“Impossible,” he said.
“Do you know what this is?”
Aiden could no longer bear to refrain the truth from her. “Yes, but not entirely. There is someone who will know exactly what this is, and what it might mean to those who seek it.”
“And there could possibly be answers as to why Jamison was killed so ruthlessly?” she asked, anxiously.
He nodded. “Possibly.”
“Now that I have it, I must go. These things can tell me who was behind the murder. I need to find out why they wanted them…how much they’re worth. I don’t have much time to pack. Jonathan will be back before long.”
Aiden hoped Jonathan did not return before they left, because if anyone so much as laid a hand on Keira in an attempt to harm her…they would lose their life.
Chapter Six
Keira’s heart nearly sank in her chest when Jonathan’s white limo pulled into the driveway. She had hoped to never see his face again, but she should have known…
Jonathan would never let her get away with something he seemed to want badly. And of course, it was just like him to renege on their agreement to give her until midnight to vacate the premises. It wasn’t anywhere near midnight.
Maybe the bastard had changed his mind. What would Jonathan do if he found out that they’d packed up the very same shield and dagger that he was trying to confiscate?
The breeze seemed to pause around them as the limo came further into view. It halted yards away from where the two movers were hauling her boxes into the van. Even they slowed down, craning their necks around the case they carried together to get a better view of who’d just arrived.
Aiden on the other hand had frozen completely in his tracks. “Arnou.” The word rushed out of his mouth the moment the side doors to the limo opened.
Two men got out wearing long black coats. They pulled out guns. Lifted and aim.
A split second before the first shots were fired Aiden rushed her, grabbed her by the hips, and tossed her into the van.
Her knees hit the floor hard and she cried out when a sharp pain spread out across her knee caps. Of course, her outburst was drowned out by rapid gunfire spraying outside.
Keira’s heart stopped and her chest felt like it was on fire. Bullets hit the van, sounding like a thunderous hailstorm. She fisted her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that this was all a dream.
Maybe it was just luck, but the boxes around her provided just enough protection from stray bullets. Still the odds didn’t seem to be on her side. Any one of the gunman could aim inside the open van door and shoot her. Aiden was somehow successfully holding them off.
How could this be happening again? She’d already lost one man who’d tried to save her. She couldn’t bear it again if someone died helping her.
Shit! She had to do something.
Keira hurled herself toward the box she’d packed her handgun inside, checked to make sure it was loaded, and crawled toward the edge of the van. Every time a bullet hit the van, she would flinch. She wasn’t made for this shit, but she wasn’t about to let someone go down again because she was too scared.
The entire driveway was a blood bath. Two men and one of the movers lay dead on the lawn. She dry heaved and tasted the remnants of breakfast.
Aiden and another man were shooting at one another. She couldn’t see Aiden, but she spotted the man fire his weapon, and then duck back behind the limo. This one must have been the driver—the third one she hadn’t seen when Aiden had thrown her into the van.
The other mover was sprawled out just outside the van, clutching at his heart, obviously in pain from a gun womb. She got his attention and offered her hand. He reached out, but then his face contorted in pain and blood leaked on the driveway.
Just as their fingers touched, a bullet hit him in the head, and blood splashed across her face and arms. She screamed.
When she looked up, the gunman was running towards her. None of the bullets coming from Aiden’s gun seemed to hit him. In fact, the gunman fired off continuous rounds of ammo at Aiden. She feared the worst…
The gunman was getting closer.
This time, Keira drew blood when she bit her bottom lip. She got a taste of the same salty adrenaline running through her system. Cupping her weapon with both hands, she took a firm stance. She wasn’t ready to die tonight. The gunman fixed his gaze on her and aimed the barrel of the gun at her.
She aimed for the gunman’s head and pulled the trigger.
He fell like dead weight at her feet.
The blood curdling squeal that came next was her own.
Aiden grabbed her from behind out of nowhere, scoped her up once again, but this time he climbed into the van with her and sat her on a box.
“Don’t ever ever do that,” he said between clenched teeth. He seemed angry, but his touch was soft and gentle against her shoulders.
Her lungs burned as she attempted to catch her breath. “Are you serious? He was going to kill me.”
“I meant don’t ever put yourself in danger for me or anyone else.” He panted. “You should have stayed in the van. I was going to kill that motherfucker.”
Aiden was a bloodied mess. She couldn’t tell if it was all of his blood…or the blood of the men he’d killed to save her.
“Are you hurt?” she asked.
He held his head down. “Let’s get out of here.” He placed the gun back on the holster on his belt.
