A Soldier Comes Home

by Cindi Myers

• ISBN13: 9780373782437
• ISBN10: 0373782438
• Edition: Large
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-06-10
• Publisher: Harlequin

Excerpts

"Move!" she whispered as loud as she dared. "It's going to be okay. I promise. But we have to move."Just a little farther away from the building. Down the alley, to the street, and then...Then what?There was no little farther. No safe. Not until they were miles away. Too bad her escape plan was more of a shot in the dark than an actual plan.There were shadows flanking the street entrance to the long alley. Human shadows she wasn't sure were friend or foe."Quick, back here." She cut behind one of the Dumpsters beside the door they'd escaped through.He'd be furious.Deadly furious.She could hear them searching inside the warehouse. Frantic. And they never bothered to be frantic, except when following orders or covering their asses. So much for her element of surprise.Shouts echoed. Their hide-and-seek posse was about to spill outside. "Lexi?" The whisper at her elbow was shaky. Terrified."Shh." She squeezed the sweaty palm clinging to hers.It was midday, but her warning hung like a hazy omen in the cold air. Just breathing could get them caught."We have to be quiet," she warned.It was either be quiet or be dead. And dead wasn't going to happen.She could still make this disaster right. Somehow.She glanced toward the street. Still no movement. Maybe no threat. But she had to be sure.The shadows and filth around them revealed no makeshift weapons. No epiphanies for how to fix this."Lexi, I dropped Felix in the warehouse. I have to--""What!"Damn!"I have to go back for him." The hand tugged free. "I have to--""We can't go back!"No Felix.No gun.She had no business trying to do this on her own. But there'd been no time. And now everything was unraveling, and she didn't have a choice...."But--""No!"Worry about Felix later. Get to later first.They had to reach the street while there was still time, then--The door creaked open, hinges scraping, rust against rust. Footsteps left the warehouse and echoed across the damp concrete, scuffing against discarded cardboard, scattering the junk littering the ground.She forced shallow breaths. One hand motioned for silence, the other pressed against the pitted surface of the Dumpster. It was too obvious a hiding place.As if she'd had tons of alternatives! Desperation makes you reckless, a voice from her past had once cautioned. But you can use the recklessness to your advantage.... Every now and then, you'll make yourself a little luck.The footsteps stopped.The Dumpster's lid lifted long enough for someone to peer inside, then it slammed shut. Hard-soled shoes shuffled in opposite directions. Two sets of them, heading toward either side of the bin.Screw luck. "Run!" She shoved against the Dumpster, crashing it into the men. "Run to the street and don't look back! Help! Help us!"Grunts.Curses.One of the men hit the ground, his gun skidding away. She grabbed it and sprung from her crouch into a full sprint. More footsteps poured into the alley from the warehouse. "Help us!" she yelled again.The shadows down the alley turned, bodies in motion heading their way. Not friends after all.She raised the gun.Trying to shoot her way out was stupid. There were too many of them. But stupid wasn't dead.They still had a chance, as long as--A hand clenched in her hair and yanked her backward."No!" She kicked as she was dragged away from the street. "Run! Whatever you do, don't stop running!"She twisted to face her attacker. Ignored the pain. She brought the gun around to fire, knowing she was already done. But there was done, and then there was taking one of these bastards with her.She had a sudden taste for the latter. She'd distract them for a few more seconds, then-- "Lexi!" The terrified scream came from the street. A shadow closed in from behind her. Before she could react, the side of her head explo