Hold on to Me (37 page)

Jules Trehan disappeared without a trace three years ago much to the dismay of her parents and Manuel Ramirez. A counter terrorism specialist, Manny has utilized every agency resource in his attempt to discover what happened to Jules, to no avail.

As suddenly as she disappeared, Jules reappears in a small Colorado town. Injured in an explosion, she’s hospitalized, and Manny rushes to her side, determined not to ever let her go again.

But Jules has one last job to do or Manny’s life will be forfeit. A mission she must complete, even if it means betraying the only man she’s ever loved.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Long Road Home:

She hadn’t seen a sign in miles, but the location of the sinking sun told her they were headed south and slightly east. Likely into New Mexico or West Texas.

“If you want to know where we’re going, all you have to do is ask,” Manny said dryly.

She twisted in her seat, surprised once again at his perception. “Where are we going?”

“New Mexico.” He didn’t offer more and didn’t look over at her though she was staring hard at him.

She sank lower in the seat, gingerly drawing her knees up to her chest. Her fingers stroked the duffle bag at her side, drawing assurance from the outline of the gun there. If anyone found her and Manny, at least she’d have a way to defend them.

A sharp pain twisted through her chest and robbed her of breath. She sucked in air, determined not to panic as the scenery blurred before her. Damn, her ribs were on fire. She reclined the seat in an attempt to alleviate the growing pressure in her midsection.

The pain eased as she stretched out, and her breathing evened. She pressed her hands to her temples and squeezed her eyes shut, the thudding of her pulse pounding incessantly against her fingertips.

“Speak to me, Jules. What’s wrong? Do I need to get you back to the hospital?” Manny’s concerned voice seared through her haze of pain.

“No,” she said faintly. “I’m all right. Really.”

“Where are you, baby? Because you’re miles away from here right now.”

She cringed, not wanting to voice what she had been thinking. It sounded pathetic and defeatist. But she blurted it out anyway. “I was thinking it should have been me who died. Not Mom and Pop.”

To her surprise, he slammed on the brakes and pulled over to the shoulder. He turned on her, his eyes blazing in the faint light offered by the headlights. “Don’t say that. Don’t ever say that,” he said fiercely. “I thought I lost you, Jules. For three long years I lived with the awful reality you might not be coming home. And then I found you. Don’t you dare wish you had died, because I’ve spent the last three years praying you were alive.”

Before she could respond, he put his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her to meet his lips. Her mouth opened in surprise, and his tongue darted forward, gently probing her lips.

It was everything she had ever dreamed it would be. For a moment, she was in high school again, dressing for the prom, depressed because the one guy she wanted to take was eight years older and already out of college. She had closed her eyes and imagined it was Manny kissing her when her date had delivered her to the door with the prerequisite peck on the lips.

He was exquisitely gentle, his lips moving so softly across hers, reverently almost. His fingers worked slowly into her hair, kneading and stroking as he deepened his kiss.

Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it ended. He pulled quickly away from her and ran a hand through his hair in agitation. “Christ, I’m sorry, Jules. You don’t need that right now.”

She stared at him in shock. With a trembling hand, she raised her fingers and touched her slightly swollen lips.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he pleaded. He captured her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it softly. “I’m sorry, baby.”

He allowed her hand to slide from his, and she took it back, cradling it with her other hand. What was she supposed to say? She was so damn confused, she doubted she could recall her own name at the moment. For that matter, she really had no idea what her real name was. A hysterical bubble of laughter rose quickly in her throat, and she fought to choke it back.

Manny swore softly then pulled back onto the highway. “Get some sleep, Jules. If you don’t, I swear, I’ll call Tony and have you transferred to the hospital we’d planned. It’s what I should’ve done in the first place.”

“Who the hell is Tony anyway?” she grumbled as she lay back against the leather seat. She shivered slightly, and Manny reached over to turn up the heat.

“Tony is my partner.”

“Partner in what? Somehow I doubt you’re still in the computer software business.” He looked far too dangerous to be a computer nerd. She had never been able to reconcile his image with his profession.

“Rest,” he said in a warning tone. “We’ll talk when we get there.”

“Wherever there is,” she said in exasperation.

He smiled.

“What’s so funny?”

“You are. You’re sounding more and more like the Jules I know all the time.”

She sobered instantly, the throbbing in her head resuming with a vengeance. “I’m not her,” she said softly. “Maybe I never was.”

Manny remained silent, his hands gripping the steering wheel tighter. “Rest.”

Not arguing, she turned to the window. She could never go back to that carefree, naïve girl she had once been. She’d seen and done far too much. In a faint moment of shame, she was glad Mom and Pop never got to see the person she’d become. Their disappointment would have been more than she could bear.

She raised trembling fingers to her lips, lips still swollen from Manny’s kiss. What exactly were his feelings for her? She’d never imagined that he returned her sentiment, that he might want her just as badly as she’d wanted him, but in the face of the way he’d kissed her, she could hardly ignore the possibility. Had she been blind to the signs?

She thought back, trying to analyze Manny’s behavior toward her. As a teenager, she’d idolized him, fantasized about being Mrs. Manuel Ramirez, but she’d been careful to keep her girlish imaginings to herself. She would have died if he’d found out the extent of her infatuation.

Three years ago, she would have done anything for Manny to kiss her like he just had, but now it only complicated matters. No matter how much she wanted him to be more than a big brother protective figure, it wasn’t possible. And if he knew the truth about her, he wouldn’t want her anyway.

“It’s snowing.” He turned to her when she looked over. “You used to love the snow.”

“Yeah,” she said faintly. But she didn’t now. It was too easy to be tracked in the snow. She remained silent, not voicing that tidbit of information. Instead she watched the flurry of snowflakes through the windshield wipers.

The heat pouring from the vents and the steady hum of the wipers lulled her into a state of relaxation. Soon her eyes grew as heavy as her heart, and she allowed them to close. Her final thought was that she hoped it wasn’t snowing wherever they ended up.