I grinned. In all the chaos and pain, how could she have remembered that detail? We had only talked about it that one time.
“Yeah, we finished it before I left for college.” It was the only thing besides basketball that kept my mind off what had happened that night. C’mon McKenna, focus. “How’s your knee? We’ll get you to the ER soon.”
“No, I don’t have time for that. I have to get away now. Please take me back to my car, Jax.”
And that’s it. Does she think she’s going to get rid of me that easily? I think not.
“Nope, not happening. I just found you again. I’m not leaving now. This time, I can protect you from him.”
My mind was made up, and there was no way she was going to change it. I drove her to the one person I knew could help and wouldn’t say a word.
Lainie
There’s no doubt now that Keith knows where I am. His goons would have had me if Jax hadn’t come along when he did. My knee was throbbing and swelling fast. Jax wanted me to go to the emergency room, but I knew we didn’t have time for that. It wouldn’t be long before Keith would come after Jax, somehow knowing he was who had thwarted him again. We had to leave immediately.
I was obsessing about getting out of town, so it took me a while to remember that my purse was still in my car. Shit, that meant no phone, and more importantly right now, no pain pills.
“Jax, we need to stop and buy a disposable phone. I don’t want to call Matt on your cell. Keith is probably tracing your calls by now.”
“We’ll do that after we get medical attention for your knee.”
He didn’t even look at me; probably totally pissed that he’d been dragged into my mess. His knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel so tight, and he was grinding his teeth. How did I manage to drag him into this hell again?
Once we left downtown and were on the outskirts of town, he continued taking the side streets. Jax pulled into a strip mall and drove behind the building to a remote area, away from prying eyes. “How’s your knee? Is it getting worse?”
“Not so good. Damn, it hurts.” I gritted my teeth and tried to hide the worst of it, especially when I saw the concern in his eyes. “Hey, don’t worry about this. Just please find somewhere Keith can’t find us. What are we doing here?”
“We’re going to take care of your pain, at least temporarily. I’ll be back in a minute. Don’t leave the car.”
“Ha ha, such a comedian.” I smirked at him, and his grin got bigger. He always did know how to make me smile when I needed it most.
A few minutes later he was back with a wheelchair. He helped me into the chair and pushed me to the door and into the building. We were in a hallway of what looked like a doctor’s office. Before I could ask any questions, he wheeled me into an exam room and shut the door.
“Where are we?” I asked, trying to see if there was anything with the doctor’s name on it. I was terrified of trusting anyone other than Jax, Sheila, Matt, or Mom.
“The Fifth Avenue Free Clinic. I know the doctor on duty tonight. She’ll get you fixed up, and we can be on our way.” Jax took off his coat and hung it on a hook on the back of the door.
She? Wonderful, he’s involved with someone, and I’m going to tear him away from her. When the door opened, my heart began pounding, and my hands shook.
Her profile was all I saw as she walked over and hugged Jax. What a beautiful woman.
“Lainie, this is the doctor on duty tonight, my sister Jordan. Jordan, this is Lainie.”
Now I feel like a fool for being jealous of his sister. Glad I didn’t say anything.
“Jax tells me you’re in a bit of a mess right now. Let’s take a look at that knee. Jax, can you help her up on the exam table?”
He complied with her request, and I couldn’t help but notice how his arms had filled out since high school. They’re rock hard and straining against his shirt sleeves.
Jordan touched my knee through my sweats.
“I’m going to have to cut your sweatpants; it will be easier than trying to get them off over that knee, and less painful. Jax, how about making some coffee?”
“Sure, Jordan,” he said and walked out the door, closing it behind him.
She turned to me. “I needed to get him out of the room. He’s a bit squeamish about needles, and it looks like you’re going to need some cortisone in that knee.” She cut my sweats up the side of the leg and moved the material out of the way. “Wow, you sure did a number on it. Without an MRI, I can’t tell if you’ve torn any ligaments, so we’ll do the cortisone shot and hope for the best. Jax said you don’t have time for tests right now.”
