Wind snatched at her hair and coat like claws. Her car would start, it would. Although she probably shouldnt have let a seventeen-year-old delivery boy tune it up as payment for a full sheet of lab work on his aging retriever.
Dr. Lang called her a soft touch. Joan used a less flattering term, but one look into the dogs big brown eyes and Alessandra had caved.
Since an umbrella was pointless, she made her way across the pitted parking lot. Shed almost reached her car when a hand clamped onto her arm and swung her around in a rough half circle.
A fork of lightning illuminated the surly face of the calf breeder. He was big, bald and built like a bulldog. His eyes were flinty and he had no neck. The fingers that dug into her skin like talons tightened when she tried to shake him off.
Fear tickled her throat. Swallowing it, she met his glare. Let go, Hawley.
You set the law on me.
I talked to the sheriff.
Lightning flashed again. His lips thinned. You told him I threatened you.
You did.
I called you up, told you youd pay for what youd done. And, by God, you will. He took a menacing step closer, sank his fingers in deeper. You dont know squat about farm animals. Hell, you couldnt wrestle a colt from its mamas belly if your life depended on it.
She wouldnt back down, would not give him the satisfaction of reacting to the vicious gleam in his eyes. I think I could probably do a lot of things under those circumstances.
His scowl became a sneer, and he yanked her toward him.
You talk a good game, Dr. Norris, but deep down I reckon youre really a spineless little city girl who should have stayed in Chicago. Another jerk, another fruitless attempt to free herself. Fear didnt so much tickle now as grip her insides.
He bared his teeth in a leer. Maybe I can think of a fair payment, after all.
She caught the whisper of movement in her peripheral vision while she was lining up a determined left to his barely visible Adams apple. A hand descended on her shoulder, and a voice emerged from the darkness next to her.
I think thats enough manhandling for one night, pal.
Shock kept Alessandras fist balled as she snapped her head around to regard the profile of none other than Gabriel McBride.
His expression remained amiable, but the hand that reached out to yank the breeders startled fingers away did so with no small amount of force.
Alessandra felt rather than saw Frank Hawleys sputtering outrage.
Who the hell are you?
Whos not important. What is McBrides slight movement had the breeder sliding his eyes downward. Lightning illuminated both the Glock and the badge at the waistband of McBrides jeans.
Youre a cop?
Close enough to haul you in for attempting to harm the lady beside me.
That ladys a killer, Hawley spat.
Makes two of us. Youve got five seconds to disappear. On six, youre coming with me.
Hawley showed his teeth again, this time in a snarl. He raised a finger, started to jab it, then curled it back and swung away.
McBride watched and waited through the next thunderbolt before asking, What the hell did you do to the guy, Alessandra?
She pushed his arm away. Nothing. Let go of me.
Youre welcome.
Sighing, she sidestepped him. Thank you. Now, will you please tell me what youre doing in South Dakota?
The smallest of smiles touched his mouth. Got a bit of a problem, darlin.
He took one step back and, before she could reach for him, dropped like a stone to the rain-soaked ground.
Chapter Two
No hospitals, Alessandra. No cops. Say it.
McBride was hanging on to consciousness by a fine thread. Experience told Alessandra that thread wouldnt be allowed to snap until she made the required promise.
He held and shook her wrist. I need you to say it.
There was no decision, really. If she didnt agree, he wouldnt let her help him. If she didnt help him, hed die.
Yes, all right, no cops.
Or hospitals.
I heard you, McBride. She attempted to lever him up. I cant carry you, though. Youll have to help me.
Alessandra used all her strength to get him to his feet and into the clinicand all her will not to go against her word. Hed been a cop once. Now he was hiding from them. Every shred of common sense she possessed told her to do what was necessary, then walk away. She also knew she wouldnt listen to it. She never did.
And so the nightmare would begin.
HE DIDNT KNOW where he was because everything had gone black and weird. He felt like he was being dragged over a wet, rocky mountain. Water splashed onto his face, and the whole left side of his body felt numb. Until he took a wrong turn and ran straight into a red-hot knife.
He heard Alessandras voice. It sounded far away. She wanted him to help her.
