Angel on Fire (19 page)

Although she rolled her eyes, Angela acknowledged that there was some truth to his statement.  “Chase?” she asked as he opened the door to a gray Honda Accord.  She slid inside and buckled her seat belt.  “If they catch me, they’ll put me in jail.” 

“They’ll have to find you first.”  Chase shut her door and walked around to the other side.  He slid into the driver’s seat, tapped a few buttons and drove up a steep ramp.  A large steel door opened, and he accelerated into the sunlight.  Angela shifted in her seat, uncomfortable with the heavy silence in the car. 

After easing the car onto the expressway, Chase reached out and squeezed Angela’s hand.    “The man in your apartment was a Korean terrorist.  Aside from the fact that he was on the country’s most wanted list, you acted in self-defense.”

“So I won’t go to jail?”  Angela breathed a sigh of relief.  She hated the idea of spending her life on the run, but she was terrified of being locked up in prison. 

“Well,” Chase paused.  “The FBI will certainly detain you and threaten you with jail time in order to force you to cooperate with them.  They’ll want to use you as bait to capture the bad guys.  I can’t let that happen because your safety won’t be their top priority.  So…the simplest solution is to keep you out of the FBI’s hands until we figure out what’s going on ourselves.” 

“How do we do that?”

“For starters, we’ll head west and see where we end up.” 

His matter-of-fact tone eased some of Angela’s anxiety.  “Can we go see Cat?”  Angela was convinced her friend knew something about her father’s death.

“Let’s play it by ear.” 

Chase sneaked a peek at Angela who sat silently in the passenger seat of the gray Accord.  She’d been quiet, too quiet, for the past two hours.  “Hungry, babe?” he asked, trying to gauge her mood.

She shook her head without looking at him.  Chase reached over and ran his thumb along her clenched hands.  “Care to share what’s running through that pretty little head of yours?  You’re not usually this quiet.”  When Angela failed to respond, he squeezed her hand.  “Talk to me, Angel.  I’m here to help.”

“Only because you were ordered to,” she replied almost inaudibly. 

Chase felt like he’d been sucker punched in the stomach.  Surely, she didn’t really believe that.  She had to know he had developed feelings for her.  It just wouldn’t be right for him to act on them.  She needed a dependable man, one who could be there for her all the time. 

“Angela,” he started, but she interrupted.

“Don’t, Chase.  Just don’t.  This has been the worst week of my life.  Dad’s gone; I killed a man, and now I’m accused of murder and on the run from the very people I work for!  Please just let me be.” 

Not knowing how to ease her pain and fix the mess he had made, he drove in silence, trying to come up with a plan that would make her feel better.  The easiest solution was to pass her care and protection off to someone else from his unit.  The problem was the mere thought of leaving her, especially when she was feeling so sad and was in trouble, made him feel sick.  He just couldn’t walk away.  But how could he stay?  Once the thought entered his mind, he couldn’t get rid of it.  Could he stay?  Would it be possible to be with Angela once his assignment ended?  Angela was his boss’s goddaughter.  Would Zach approve of a relationship between the two of them?  Did he even want a relationship with her?  Thoughts of Angela in his life, in his bed, made him smile.  He sure could picture her in his bed, but for the first time, he wanted more.  He wanted to know her, to protect her, to spend time with her.  The physical relationship would just be the icing on the cake.

Just as he merged onto the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Angela roused from her nap and murmured, “Where are we?” 

“We just got onto the Turnpike, babe,” he answered, his voice soft and warm.  Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of her stretching in the seat, her back arching, her breasts jutting out, and heat coiled in the lower portion of his body.  He brushed a stray curl out of her face.  “Feel like stopping and stretching your legs for a bit?” 

“Sounds good.”
 She offered him a tiny smile that didn’t reach her eyes before laying her fingers on his arm.  “Chase, about before….”

“Shush.”  He rubbed the back of her neck lightly, and she melted against his warm hand.  “We can talk about it later.  Why don’t you just try to put everything out of your mind at the moment?  For now, just focus on the immediate threat.”  As her stomach growled loudly, he laughed.  “Right now, it sounds like food is our primary concern.” 

Angela’s cheeks turned pink.  “I’m sorry.  My stomach’s always been rather vocal.”

“I like it.  It’s like you.  Honest, open and upfront.  You are a special woman, Angela McKenzie.  No matter what else, I want you to remember that, okay?” 

Angela sighed, “Why do I feel like that’s a brush-off, Chase?”

“It’s not, Angela.  I promise.  But now is neither the time nor the place for that discussion.  Trust me, babe.  We’ll get there, okay?” 

“Okay,” she sighed, turning her attention to the passing scenery again, her body tense. 

Chase grimaced, feeling like he couldn’t do anything right around this woman.  He hadn’t intended to upset her, just to put her off a little.  Catching sight of an oasis ahead, he merged into the right lane and exited. 
“Looks like our only option is fast food.”
 

Angela shrugged as she unlatched her seat belt.  “I’ll get some fries.” 

The corners of Chase’s mouth tilted up slightly.  “No, you’ll get ketchup and salt with a side of fries.”

“So it’s not healthy, but it tastes good.  Besides, if you have to have a vice, it’s not a bad one.” 

Angela eyed the choices. 
“Hot dogs or burgers?”
  She titled her head, curiosity written all over her face.

