Men—bad men—were chasing them down a mountain.

      There was no place to hide. Nowhere to escape.

      What did Nick do? He kissed her.

      Beth was in his arms and her lips were smooth against his. She restored something in him that had been missing this past year. He lifted his head, unable to help the smile that spread across his face.

      She looked up and behind them, steadying herself with her hands on his shoulders. “We should probably get …”

      “Moving. Right. You going to be okay?” he asked, really curious if the near fall had bothered her as much as the thought of losing her had bothered him.

      Small rocks skittered past their heads. “Great. More than great. Let’s go while we can.”

      Choosing a path was hard. He could hear the grumbles about being caught off guard, about not doing her job, not protecting her asset.

      “Am I your asset?”

      “Of course you are.”

      “Beth, I’ve told you this before—I can look after myself.”

      And just like it had been scripted, he heard the lone shot of a gun and zipped back to the cliff wall, covering Beth’s body.