The Hero She Deserves - Page 77

Sawyer gripped her wrist, and clipped the bracelet on, then handed her the perfume.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

He ran his fingers along her cheekbone, then his face hardened, and he looked at Parker. “Park, I need his keys.”

Park fished around in Gallant’s pocket, then tossed Sawyer the keys.

“Drag him behind the truck and secure his ankles. I’m going to message Jesse to come and get him, and take care of the others at the cottage.”

“On it.” Park gripped the back of Gallant’s shirt. “Let’s move, asshole.”

“What are we doing now?” Hollis asked.

Sawyer strode over to the hitman’s car. He held the back door open for her. “Continuing with our plan. We’re getting off Maui.”

She climbed into the back of the car. Soon, they were driving down the road toward Kahului in the hitman’s vehicle.

She dozed off for a bit, but it was still dark when the car slowed. Hollis blinked awake, looking out the window. She saw the Kahului airport runway and the long, single-story main terminal in the distance. Sawyer pulled off onto a quiet side road. She saw a sign for helicopter tours and private aviation. They stopped in front of a large hangar.

Sawyer got out and opened the door for her. “Let’s go, gorgeous.”

She held his hand as they entered the hangar. The cavernous space was mostly empty, except for some tools and gear off to one side. They followed Park out the open hangar doors.

A sleek white jet stood on the tarmac, with its stairs lowered. Hollis had flown on private jets before, but it still always gave her a little thrill.

Battered and dirty, the three of them climbed aboard.

The pilot was a tall, older man, who stooped as he came out of the cockpit. He eyed them with a steady look, no shock or surprise on his face. “Rough night?”

“Yeah,” Sawyer said.

The man nodded. “My name’s Theo. There’s a small restroom in the back, and a first aid kit in the galley.”

Something told her that the Norcross pilot was used to people boarding his plane at all hours, looking rumpled and with blood on their clothes.

“Clean up and grab some food,” Theo continued. “We’ll be airborne shortly.”

Hollis opened her eyes.She heard the familiar drone of being on a plane.

She was warm and snug, and realized her head was resting on Sawyer’s shoulder. A blanket had been tucked around her. She smiled. He’d tucked her in.

Sawyer had taken care of her more in the last week than anyone had in her entire life. She touched the bracelet on her wrist, rubbing her thumb on the silver links. She didn’t just mean the big stuff of protecting her and saving her life. It was the small stuff too—feeding her, helping her relax, keeping her warm.

She saw he was dozing. Parker was asleep in the seat across the aisle.

Sawyer’s eyes opened. God, she could look at that rugged face, and his green eyes flecked with gold, all day. The small cut near his hairline was barely visible. She’d cleaned it up earlier and washed away the blood.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey.”

He took her hand. “You okay?”

She nodded, then looked out the window. Dawn was starting to brand the sky with pink and gold, and down below, she saw the glimmer of city lights.

San Francisco.

“We’ll be landing soon,” he said.