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mean I didn t want him, too.
Here we are. Want me to wait again?
I shook my head and handed the cabbie the money. Thank you.
I climbed out of the taxi, pulled my bag over my shoulder and took a deep breath.
This place didn t look much more friendly than the factory had. The main difference was
there were people inside, and that made me nervous.
All right, Hanna, a little help now, I muttered. The fact that I was talking to my
alter ego made me smile and eased the tension a bit. I could do this. I had to do it.
The gym was actually cleaner inside than I d expected it to be. Granted, it was full of
at least fifty sweaty bodies so it didn t exactly smell like roses, but it wasn t dirty. There
were men and women training, some punching and kicking large heavy leather training
bags while others rapidly punched the speed bag, making a rhythmic, ta-da-ta-da-ta-da
sound as their fists hit the leather. Over to one side, people were weight-lifting, some
doing curls with small hand-weights and others using bars with weights that were huge.
In the center of the room was a typical boxing ring set up.
I scanned the people but couldn t see Luke anywhere. I started to walk around the
perimeter, hoping he was just hidden from where I d been standing. I hadn t gone more
than a few feet when someone stepped in front of me.
You look lost. Can I help you?
I looked up. He was an older man, probably in his mid-sixties or so, and had the kind
of build that made me suspect he d once been a fighter. That, and the crooked line of his
nose which looked like it had been broken about four or five times.
I gave him what I hoped was a charming smile. I m looking for Luke Romero. Do
you know him?
He crossed his arms over his bulky middle. Do I know Luke? Of course I know him.
Everyone knows him.
Do you know where he trains?
His eyes narrowed and his expression turned from helpful to suspicious. I do, but
why should I tell you? You might be one of those crazy, stalker-type girls who just want to
be close to the Magnificent Luke the Renegade. He repeated the title like it was
something he d heard a million times.
I m not a crazy stalker, I said. I m his girlfriend. As soon as the words popped out
of my mouth, I knew I shouldn t have said them. A crazy stalker would ve said the same
thing.
If you were his girlfriend, the old man countered, you d know where he trains.
My shoulders slumped in defeat. He wasn t going to help me.
Look, doll, you gotta leave, he continued. And it s up to you whether it s going to
be the easy way& or the hard way.
Did people seriously say that? I ran my hand over my hair. It was in a sloppy
ponytail that probably looked even worse than normal after my flight. I was tired and all I
really wanted was to find Luke, warn him, then take a nice, long shower and sleep for the
rest of the week. Like sleep would even be possible once I d seen Luke again. My
frustration fed the Hanna side of me and I found myself opening my mouth to argue.
Dani?
I froze. The sound of that familiar voice washed over me like a warm waterfall, and
as the man in front of me shifted to one side, Luke appeared.
He d been training. His hands were wrapped with tape and his hair was wet with
sweat. In fact, his entire body was dripping with it. It glistened on his powerful chest, and
I watched as a little rivulet trickled down over the muscles of his abs, getting caught and
stopping in one of the well-defined groves. He was wearing a pair of black athletic shorts
that hit him a bit above the knees. My eyes trailed back up to his bare chest. I d seen him
shirtless before, of course, but there was something different about seeing him in my bed
when we were alone and both naked, and seeing him standing there, everything tense and
tight after a workout. He really was, as the old man had described him, magnificent.
It s okay, Jack. I got this, Luke said.
The old man shrugged and ambled away. I stayed where I was. I wanted to run to
Luke and throw my arms around him, kiss him until neither one of us could breathe. I
didn t care that he was sweaty and I looked like I d spent the day on a plane. I just wanted
to feel his arms around me and his lips on mine. Suddenly, I felt like some disobedient
child. My feet didn t move and I braced myself, waiting for his reaction. He d told me not
to come and I didn t know how he felt about me being here.
He walked toward me, his eyes flashing with anger. My stomach twisted with guilt
and I realized I might have pissed him off. He stopped a foot away from me, and the
tension blasting off of him nearly rocked me on my heels.
I thought I told you not to come here.
With a start, I realized that it wasn t anger at me I was seeing; at least, not how I d
thought at first. He wasn t mad because he didn t want me here. He was upset that I d put
myself in danger. My chest tightened and it was all I could do to keep from rushing
forward to embrace him and tell him how I d missed him.
I had to come warn you. Your life s in danger. And so is Lacey s. The words just
tumbled out of my mouth unexpectedly. I hadn t meant to blurt it out like that, but I
couldn t think straight with him standing there in front of me, half-naked and a heat in
his eyes that said he was restraining himself as much as I was. The fact that he didn t
rush into my arms like I d hoped made me a little nervous, but I pushed that aside. After
all, I d been the one to break the promise I d made. I d decided to let him take lead.
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