Winters Heat (Titan) Read Free

“Don’t.”
    The package .
    The woman scooted to the side of the bed and jumped for it in his hand. The tear gas gnawed into his patience. What was she doing? His decision making skills weren’t firing like they should. Not being able to think in this time constraint, he needed answers. Like who the hell she was, for starters.
    He wrapped an arm around the woman and threw her over his shoulder. She was as light as she looked and losing steam with each gas-filled gasp.
    “Wait. No. Let me go. Help. Someone help!”
    “Pipe down,” he said in a manner in which Jared wouldn’t have approved.
    Still, she continued a feeble holler. “Help. Someone. Help.”
    There wasn’t anyone around, so her hoarse cries didn’t matter. In joints like this, most everyone minded their own business. But still, she was a confusing headache. He didn’t have to take her. He could’ve left her for the cops to figure out. But she looked more suited to sell Girl Scout cookies than handle thugs and cops.
    She’d been hell bent on grabbing the package and couldn’t have had a day of training in her life. She didn’t make sense, and he wouldn’t abandon her, his protective nature stoked.
    Winters cleared the splintered door with her still over his shoulder. In the distance, the police sirens sounded. He made double sure the package was in his back pocket, then hightailed it to his truck.
    Once he reached the four-door pickup, he set her down. “Stop hollering. I’m not a bad guy. We’re getting the hell out of here, then we’ll work this all out. Chill.”
    A determined flash glinted in her eyes, and he felt her muscles tense before she made a move. Gritting her teeth, she made a swift kick to his balls. Son of a bitch . Thank God for his reflexes. She was a handful, even when gassed.
    “All right. If that’s how you want to play, lady.” He tossed her into the backseat of the truck. “I have the stupid package you’re so worked up about. So don’t think about jumping out of the truck while it’s rolling. We’ll make a deal. You’ll get something, and I’ll keep what I already have.”
    Winters scrubbed his face with the palm of his hand, then standing outside the open door, caged her in the backseat with his arms and torso. Why did he care if she bailed on him? He had the package. It was his only task. This mission was halfway done, and none of his task list included this woman. But why did she want it in the first place? It didn’t make sense.
    Propped on her elbows, she kicked at him, landing her feet on his abs. He rolled his eyes. “Well hell, lady.”
    She would make a run for it given the chance. He knew it. Winters looked at her, then the door locks. She was a liability that he didn’t have time for today. He engaged the child safety looks, locking her in the backseat.
    His seat punched forward every few seconds as she beat her heels into it. He dropped his head, suppressing a vicious string of swears. Before the cops could fly into the motel parking lot, Winters eased out the entrance. Unsure where to go for the time being, he pushed a button on his cell phone and connected to Jared.
    “Got the package. And the lady.” He glanced in his rearview mirror at her.
    Fresh air had reinvigorated her, and she kicked his seat over and over, making his teeth saw together.
    “Let me go, you jerk.”
    “Sounds like it,” Jared said. “Clean up your mess and move it on home. And for God’s sake, Winters, play nice.”
    Play nice probably meant no knockout juice or truth serum.
    “Yeah, yeah. I’ll figure out who she works for, and how she knew the pickup spot. Then I’ll send her on her merry way.” She kept kicking. He was so far past annoyed that it was amusing, in a he-must-be-out-of-his-mind kind of way. “She’s a spitfire. It’s entertaining.”
    She shouted, “You don’t scare me. I’ll kick you again. Get close to me and see what happens.”
    “Jesus Christ,” Jared murmured before ending their