No more than thirty seconds had passed when David announced his presence to Noelle with a shout so she wouldn't accidentally shoot him. As he swung the door open, his weapon was pointed at the ceiling and he kept to one side of the doorway to reduce the size of target he made.
Noelle was barricaded behind the table with the business end of the borrowed weapon pointed right at his head.
Smart girl.
David couldn't help but grin at the fierce expression she wore, which made her look like some sort of warrior maiden. She might be a peaceful brainiac, but she wasn't a coward.
"We're getting out of here," he stated as he pulled her to her feet by one hand, keeping an eye on the doorway.
She stumbled against him, all warm and soft and frightened. Had things been different, he might have just pulled her into his arms and held her for about half a year. But things weren't different and the gunfire wasn't slowing down.
He had only thirty-eight seconds left before Monroe would order his men to lay down cover fire.
David tucked her against his body making sure her head was low against his chest. That way he could shield her by positioning his body between her and the enemy. He took the weapon from her hands and pushed her down into a low crouch as they worked their way toward the rear exit of the old house. By his mental count, they had seven seconds left. David used that time to give Noelle a one-armed hug of comfort.
"Don't let them take me alive," she whispered against his neck.
David knew what she was saying. She'd rather die than be taken by the Swarm. She was braver than he'd thought she would be, considering that she had no training or experience in combat. He respected her for that. There wasn't time for him to explain that he'd die before he let her get hurt and that it was likely that every other man here would do the same. She was valuable and every man here knew it.
But rather than try to explain that to her, he just gave her another squeeze and said, "I'm not going to let them take you at all. Come on."
A loud volley of cover fire began and David urged Noelle forward with his body.
David still had keys to the Buick, so he tossed them to another agent on his way out, guessing that there would be at least one or two more vehicles leaving at the same time as a diversion.
He pushed Noelle in through the driver's door of the Bronco and had the vehicle careening down the gravel drive in seconds.
Behind him, the intensity of gunfire increased, and two other decoy vehicles were right on his bumper.
"Stay down," he ordered, and drove north as if Satan himself were on their trail.
CHAPTER NINE
They'd been driving for hours when David finally pulled off the highway. Noelle had no idea where they were and the added cloak of night made her feel vulnerable and edgy.
"Are we close?" she asked him. They were the first words either one of them had spoken in hours. David had been concentrating on driving, checking the rearview mirror often for bad guys, and Noelle had been content to be quiet and let him do his job.
David's eyes flicked back to the mirror for the millionth time. "A few more miles."
"Are we being followed?"
His big hands tightened around the steering wheel and his jaw muscles bunched in frustration. "Probably."
Noelle turned around in her seat and peered into the darkness stretching out behind them. There were a few houses along this stretch of pitted road. Most of them were set way back, hidden by thick stands of frees. This far out, night was somehow thicker and more ominous without the cheerful glow of streetlights to break up the gloom.
Of course, that ominous feeling could have been due to the fact that David seemed certain they were being followed no matter how empty the road behind them looked to Noelle.
"I don't see anyone," she told him.
"Neither do I, but my gut tells me they're out there, and I'll trust it over my eyes any day."
Noelle settled back in her seat so she could watch him without looking like she was. The faint glow from the dashboard lights highlighted the masculine angularity of his features and deepened the weary circles under his eyes.
Even though he looked tired, nothing in his motions gave away even a hint of fatigue. Every movement was smooth, confident, controlled.
Noelle stifled a yawn and checked the clock. It was after midnight and she felt wrung out. And she'd slept last night
—at least a little. As far as she knew, David hadn't.
"You want me to take over driving for a while?" she asked.
His eyes slid sideways and settled on her for a moment. Even though his glance was brief, she had the disconcerting feeling that she'd been measured, weighed and inventoried by the time he looked away. "No, thanks.
Yon should try to get some sleep if you can. We'll be there within the hour."
"Be where?"
"Another safe house."
Noelle rolled her eyes. "Great. Do you think this safe house will actually be safe?"
"For a while."
"How long is a while? Days? Hours?"
"Get some sleep and let me worry about that part."
"Easier said than done," she muttered.
"I'm sorry I can't give you any guarantees. I wish to hell I could."
Noelle sighed and leaned her head back against the seat. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful for your help, it's just that this whole thing sucks some serious ass."
A small grin lifted one side of his mouth. "I'll second that."
"I mean, there I am, living my nice, quiet little life, perfectly content to be doing so, then suddenly, everything gets blown to hell. I didn't do anything to deserve this, unless you count being stupid enough to pick up a hobby in cryptology."