“No, we don’t.” In her eyes, I saw the concern for her brother along with a hint of unease about me.
“I know who you are, Elaine. This has to do with what happened ten years ago, doesn’t it?”
“Unfortunately, yes. He’s after me again, and now he’s going to be after Jax, too. I didn’t want him involved, but he saved me from a terrible situation earlier today, and now he is in the middle of it. I want you to know I would give anything for that not to be the case.”
“Well, knowing my brother, there’s not much hope for that. He’s got a ‘knight in shining armor’ complex…thinks he has to save the world. Just do whatever you can to keep him safe, okay? He’s all I’ve got left.”
I took her hand. “I will, I promise. See if you can get Jax to let you look at his arm. I saw him wince when he picked me up out of the car.”
“I’ll try. He’s really one way and stubborn about things like that. It’s obvious for him to bring you here, but he’d never think of coming for his own injury.” She turned and got the cortisone shot ready, looking up when she heard the door open.
Jax poked his head in. “You done with the needles yet?” He saw the needle in Jordan’s hand, immediately turned an odd shade of green, and spun back into the hall.
“Jeez, Jax, don’t be such a baby. Here, Lainie, hold this while I take care of him. I’ll just be a minute.” She handed me the syringe and hurried out the door, leaving it open so I could hear her talking to Jax. “Sit down, Jax, before you fall down. How can a guy who runs through a gunfight be afraid of a needle?”
“Give it a rest, will you, Jordan. I don’t know how you can be so blasé about sticking someone with one of those things. Go finish up so Lainie and I can get out of here. The longer we’re here, the greater chance of them finding you, too. You make sure you lock up when we leave. Promise me, Jordan.”
“You know I will.”
Jordan returned and shot up my knee. The pain was already so bad that I didn’t even feel the needle. Here’s hoping it helps. I didn’t want Jax dragging me God knows where with a bum knee.
“I hope that’s enough. I sure wish you would stick around long enough for me to do an MRI, but the cortisone should help with the swelling and the pain. I’ll get you a knee brace.”
After she had left the room, Jax returned with a silly grin on his face. At least the green tone of his face was gone.
“Sorry about that. Are you ready to go? I’ve made arrangements for a buddy of mine to meet us with a car and supplies, including some prepaid cell phones.”
“Good. I’m getting a bad feeling about being in one place too long.”
Jordan brought the knee brace and fit it to my leg. When she stood, Jax wrapped her in a big hug.
“Remember what I told you: You haven’t seen me for a couple of days. I’ll call you as soon as it’s safe. Call Brent if you need anything. He’ll be able to contact me in an emergency. Love you, Jordan.”
With tears in her eyes, she said, “Watch your back, Jax, and come home safe. Let me check your arm before you leave. I’m sure you won’t be anywhere near a doctor, and I just want to make sure it’s healing okay.” He rolled his eyes but followed her out of the room.
I hopped off the exam table onto my good leg, grabbed my cane, and made my way towards the door, wanting to get out to the car witho
ut Jax having to carry me. About halfway down the hallway, I heard him. “Let’s go, Lainie. We’ve been here too long.” Suddenly, I was in his arms and being carried to the car.
As we drove away, I watched for signs of someone following us but didn’t see anything suspicious. I would never forgive myself if something happened to Jordan because of me.
Jax
Seeing the pain in her eyes brought back all the memories of that night. I couldn’t stand to see her like that, so I kept my eyes on the road, working on a plan to get us out of town after I got her some medical attention for her knee. Jordan’s clinic was the obvious safe place and available on short notice. One lucky break anyway—it was Jordan’s night for evening hours. She’d do whatever she could for Lainie’s knee, and I wanted to let her know that I would be out of touch a while.
