A Good Day for Chardonnay (Sunshine Vicram #2) by Darynda Jones

Difficult, yes. But not impossible. And worth the added cost, in Sun’s opinion. She could hardly blame kids for their curiosity. She’d been one.

“By the way,” Levi said after they’d been walking about forty minutes.

She liked walking with him. And driving with him. And watching him drive. “Yes?”

“We were followed.”

She almost tripped but managed to keep her feet on solid ground. Staring straight ahead, she said, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wasn’t positive.”

“But you are now?”

He nodded.

“It has to be the Delmar family,” she said. “There have been men stationed in town for a few days now. I’m certain they work for them. But they’re still after Elliot? After all this time? They have to know Matthew Kent doesn’t have the money.”

He stayed silent for a long time, then said, “Revenge?”

A shiver raced up her spine. “Not on my watch. How do you know they’re still following us?”

“They’re keeping a watch with binoculars. Or a scope. The lens is reflecting in the trees off to the left.”

“I’m thirsty,” Sun said, turning toward him. She motioned for him to turn around.

He grinned down at her, his powerful frame like a mountain towering over her. When he didn’t move, she rolled her eyes dramatically and walked around him, playing her part and taking the opportunity he’d provided to scan the distant tree line. A single lens flare reflected the sun then disappeared.

She fished a bottle of water out of the backpack and used the cover to depress the push-to-talk button on her mic clip.

“Zee, you there?”

“I’m here, boss.”

“Your mom called. Your house is on fire. You need to go home immediately.”

“Ten-four, boss. Thanks.”

She reached down and turned the knob to change the channel from their standard to their tactical channel.

Zee came on almost immediately. “How many?”

“We don’t know.”

“We’re coming up on your six,” Quincy said.

“They left town early this morning,” Rojas said, turning off his ATV. “Something got their attention.”

“What time was this?” Sun asked.

“My guy at the front desk said they took off about three.”

She glanced at Levi. “Right after Elliot took Adam?”

“That can’t be a coincidence,” he said.

“Sorry about this, guys. Hope you wore comfortable shoes.” They would have to abandon the ATVs for the time being, but at least they’d almost caught up to her and Levi.

“Thank God I changed out of my heels,” Quincy said.

She laughed softly and offered Levi the water bottle. “Signal when you have them in your sights. We’ll distract them.”

Zee came back. “You got it, boss.”

Levi took a few shallow sips before eyeing her with a mixture of humor and interest. “I don’t have any explosives on me.”

After a pitying assessment, she tsked and said, “I thought all you Ravinder boys carried dynamite everywhere you went. How ever are we going to distract them now?”

The breathtaking grin he flashed her implied he had a few ideas.

She had to kickstart her heart to get it beating again. The things he could do to her with a single glance bordered on obscene. She looked around and sat on a fallen log, making the time-out sign with her hands. To an observer, it would look like she simply needed a break. Which she did. She hadn’t slept in what felt like days.

He sat beside her and leaned against the tree behind them. Placing the backpack on the ground at their feet, he ferreted out a couple of power bars.

She took one and said nonchalantly, “I can’t even imagine what my hair looks like at this point in my life.”

“Hair has never been your strong suit,” he said, a teasing sparkle in his eyes.

“Oh yeah? Well, brains have never been yours.”

He chuckled and took a huge bite while she tried to come up with a legitimate distraction. Just something to keep their quarry’s eyes trained on them.

“How about a fight?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Could work.”

“Or,” she said, excited, “I could slip and break my leg!”

“That might be hard to pull off.”

“True.” She took another bite.

Several minutes later, the radio clicked three times.

“That was fast.”

“You thirsty?” Levi asked her.

She’d bent to stuff her wrapper into the backpack. When she straightened, she felt a firm hand wrap around the back of her skull. She looked up at him. He pulled her closer and lifted the bottle to her lips. The hard plastic of the rim pressed against them. Cool water filled her mouth.

She tried to swallow but a memory consumed her. Her breath caught and she coughed, but only slightly.

He lowered the bottle and licked his own lips as he studied hers. The image of her rescuer fifteen years ago, hood and shadows concealing his face, flashed in her mind. He held her the same way. An arm draped behind her back, supporting her. A large hand around her neck. The bottle at her lips, cool and wet against her hot mouth. A warmth spread throughout her body.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice whisper soft.