Free Catch Me If You Can (Love's Command) by Billi Jean

out. Maybe, just maybe Tazz was strung tight, but there was no excuse Dare could think of to explain his buddy’s obvious cruelty.
    Dare made a decision, and it wasn’t because Kylie had looked at him like he’d let her down, or that she kissed like an angel—an angel he wanted kissing him again real soon. He knew Tazz. The man was winding up. If he blew, it wouldn’t be good. If half of what he was guessing were true, when Tazz lost it, Dare might not be able to protect her.
    He pulled Kylie under his arm. “We’re going for some air.”
    Tazz gave him a look of disgust, but didn’t say a word. Kylie didn’t resist either, but she didn’t seem herself
    He guided her to the door and stopped there. “We get some air, come back and discuss this like rational adults, okay? Trust me,” he said softly.
    She’d been refusing to meet his eyes, but at his words, she looked up and he received a punch right to the gut at the tears brimming in her dazzling eyes. If she cried, he was going to knock Tazz’s lights out, genetically modifed or not. The man might have taken on some crazy abilities, but he was still a man and he would still bleed.
    Kylie sniffed and nodded, and as he watched the tears receded. “He’s alive. You believe me, don’t you?”
    The punch-to-the-gut feeling shot to a whole new level of pain. He brushed his thumb under her beautiful eyes and nodded. “I believe you, Ky.”
    She blinked calmly, and he watched her shove the raw emotions down as she straightened her shoulders.
    For some reason, instead of steadying his hectic heartbeat, her control made it worse. The dead look, the one without a hope of seeing another day, filled her eyes and she let him lead her out of the cabin and into the fresh air.
    Gone was the feisty woman who looked ready to deck him. In her place a woman who seemed to have lost hope.

Chapter Six
    As soon as they reached open air, the ferry shuddered so hard, he collided with Kylie. The people near them screamed and Kylie sucked in a frightened breath, grabbing hold of his arm to keep him close. He steadied her with a firm grip on her shoulder.
    The ferry’s engines roared then stuttered. Beneath his feet the vibrations of the powerful thrusters disappeared and in the wake of the missing power, something rammed into the side of the ferry, sending Kylie right into his arms.
    “Shit, stay with me,” he growled, curling an arm around her protectively.
    A blast sounded off the port bow followed by the sound of tearing, crashing timber as the side of the boat caved in.
    People near them started to run in a full panic for something to help them. A few fell overboard trying to reach safety. A man in a uniform raced down from the upper deck, eyes wide, only to fly backwards from the force of a direct hit to his chest. Kylie must have spotted the blood blossoming on his white shirt, because she cried out and tightened her grip on Dare’s arm.
    “Don’t panic, Ky. Just calm down and stay with me. No matter what I say, you do it, got it?”
    She stared at him like he spoke a foreign language she didn’t know. He cupped his hands on either side of her beautiful face and kissed her quick and hard. “Ky, listen to me, okay?”
    “Okay,” she whispered, her eyes dilated but her focus on him now and not the mayhem surrounding them.
    “Good, now move, move, Ky, hoof it now.” He grabbed her hand and turned to nearly run right into Tazz.
    “We’ve been hit. I haven’t seen the men, but it must be a full crew,” Dare shouted above the sounds of people freaking out.
    Tazz nodded and jerked his head to the left. “Captain’s on top. So is the radio.”
    A siren split the air but over it the sound of a copter approaching had his skin tingling in warning.
    “Shit’s Hawaii all over again!” he shouted above the sound. They’d barely made it out of that situation, and they’d had a Navy base backing them. Out here, in the open sea, what the hell would they do?
    Tazz pulled his