Page 68 of Hot Soldier's Rescue

He shifted uncomfortably in the auditorium-style seat. Being back in a college classroom felt like some sort of weird time warp. Several hundred students in front of him squirmed in their seats, too. Although given how hot the professor was, he figured their squirming had more to do with hormones than flashbacks.

The lecturer was Lily James. From up here she looked waiflike and fragile and impossibly young to be a Dr. James, assistant professor of astronomy at a major university. Or maybe he was just getting old. Lord knew he felt ancient sitting among these pimply teenagers. Who knew the long-haired, tie-dyed hippie craze was on its way back in? It didn’t help that his hair was cut in a military buzz and his shirt was crisply starched. At least no one had called him a pig or railed at him about the system yet.

Professor James said something about a quiz and a collective groan went up around him. Her sweet voice announced over the loud speakers, “I’ll see you next Tuesday. Don’t be late. You’ll need the whole hour to get through the test.”

The students around him surged out of their seats. Anticipation quickened his gut. He was looking forward to meeting the young professor up close and personal. Just how attractive was she at arm’s length? Carter moved into the aisle to make his way down to the long lab table stretching across the lecture hall. But he’d failed to take into account the flood of students rushing up and out of the double doors behind him, and he floundered like a salmon trying to make its way upstream to spawn.

He looked over the sea of heads sweeping toward him and saw Dr. James stuffing her lecture notes into a leather satchel. Dodging and weaving, he progressed only a few rows toward her before she slung the bag over her shoulder and turned to her right. She was heading for a door behind the podium marked Staff Only. He pushed harder, and only succeeded in making a bunch of students complain at him. Screw this. He stepped into an empty row and threw his leg over the seats into the next row. Descending awkwardly over the rows of seats, he made his way to the front of the auditorium. But he wasn’t fast enough. She’d disappeared.

The door she’d used led to a storeroom crammed with supplies for science experiments. He looked left and right. There. A red exit sign. He dashed to the door and shoved it open. A glare of sunshine blinded him, and he squinted across the parklike expanse of grass before him. Hundreds of students crisscrossed it, hurrying to and from classes. Where was the petite frame and long brunette locks of his quarry? He thought he spotted her and took off running.

His thigh muscles twinged warningly.Not now, dammit!He wasn’t even in combat. There was no reason for them to lock up. Concentrating hard on keeping Dr. James in sight and reminding himself continuously he was merely jogging across a college campus, he managed to keep moving, to stay functional.

She might be walking, but she was moving at a brisk pace, forcing him to run at a good clip to catch up to her. He pulled close enough to see that he had, indeed, spotted the right woman. But a street loomed ahead, lined with parked cars. If she’d driven here, she could get into her vehicle and be gone before he could get her attention and speak with her. Irritated, he put on a burst of speed that sent his entire body twitching in a threatening seize-up.Not. Now.

She turned toward the street as if to cross it. “Dr. James!” he called.

She slowed down. Started to turn her head toward him. That was when he registered the van sitting at a stop sign across the street. It surged forward and swung around the corner, pulling to a stop directly in front of Lily. The side door of the van slid open and two men leaped out in a jerky, stop-action sequence.

Two things happened simultaneously in Carter’s head. First, he swore—violently. And second, time shifted into distorted slow motion around him. He sprinted toward the professor full-out. The men ducked between the parked cars as Carter launched himself toward the professor in a desperate bid to keep her out of their clutches.

Impact. He slammed into Lily James, who was every bit as slender as she’d seemed, just as the first man reached out for her. Carter’s momentum sent her flying beneath him and he clutched her close as he twisted in midair like a cat. He crashed, back first, to the ground, the concrete sidewalk knocking the wind out of him and sending time rushing forward to normal speed all at once.

“What the—” Lily gasped, the wind knocked out of her as well.

The first man’s arms closed on empty air as the second would-be assailant smashed into him from behind. The two men staggered as Carter rolled, depositing Lily on the ground before leaping to his feet.

Snarling, he stalked toward the two assailants as they untangled themselves and simultaneously spotted the large, angry man advancing on them. And he wasn’t alone. Passersby were gathering quickly, buzzing with consternation.

The men whirled as one and raced for the van. They jumped into its dark interior and the vehicle peeled out, tires screeching, and turned the corner.

Who in the hell werethey?And why had they just tried to kidnap Lily James? He knew good and well why the U.S. government wanted to talk to her, but what did those jokers want with her?