That was when she saw the blood trail leading to him. “You are hurt. Where did you get hit?”
. “I’m fine.” He grabbed her arm, and pulled her up to stand. “Let’s just go.”
He was right. This place was too dangerous. Keeping her promise to Jamison had just cost lives.
“Okay, let’s go.”
He winched. “Can you drive?”
“Yes.” They both stumbled into the front end of the van. Luckily the keys were on the dashboard. She retrieved them and started up the engine just as Aiden dragged himself into the passenger seat holding his gut. “And I’m driving you straight to the hospital.”
He bolted upright quickly. “No. Whatever you do, you must not do that.”
“You’re crazy, Aiden. You can die from that bullet wound.” She was scared for his life. No one had deserved to die back there, not even the men who’d started it all as a result of their greed and bad misfortunes. “There’s a bunch of people dead out there. We will rot in jail for murder.”
“Listen to me. Everything will be taken care of. They’re dead because they tried to kill you. I was protecting you. When you shot that man, you were protecting yourself.” He turned to face her, taking both of her hands in his. “Let’s drive until we’re sure we’re not being followed.”
“But, you’re—”
He tore off his shirt and threw it on the floor behind him. Washboard abs rippled as he grabbed at his side. He grimaced in pain. “I’m fine. The wound isn’t deep. Drive, Keira.”
Keira could tell he was lying, but she pulled her hands away, put the van in gear, and maneuvered around the bodies until she was on the main highway.
Beside her, Aiden took out his cell phone. “Max, I need clean up. Stat!” There was a short pause. “Now.” He rattled off her address. “Don’t ask me any questions. Get someone out there!”
Keira wanted to ask who this Max person was, but she found his diminishing state of health her most important source of concern. “I’m sorry for all of this. I’m sorry I got you into all this trouble.”
“Apologies aren’t needed. I should be the one apologizing to you.”
Her gaze moved back and forth from the road to his face. “Why? You did nothing but protect me.”
“I should have been here to protect you sooner.”
“How? You didn’t know me. You couldn’t have known what I was going through. I haven’t found Jamison’s killers, but I can say that I kept my promise to him. I just couldn’t bring myself to say it before, but Jonathan might have h
ad something to do with the murder. He knows something.” She slowed to a safe speed. “I have just enough evidence to make the investigators open Jamison’s case again.”
“No. That won’t be a wise decision. They won’t be able to help you.”
“What are you saying?” She pounded her hand against the steering wheel. “They will find his killers! Someone will pay. And if you don’t like what I’m doing, I will gladly end this contract, and pay you everything that I promised.”
“Do what you will with contract.”
Her face became heated as he dissed out short answers, none of which were in agreement with her. She shrugged, and turned onto the interstate. “Fine. We’ll end it here. I’ll drive to the next town and take you to the hospital. I’ll pay your medicals bills. Make sure you’re okay. Then, you can go your way, and I can go mine.”
“I can’t let you do that, Keira.”
His voice sounded strained, and when she looked over at him, he was clutching at his side.
“What? Why?” she demanded, frantically trying to change lanes on the busy freeway. “Are you okay?”
“I can’t let you go anywhere because you are my mate.”
Mate? What the hell was he talking about?
Her feet nearly slipped from the pedal when he slumped over in his seat and passed out cold.
Like hell she wasn’t going to take him to the hospital. There was no way she was going to let this man die because he refused professional help.
Keira slammed the pedal to the floor and high-tailed it to the nearest hospital.
Chapter Seven
A hospital sign posted up next to the side of the highway came into view after Keira had driven for fifteen minutes.
She swerved across three lanes and made it just in time to execute the merge, receiving more than a few protests from angry commuters blowing their horn. She’d been going way over the speed limit but by sheer luck no police cruisers seemed to be out on the interstate. Even if they had pulled her over for speeding, any sane person could see that there was a wounded, huge, six feet four, over two hundred pound man slumped over in the passenger seat. And likewise, they’d be able to tell just by looking at them that they had obviously been involved in some shootout or wild rampage.
Keira held the steering wheel tightly and glanced over at Aiden. Even in his state—blood smudged across his face and arm and clothes spotted with asphalt dust and gun powder—he was still exceptionally good looking. Rough around the edges. Lethal with a gun, but still handsome. It was almost too good to be true, and she wondered if by chance she’d magically swapped roles with one of the romance heroine’s she read about on a daily basis in her steamy novels.
What had Aiden meant by she was his mate? Had his ability to reason been reduced by the injuries he’d sustained during the gun battle?