"Maybe you should consider collecting stamps in the future."
"Here's to hoping that I'll get the chance."
He turned his head and gave her his full attention for just a second. His glacier blue eyes flared with determination.
"You will, Noelle. I'm going to get you through this alive."
His focus went back to the road, leaving Noelle feeling jarred. She didn't know David very well, but one thing was for certain—he meant every word he said.
After a long, quiet moment, she laid her hand on his shoulder. He flinched so slightly that she wasn't even sure it happened. Heat from his body sank into her chilled fingers and it was all she could do not to tighten her grip and feel the steely strength of his muscles beneath her palm. "Thanks," she whispered.
His focus remained on the rutted road. "For what?"
"Just for being here."
He shrugged the shoulder she was still touching, reminding her to move her hand away. "It's my job."
"Then thanks for showing up at work today."
The truck slowed and he turned onto a road that was little more than a gravel trail. Brush scraped the sides of the Bronco, squealing like nails on a chalkboard.
David turned off the headlights and slowed down to keep the wheels on the road as it was plunged into darkness.
Noelle tensed, but remained silent, letting him navigate the big vehicle. In the distance, she could see a thick clump of trees and inside them, the perpendicular lines of a man-made structure.
David stopped the truck right outside the back door, close enough that there was just room to open the driver's door without hitting the house.
"I'm going inside to check things out," he said, unfastening his seat belt and pulling out one of his guns. With expert movements, he checked the weapon, clicked the safety off and surveyed the surrounding area. "Get behind the wheel, and if you see anyone besides me, drive away as fast as you can." He pulled a cell phone out of his jacket pocket along with a crumpled envelope. "Speed dial one and talk to Colonel Monroe and only Monroe. He'll tell you where to go."
Noelle took the phone and envelope, clutching them in shaking hands. "I'm not going to drive off and leave you here just because I see someone. What if it's just some kid here to make out with his girlfriend?"
"It won't be. And don't argue with me. If you see anyone, assume they're here to kill you."
The thought made her stomach clench painfully and she tried to shove it aside. "And what about you?"
"I can take care of myself."
"I won't leave you here to die."
He reached out and cupped her chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him. His fingers were warm and as unyielding as his eyes. "This is not about me, Noelle. You're the one they're after. If you don't stay alive long enough to crack thatjsode, a lot of innocent people are going to die. I can't let that happen. So, you're going to do exactly what I just said and stop arguing before you get us both killed. Do you understand?"
Noelle gave a tiny nod, but it was apparently enough to satisfy David.
"Lock the doors behind me," he said as his fingers slid away from her face, releasing her.
David's focus shifted abruptly to his surroundings. He slid out of the car and disappeared around the corner of the house and Noelle scrambled into his seat, adjusting it so she could reach the pedals if she needed them.
She prayed that she wouldn't because she truly wasn't sure if she was strong enough to leave David here to die while she ran away. Without his presence, she felt exposed. Vulnerable. Her hands gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles ached.
Minutes slithered by slowly, forcing her to concentrate on remembering to breathe. Her body was shaking and breaking out into a cold sweat as she stared wide-eyed into the darkness.
Where the hell was he? Why was this taking so long?
Noelle strained to hear over the sound of the idling engine. She even cracked open the window, but heard only the wind singing through the nearly bare trees.
After what felt like half of forever, David reappeared inside the house, opening the back door for her.
Relief swamped Noelle, and she smiled at him even as her body urged her to crumple under the strain. Or run into his arms and hug him.
He motioned for her to come inside, and Noelle gladly turned off the engine, pocketed the keys and hurried back to David's side, where she felt at least some small measure of safety.
David shut and locked the door behind her, casting them into blackness. Noelle instinctively reached out toward him, collided with the hard, warm flesh of his arm, and wrapped her hands around it. She didn't care that it wasn't proper for her to be groping at him. All she cared about was knowing he was still right there with her.
"Easy," he said in a low, quiet voice. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Then you won't mind if I just hold on, will you?"
He gave an amused grunt. "I'm going to give you a flashlight, but you need to make sure you keep the beam away from the windows, okay? There are blinds on the windows, but if your beam hits them, it will show through to the outside."
"Got it."
He peeled one of her hands away from his arm "and guided her fingers around the slim body of a penlight. His fingers showed her where the switch was, and when it was safely pointed toward the floor, he slid the switch on. A faint stream of light pooled on the vinyl floor, seeming bright in the relative darkness.
David pulled his hands away from hers and took a step backward. "I've got some work to do to make sure this place stays safe. I want you to get some sleep if you can. Use the couch in the next room."
