Free Tigress (Night Hawk Series) by J.E. Taylor

escape.”
    “I have to kill him?” I said, hoping that was what he was driving at.
    When his gaze slid in my direction, my heart lurched in to my throat and I bit my lip to keep it from quivering.
    “ You have to die.”

Chapter Fourteen
     
    Shock still filtered through my form at Michael’s words and the sun couldn’t set fast enough. I glanced at the magnificent colors painting the sky and couldn’t find the calmness they should have instilled in me, instead, death loomed, casting its dark hand over the earth.
    The Welcome to Ohio sign loomed less than a tenth of a mile away and I shifted in the seat trying to find a comfortable position.
    When we passed the sign for the upcoming rest area, I said, “I need to hit the next rest area,” with a voice that sounded foreign and strained.
    He didn’t acknowledge that I had spoken, but he did take the gently curved exit into the rest area.
    “We’re going to need gas too,” I said when he pulled into a parking space.
    “You can get that after we do our business and grab a bite to eat.” He waved toward the building and I sighed, giving him a nod of ascent.
    He pulled the keys out of the ignition and handed them to me before exiting the cab, leaving me to lock up as he hightailed it toward the restrooms. I thought about seeing if Damian was okay, but my bladder had other ideas and I made a mad dash inside.
    By the time we had finished our business and bought our food, the sun had dipped below the horizon and I found my pace picking up as I headed toward the truck. Even though I was only awake for a few hours with Michael in the cab, the relief of having Damian back in the front with us drove my feet forward.
    I threw the latch and pushed the gate up. Damian was already on his feet, pacing in the small space between the door and the mattress and the moment the door cleared his head, he jumped down on the pavement and looked at the bag in my hand before meeting my gaze.
    “I’m ravenous,” he said. His voice soft and raspy and every bit as sexy as ever.
    “Get in the cab,” Michael said as he walked past us. There was no leeway in his command and Damian and I exchanged a look.
    Instead of issuing a smart comeback, Damian reached up and slammed the door down, locking it before escorting me to the truck. He opened the door and let me slide into the middle of the bench seat before he slid next to me. The first thing he did after Michael turned the engine over was to crank the heat.
    “We still need gas,” I said and pointed to the low fuel light.
    “Damn machines,” Michael muttered and pulled into one of the gas lines. He drummed his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel and I traded a glance with Damian and he rolled his eyes at me.
    A strained silence filled the cab and when we pulled up to the pump, Damian slid out and took care of gas sing up the truck and then knocked on the driver’s side window.
    “I can drive,” he said when Michael rolled the window down.
    Michael kept his gaze for a minute and then nodded, relinquishing the driver’s seat to Damian and crossing around to the passenger side. No one spoke as we pulled out onto the highway.
    The hum of the truck lulled me into a sleepy trance and my eyelids kept drifting closed.
    “You’re welcome to use my thigh as a pillow,” Damian said, cutting into the thick silence.
    “I’m fine,” I said and yawned.
    A dimple appeared in his cheek and he sent a sideways glance that all but said ‘yeah, right”. I shook my head and rubbed my face to get the cobwebs out of my brain.
    “I’m sorry I was such a prick earlier,” he said, looking over my head at Michael.
    Michael met his gaze and nodded, accepting the apology in silence and then he yawned and settled into the corner of the cab with his head against the headrest.
    “I’m sorry I broke your arm,” he said and closed his eyes.
    Both Damian and I exchanged a glance. Getting an apology from Michael was more progress than either of us