“We’re getting back on the highway?” Her voice pitched higher with every word.
He backed out of the parking space and all the way across the lot to where the attackers lay. One still breathed, though Ross had made damn sure he’d never reproduce.
He reached across her and popped the glove compartment, locating a burner phone. “Stay here. Don’t unlock the doors. If you hear anything, do not get out. You hear me, Pippa?” His cutting tone gave him what he needed from her—a nod of agreement.
He jumped out and locked her in. With phone in hand, he snapped photos of each man and shot them off to Josiah.
He climbed behind the wheel again and drove as fast as conditions would allow, the urge to put miles between them and her attackers a coal burning in the hollow of his gut.
“Are you okay?” He threw her a look.
Her hazel eyes were frantic. “We can’t just…drive away! Ross, you killed that man! The other might be dying!”
“The police are on the way.”
“But you’re fleeing the scene!”
“I’ve got the clearances to do exactly that—my first priority is keeping you safe. Now I want you to push your seat back all the way and place your foot on the dash to elevate your leg. Can you do that?” He stared at her so long that she waved a hand at him.
“Pay attention to the road. I don’t want to drive off a cliff next!” She worked her jeans up her calf.
“Good, now take the blanket and press it hard to your wound to try to stop the bleeding.”
“I’ll ruin the blanket.”
“Jesus Christ, Pip! Do it now.”
With shaking hands, she did his bidding. He only drove a mile down the road before Josiah called, firing off questions. Ross’s attention swung between his brother and the woman bleeding in the passenger seat.
Fucking hell. He’d failed her. By letting down his guard for a second, he’d placed her in harm’s way.
She could have been killed. If she had, how would he ever explain that to her mother? Her father?
How would he live with himself?
“I want you, Boone and Silas with me in Seattle,” he ordered Josiah as he stared blindly at the landscape. Any other time, driving through these mountains filled him with peace and gave his spirit a break from the mundane chores of the ranch or dealings with the company. Now he hardly noticed the rugged beauty that inspired awe.
“Booking the flights now. What else do you need? Should I call another agency for support? A solo protection officer in the area? How ’bout ex-military? I’m sure I can round up one or two. Or…maybe The Guard?”
He considered the question. The Guard was an elite group of retired military who operated mainly on the East Coast, but they were known to take on missions in Europe and as far as Russia.
“It’s a good idea. Find out if any of them are in our area, and if so, plan my next stops and have them waiting there to back me up.”
“I had a bad feeling about you taking this job, Ross.” Josiah’s ominous tone rang like a gong in Ross’s soul.
“What do you mean?” His gritty tone drew Pippa’s head around.
“I should have voiced it before you left. I should have insisted on coming with you.”
“We needed you there. Working intel. None of us could have guessed this would happen.”
“Is Pippa okay? She said she was hurt.”
“A bullet grazed her calf.”
“Jesus H Christ!”
“I’m getting her someplace where I can tend to her, but it’s shallow. She’s going to be okay.” He met her stare when he said this.
She had to be okay.
But he wouldn’t blame her one damn bit if she never trusted him again.
“Josiah.”
“Yeah, bro?”
“No more fucking around and spinning wheels about hiring people. This is exactly what I’ve been talking about at the last five meetings we’ve had. We need to scale up—and this incident shows us how much.”
“I’ll put the pressure on Noah and talk to Boone.”
“Do that.” He ended the call.
“What’s the plan, Ross?” Pippa’s voice wobbled.
He studied her for signs of shock. Her eyes were lucid and she was paler but not too bad. He touched the back of her hand, finding it warm.
“I’m not going into shock if that’s what you’re thinking,” she said.
His lips quirked. “Forgot you’re far smarter than me when it comes to bodies and what makes them tick. My plan’s to get you the hell out of these mountains and then we’re taking a detour instead of a straight shot to Seattle.”
“I don’t understand any of this. Nobody’s ever shown me anything but kindness and excitement about my discovery.”
“And I don’t understand how much of the credit you get versus MIZR.”
She brushed her hair off her face and bound it into a messy bun on the back of her head. “I work for MIZR but I receive credit for everything I discover. They only provide me with a lab and all I need. But what I find, they have the rights to use the technology.”
“Meaning, you could sell the information to somebody else.” He spoke slowly.
“Why would I do that? I’m loyal to MIZR.”
“But not everyone feels the same, I’m sure.”
“So you think…somebody’s trying to steal my research and sell it to another lab? Or use it for himself?”
“It makes more sense than anything we’ve come up with so far.” He gave her a sharp look and then reached behind the seat for water. He passed her a bottle and told her to drink.
“Stay hydrated, he says,” she muttered, taking a sip.
Relieved by her sass, he said, “I need to ask about your personal life.”
She lowered the bottle. “You listened to me pee, Ross. I think you’re pretty well acquainted.”
He grunted. “I mean I need names of anybody you’ve dated in your field, going back to university. Actually, I need names of all the people you’ve slept with, including one-night stands.”
She lapsed into one of her silent spells. What in the hell could be going on in that brain of hers? She was probably alphabetizing her lovers.
Two pink spots burned on her cheeks.
“How many are there?” he finally burst out.
Those spots turned a flaming red. The tips of her ears too. “Three! What do you think I am?”
His pulse, hammering before, kicked into a gallop. Christ, he shouldn’t care about her lovers, especially at a time like this. But what she said pleased him—a lot.
He passed her his phone. “Give Josiah the details.”
She snatched the phone from him with enough strength to prove that she hadn’t lost too much blood from the graze on her calf. She was in the middle of texting when the phone rang in her hand.
“It’s Josiah,” she said.
He took the device from her and brought the phone to his ear.
“Okay, The Guard’s actually got two guys in our region. One on his way north from Vegas. He’s our closest. He can be airlifted by private craft and meet you when you reach the Washington border.”
He mentally mapped out his location and the length of time it would take to reach the border. He was pulling all the strings—favors too—but it was his best bet.