I pulled the car around to the back of the clinic, trying to stay out of sight of the main roads. The back door was locked when I pulled on it so I used my key. “Jordan? Where are you?” The door to the office opened, and Jordan ran out, her eyes scanning me for signs of trauma.
“Jax? What are you doing here?” She saw the look on my face. “What’s wrong?”
“I found her, Jordan. I found Lainie, but there’s trouble.”
Before she even had a chance to speak, I ran through the halls checking in every exam room, grateful there were no other patients. Jordan was on my heels as I locked the front door.
She grabbed my arm and pulled me around to face her.
“What kind of trouble? Is someone hurt?”
“Keith’s out and he’s after her. Two of his goons tried to kidnap her about forty minutes ago. She twisted her knee pretty badly, and I want you to take a look at it. She refused to go to the ER; says it would take too long, and she can’t trust anybody.”
“Bring her into the last exam room. I probably won’t be able to do much, but I can give her something for the pain, at least.” She turned and hurried towards the supply cabinet, pulling out her keys to unlock it as she walked. “Go on, get her in here. Move it, McKenna.”
That got me in gear. On my way to the back door, I snagged the wheelchair and before Lainie had a chance to object, I had her in it and was pushing her into an exam room.
Lainie began asking questions, wanting to know where we were and who was there. I told her we were at the Fifth Avenue Clinic and that the doctor was a friend and would do what she could to help. When Jordan entered the room and gave me a hug, Lainie got a strange look on her face. Wonder what that’s about? She relaxed when I introduced her. Jordan knew me too well and asked me to make some coffee. She must be getting out the needles. I had to swallow hard at the thought. She didn’t have to ask twice. I gladly headed to the break room to start the coffee.
As I sat and waited for the machine to do its thing, I had time to think about our next move. I called Brent using the clinic’s phone, trusting him to get all the supplies we’d need to disappear: cash, untraceable phones, clothes, and a car. The coffee was done so I poured a cup, grateful when the caffeine kicked in.
Pacing around wasn’t helping, but it was all I could do while I wondered what was taking so long. When I poked my head in the door and saw the huge needle Jordan was holding, my entire stomach contents tried to move up into my throat, and I got lightheaded. Jordan came to my rescue—empty handed, thank God. She made me sit and put my head between my knees and then we bickered back and forth about my inability to be around needles but that I was able to run through a gunfight without batting an eye. That’s the last thing I needed to do—delay Lainie’s treatment. We needed to get on the road.
Jordan went back to the exam room and did what she does best. I’d rather not think about it. After she had opened the door, I returned to Lainie’s side, hoping that whatever was in that syringe would help Lainie’s knee. We didn’t really have other options, and the thought of her in pain started my stomach churning again. Get a grip, McKenna. “Are you ready to go? My most trusted friend Brent will meet us with the supplies we need so we can disappear.”
Once Jordan was back and we got ready to leave, I made sure she understood how serious this situation was and that she could call Brent if she needed anything. I’d love to stay and protect her too, but I couldn’t be in two places at once, and Lainie needed me the most. We said our goodbyes, and I thought we could get on the road when she insisted on checking my arm before we left. I followed her out of the exam room and into her office. She rolled up my sleeve and poked and prodded at the wound in my arm.
“It’s healing well, Jax. Just keep an eye on it, please. You won’t be any good to anybody if this gets infected.” She turned away, trying to hide the tears in her eyes.
“Hey, it’s going to be okay. Keith will do something stupid and go back to prison, and then we can all go back to our normal lives.”
She reached over and grabbed a box with a big red cross on it. “Here’s a first-aid kit. Hopefully, you won’t need it, but I’ll feel better knowing you have it.”
We hugged again as if it might be our last and walked out of the office. Lainie was limping down the hall to the door. I picked her up and carried her out to the car, and with any luck, drove away from the threats hanging over our heads. Leaning her body against the door, my strong Lainie tried to sleep through the pain.