Help her with what?
The darkness was split by twin headlights on a twilight road.
The pavement was old, chewed up. The guardrail, where it existed, tilted into the canyon below.
He thought he was driving south, but direction didnt matter, because suddenly there was a sea of lights, red and flashing. He braked behind one of several ambulances.
A biker watched from the sidelines. Bus went through the guardrail, he said, pointing. Took the turn too sharp and started to roll.
Now McBride heard screams and saw people, wild-eyed and bleeding, as rescue workers assisted or carried them out of the canyon.
One of them, a man with a heavy accent, was hysterical. A woman sitting close to him had been impaled by a long piece of glass. Hed never seen anyone die before.
Lucky guy, McBride thought.
He identified himself to the officers on scene, then, without waiting to be asked, started down.
More people were being stretchered upward, among them the driver. They didnt know how many passengers might still be on board, but figured the bus wasnt going to remain much longer on the ledge where it had landed.
McBride agreed. The thing was rocking like a drunk ready to topple.
He skidded down the treacherous slope, spotted a firefighter spraying foam on the undercarriage so flying sparks wouldnt ignite the fuel tanks.
Theres at least two more inside, the man shouted. I cant get them out and stop this sucker from blowing at the same time.
Nodding, McBride switched direction. He spied a man, facedown in a patch of scrub. Blood had pooled around his head. He wasnt breathing.
But somebody was. Fists pounded on one of the rear panels.
The only way in was through the front. He had to crawl over the impaled woman and, nearby, an older female whod been crushed by a row of seats.
The pounding stopped. He muscled a chunk of twisted metal aside, was about to call out, when a womans face appeared.
She was bruised, filthy and looked to be no more than eighteen years old. He noted both relief and suspicion in her eyes.
Im a cop, he said, because right then he knew he didnt look like one. Detective McBride, Chicago P.D. The few lights still working illuminated the most amazing pair of gold eyes hed ever seen. Is there anyone else?
There was. Now theres only me.
There was. Now theres only me.
He motioned for her to give him her hands. We need to get out of here before the tanks blow or this bus goes for a second roll.
Once free of the wreck, he kept her ahead of him on the upward climb. She had a truly spectacular butt and mile-long legs to go with it. Her hair was dark, her features nothing short of extraordinary. She was headed for Chicago to become a vet.
Now how did he know that?
A paramedic and a cop, both about to descend, met them at the top. The paramedic took the woman aside. The cop, a friend, began strapping on gear.
Figured it was you down there. Anyone left?
McBride hoisted himself over the edge. Not alive.
The cop continued to harness up. Its a mess, all right. Like you. Why the beard and long hair?
Undercover case screwed up. I needed to get out of Chicago.
The woman hissed as the paramedic cleaned one of her cuts. I guess Im lucky your case didnt work out.
A smile crossed McBrides lips. Through a thickening haze, he bent to kiss her. Maybe were both lucky, Alessandra.
She grinned, though her features were cloudy now. Youre slipping, McBride. I didnt tell you my name
The memory skidded to a halt. Wait a minute. She hadnt said that. And he hadnt kissed her. Not there. Not then.
Oh, hed kissed her all right and more, much more, but that was later, when he couldnt get her out of his headand after hed discovered she was twenty rather than eighteen.
Then his life had tanked and landed both of them in hell.
Pain sliced through him like a lightning bolt. It shattered all the images in his mindthe bus, the sobs, the screams, the sirens, everything. Except for Alessandras eyes.
MCBRIDE WAS, WITHOUT question, the most stubborn man Alessandra had ever met. Fortunately, he was also the most resilient. The moment she removed the bullet, which had come dangerously close to nicking a major artery, hed fallen into a deep, healing sleep. She could almost see his red blood cells multiplying.
The generator outside growled noisily, but with the rainstorm disinclined to move on, she barely noticed it.
Since when do you listen to Keith Urban?
McBrides question came as no real surprise given his exceptional recuperative powers. But the clarity had her raising a brow as she emerged from the lab.
She had two scalpels in her hand and didnt put either of them down. Joan left her iPod in the dock. I wanted music. How do you feel?
