Free Moving Target by Cheyenne McCray Page A

hotel—looked like a whole crowd had come in for a convention. The lines in front of the registration desk were long enough to reach across the lobby.
    To avoid the throng, Daniel and Ani walked around the crowd to the sports lounge. They had to go down three or four steps into the sunken lounge. She waved cigarette and cigar smoke out of her face and wrinkled her nose.
    She glanced around the lounge, which was full of big, beefy men—some muscular and some who could stand to lose a few pounds—or fifty. Maybe some kind of professional wrestling competition was in town. The heavy smell of testosterone from that many men in one crowded place was nearly as bad as the lounge's cigarette and beer stench.
    Maybe worse.
    Ani came to a complete halt.
    Her mouth fell open.
    A picture. On one of the lounge's big-screen TVs.
    Of her. And Daniel.
    Fire raced across her skin and she thought she was going to throw up. A quick glance and she saw that on every TV in the sports lounge was a clear photograph of her and Daniel walking out of the Tucson hotel just yesterday morning.
    "According to police reports," the newscaster was saying, "the missing heiress is suspected to have been taken right here in El Paso. A million-dollar reward has been offered for information leading to the return of the heiress to her family." The newscaster went on to add that the man in the photograph may have abducted her and gave out the number of a hotline to call if she was spotted.

    Ani hugged her belly with both arms. Chills racked her body.
    "Christ." Daniel grabbed her hand and said in a low voice, "Let's go."
    She kept her head down as she and Daniel rushed through the bar.
    Someone shouted behind them, "That's her! The missing woman!"
    Ani's heart raced faster as she and Daniel picked up their pace.
    A man moved in front of them, directly below the steps they needed to climb out of the sunken lounge.
    A big man who smelled of beer and sweat, who wore a T-shirt too small for him that exposed a couple of inches of his flabby belly.
    Daniel and Ani came to an abrupt halt, inches from him.
    "Move the hell out of the way," Daniel said, in a low, controlled voice.
    "The broad." The man jerked his head toward Ani. He grinned and her heart pounded in her throat. "She stays while I make a little phone call. A cool million sounds good to me."
    Daniel didn't hesitate. He drew back his arm, fisted his hand, and clocked the man, hitting him at just the right location on his jaw to take him down and out.
    Another man grabbed Ani's arm from behind. Heart racing, she whirled around and jammed her high heel onto the large man's foot as hard as she could. He shouted in obvious pain, and loosened his grip on her arm. She jerked away and grabbed Daniel's hand. He'd been right there ready to deck the man who'd grasped her arm, but she'd taken care of him first.
    Ani stumbled over the big man Daniel had taken out, and lost one of her heels. She kicked the other one off and they bolted up the short flight of steps and rushed hand in hand through the hotel at a dead run.
    Fury roared through Daniel like wildfire as they had to push past people in the long lines in front of the reservations desk.
    Sonofabitch . He and Ani both bumped into several hotel guests, hard, as they tried to put distance between themselves and the men following.
    Behind them came shouts and he could almost feel the hot breath of the men chasing them.
    Daniel shoved past the bellhop. He kept one hand near his Glock and searched the parking lot with his gaze for any sign of Borenko's men as they burst out into a rainy El Paso morning. It would have been impossible for any number of hit men to stake out every hotel, but he wasn't taking any chances.
    Ani's face flushed with heat as she forced herself to run faster as rain poured down on them. Daniel practically dragged her through the parking lot. Gravel and small stones bit into her bare feet and she splashed through water puddles as her clothing stuck