Lucidity Read Free Page A

the smooth pavement of a highway. And still Carly remained huddled out of view, eyelids screwed shut. She didn’t want to see the blue shadows that rushed past like lost ghosts, or the fading away of yet another chance to rest from the insanity.
    Only when Parker grunted an “all clear” and lightly touched her shoulder did she resurface, only when the lights that signaled human habitations were few and far between. Only then did she rise to face the road ahead and stare into the darkness once again.

Chapter Two
    Carlotta breathed a small sigh of relief when they crossed the Pennsylvania state line without Parker shooting the toll booth operator. The middle-aged woman looked sleep deprived and harmless enough to her, but took much too long counting out their change. Carly had watched Parker’s fingers stroking the iridescent handle of the gun inside his vest, visions of Sonny Corleone’s murder dancing in her head, until the gate slowly lifted.
    Thank God. You could never tell about the big guy.
    This first week of spring in Ohio shared all the earmarks of a winter that didn’t want to leave the party. Six inches of snow followed by freezing rain had resulted in a polished Styrofoam landscape that glittered cold in the headlights of the Jeep. The huge pines that lined the freeway were dark, hulking shapes bearing no resemblance to their Christmas counterparts, swallowing the road behind them in a yawning embrace.
    Carly nervously fingered her cell phone, stealing glances at a silent Parker Munroe. Sometimes the man was impossible to read. Right now he was glowering at the gleaming asphalt ahead, the sharp angles of his face cool cobalt in the light of the dash. Was he angry with her for being so much trouble? Sorry he’d taken the assignment? God, she hoped not. He could be a piece of work, but she didn’t know what she’d do without him. “Should I call it in? We’ll need another safe house.”
    She thought his teeth might crack with the iron set of his jaw, and his knuckles were white knobs on the wheel. “Don’t bother. I know a place.”
    “But—”
    “Shep will contact our superiors. They’ll know you’re safe. I’ll touch base with him tomorrow.”
    “You seem awfully sure.”
    He gushed an impatient breath. “Worried about our dinner guest?”
    “Yes. Of course.”
    “Don’t be. Just because you’ve met Shepherd doesn’t mean you know him. Trust me. He’ll not only come out alive, but within the hour, he’ll be laid up with some babe in a four-star hotel. Her treat.”
    “And if he’s not?”
    The implication was there, as painful as it was for her to say it, but Parker didn’t flinch, barely blinked. Turning the heat up a notch, he kept his eyes fixed on the road.
    “Do you really think we were in danger back there?” she persisted.
    “I think we’ve avoided it so far, and that’s the idea.”
    “But—”
    “Why don’t you take care of the airy-fairy stuff and leave reality to me?”
    They’d spent the past ninety-three days together, sharing meals, bathrooms, even the same bed occasionally. Carly probably knew him almost as well as many women knew their husbands—better than some.
    It was true that the man rarely seemed to sleep. But when he did, it was in the buff—and he managed to look like a Greek god in the process. Yes, she’d had occasion to peek. It was worth the paltry pang of guilt. He loved animals and energy drinks, hated freestyle jazz and the color yellow. He believed in treating a woman like a lady and in honor before self.
    And she knew exactly what he was doing right now. Royally pissing her off.
    He was good at making her mad, and fury was better than fear. Knowing she was being played, however, didn’t temper her reaction. Oh, she could despise this man. Oh yes, she could.
    Carly turned on him, seething with anger. “It isn’t my fault these people are after me, y’know. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
    “Never said you did.”
    “And I really