Like a man whose been shot, probed with a sharp instrument and left to die in a cowboy bar.
So, well on the way to recovery, then. She held up one of the scalpels. No double vision?
Not much vision at all. He squinted at the ceiling bulbs. Is the power off?
It went out right before you arrived and subsequently fainted.
He half smiled. Ill let that go, Alessandra, because I do, in fact, see two scalpels. I also heard your voice while I was floating around in the black fog of our distant past.
Yes, you were reliving it fairly accurately until you got to the kissing part.
Call it wishful thinking.
Alessandra looked at him and sobered. Not that I want to be any more deeply involved than I am, but are you planning to tell me what youre doing here, minus a great deal of blood and with a hole in your chest where a bullet used to be?
Just another day on the job, darlin. Wincing, he worked his way onto his right elbow.
She sighed. You know you shouldnt do that, right?
I know a lot of things, Alessandra, some of them not particularly pleasant.
Like the name of the personpossibly a cop, though I seriously hope notwho shot you? No hospitals, McBride? No police?
The shooters name is Eddie. Hes not a cop, but he is a pro, a dog with a bone, so to speak. And Im the bone.
So, nothing new in your world. Except that this time the bad guy did a little more damage than usual and is, in some twisted way, connected to the police.
He pushed up higher. Your cynicisms showing.
Removing bullets from people tends to bring it out. She struggled with mounting frustration. Why is this Eddie after you? Or were you after him and somehow the scenario shifted?
The details arent important. Ill explain the cop thing later. I was doing my job, Alessandra. I have no idea what you were doing with that no-neck jackass in the parking lot.
She could have told him it didnt matter, let him sleep for another few hours, then given him a prescription and suggested he return to Chicago to sort out his police-related problems. Her conscience would be clear, and the status quo would be restored.
However, whether or not he would have acted on it, Hawley had a mean streak, and he was as tough as the bull whod sired the now-dead calf. McBride had gotten rid of him. That rated an explanation.
Setting both scalpels aside, she released her hair from its long ponytail and boosted herself onto a table. Frank Hawley wants to make his fortune breeding bulls. He just doesnt want to spend a cent more than is necessary to keep them healthy. His farms like a puppy mill for cattle. One of his calves got sick. He waited too long to call. The restwell, you heard him. He thinks Im a killer. Seeing him hoisting himself up, she hopped down and poked a firm finger into his chest. The more you move, the more likely you are to reopen that wound.
I know. Ignoring her warning, he swung his legs down and sat up, gripping the side of the cot. What time is it?
Its 4:00 a.m.
And the powers still out?
Were a little off the grid out here. Ergo, the big, noisy generator.
He moved a tentative shoulder, hissed in a soft breath and stood. I have to get out of here.
You realize thats suicide, right?
Give me some bandages, Alessandra, and whatever else you think Ill need to keep me on my feet. Then go home, and pretend none of this ever happened.
Irritation momentarily crowded out concern. You never change, do you, McBride? You crash in, scare the hell out of me, tell me not to worry and then disappear.
He managed a weak smile. Thats why you left me. Which goes to show how smart you are. Or how stupid I am. One way or the other, you dont want to get mixed up in this.
Her answering smile had more of a bite, but she simply said, Ill pack a medi-kit. Then she went into the back room.
Hed broken her heart once. She wasnt up for a repeat performance. Let some other female fall for his sexy, outlaw-cop charm. He was a good guy who read like a bad guy, and okay, yes, maybe he could still take her breath away with a look, but he didnt have to know that.
She wanted someone more stable next time, not a brooding, gray-eyed rebel who seldom had less than a three-day growth of stubble on his face, disliked the thought of scissors touching his hair and hated rules almost as much as he did the people whod so carelessly brought him into the world.
Well, damn, she thought, exasperated, now shed gone and dumped sympathy on top of righteous indignation. She really needed to speed his departure along.
She stuffed gauze, sterile tape and antibiotics that could be used on animals or humans into a makeshift medical pack, added rubbing alcohol, electrolyte water and iodine for good measure, then zipped it closed and swung the bag onto her shoulder.