“Burgers, without a doubt.
  I’ll eat brats but not hot dogs.”  Chase made a face, enjoying the warmth in her eyes as he shared what he considered inconsequential details.  He laced their fingers together.  “Do you prefer your burgers flame broiled?”

“Absolutely,” she giggled.  “If you give me some cash, I’ll handle the food while you do whatever you need to.”

He pulled out his wallet and handed her a twenty dollar bill. 
“Deal.”
  Chase chuckled and kissed her forehead.  “Get some sodas too.”  She watched as he sauntered toward the restrooms.

Ten minutes later, they carried their food to the picnic tables.  Since most people had elected to eat in their cars or inside the food court, the two sat in solitude munching on their dinner.  As the silence stretched, Angela began fidgeting.  She crinkled and then smoothed out the wrapper from her sandwich repeatedly until Chase grasped her wrist. 

“Relax, babe,” he insisted, his voice strained.  “I know you’re stressed but that’s not going to help.

“I know,” she sighed, running her fingers through her hair.  “I’m just….”  She paused and nibbled on her lower lip.  Chase’s attention turned to her full lips.  How he would love to soothe the bite mark she had made.  “I don’t know, Chase.  I’m confused and frustrated and scared.”

“I understand, babe,” he soothed, pulling her toward his side of the table and easing her into his lap.  Pressing a soft kiss on her cheek, he breathed in her unique fragrance.  “Things are all jumbled up for you right now.  I don’t want you uncomfortable around me though.  I admit we need to talk some things through, and I didn’t mean to hurt you by cutting you off in the car.  I’d just rather wait until we’re somewhere more private and secure, okay?” 

She nodded just as Chase’s phone buzzed.  She started to get up, but he held tight as he answered.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Zach barked, and Chase froze with his arm around Angela as he scanned the immediate area for any sign of his boss. 
How the hell could he know I’m cuddling his goddaughter?  Cuddling?  Well, shit, so much for my tough, macho image, I’m cuddling for God’s sake. 

“Sir?”
Chase inquired hoping Zach would clarify what he was referring to before he confessed to something Zach didn’t need to know about – yet. 

“What the hell happened in Angela’s apartment and how in the world could one of my top operatives leave
my goddaughter
out to dry?  Her picture’s all over
friggin
’ CNN as an accused murderer!”  Zach bellowed, and Chase pulled the phone away from his ear a fraction of an inch.  He glared at Angela, who was trying to hide her smile.  He hated the fact that she was listening to Zach ream his ass. 

Chase took a deep breath and prepared to grovel.  “I’m sorry, Sir.  It won’t happen again.”  He stared fiercely at Angela as he made that promise. 
It damn well won’t happen again, babe, even if I have to handcuff you to me. 

“Were you there?  Did you kill the guy?  Who was he?  Why are they saying the murder weapon is registered to Angela?”  Zach snapped out the questions without pausing.  “And why the hell did you let her go back to her apartment anyway?  That was just plain stupid!”

“She sneaked out on me when I refused to take her to her apartment. 
Chul
-Moo was in her apartment when she got there.  She shot him when he pulled a knife on her.  She injured her shoulder during the incident, but she’ll be fine.  She’s safe now.  I give you my word: she won’t get away from me again.” 

Angela’s cheeks blushed as Chase replied to Zach in a calm, steely tone.  Since he didn’t plan to let her get more than a few feet away from him, she wouldn’t have the opportunity to rabbit.  Besides, he doubted she would try to escape again now that she realized how much trouble she was really facing. 

Chase played with Angela’s curls while Zach ranted about his idiocy and inability to follow orders.  Suddenly, Angela heaved a sigh and snatched the phone from Chase’s hand. 
“Hi, Uncle Zach.
  I’m really sorry.  I thought Dad might have left me a message or something at my apartment.  Chase didn’t want me to go, and so I slipped away from him.  I really didn’t think I was in danger.  I know better now.  I’m really sorry for any trouble I caused.”  Chase leaned closer to the phone so he could hear Zach’s response, and Angela peeked up at him through her lashes.  “Thank you for sending Chase to protect me.  I do appreciate it.  I don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t been there after
I
….”  She paused and swallowed hard.  “He was going to kill me, Uncle Zach, and I don’t even know why.  Do you know what Dad was working on?  He has to be tied into this mess somehow.” 

Chase tugged her closer, seeing through the calm façade that she wore.  He hoped that Zach would hear the strain in her voice and transition from angry boss to comforting godfather but something told him Zach didn’t have much experience handling women.  He relaxed slightly when he heard Zach’s reply.  “I’m working on it.  For now, I want you to listen to Chase and stay safe.  He’s one of my best men.  Let him protect you, okay?”

“He’s a good man, Uncle Zach,” Angela agreed, kissing Chase on the cheek.  “He’s taking excellent care of me, I assure you.” 

Chase tensed, hoping Zach hadn’t caught the slight change in Angela’s tone. 
No such luck,
Chase realized when Zach growled, “Let me talk to Chase again.  I need to clarify some instructions.”

Angela handed over the phone with a slight shrug.  Chase turned away from her, hiding his grimace. 
“Sir?”
  Chase placed the phone against the ear farthest away from Angela.  She didn’t need to hear Zach’s comments.