Chapter 5

"We're not going to be here long," Miles informed McKenzie as they stepped into their room at a hotel just blocks from the police station. "Only long enough for you to freshen up and feel better. Then we need to leave." After dropping their bags, he turned to catch her by the shoulders. "I'm going to take you far away from here—so far no Centurion or WITSEC agent will ever find you again."

"Miles." Her auburn head gave a slight shake. "I can't ask you to do that for me."

"You don't have to ask. I'm not letting you go again." His chest hurt as he took in every sweet line of her face. "Do you have any idea how much I've missed you?"

Her moist eyes turned a luminous jade hue. "I do, actually."

"Now that I have you with me, there's no way I can let you go again."

"But your job, Miles."

"My job doesn't bring me joy. You bring me joy." His throat closed suddenly, preventing him from explaining his plans to her.

She looked so battered standing before him with a lump on her forehead, her eyelids weighted. "Are you sure you're okay? Maybe we should get you to a hospital."

"I'm fine. I just…"

"What, Angel? Tell me, what do you need? I'll get it for you."

"I need to shower."

"Of course." He nearly added, "But hurry." They didn't have much time if they were going to stay ahead of his father. While she washed away the memories of her abduction, he would devise a plan for their disappearance.

McKenzie picked up her pack, headed into the bathroom, and quietly shut the door.

Miles turned toward his duffel bag to pull out a worn little book he carried in it. Normally, he accessed his contacts using his cell phone, but on their way to this hotel, he'd lobbed the latter into the truck bed of an out-of-state pickup headed to who-knew-where.

Obviously, the fastest way for anyone to track McKenzie and him was by his cell phone. This little book, on the other hand, couldn't betray them. It listed the private numbers of important contacts at the Bureau. He riffled through the pages. Who in Support could get him a passport for McKenzie on the sly and lightning fast?

Not that guy.

Not him, either.

Nope, not her.

The staff were all straight-laced, by-the-book types. With a hopeless sigh, Miles tossed the little book back into his bag.

Okay, so leaving the country by air probably wasn't going to happen. Oh, ofcourse. He nearly slapped himself on the forehead. He would take her out by boat, since his alias as a yacht salesman opened all kinds of doors for them. First he'd switch the plates out on his rental and then drive them down to Florida. From there, they'd hop on a yacht to the Bahamas and then board a freighter bound for Morocco. Boy, would his sister, Maggie, be surprised when he showed up at her place with McKenzie on his arm!

He paced to the window and searched the parking area for any sign of suspicious activity. Several businesspeople were leaving the motel, but otherwise, the parking lot stood quiet.

He heard the shower run. And run. Would it be fair to McKenzie to ask her to hurry?

At long last, the water stopped running. He waited some more and heard her brushing her teeth. Come on, Angel.

The bathroom door finally yawned open. McKenzie came out wearing a pair of jeans and a rumpled blouse that matched her light-green eyes. Regarding her bare feet, he realized they would have to stop somewhere to get her shoes.

Before he could collect her bag and escort her to the door, she sat on the nearest bed, then keeled over into a prone position, too tired to even sit.

With his heart in his throat, Miles reconsidered his timeline. His angel clearly needed to sleep before he took her anywhere. As he consulted his watch, a huge yawn overtook him, nearly unhinging his jaw and causing his eyes to water. He'd be a lot sharper himself after a power nap.

"Okay, we'll rest first. And then we'll leave."

Rounding McKenzie's bed to gauge her response, he found her fast asleep. His heart clutched with emotion as he gazed down at her. She'd be a lot more comfortable under the covers, but he didn't want to wake her, either. He contented himself with lifting her dainty feet onto the mattress and sliding a pillow under her head.

Possessive feelings stormed him as he fetched a blanket from the closet and shook it over her. From this day forward, he would stay with her, protect her with his life if he had to. Who cared about what happened with his career? But what about his mother?

Guilt needled him as he pictured his sweet mother living all alone. Then again, that was Dad's fault, not his. And it wasn't like Miles had a choice. McKenzie needed him even more than his mother did.

* * *

A frightening dream jerked McKenzie awake. For an awful second, she thought she was still on Ashton's yacht, trapped in his smothering grip and threatened with being cut into little pieces. But it was Miles's sleeping visage that greeted her as she rolled over and found him sprawled atop the second bed fully dressed, while a midday sun beamed through the window beyond him.

His soft snore muted the swift beat of her heart as she memorized every angle of his face, the way his dark lashes fanned his cheekbones.

It hurt to love him so much. But it would hurt even more to watch him give up everything for her sake. She had to take responsibility for her own actions, not put Miles in a position that forced him to break ties with the FBI, to lose his job. Why should both of their lives be ruined?

Slipping quietly off the bed so as not to wake him, she went to collect her things. With stealth she had learned as a child to avoid her father's notice, she let herself out of the hotel room and closed the heavy door soundlessly behind her. As she coursed the corridor in her bare feet, she passed a housekeeping cart. How was it possible that just yesterday she'd been cleaning rooms for a living? It felt like days had passed.

Down two flights of stairs she hurried, before she emerged into bright sunshine at one end of the hotel. Vulnerability assailed her. What do I do now?

Exactly what she ought to have done last night—head straight for the bus station and leave town.

On North King Street, midday traffic whizzed past her. McKenzie sought to orient herself. Where was the Sea Dip in relation to this hotel? All the restaurants, all the souvenir shops along this four-lane road looked the same. But the bus had to stop around here somewhere, so she started up the sidewalk, barefooted, careful not to step on glass. Did she dare spend the scant money she'd counted in the bathroom to buy herself some sandals?

The sight of a police cruiser halfway up the block broke her stride. A deputy popped out of it, intent on leaving a parking ticket on a car parked near a fire hydrant. As he tucked it underneath the violator's windshield wiper, he caught sight of McKenzie and stared. In Savannah, many young policemen had joined the Cohort. Surely, that wasn't the case here.

All the same, McKenzie backtracked to the crosswalk to avoid walking past the deputy. She had nearly made it to the other side when an approaching car, rather than stop for her, sped up and cut her off.

She checked her indignant outburst as the driver's window came down, revealing a tight-lipped man in a dark suit and sunglasses.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Special Agent Higgins! Dismay froze her in her tracks. How had he found her so quickly?

"Get in the car." He jerked his head toward the door behind him.

A car horn blared in her ear, urging her to do just that. Instead, she darted around the back of Higgins's car and hurried to the curb. I can't go back to WITSEC. I can't!

A frightened glance back showed Higgins's passenger door opening. Out climbed Drake Ellis. Him, too?

Oh, help.They were going to put her right back into the program, and this nightmare would continue until some Centurion caught up to her and killed her.

Running was stupid, especially in bare feet. But the instinct to flee overpowered McKenzie's reason. She hadn't run half a block before Miles's father caught up to her, hooked her from behind with his powerful arms, carried her kicking and squirming back to Higgins's car. Passersby gawked at them, clearly uncertain what was going on.

The words Mr. Ellis spoke into her ear finally penetrated, causing McKenzie to cease her struggles.

"Calm down, McKenzie. It's okay, I swear. We're on your side. None of this was supposed to happen. You'll be safe now."