But now, as she slid her toned arms into her jacket, she was beginning to tire of Sam’s worry.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter whether you like it or not,’ she said coldly. ‘We need the money.’
Sam turned from the window and sighed. The bond they’d built over the past few months had outweighed the original attraction that had seen them spend the night together on a Berlin-bound train. Now, he cared deeply for the young woman. She was in just as deep as he was, yet she didn’t know it.
While she had street smarts in abundance, and the skills behind the wheel of a car that would make an F1 driver blush, she didn’t have the same survival skills he did.
She’d never needed them.
Until now.
‘So, who is this guy?’ Sam asked.
‘His name is Matteo.’ Alex pulled a cigarette out of her pocket and lit the end. Sam gently pushed the window open and she nodded her thanks. ‘He just needs a driver.’
‘That’s it? That’s all you know?’
Alex blew the smoke into the air and shook her head.
‘What do you want me to do, Sam? Check his fucking papers?’
‘No, I need you to be smart,’ Sam said coldly. ‘I know I’ve been out of action and you’ve been making some money racing, but this guy shows up out of nowhere with a job for you to do? It sounds suspicious.’
‘Just to let you know, most guys who are involved in street racing usually are suspicious.’ She took another pull. ‘He showed up a few nights ago, said I drove well and that he needed a driver for a job.’
‘And that’s it?’
‘That’s it.’ Alex stubbed the cigarette out on the window ledge and stepped past Sam. ‘He’s paying good money which we need if we’re going to get back to New York.’
‘I know you want to get back to your family, Alex, but…’
‘But what? What, Sam?’ Alex snapped. ‘My brother and sister are waiting for me and god knows what the fuck has happened since we’ve been gone. For all I know, my mum’s OD’d and they’re in some foster home. Or worse. If I could drive this car across the damn ocean, I would. Matteo is paying enough money for us to get there and you can bet your life I’ll do anything to get home.’
Alex was shaking, the anger and pain from being away from her siblings was threatening to detonate like a bomb. Sam stepped forward and protectively wrapped his arms around her. Despite her pride, she fell into his hug and Sam gently rubbed her back.
She knew he cared.
Probably too much.
It was a notion that was lost on her. Her deadbeat dad had never been around, and her mum had long since lost herself to addiction. Alex had had a few boyfriends in her time, none of them amounting to more than a few months of passionate sex before she cut any emotional ties.
It was a comfort she didn’t need.
But Sam was different. His past was his own, one he was reluctant to share, but his compassion for her was obvious. She adored the love that had grown between them, one that hadn’t led to any further trysts between the sheets but one that had grown to a genuine friendship.
As she stepped away from him, she offered him her striking smile.
‘Your hair is getting a bit long,’ she finally said, chuckling as the fringe flopped over his brow.
‘I need you,’ Sam said quietly. ‘You’ve kept me alive all this time and now I’m fighting fit. If this guy is dodgy or worse, a cop, then all this goes away. All the hope you have of getting home is gone.’
‘This guy isn’t a cop,’ Alex said, stepping away from Sam and heading towards the door. Outside, the spring shower had gotten heavier, the rain clattering against the metal stairs and echoing like a maraca. ‘Just have a bit of faith in me to know what I’m getting myself into.’
Sam readied to respond and then thought better of it. One thing he admired about the woman was her fearlessness. He was just concerned that her drive to return home would turn that to recklessness.
Deep in thought, Sam finally turned back to the window and looked out at the city, watching the rain fall.
Alex took a step towards the door.
‘Everything will be fine, Sam.’ She yanked the door open, and a chilled breeze blew through the small apartment. ‘I promise.’
With that, she stepped out and pulled the door closed. As her boots clattered the metal of the stairs, Sam could feel an unease in his stomach.
Something didn’t feel right.
Without a doubt, some very powerful people would be looking for him, with enough resources to run a small country. Besides, the people hunting Sam didn’t like to leave behind a trace.
He knew that. He used to work for them.
Ervin Wallace was a terrifying human being, but he wasn’t stupid. After Alex had saved his life, there was no doubt in his mind that Wallace would be turning over every stone possible to reach him. All he needed was a whiff of where he was, and the man would turn his attack dogs on him in a heartbeat.
If Alex was walking into a sting operation, the worst that she saw happening was she might get arrested. But unlike Sam, she had her actual passport.
Alex Stone.
The name would flash up on so many Blackridge databases it would look like a Christmas tree.
They would have her locked away until Wallace got there, and his patience was thin at the best of times. Despite her toughness, Sam knew she would have a pain threshold that Wallace would be all too eager to discover. Once that happened, she would be nothing more than a loose end.
Another death on Sam’s conscience.
‘Fuck it,’ Sam said, hurrying across the room to the small cupboard and pulling the tatty leather jacket Alex had purchased for
