He repeatedly turned back to look for the return of the SUV and see whether the dude had decided to follow them. The man must have received instructions not to pursue since he now walked back toward the store. If Lars weren’t alone, he’d have gone after the fricking asshole.
Lars tucked the gun into the back of his jeans, pushing his way through the shoppers. He lifted Danni higher against his body, cradling her neck to prevent further jarring.
“Sweetheart, how you doing?” He soothed her golden hair away from her pale face. Tenderness and guilt filled his chest. How could he let this happen to her on his watch?
People stopped and stared at the spectacle of a beautiful, unconscious woman in his arms. Nothing like being totally conspicuous and memorable. He had to quickly choose one of the stores in the alley to hide in until Reeves could arrange for an exit.
A pet store he had spotted when following Danni was a little farther ahead if he remembered correctly. If. He never dealt in “ifs.” He was always mission ready. If he had been treating this as a real mission, he would have reconnoitered the entire area in advance, known all the stores, including all the exits. Instead, he had been engrossed in watching Danni sashay through the crowd.
“Lars?” Her voice was husky. She reached up and touched his face. Her slender fingers traced the scar on his chin from the butt of an ISIS rifle to the face.
Grateful to hear her voice and feel her gentle touch, he couldn’t stop the tremor in his voice or the rawness welling up in his throat. “It’s okay. We’re almost there.”
“Why are you carrying me?” Her big eyes blinked up at him, her thick lashes fluttering.
“You don’t remember?” Did she sustain a concussion? The large, angry abrasion on her forehead reflected her face-plant on the cement. The bleeding had slowed, but now the area was swelling. She would have a big bruise tomorrow, marring her perfect face.
“I remember everything. Where is the dirtball?”
God, this woman could’ve been a marine. He wanted to kiss her despite the threat.
“We’ve lost him for now, but we’ve got to get out of here.”
“You can put me down. I’m perfectly capable of walking. We’re drawing attention. Not the best idea for escaping notice.”
Lars laughed out loud. Maybe it was the adrenaline rush or this confounding woman who fit perfectly in his arms and had his world in a tailspin. Despite being chased by an armed man and almost run down, she was already directing the op—an op he hadn’t anticipated and wasn’t prepared for. He was known for his ability to adjust on the battlefield, but watching Danni threatened on all sides would take him a long time to forget.
“Once we get into the pet store, I’ll put you down, and you can decide if your twisted ankle is ready for weight.”
“My ankle isn’t hurting. It’s my wrist. I might have broken it.”
“Don’t move it.” He dodged another tour group with an open umbrella.
“Why would I want to do that?”
Her exasperation was endearing. “Only a few feet more.” The Jenkins’ Scandinavian ancestors’ genes came in handy; Lars could see over the bobbing heads. They hadn’t been followed. Lars pulled the door open to the ACME Pet Store.
“How did you know where to find me?”
“Once I’ve called Reeves, we can talk.”
A teenage girl with purple hair and ink on her arms rushed from behind the counter. “Live long and purr paws” was emblazoned across her purple cat T-shirt in honor of Star Trek.
On missions, you had to improvise and rely on whatever support you could muster. But today was nothing like he had experienced in his years as a tier-one operator.
Ponytail swinging, the girl ran toward them. “Is she okay?”
“My wife took a bad fall. Some crazy shopper knocked her down. I think she might have broken her wrist.”
Turning on the Jenkins charm, he relaxed his shoulders and smiled widely to reassure the young girl that he was harmless. Danni gasped as she stiffened in his arms.
“Do you have a back room where she could rest until our friend can pick us up? She hit her head, and I don’t want to leave her to get our car.”
“Do you want me to call an ambulance?”
Danni flicked her hair off her face and beamed. “We really appreciate your help. My husband is a nervous Nelly and overreacts to every little thing. We’re newlyweds, and he’s adjusting to the idea of being responsible for a wife.”
Lars squeezed Danni’s thigh, not to hurt, but to remind her that payback was hell. Despite the pain, the pallor, and the guarding of her wrist against his chest, she still could give him shit. “My wife is very reckless, and I’m always needing to rescue her.”
Lars couldn’t stop grinning in response to Danni’s mutterings under her breath.
He was sure she was using her creative and brilliant brain to besmirch his character.
“You can wait in the break room if you don’t want me to call an ambulance.”
“Thanks. We’re good. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”
Using her good hand, Danni pinched his chest, causing him to flinch. “I’ll be right as rain once you get me Tylenol and some ice, buttercup.”
“Soon. I promise.” He followed the young girl through a back door. She led them down a narrow row filled with pallets of cat and dog food stacked to the ceiling. The smell of the crowded space was a strange mix of fish, beef, and possibly seaweed blended into a nauseating odor.
Lars searched the area for exits. There was only the one steel-hinged door where trucks made their deliveries.
“The break room is pretty bad, but it has chairs. And there is a restroom.”
The girl was right about the state of the employees’ “lounge.” It was a square white space, not more than eight-by-ten feet with a mini-fridge and an old microwave. He slowly lowered Danni to a rickety metal chair by the Formica table.
“Any chance you have ice?” Lars asked the girl, who remained at the door.
Danni made no sound as she was jostled but pinched her lips together, her wrist held tight against her chest. Her pupils were dark and wide in contrast to her pained, pale face.
“No, it’s just a refrigerator.”
The girl twisted at the sound of a door chime. “I need to go. A customer has come into the store. Just yell if you need me.”
“Thanks for your help. We’ll be out of here very soon.” Lars spoke calmly not to cause alarm since it might not be a “customer” who had come into the store.
Once the girl left, Lars pulled his gun out of jeans and, with a finger to lips, signaled Danni to remain silent.
Peering through the window, he watched a young family enter, followed by a single woman. Lars exhaled in relief, the first breath he allowed himself since Danni came flying out of the store. They were safe for now.
He ran back to the break room, pulling out his cell.
“Regular customers. I’m going to call Reeves and then I’ll check out your wrist. You’re doing real good keeping it stable like that.”
Her arm was against her chest, and a fine film of sweat now dotted her hairline.
“You were following me, weren’t you?”
Lars punched Reeves’s number. “I need a hot exit. And a MD at the safe house.”