And yes, she suddenly wondered whether the latter wasn’t a bad idea. Getting away should’ve been her top priority, and Marissa was pretty sure it would’ve been if she could think clearly.
“Not a word,” the deep voice whispered, warm breath brushing against her neck.
Well, that confirmed the answer to the first question that had popped into her head: man or woman? Definitely a man.
Low, gruff, familiar, the voice was an oddly soothing rumble against her ear. She recognized the timbre, the cadence, even the inflection, but thanks to the all-consuming dread roiling in the pit of her stomach, she couldn’t place it. When she tried to turn, to see who he was, he simply held her flush to his body, continuing to ease them closer to the back door via the darkened kitchen.
“Stay calm. We’ve gotta get outta here.”
His voice was calm, not at all threatening, and the strong arms surrounding her weren’t gripping her painfully, but Marissa still questioned: friend or foe? She didn’t know the right answer, probably because she was still paralyzed with fear.
While her common sense tried to come fully online, the intruder continued to lead her away from the front of the house, and for whatever reason, Marissa found herself complying. Something told her she needed to trust this man.
Less than a minute later, they were stepping outside, the icy winds battering her body, the snow instantly seeping through her slippers, freezing her feet. The blistering cold kick-started her brain, and she glanced at the ski-mask-clad man, who was now reaching for her hand as he rapidly backed away from the house, his intense gaze penetrating her, even though she couldn’t even make out the color of his eyes in the inky darkness, darkened even more by the rapidly moving clouds temporarily blocking out the moon.
“Let’s go, Marissa!” the man yelled, grabbing her hand and hauling her through the snow that densely covered her backyard.
Was it a good sign that he knew her name?
Okay, so maybe she should’ve been more worried about the fact that snow was now filling her slippers and saturating her pajama bottoms, or perhaps that she was willingly running away from the safety of her house with a man she only thought she should trust.
Unable to form words to argue or even to ask questions, Marissa ran. More accurately, she stumbled through the snow, dredging her way around to the side of the house as fast as she could behind the stranger dressed in black, his clothing of choice a stark contrast against the brilliant white landscape now lit by the moon. Her brain fumbled to make sense of what was going on as her slippered feet trudged through two feet of soft snow blanketing the ground. The gloved hand holding hers felt safe, but for a fraction of a second, she pondered whether she was actually running toward disaster rather than running from it.
A metallic ping sounded from close by, causing her to flinch at the same time her masked companion grabbed her, hauling her close to his solid body and using himself as a human shield, steering her in the direction he apparently wanted her to go.
“In!” the man commanded as they approached a dark SUV haphazardly parked along the side of her house.
Ping.
Ping. Ping.
Holy shit. Was someone shooting at them?
With her stupidity level possibly at an all-time high, Marissa didn’t question him as he yanked open the driver’s door and shoved her into the vehicle, she didn’t try to pull away, and she didn’t glance back at her house, either, when he yelled, “Other side!” and pushed her across the center console.
“Seat belt!” The brusque word echoed through the chilly interior of the SUV as the engine roared to life when her masked companion hopped in the driver’s seat. With frozen fingers, Marissa fumbled with her seat belt while she prayed the heater would push something more than arctic air at her.
How long did it take for frostbite to set in?
Wow. And wasn’t that an odd question to worry about at a time like this?
Hoping she wasn’t going to find out, she forced the notion from her head.
Less than a minute later, Marissa wasn’t worried about her numb fingers and toes or even what the sound had been that had woken her in the middle of the night. Her new interest was who this man was and where they were going.
When she turned to face him, ready to pelt him with those exact questions, Marissa was tossed around the front seat like a rag doll—despite the seat belt that was supposed to hold her in place—as he took a turn on what had to be two wheels. Fear gripped her once again as she grabbed for the oh-shit handle and held on for dear life. He obviously knew what he was doing, navigating the top-heavy vehicle in polar-like conditions, never taking his eyes off the road.
Chancing another glimpse in his direction, Marissa studied his profile despite the mask still covering his features, trying her best to look at him. Really look at him.
When he glanced over at her, tugging the mask off his head, allowing her to see his face for the first time since he’d arrived to whisk her out of the house, her breath lodged in her throat.
What the fuck?
“You’re lucky I don’t punch you right now,” she told him grumpily, earning a chuckle from him.
Continuing to watch him, Marissa willed her heart to stop pounding, her breath to return to normal.
“Since when did they start sending in the big guns?” she muttered when she could breathe again, sarcasm and incredulity replacing the fear that had racked her for the past… According to the blue digits on the dashboard, only fifteen minutes had passed since she’d awoken to the noise.
He didn’t respond.
Before Marissa could blast him for what had happened, there was an explosion that rocked the SUV. Twisting in her seat and peering through the tinted back window, she saw a fireball billowing in the chilly night air.
“Ohmygod… Ohmygod… Oh. My. God.” Marissa turned to eyeball the man who’d come to her rescue. The last man she’d expected to see. The very man who had just saved her life. “Was that…?”
“Your house? Yeah,” he offered with a slight edge. Although his rich, dark tone reflected a hint of sympathy, his white-gray eyes were hard as steel.
Her house, or rather the residence she’d inhabited for the last two and a half months, was now… Shit. It was now a fireball in the sky.
Spinning back around and shifting nervously in her seat, Marissa sucked air into her lungs, praying she wouldn’t hyperventilate and pass out. Or maybe that would be better than dealing with this now. Who knew?
A firm hand landed on her back, thrusting her forward.
“Head between your knees, damn it. Don’t you dare pass out on me, girl.”
Girl? Was he serious right now?
Marissa had no choice but to obey his booming command, as he was simultaneously forcing her head toward the floorboard. Closing her eyes, she slowed her breaths, ignoring the way her hands trembled uncontrollably and her heart raced like a Kentucky Derby racehorse. A few minutes later, when she finally got her bearings, she sat up slowly and asked the one question she felt she’d been asking for far too long. “Who’s after me now?”
Once again, no response. Typical.
She might never receive an honest answer to that, but at least Marissa had the answer to her earlier question…
Disaster.
Plain and simple.
That was exactly what she’d been running toward.
And disaster’s name was Trace Kogan.
Wait for Morning (Sniper 1 Security, #1) is available now!