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 Your bus. When do you have to leave?
 Oh, I uh hadn t made exact plans. I was just going to hop on a bus whenever I felt like it.
He grinned wide.  A free spirit, huh?
Leesa shrugged.  Yup, that s me. I go wherever the wind blows me.
He had no idea how funny that idea was. He should have seen her with her nose in a book studying
twenty-four-seven back in college. She used to have every moment of every day scheduled and timed, right
down to her meals and when she d shower. Things had sure changed.
 I m glad about that. His smile that reached all the way to his eyes told her he truly was.
 Why? Damn, she could really like this guy.
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 Because maybe you being a free spirit means you ll stick around for a bit. In spite of Chase s ever-
present grin and good mood, he still seemed to search right down to her very soul when he stared deeply
into her eyes.
Leesa swallowed hard.  Maybe.
For what felt like a ridiculously long time, another one of those moments passed between them. It
didn t matter the room was full of strangers and noise. Just like it had happened on stage at the club, it felt
as if they were the only two people in the world.
She shook off the feeling.  Shall we go upstairs?
 Sure.
The look on Chase s face could only be categorized as gleeful. Then her hand was squeezed by his
and she was being pulled toward the back door. She held her breath with fear as Chase reached out and
pushed the door wide, then, gentleman that he was, waited for her to walk through first.
Peering into the hallway, left and then right, she looked for the faces she dreaded seeing. She pulled
the hat a little lower over her forehead. Seeing the coast was clear for now, she asked,  Which way to the
elevator?
Chase tilted his head to the right.  It s just up here a ways.
Leesa nodded, hoping just up here a ways in cowboy-speak meant closer rather than farther.
Soon, she thought. Soon they d be upstairs in Chase s room on a floor he d said would be entirely
filled with his fellow cowboys, and Bruno and his killer friends wouldn t be able to find her. Besides, by
now they should be following the cell phone in the poor unsuspecting family s diaper bag.
Every step of her feet against the floor of the hall seemed to echo off the walls and through her head,
like a metronome ticking off the time. Time she knew she didn t have. Time she couldn t waste if she
wanted to survive. Then Leesa heard the familiar and oh-so-welcome ding that heralded an elevator nearby.
She nearly cried at the sound.
Chase s hand squeezed hers tightly as they stood in front of the closed brass doors. He pushed the
button and smiled down at her. Eventually she d have to deal with the way her heart fluttered every time
she looked at him. Worse, how strongly her body reacted when he looked at her. She d also have to figure
out if he recognized her or not. But for now, just watching the elevator s door slide open made her happy.
Chase motioned for her to step inside before he followed one small step behind her.
He pushed the button for his floor. It was one of the higher numbers. She tried not to panic. If she
needed to escape down the stairs it would take her a while, longer with each level the elevator rose above
ground. Would she ever feel safe again? Probably not. Even if she got away, she d always be looking over
her shoulder, wondering when they d catch up to her. Not even knowing why they wanted her dead.
Leesa must have let out a sigh without realizing it. When she glanced up, Chase was looking at her
with an expression of concern on his face.  You okay?
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Cat Johnson
She conjured a smile.  Yeah. Fine.
He nodded, though he didn t look totally convinced with her answer. Then the doors opened and the
sudden noise and commotion pushed all else out of her mind. Leesa certainly hoped Chase s friends
occupied the entire floor because it was looking more like a frat party than a hotel at the moment, right
down to the keg sitting in a large bucket filled with ice. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]