She’d seen motocross commercials where they did flips and jumps. So maybe…Oh for crying out loud. Was she seriously thinking about jumping?

Another barrage of bullets whizzed by her, smacking the large rock in front of her, the sparking chips of granite nearly showering them as she sped past the boulder at close range.

Yes. Harper was seriously thinking about it. She didn’t really see any other option. The Hummer was gaining on them and seemed to have an unlimited arsenal, so they couldn’t stop. The trees were too thick to try to weave the motorbike through. Turning around would be suicide.

Rome was too injured to fight or run. And she didn’t know whether she could chance revving up and releasing her psi power before it was too late.

“Damn it all,” Rome yelled. “I’m out of ammo.”

Her body jostled forward, and then back as Rome dislodged his arm from the coat loop. He twisted around with a grunt and settled against her back, locking his arms around her waist.

“Where are we going?” His warm breath huffed against her ear, tickling her damp skin. “I thought the gorge was ahead.”

“It is,” Harper confirmed, turning her head so he could hear. Should she share her idea? Sure, why not. He had to come with her anyway. “We’re going over it.”

She waited for him to yell at her in disbelief. No sound came. She shifted to glance over her shoulder. No wonder he was quiet. His jaw was clenched so tight, she was surprised he could still breathe. She could have sworn she saw smoke come out of his ears.

She faced front again to see the hill quickly approaching. Just beyond it was the ledge. And beyond that, the ravine.

“Harper, I’m not so sure about this.” He tightened his grip on her body.

“Me neither.” She grinned against the drizzle blowing against her face. It was crazy. “But what choice do we have?” She was crazy.

“There’s always a choice,” Rome roared at her, just as a bullet hit the left side mirror, blowing it off the bike. She turned to meet his wide gaze with her own. “And it’s a good choice.” He nodded at her.

Harper laughed and turned back around to face forward. Rome’s grasp tightened, almost squeezing the breath from her gut.

Gripping the handlebars tight, she twisted the throttle, giving the motor all the power it could manage. The bike lurched forward with the extra speed. Rome stiffened behind her and moved forward so close, she doubted any speck of air could fit between them.

Her stomach dropped as she shot the bike down the last decline at full speed. The bike caught a little air as it snaked across the ground just ahead of the ledge.

Here we go. Harper’s knuckles whitened as she held tight to the bike. One last pull of the throttle and she watched the slick rocks that bordered the edge of the ravine fall away to nothing.

And she and Rome soared.

As if looking at herself from outside her body, a perfect lightness overtook her as she savored being suspended with Rome for this one moment in time.

Then the descent. The ground on the other side rushed at her at an alarming rate.

They made it. As the tires hit the hard earth, they swerved and reeled. Harper barely- barely -held on, struggling against the natural forces trying to sweep the bike out from under them.

But she did. And Rome was right behind her.

Steadying the bike, she skidded to a stop, mud and leaves kicking out from the strain on the tires.

She took a deep, steadying breath and gazed toward the ravine they’d just miraculously jumped.

On the other side, the Hummer’s front wheels were hanging over the edge, the back tires squealing against the ground, trying to reverse the heavy truck fully onto the solid land as it teetered dangerously.

The decent human being in her hoped they could right the vehicle. The fallen fugitive in her, sick and tired of being chased, beaten, and shot at, really didn’t care whether they succeeded.

Peeling her fingers from her death grip on the handles, she turned to look at Rome, rubbing the circulation back into her stiff wet hands. He appeared stunned and invigorated all at once. Just like her.

He leaned forward to pull her into his shaking arms, giving her a hard and deep kiss. Primal. Natural. Full of adrenaline. She kissed him back, tasting sweat and blood and the sexy tang that was all Rome.

They broke apart and stared at each other for a long moment, just glad to be alive and in one piece.

“Let’s get back to the Bug.” His low suggestion severed the charged air. She nodded in agreement.

As the adrenaline of their thrill ride started to wear off, reality set in and the aches and pains came in droves. She realized that they did need to get back. Back to the Bug and back to work.

Harper grabbed control of the bike and started off in the direction Rome pointed. It would be a longer drive now, but at least they were alone.

And once they were back to relative safety, they could assess their wounds. And the information they’d overheard. She just didn’t know which was going to hurt more.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Rome straightened his aching body as Harper pulled the Bug into a tree-shaded space behind a mercifully remote log cabin.

Before they’d left that morning, he’d paid up their cheap motel room for a few more days. And added extra to pay for privacy. The front desk attendant/owner of the motel had simply pocketed the money, saying something sleazy about Harper that almost earned him a broken nose.

As Rome glanced at her long fingers turning the keys to kill the engine and her other hand reaching down to pull the lever to pop the hood, he was enormously glad they had decided to move locations. For many reasons. Mostly, he didn’t need leering assholes ogling her. Plus their situation seemed to be only getting worse, so he’d told Harper it would be best to not stay in one place for too long.

But right now they were about to hole up in a very nice and very private log cabin. The owner had four rental cabins that were spread out over acres and acres of family land. This particular cabin sat enclosed by the majestic woods, with a swift-moving creek just steps from the front door. One simple phone call from Rome had secured the heavenly place.

He’d had to hide away here several times before, both professionally and personally. After a long history being acquainted, Rome trusted the owner understood the meaning of “discreet.”

His most recent trip to the reclusive spot had been just after the loss of his team two years ago. The serene retreat possessed a cleansing spirit. The simple joy of fusing with nature had helped him send some of his demons to their lair and pacify the rest of them just enough so he could return to his job.

The slamming of the driver-side door broke into his thoughts, and he watched as Harper closed the door again. And again. The door clicked shut for good on the third try, and he couldn’t help smiling at her fresh familiarity with the old car he loved so much.

She disappeared from his sight around the front of the car as she lifted the hood. He guessed he’d better get out of the car and find the key the owner would have stashed under the wooden porch. He hauled himself out of the car and had to shut his passenger door several times before the latch caught, as well.

He sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly, the crisp air from his mouth fogging as he tilted his head back to glance at the bloated dark clouds. It definitely looked like a hard rain was in the forecast.

“I’ll get the key,” he said to Harper, walking gingerly toward the porch, his boots clomping against the damp, hard-packed dirt. A wave of exhaustion tingled through his body as he reached the wooden stairs.

He was surprised Harper didn’t look ready to drop, too. Clearly she’d been through hell in their escape from the facility. He’d been so proud and admittedly a little surprised at the way she had fought alongside him. And even more surprised at how right it felt. Whatever fear she must have had, she’d masked it with a fury and resilience he’d never seen. She was a damn trouper, that was for sure.