Undercover Texas Read Online Free Page B

darkening sky like crazy, writhing snakes. The two men attacking them had been slammed to the ground. The psycho, his sleeve on fire, stumbled to his feet and raised his weapon again.
    She bent down, sheltering Brandon.
    Clay rammed the Hummer into gear and careened into the street. The car skidded and swerved, throwing Erin back against the bottom of the backseat. Her laptop and the contents of her purse scattered. She hugged her son to her chest, struggling for balance.
    Clay gunned the engine and the Hummer lurched forward, speeding away in a squeal of tires. He careened around several corners, driving like a NASCAR racer until he finally slowed a bit. “You okay?”
    “Not even close.” Erin shook uncontrollably as the adrenaline drop racked her system. “Clay...who were those men? Why were they trying to kidnap me?”
    He glanced back over his shoulder. “I’m pretty sure they’re hired by terrorists.”
    “What? Why?”
    “You really should’ve listened to me in Santorini. Why’d you go and finish that prototype?”

Chapter Two
    “Terrorists want my nanorobots? They’re medical devices. Not weapons.”
    “They can be adapted for military purposes.”
    Hunter ignored Erin’s gasp as he considered the next phase of his plan. He’d hoped Erin would be a bit more amenable to coming with him, but he shouldn’t have been surprised. In Santorini, she’d shown she had plenty of fiery passion hidden behind that cool scientist facade.
    He studied the fire in the rearview mirror. The raging conflagration and plumes of thick black smoke had centered above the kitchen area. Natural gas explosion, no doubt. The neighbors were lucky the whole block hadn’t gone up.
    The gas leak would probably be labeled an accident.
    Not a bad plan by Terence and his lackey. They weren’t complete idiots. Arrogant, perhaps, and vicious, but apparently not stupid. One of them had major computer skills, based on the hits Leona had discovered on Erin’s bank transactions. His handler had been impressed when she’d traced the activity and it had led to a dead end. Impressed, but not happy.
    Hunter was counting on the computer guy to be good enough to tap into Erin’s credit card usage to track her movement. The guy’s skill could mean that the risky plan Hunter and Leona had devised might succeed.
    “Did you hear me?” Erin snapped. “I need to be able to protect my son, and I can’t without full disclosure.”
    Brandon was his son, too. “I’m kind of busy right now. We’ll talk when we’re safer.” Hunter ripped the Hummer around a sharp corner, then maneuvered down little-used roads, driving evasively for a few more miles. Once they were clear, he pulled the Hummer over. He glanced at the pair bundled on the floorboard. He’d almost lost them. Five minutes later and Terence would have had them on their way to the handoff.
    Hunter longed to tuck Erin and Brandon in his arms and protect them from the world, but he couldn’t afford to let his guard down, even for a minute. Terence was right. Erin was Hunter’s weakness, and his world hadn’t changed. If anything, it had become more dangerous, and her nanorobotic prototype made everything worse.
    “Those men were killers. We need to go to the police, Clay.”
    Hunter sighed. He was still Clay to her. A fictional computer security consultant who had vacationed on Santorini, made love to her and was essentially harmless—except to her heart. And now her life. She didn’t know anything about him. Didn’t know he sometimes killed people for a living.
    “The police can’t help,” he said. “These people are out of their league. You’re stuck with me.”
    “Great. I didn’t realize you were a superhero. What if something happens to you? I go to the police then? Even though I don’t know anything?”
    Whoa, she knew how to skewer him on target. If he died, she and Brandon would be captive or dead. Hunter ignored the twist in his gut. Despite what he wished for in