“Fifteen minutes to touchdown.”
Eagle took out his cell. “I’m texting the guys to meet me at my place. We all have the codes to each other’s homes so they can let themselves in if they get there before us. We’ll get some dinner in then we’ll go through that list of all the people you’ve talked to,” he told her. “And pick apart the case against Jeremy one item at a time. It’s going to be okay, Sierra. We’re going to make sure.”
He realized he had a personal reason for doing this but hell! So had his partners with certain cases that had come to them. and that had turned out well for them. Maybe he’d be as lucky as they were.
As they headed home, he sent a message to his partners.
New client. Sierra Hunt. Recommended by Senator Kane. Check her out.
By the time they landed, the sun had dropped even lower at the horizon and his brain was already going full tilt with things that needed to be done. And his partners had texted him back, each message the same.
She checks out. We’re on.
Chapter Four
Sierra’s head was spinning, and she wondered if she had stepped into some kind of weird dream by mistake. How bizarre was it, she thought, that the man she’d had the best sex of her life with turned out to be part of the organization who she had been told could help her with her problem? Her hormones and her emotions were doing a wild dance in her body, and she knew she’d better get both of them under control.
But now he was taking her to his house? Did he do that with all his clients? Did all the partners do it? From what she’d learned from Senator Kane, they held all their meetings on the plane, just as they’d done today.
“I have to ask you.” She wet her lips. “Am I getting special privileges because of, you know, last night?”
He smiled at her. “I just think it’s better in this case if my partners hear all of this right from you. Listen. We connected last night, and I know you feel it, too. But business always comes first, so let me give you my address.”
She stood there and watched while Eagle texted the address of his townhouse to her phone.
“Okay. Go ahead and plug the address into your GPS,” he instructed. “But I think it’s best if you just follow me. The address is in case for some reason we get separated, and you get lost.”
“I’m good,” she told him. “I live in this city, remember?”
“Just not ever leaving anything to chance,” he told her, “and it will make me feel better. Let’s get going. Follow me, and I’ll keep watch to see if you have any kind of a tail.”
“Okay.”
She trusted him. That was the oddest part. She’d learned most men could not be trusted, certainly with the disaster of Jeremy’s situation. There didn’t seem to be an area of her personal life where, up to now, she’d been able to have faith in any man she met.
Maybe I just choose poorly, personally and professionally.
But there was something about Eagle that she connected with right away, and how weird was that?
Confident that she’d found someone who could help her and who would not betray her in any way, or lead her into harm, she followed him down the driveway and out onto the street. The land where the plane was hangered was on the edge of the city, so she stayed on his tail until they were into the more populated area. She had a pretty good idea where they were going, but it didn’t hurt to be sure.
She followed him onto the street which ran a little downhill toward a cross street and a traffic light. Sierra tapped her brakes to stop, but the car didn’t even slow down. Worried that she’d rear-end Eagle, she yanked the wheel to the right into a turn lane to avoid hitting Eagle’s rear bumper, but the car kept moving at the same speed. Pumping the brake seemed to have no effect at all.
As traffic continued to move forward, she realized there were cars pulling into the right turn lane ahead of her. She was beginning to panic, still pumping the brakes, her hands sweaty on the steering wheel. Then she spotted a narrow alleyway between two buildings and yanked the wheel enough to turn into it. Giving thanks there were no cars parked there, she drove into the side of one building, jerking the wheel to the right as she did it so she hit the wall broadside.
She was slammed forward and back again as the car hit the wall, but at least it stopped. The airbag exploded, pressing her against the seat and spraying powder everywhere. Her hands shook as she managed to reach the ignition to turn it off. She heard a sound that she was sure was her heart beating extra hard, but it turned out to be Eagle banging on her window.
“Open the window,” he was shouting. “Can you reach the controls? Can you open the window?”
Her head was hurting, and she was shaking like a leaf, but she pushed enough of the airbag aside to press the lever for the window. As soon as it rolled down, Eagle reached inside, unlocked her door and opened it. Using a knife he took from a sheath beneath his pantleg, he slashed the airbag, unfastened her seat belt and wrenched her out of the car.
Sierra saw that he had pulled into the alley and stopped behind her, blocking anyone else from entering. She collapsed against him, shaking, realizing how close she’d come to death.
“It’s okay.” His voice was low and soothing. “It’s okay, Sierra. I’ve got you.”
His strong arms around her and the warmth of his chest against her body were the only things that took the edge off her nerves. She forced herself to take slow breaths until her pulse leveled out, then she took a step back.
“My car wouldn’t stop,” she told him.
“I know.” His face was calm, but his voice had a steely edge to it. “Are you okay if I take a few minutes to check around here? And I want to call the guys.”
“Yes. Yes, sure. Do whatever you need to.”
“Just give me a sec,” he told her.
But she twisted her hands together to keep them from shaking, as his fingers flew over the keyboard on his cell phone.
“I think we should have a doctor check you over, but—” he told her when he was finished.
“I’m fine,” she insisted. “Really. I need to get my car looked at.”
“But I think we’ll wait until we get you to my place.” He went on speaking as if she hadn’t interrupted him. “We’ll call the doctor then. I want to get you out of here as soon as possible. I’ll take care of your car. No worries. But we have some other things to deal with first.” He looked over his shoulder. “Like the crowd behind us that seems very interested in what happened.”
She peeked over his shoulder and saw a group of people on the sidewalk and spilling into the alley, staring at them with obvious curiosity.
“Do you need help?” someone shouted out.
“Thanks, but we’ve got it,” Eagle told them. “I just need to make arrangements for my wife’s car to be towed and get her home.”
His wife? Sierra stared up at him. He just winked at her.
“Play along with me,” he murmured in her ear. “It makes things a lot simpler.”
“Okay,” she whispered. She figured anyone who saw the way she was clinging to him wouldn’t have any doubts.
“Sir? Do you need any help here?”