She needed to move. Now!
She couldn’t go backward so she swerved and headed toward the side of the terminal. Maybe she could evade them until she made it back toward the crowd and then lose them somehow in the fray.
Part of her knew that wasn’t remotely possible, but she wasn’t about to stop trying. She had to keep moving. If she didn’t, they would get her and this—whatever this was—would end badly.
“Eleanor!”
Her lungs burned and she knew she was sucking in air way too fast. She was going to hyperventilate.
“Nori stop!”
This time, something about the shouted name began to chisel through the terror and panic. No one called her Nori.
At least not anymore.
Before she could piece together the disjointed memory of another time and place with what was happening here, she lost her footing. Her shoe caught on something and she was falling.
“Nori stop!” came the instruction again, command behind the tone.
Eleanor couldn’t stop. She pitched forward, putting her arms out as the ground rushed toward her.
But she didn’t land on the concrete as she thought she would. Strong arms caught her. She began to kick and punch out at the man who held her, knowing that to give in would mean they’d have her. If they got her away from here, she’d never get away. Hell, it might mean her death. She didn’t face danger every day in her job, but there was always the possibility of it.
“Nori, it’s Heath. It’s Heath Davis. I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”
Eleanor froze again as his words broke through the haze surrounding her. Heath?
She couldn’t make sense of the name, so out of place in her world now. So unexpected.
She looked up into the glass-green eyes of a man she never thought she’d see again. And certainly not in the middle of a kidnapping attempt outside a Turkish airport.
Whether it was the stress of the moment, the shock of seeing him again, or the insanity that now seemed to be firmly taking over her battered mind, she let out a garbled half-laugh, half-cry. Then she did the only thing she could in that moment.
She let herself slump into the hold of a man she’d once thought she’d loved. Once, a very long time ago when she was a very different person.
Chapter 3
He didn’t think Eleanor was fully processing what was happening.
“Principal is secured. Pursuing target,” Jangles said through their comms as he and Zip took off after the guy who’d just tried to grab Eleanor.
Heath had his arm around her and was practically carrying her as he took in their surroundings. There was no sign of anyone else working with the man. No one who looked like they would be a threat. Only shocked onlookers who had realized too late that something was happening.
He scooped up her bags where she’d dropped them and looked down at Eleanor. Her eyes were glassy and he could feel her shaking.
He spoke quietly, his voice low and reassuring. “You’re all right now, Nori. They won’t get near you now that we’re here.”
He’d said much the same thing a few times now and she nodded jerkily but he knew she’d need time to deal with what had just happened.
Thank fuck he’d gotten to her in time. He didn’t want to think what might have happened if the man had gotten her away from the terminal to someplace he could work her over alone. Heath had seen too much of what people could do to each other in this world.
She tilted up her head to look at him. “Why are you here?”
She took a little step back as she seemed to realize how close they were. He didn’t blame her. He was probably the last person she wanted to see.
“I’ll explain it all when we get you into a vehicle.”
She looked down the sidewalk at all the cars coming through the passenger pickup line closer to the terminal.
“My team will be here any—”
He stopped when Merlin pulled their SUV around the traffic of the airport, two wheels kissing the curb, before coming to a stop in front of them. Heath nudged her to the car, steering her to the back seat and then sliding in beside her so she was sandwiched between him and Duff.
Jangles and Zip jogged up to the car, Zip jumping into the front seat, while Jangles hopped into the third row through the back.
“I take it you didn’t catch up to the guy who tried to grab her?” Heath was talking through gritted teeth but he couldn’t stop himself. He was trying to deal with the insane protective drive coursing through him at seeing her in danger just now.
It wasn’t anything like dealing with protection detail on another op. There were plenty of times when a threat got up close and personal with their principal. They handled it. Stayed calm and got the job done, neutralizing the danger.
When Heath saw Eleanor struggling with that man, saw that man’s hands on her, cold hard rage had torn through his body so hard and fast it damn near floored him. He’d be damned if he was going to let anything happen to this woman.
Zip turned in his seat, answering Heath’s question about the man they’d been chasing. “Took a header right over the edge of the overpass before we could grab him. Actually dove headfirst like he wanted to make damned sure he didn’t survive that fall.”
Heath saw Eleanor go pale as she wrapped her arms around her middle and seemed to gulp in air. Damn. He needed to settle her down. He put a hand on her leg and squeezed gently, focusing her attention on him.
Heath spoke quietly. “Slow your breathing. Nice and easy.”
She watched him as she did as he said, taking one deep breath after another.
“Eleanor, this is Merlin.” Heath gestured to Merlin who was currently pulling the car away from the curb and out into traffic.
Sirens sounded in the distance.
“Step on it, Mer.” This came from Zip.
“That’s Zip,” Heath said as Zip grinned and waved. Zip was always smiling. They could be knee deep in shit with a shit storm brewing and more shit headed at them on a tidal wave, and that man would grin and talk about how much he loved shit.
He gestured to Duff who sat on the other side of her. “This is Duff.” To her credit, she didn’t blink at the size of the enormous man or the fact he wore a perpetual glower on his face as she turned and nodded her greeting.
“Jangles is in the back,” he said tipping his head toward the only blond on their team. Jangles had his head in a laptop and Heath would guess he was working on deleting video footage from the airport, but he looked up and nodded at Eleanor.
Heath returned his gaze to Eleanor, watching her as he spoke to see if her heart rate and breathing were starting to return to normal. He could no longer see the small vein in her neck pumping and she wasn’t gulping for air like she had been. That was good.
He had to give her credit. She had calmed herself faster than a lot of people would in that situation.
“We’ve been assigned to protect you. We’re going to make sure you get to the meeting with Demir on time and in one piece,” Heath said, willing himself to be professional where this woman was concerned. What he wanted to do was haul her into his lap and hold her till her shaking stopped.
“On time, every time.” This quip came from Jangles. “That’s our motto.” He didn’t look up from the laptop as he spoke.