended to stick with her, and that was thelast thing she needed right now.
Megan glanced between the seats.
Yep, he was snaking into the backseat.
The glass of the rear door on the driver’s sideshattered. She screamed without realizing it, or even being able tocontrol it. That happened sometimes. These days, at least. Adrianlifted up and shot through the now open window.
His FBI badge, tucked on his belt, caught light fromsomewhere and flashed.
“Get out of my car.”
“You wanna go, then drive!” he yelled back. “He’sused up a whole lot of shots. If he isn’t out by now, he will besoon, but the cops will have heard it.”
He shifted and that badge flashed again. Tearsblurred her vision. Megan bit back what she wanted to say and heardpolice sirens. She had no intention of answering any questions fromlocal law enforcement about what she was doing here. Or who shewas.
Her life was way too complicated for that.
She twisted the key and heard the car engine turnover. Got herself as much in the seat as she could and glanced upfor a second. She stuck the car in drive and hit the gas. Twistedthe wheel. Megan waited until they were at the first corner beforeshe sat up, stepped on the brake and turned the corner.
They were hardly home free. She’d have to keep watchon her mirrors for a tail, but they were at least out of immediatedanger.
She glanced in her rearview but couldn’t seeAdrian’s face. “I don’t suppose you wantto get on the horn with someone in the FBI and call off thosecops?”
She heard him shift in his seat. “Are they behindus?”
“No, but they’ll be wanting to know what that was.”She waited for a second. When he said nothing, she said,“Well?”
“No.”
Just one—infuriating—word.Megan wanted to roll her eyes, but she was way beyond beingannoyed. “I never asked you to follow me there.”
Silence.
“I got away fine. There was nothing in the house,anyway. And those guys were low level. Zimmerman must have sentthem back to tie-up loose ends.”
“Which, by definition,” he said, “means therewas something to find. Otherwise it wouldn’t have needed tobe destroyed.”
At this point Megan wasn’t even sure Zimmerman wasmore than a man with a plan and the means to cause majordestruction. She wanted to pray for the wisdom to know if he wasalso the blackmailer who had been causing so many people serioushurt. But the words just wouldn’t come out.
If she got honest with God,