Chapter 7
Jax
Finally, we were back on the road, putting some distance between Jordan and us. It was all set for Brent to meet us in Lafayette with everything we needed to disappear. Lainie softly sighed and shifted in the passenger seat, leaning against me but remaining asleep. I rested my hand on her arm as I pulled her jacket up to cover her, hoping she would sleep until we met Brent. It was difficult for me to comprehend what she had gone through today, especially almost being taken away by those goons. The music from the country station on the radio kept me company while I drove.
The clouds were breaking up, letting the stars shine through as we pulled into Lafayette. The directions for the address Brent had given me were easy to follow and led us into the industrial part of town where I turned into the parking lot of a closed truck depot. One of the overhead doors opened, and I drove in, pulling up next to an older Chevy. I shut off the car and stretched, wishing I didn’t have to wake Lainie. She was so peaceful when she slept. Brent was walking in our direction so I brushed her hair off her forehead to wake her. She stirred and stared at me with those blue eyes.
“Hey, sleepyhead. Time to wake up.”
She awoke with a start, eyes darting around trying to figure out where we were. “We’re in Lafayette. Brent got us a car and some supplies, and I’ve got a safe house lined up in Washington state.” Unbuckling my seatbelt, I moved to get out of the car.
Lainie grabbed my arm. “How well do you know Brent? Can we trust him?”
“Lainie, I trust him. We went through the police academy together, and he’s now a federal marshal.” As I opened the door, helping her out without banging her knee around too much, she gave me a look I didn’t quite understand. I reached down and grabbed her cane out of the back seat, handing it to her as I picked her up and carried her over to meet Brent. “The more you’re off that knee, the better it will be,” I said.
Brent met us by the Chevy, pulling off his hat and running his fingers through his hair.
“I leave for six months, and you get yourself mixed up in a real mess. I don’t know how you always manage to find the most dangerous situations.”
I set Lainie down and made sure she was steady on her feet before shaking hands with him. “Well, someone’s gotta do it.” I grinned and introduced him to Lainie. He looked at her, and I saw a flash in his eyes bordering on lust, and I didn’t like it much. “Get your eyes off, we don’t have time for that.”
“Can’t blame a guy for appreciating a beautiful woman.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out some keys. “Here’s the keys to the Chevy. There are suitcases in the trunk full of clothes, and there’s $10,000 cash fo
r you in my coat.”
“Thanks, Brent. I told Jordan to call you if she needs anything. I hope that’s okay.” I wasn’t sure what to make of the look I saw pass over his face. What’s with all the cryptic facial expressions today? “I’ll call you tomorrow afternoon at two o’clock from the prepaid cell. Don’t call me unless it’s an emergency.”
Ten minutes later, we were in the Chevy and back on the road headed west.
Lainie
Half an hour after we left Lafayette, I was asleep again. I took some of the sample pain meds that Jordan had given me for my knee, and they really knocked me out. Three hours later, I woke up somewhere in Illinois. Jax was listening to a country station, and Kenny Chesney was singing about the boys of fall. Even though that song was about football, it always made me think about Jax. The line about going down the hall in their game-day jerseys really got to me. I remembered how Jax used to strut down the hall on game days, so sure he had the world in the palm of his hand.
Staring out the window as the miles passed was about the only thing I could do since I didn’t want to start a conversation with him right now. But that left plenty of time to think about the circumstances that led up to that fateful night. He had a right to know all the details of my life afterwards, but I didn’t want to think about it and wasn’t sure I could handle the pain it would cause him. I thought about the tutoring sessions where Jax and I started to fall in love, and my struggle to remain invisible to Keith. Then I almost smiled when I thought about how Jax started bringing me out of the shell I had wrapped myself in after my dad died. What would have happened if I hadn’t gotten mad at Jax, if I had finished the date the way it had been planned? I regretted taunting Keith about being the head of the drug smuggling organization and then trying to hit him with the bat. Thinking of that night caused the knots in my stomach to return. I wasn’t sure they’d ever completely go away.
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