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heavy incubator scraped over the tile as something crashed into the door. A male voice began barking orders. “Hit it again.”
    Abbie held Hauke’s gaze while her stomach rapidly tied itself in knots. She had no choice but to trust him or stay behind and face the consequences of her actions.
    “Tripudio.” Hauke’s demand was almost as powerful as the impact on the door.
    “What the hell does that mean?”
    “Jump.”
    Another violent sound reverberated from behind her, and Abbie threw her foot over the ledge. She gripped the windowsill and quickly lowered herself until her body hung suspended above him.
    “Let go.”
    Tucking her chin against her chest, she stared down at Hauke in horror. He might as well have been a football field away as far as she was concerned. She wasn’t about to loosen her hold.
    The splintering of the door giving way made the decision for her. She squeezed her eyes shut and forced her trembling fingers to relax.
    The feeling of free-falling damn near stopped her heart. Her arms flailed at her sides, and her stomach shot up into her throat. Every muscle in her body tightened as she braced herself for impact.
    The breath whooshed from her lungs as she landed without a modicum of grace in Hauke’s waiting arms.
    “Are you injured?” he rasped, staring intently into her eyes.
    Was she? She wriggled her fingers and toes. “I don’t think so.”
    He set her gently on her feet and turned in the direction of the tree line. “We must make haste.”
    “No. This way.” Abbie shook off the nausea from her near-death experience, took hold of his hand, and sprinted toward the front of the building, digging her keys out of her jeans pocket as she ran. She slowed as they reached the last corner before the parking area would be visible.

Chapter Five
     
    The night seemed deceptively calm and peaceful as Abbie scanned the darkness, straining her ears for evidence of movement.
    The sound of crickets chirping in the distance became deafening in the otherwise tranquil night.
    “Something’s wrong.” The hair stood up on the back of her neck.
    A gun was suddenly aimed at her head, and she was jerked back hard against a wall of unforgiving muscle. “What— ”
    “Do not move.” A dangerous undertone lined Hauke’s voice.
    He'd somehow taken Donald's revolver from the waistband of her pants and had it trained on her before she could blink.
    The arm wrapped around her chest tightened, and she was abruptly lifted off her feet an instant before two guards rounded the building with weapons drawn.
    “Freeze!” The simultaneous shout from the security officers ricocheted off the stucco walls of the lab, startling Abbie’s already hammering heart. She wasn’t sure how much the organ was expected to take before it finally gave up and stopped beating altogether.
    Between the cold steel of a gun touching her temple and the two pistols trained on her from the front, she’d definitely become a prime candidate for cardiac arrest.
    “Desist.” The finality in Hauke’s voice sent chills through her blood.
    She watched the guards with wide-eyed trepidation. No matter what happened next, it could only end badly.
    “Let her go.” The taller of the two pulled the hammer back on his revolver.
    Hauke mimicked his movement, cocking the gun he held as well.
    Abbie nearly swallowed her tongue.
    What happened after that would forever be burned into her brain. One minute she was held suspended off the ground in front of Hauke, and the next she was being thrown through the air as deafening explosions shattered the night.
    Pain splintered through her body as she made contact with the unforgiving wall of the lab and crumpled in a heap on her hands and knees. Security had opened fire on Hauke without regard to her safety. What the hell ?
    The gunfire suddenly stopped as swiftly as it had begun. Abbie raised her head in time to watch Hauke pick up one of the guard’s weapons. Blood stained Hauke’s scrubs near his