Page 13 of Ruthless Enforcer

I wake slowly, the scent of washed cedar, cold leather, and Gabriel Reyes pulling me up from the heavy undertow of exhaustion. My cheek is still pressed into the fleece collar of Gabriel's sweatshirt. My knees are pulled up toward my chest on the passenger seat, my bare thighs cool against the black upholstery. My jewelry—the Cartier emerald set my uncle gave me for my twenty-first birthday—weighs heavy on my collarbone and earlobes.

Beside me, Gabriel's profile is carved out by the green glow of the dash. Sharp. Motionless. Completely awake. "You snore," he says without taking his eyes off the road.

"I do not." I brush my hair out of my eyes. God, it must be a mess. I look at the passing scenery. Nothing but highway, mountains, and darkness. In short, Montana at its finest. "How long was I asleep?"

"Forty-three minutes."

He probably knows down to the second. "We're still driving."

"That's generally how cars work." The corner of his mouth moves. Barely.

He’s hot—I’ve known that since I first saw his picture—but I had no idea he was witty. "You're very funny for a kidnapper."

"Rescuer," he corrects.

"You killed a man, put me in your car, and drove away with me," I point out.

"When you say it like that, it sounds bad."

"It is bad." Quite frankly, I’m glad he did all that. Who knows where I’d be otherwise. He saved my life. I should kiss him in thanks.

All thoughts of kisses dissipate when he says, "It's worse than bad."

I shudder to think what that means. "How?"

"Cole Turner escaped."

It takes me a moment to place the name. "The man running for governor?"

"Formerly."

That's right—he dropped out of the race a few weeks ago. "What does Cole Turner have to do with you kidnapping me?"

"I rescued you, and more than I'd like." Gabriel glances at me. "Turner escaped from confinement earlier yesterday."

"Confinement where?"

His hand tightens on the wheel. "Doesn't matter."

"Of course it does. Information always matters."

"No, Duchess. The only thing that matters to you is that he's loose."

Something in his voice makes me sit straighter.

I know Cole Turner the way everyone in Montana knows Cole Turner. Wealthy rancher. Connected family. The man who was running for governor before he suddenly stepped off the stage. There were rumors, but that sort of thing happens. Someone probably found a skeleton in his closet and used it to leverage him.

I'm young, but I'm not naïve. Uncle James taught me well.

But none of that explains why Gabriel Reyes just killed a man to get me away from a museum, or why that man was after me. "Was Cole Turner behind tonight?"

"Yes."

I frown. "Why would a candidate for governor want to kidnap me?"

Gabriel holds up a finger. "Former candidate."

I ignore him. "It obviously has to do with my uncle."