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soft.
    “You okay?”
    Bethany shook her head.
    “Do you want me to drive?”
    She shook her head, but then abruptly nodded.
    Okay - that made no sense.
    She pulled over to the curb, unfastened her seatbelt and climbed out of the driver’s seat. Ethan also stepped out, moving in front of the Suburban. She passed him, her hand on the hood, but as she reached the curb, she doubled over and started retching.
    “Aw hell,” Ethan muttered. He gripped her shoulder. “Bethany, what’s wrong?” Ethan frowned. He felt her body shaking violently. Bethany stood up, wiped her mouth and leaned against the car. Ethan feared she might collapse.
    “I can’t do this,” she whispered. “It feels like I can’t breathe.”
    Somehow, Bethany found the chink in his armor. Ethan’s heart twisted at her suffering. He hauled her into his arms and held her tight against his chest.
    “It’s okay,” he whispered. Ethan tucked her head against his neck, savoring the feel of her. This time she didn’t fight, but folded her body against his. “We’ll get through this, Bethany,” he murmured into her hair.
    She nodded and he noticed her shaking eased.
    “We gotta keep moving, sweetheart. You gonna be okay?”
    She nodded again and rubbed her eyes. Ethan realized she wiped away tears. He didn’t want to release her , but knew they couldn’t sit here. He walked her around to the passenger side of the car and helped her get in. Ethan closed the door and hurried around to the driver’s side.
    Even though the car was still running, he automatically reached for the keys. Ethan stopped when his hand fell on a metal bar sticking out of the ignition.
    “Bethany,” he asked, trying to keep the worry from his voice. “What did you do?”
    “Duh…I boosted it.”
    He stared at her in shock.
    “What? Did you think I conjured the keys out of thin air?”
    “No, I thought you got lucky and found a vehicle with the keys left in it.”
    She snorted softly. “You have no idea.”
    “Enlighten me.” But he had a feeling he already knew. With the driving ability he had just witnessed, plus the fact she had been able to steal the car so quickly with bullets flying…shit! He pulled away from the curb.
    “You know I was with Cordova’s operation in Los Angeles.”
    “That’s where he was running drugs. Shit, Bethany, I had you pegged for a chick with a minor coke habit and a taste in bad-boys. Now you’re telling me you’re a professional car thief.”
    “If you’re going to assume , at least you got the bad-boy part right,” she muttered.
    “You slept with Cordova?”
    “I said bad-boys, not assholes. Cordova is the biggest asshole I’ve ever met. But you’re moving into a close second.” She glared at him, but there were still tears in her eyes.
    For some reason , her comment struck him as funny. He found himself chuckling. She gave as good as she got. He stopped at a red light and glanced down at the ignition again. “But you had tools for this?”
    “I keep them sewn into the lining of my jacket,” Bethany said and showed him the small opening. He saw a brief spark of metal before she returned the lining to its place. “Just like I’ve learned to keep my wallet in my back pocket rather than carry a purse. You never know when something like today might happen. You have to get out fast and don’t have time to grab everything.” A large tear dripped down her cheek. “But I’ve never had anyone shooting at me.”
    The light turned green and Ethan accelerated. “If we get pulled over, we’ll both be ass deep in shit.”
    “If you head for an airport, long term parking, there’s a good chance we can find a car that won’t be needed for a while.”
    “No stealing.”
    “Don’t the cops call it legal acquisition or something?”
    “No stealing,” he said firmly. “It’s bad enough you’ve got your tools on you.”
    “I’m a licensed locksmith so that’s not illegal.”
    “You are just full of