“I need air.” She barely managed the words before jerking open the hotel room door to step outside but as her foot cleared the threshold something exploded right by her face, showering her with slivers of shattered wood, and she screamed as Rian shoved her to the ground, covering her with his body. “What was that?” she asked, fear congealing in her throat as bits of wood covered the ratty carpet.
“Stay here,” he told her quietly as he slowly climbed to his feet, inching to the window, watching the open door intently. The sound of wheels squealing out of the parking lot followed and after shutting the door with his foot, he closed the curtains. He pulled her to her feet with a curt “Pack your stuff. We’re leaving,” and she couldn’t control the shiver that ricocheted down her back.
“Was that...a bullet?” she asked, her lips numb. Had someone shot at her? Are you kidding me? She couldn’t accept that, because if she did, that meant...her father was right and someone was truly out there trying to hurt her family.
“Whoever it was took off when they saw that they’d missed, but we’re not sticking around to give them a second chance.”
She nodded and tried to gather up her things with shaking fingers. Within moments, they were packed and ready to bolt out of there but she couldn’t quite wrap her mind around the situation. “What if they’re still out there? How’d they know where to find us? I thought you said this place was secure?”
“They must’ve followed us after the club and waited to make their move. They thought they were going to get a clean shot from the outside. They almost did. If whoever had been a better shot, your story would’ve had a different ending, which is why we’re ditching this place and getting out of Dodge.”
“And where exactly are we going? What if they’re waiting to follow us again? Did you get a look at the car?”
“No, but they’ve split the area. It’s broad daylight, and they missed their shot. They’d be idiots to stick around but we’re not going to test that theory.”
“But where are we going to go? They shot at me! They nearly took my face off!”
She was nearing hysteria. She could feel it bubbling under the surface of her shock. Funny how a near-death experience put things in perspective at the speed of light. But the fact that she’d nearly died was stealing her ability to remain calm.
Suddenly, Rian was at her side, gripping her arms firmly, his voice steady but urgent. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I need you to trust me. Can you do that for me?” he asked. When she jerked a nod, he softened his voice and said, “Good. Now grab your bag. We’re getting out of here.” Then he groaned as he realized the Range Rover was still parked at the bar. “Guess we’re cabbing it back to the bar,” he said, irritated, and she nodded, too freaked out to remind him that driving hadn’t been an option. Thankfully, within minutes a cab appeared and they left the hotel.
Once in the Range Rover, CoCo swallowed the lump of fear in her throat and looked to Rian, his jaw set and his gaze steady on the road. “Where are we going?” she asked, her mouth dry. “If we’re not safe at one of your safe locations, where can we possibly go?”
“Someplace no one would think to look.”
CoCo sent him a bewildered look. “Which is where?”
“The middle of nowhere, deep in the Kentucky backwoods.”
“What? Did you say Kentucky?”
He met her gaze briefly to say, “We’re going to Woodsville, Kentucky. Trust me, no one is going to follow us there and even if they did...they’d never find where we’re going.”
11
RIAN MADE A quick phone call to Kane, left a voice message with short details and the fact that he’d changed his mind and then secured plane tickets for them. On the outside he was calm, switching into protector mode seamlessly, but on the inside he was berating himself for putting a client at risk.
Why’d he go to that stupid club? He never should’ve agreed to go. If it’d been anyone else, he would’ve easily shot the idea down without a second thought, but CoCo had twisted him into a pretzel and before he’d known it, he was caving. A pretty smile and a hot body were a dangerous combination on the right girl, he thought darkly. “We’ve got a two-o’clock flight. We need to hurry to make it. We’ll rent a car when we land.”