The Marine Finds His Family

She knew she looked awful. The ugly orange waitress uniform, her hair falling around her face from where the jerk had tried to pull it out of her head, blood trickling from her knees and smeared on her palms.

“Stop following me.” It was all she could come up with. There was no way she was thanking him, despite the fact that she knew she should.

“Oh, excuse me for trying to help.” He stalked over to her and grabbed her hands, turning them palm up and cursing. “Come on. Let’s get you taken care of.” He didn’t let go and they were nearly to the bike before she tried to pull away.

“I already told you I am not getting on that thing.”

“I don’t think you have a choice,” he mumbled, looking past her shoulder.

She followed his gaze. The big shadow was back. And he wasn’t alone. Two other men walked beside him.

DJ hopped onto the motorcycle and kicked it to life. “Get on.”

“I—”

She hated motorcycles. The idea of riding on one scared her half to death, but the shadowed figures scared her more.

“Get. On,” DJ said again, this time through clenched teeth. “Now.” Footsteps pounded toward them. DJ had a point. She jumped on and DJ sped into the night.

She hung on tight, knowing she was in for one hell of a ride.

* * *

DJ SPED THROUGH the city streets. There hadn’t been any vehicles around, so he didn’t think they were being followed. But he wound around, just to make sure.

He should take her back to the diner, or maybe to Cora’s house, but if he let her off the bike, he’d never get her back on. And she’d run again.

It didn’t take long to get to the city limits since they were already on the ratty edges. Streetlights flashed past until they reached the two-lane highway. The moon hadn’t yet risen, so the headlight beam and light from the stars were all that showed him the way.

“Where are we going?” she finally asked.

“Someplace safe.” He turned his head just enough to see her out of the corner of his eye. Her ponytail waved in the wind, the loose strands whipping across her face. He needed to get a helmet for her.

He turned his focus back to the road, but no matter how he tried, he failed miserably at ignoring the extra weight on the back of the bike. The feel of Tammie’s arms tight around his waist was entirely too real, and warm.

Tammie didn’t speak. She didn’t even shift. She clenched her fists in his shirt whenever he squealed around a corner, but otherwise, she didn’t move.

She’d obviously ridden on a bike before. With who? There was so much he didn’t know about her.

What he did know was where they were headed, but he wouldn’t share the details with her—not yet.

By the time they reached Edgerton an hour later, the sky was turning a bright orange on the horizon. Nothing more than a few buildings in the middle of nowhere—something Texas had in abundance—the tiny town was a welcome sight. Three houses, a gas station slash convenience store and a motel with a flashing neon vacancy sign that broke the darkness. DJ had stayed here several times when he’d traveled back and forth from Wyatt’s place to San Antonio for therapy. It had provided a bed to lay his head and some much needed space away from his brother.

He almost wished he was on one of those trips. His body was already telling him he’d pay for this trip—for chasing Tammie and certainly for dumping and lifting the bike off the pavement. His damaged back and leg muscles burned from the abuse. A nice soak in the gym’s whirlpool tub would be heaven right now.

He slowed and turned off the highway into the dirt parking lot. When he killed the engine, the silence was thick around them. No one else was here, except George, the manager, owner and purveyor of everything for twenty miles.

“We’ll stay here for now.”

“What?” Tammie stared in shock.

“I’ll check us in.”

“I can’t go with you. Take me back to town.”

“Nope.”

Tammie climbed off as if to follow him and nearly stumbled. He caught her arms, steadying her, and the night warmed. He stared at her face. She looked beat. Defeated.

“Listen.” He stepped closer. “You’re exhausted. You’re hurt.” He paused and made sure her gaze met his before he spoke. “And whoever you’re really running from seems to have found you.” He wished she’d tell him who that person was. “Just let me help you.” As he headed to the office, he looked over his shoulder and said, “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

She looked around at the miles of open space surrounding the tiny pseudo town. “Yeah, like there’s anywhere to go?”

He actually smiled. He recalled that her dry humor had intrigued him in the past. He was glad to see remnants of it. Maybe there was hope. Maybe the ghosts of their past weren’t so dead, after all. He had to believe that.

“Ain’t seen you in a while,” George greeted him with a smile and a yawn as DJ slipped inside the tiny office.

“Yeah. How you been, man?”

“Fair to middlin’.” George automatically filled out the paperwork and ran DJ’s credit card. “Usual room?” The old-fashioned metal key slid over the scarred counter with a soft whisper.

“Thanks. Oh, by the way, there’re two of us,” DJ told him.

Only the single eyebrow lift indicated the man had heard. George glanced out the side window and DJ knew Tammie was there, standing by the bike, waiting, when George nodded.

“That’ll be extra.”

“I figured.” He paid but didn’t explain further. It was none of the old man’s business.

DJ knew he was being a paranoid jerk getting only one room. But Tammie had obviously ridden a motorcycle before. While she didn’t like it, she undoubtedly had skills. He could very likely be stuck here without his prized bike come morning. No way. He wasn’t letting her go, and he certainly wasn’t letting her get the better of him.

“Come on.” He led her to the farthest room, away from the road, away from George’s curious stares. The door squealed when he pushed it open, and the closed-up dusty scent wafted out over them.

“Where’s my key?” she asked behind him.

DJ knew it would tick her off, but he did it anyway. Maybe it would spark some life in her.

He walked into the room, lifted the single key and shook it before pocketing it. Her growl should have made him nervous. It only made him laugh as he turned to face her.

Browbeating and threatening her weren’t what he’d planned. But she hadn’t given him much choice. If he let her go...he might never find her again. And he sure as hell wasn’t going home and telling Tyler he’d failed.

Nope. Not an option.

“This is kidnapping!”

DJ paused, crossing his arms over his chest. “No, it’s not.” He waited, but she didn’t say any more. “Let’s consider it negotiating.”

Her eyes flashed and DJ suddenly understood what it meant to see murder in someone’s eyes.