Free Weather the Storm (Security Specialists International #3) by Monette Michaels

indicated she was in more pain than she wanted to admit.
    Ren half-choked, half-laughed. “Uh, bad traffic?”
    “Yeah. I have no patience with these idiots.” Vanko took the ramp onto I-66 which would take him into Virginia and temporary refuge. “Elana, milaya , do you have something in that big bag—maybe some ibuprofen to take off the edge?”
    She nodded and pulled her left hand from his in order to rummage in her purse. She pulled out a bottle.
    “Give me the bottle.” He took and opened it, then handed several tablets to her. Angling his head, he indicated the cup holder. “Use my water.”
    “Thank you,” she whispered. She popped the tablets in her mouth and took several long draws from his water bottle. She put the bottle back and attempted to smile at him, but failed miserably.
    “Poor zaychik . Rest.” He resisted the urge to touch her again. He didn’t want to spook her now that she had her emotions under control once more. “I’ll have you some place safe soon where I can take better care of you.”
    “Vanko…” Ren’s voice boomed over the speakers, startling them out of the cocooned world of the Hummer. “…Tweeter booked you a room under your go-to alias, Jake Smithson, at the Springhill Suites in Centreville, Virginia, right off I-66. Keep in touch. I’ll also have Tweeter locate some safe doctors near the hotel, just in case you need medical backup.”
    Elana spoke up, “I won’t need anyone other than Vanko. Some food. A nice bandage. Some primo pain killers. A good night’s sleep. That’s all I need.”
    She closed her eyes as if all of a sudden the lids were too heavy to remain open. Her dark lashes were a sharp contrast and looked like feathers against her alabaster skin.
    She had a subtle beauty, one that would age well. Yeah, she more than did it for him on every level.
    “I only plan to stay at the hotel long enough to care for Elana’s wound. In light of your weather news, I’ll make arrangements for a long-term stay at a more secure location,” Vanko told Ren. “So…don’t take any risks on our account. I’ll call when I know where we’ll be. I’ll also be picking up some throw-away phones.”
    “Roger that, buddy. Tweeter and Keely will work on a way to use your cell phone to get the suspect dossiers to you. They’re big, but we’ll find a way.”
    “I have a laptop with better than average security, Ren,” Elana said. “It also has a lot of RAM and hard drive memory.”
    “That’s good. It’ll be way faster than Vanko’s cell,” Ren said. “Vanko can use our NSA satellite hookup and connect your laptop.”
    “See? Teamwork.” Vanko smiled at Elana who allowed a slight twist to her lips before sighing and closing her eyes once more.
    Ren cleared his throat. “Call me when you get to the hotel. Normally you’d have a half hour drive, but with D.C. area traffic I’ll give you an hour. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll take the risk and call out the local Feds to come find you.”
    “Make it one and a half hours. I-66 is stop-and-go.” Vanko moved into the passing lane to get by a line of semis going less than the speed limit.
    Ren snorted with disgust. “One point five hours it is. Stay safe.”
    “Roger that.” Vanko scanned Elana’s emotionless face, but saw her underlying tension in the stiffness of her posture. “I’ll take good care of Elana.”
    “I know you will, buddy,” Ren said. “Elana, Vanko’s one of our best personal security agents, you’re in good hands.”
    “I can see that already, Ren,” Elana said. “Thank you.”
    “No, thank you , Elana,” Ren’s voice broke. “You’re our first chance at taking out a man who’s made it his life’s goal to kill me, my wife, my child, and everyone I hold dear. Anything I can do for you, just ask. I’m out.”
    “Out, Ren.” Vanko punched off. “He meant every word. You need anything, just ask. You’re part of the SSI family now.”
    He sensed her gaze on him. “I