Suddenly, a warning light started flashing on the dashboard and something beeped loudly and persistently. The red light blinked on under the speed dial, indicating that the van was out of gas.
“Dammit!” She pounded the steering wheel and pushed the gas pedal harder hoping she’d make it on the fumes or what little drop was left in the tank.
The van sputtered and chugged and the engine failed.
“No.” She panicked, turning the key in the ignition as it rolled at a snail’s pace down the freeway. This time commuters were furious and horns blared behind her and others whizzed right passed her. She fought the urge to flip each one of them the bird. What ever happened to southern hospitality? Wasn’t it obvious that she was stuck? When she turned the key, the engine refused to turn over, but made clicking noises instead.
She managed to roll safely to the side of the road before putting the gear in park. “Who the hell drives a moving van and doesn’t put any gas in it? Unbelievable!” She bit her tongue just before delivering any more insults. Those movers had died while packing her belongings and it was all her fault.
Keira reached down for her purse, but realized that she’d left it on a stand near the foyer. Her photo ID, money, credit cards, migraine pills, and other essentials had been the least of her worries when pack of Jonathan’s mobsters had attempted to gun her down. As if nothing could get any worse, her head began pounding in what felt like the beginnings of a headache.
She took several deep breaths in and out, as several cars whizzed by them on the freeway almost as if they didn’t have a care in the world. The time was inching close to six in the evening. Stuck on the side of the road as night descended was not a place she wanted to be.
Keira contemplated two choices: Get out, leave Aiden unconscious, and walk to the nearest gas station. Or get out and flag down a car.
She leaned over and grabbed Aiden’s hand. His wrist felt limp as she checked for his pulse. He was definitely alive. The vein pulsed furiously against her fingertips. His skin was also scorching hot. He could have been running a fever or gotten sick from infection from the bullet holes. Maybe he was hyperventilating—even dying.
There wasn’t much time. She had to get help fast.
She settled for the quickest option. Get out and flag down a car.
Keira unbuckled her seatbelt and had her hands on the door knob when a cell phone rang.
The ring was more like a tune. The sound was coming from Aiden’s jacket.
She stood up in the middle clearing between the passenger’s and driver’s seat, reached into his pocket, and retrieved the phone. The LCD screen flashed with a name.
Devin.
She hit the talk button, listened briefly to the eerie silence on the other end, and swallowed. “Hello?”
“Who is this?” The voice was raspy and demanding.
His angry tone immediately struck fear in her heart. “I…I…,” she stuttered. “I’m Keira.”
“What are you doing with this phone?”
“I’m with Aiden. He’s right here, but…” She glanced at Aiden, who was still slumped over in the seat.
“But what?” the man called Devin blared.
“He’s in trouble.”
“Where are you? Who are you?” There was rustling on the other end. “Put Aiden on the phone right now.”
“I told you my name already. Aiden’s in trouble. He’s been shot, and I’m taking him to the hospital.”
“Don’t do that,” the man warned. “Give me your location.”
Strange. Why did both of them insist on not taking Aiden to the hospital for medical attention after being shot? Was Aiden a criminal? What was he afraid of?
“Sandy Forks. Just a few miles north of the hospital. It’s close. I can make it and they can help him before it’s too late. Who are you?”
“I’m a friend. I’ll send help, but whatever you do, stay put.”
“Are you crazy?” she exclaimed. “By the time you get here, Aiden will be dead. This man saved my life. I’m not letting him die by waiting around.”
“Keira. Wait! Keira, right?” There was a pause on the line. “You can do him more harm than good by taking him to this hospital.”
“This is nonsense,” she whispered.
“What is nonsense?” This time the voice was one she recognized. It was Aiden. He was wide awake and looking straight at her. “And who are you talking to?”
Shocked, the phone slipped from her hand and dropped to the floor. Her gaze skimmed across Aiden’s smudged face, and then dropped to observe his wounded side.
When she saw that new skin had closed over the holes, her hand went to her mouth in shock. Impossible. The bullets that were once there—all three of them—lie on the floor beside his seat.
What the heck? What kind of dream was she having?
Her gaze roamed slowly back up to his face. His eyes had turned feral and swirled in a myriad of muted colors. His teeth were…
Her screamed hitched in her throat and she made a dash for it.
In only seconds, she lay sandwiched between some duffle bags and rock hard male. Her heart pounded and heat from his body blende
d into hers causing an inferno amid them. Blood rushed through her feverishly, but she was frozen beneath him. She focused on the face of the man who’d protected her. He’d saved her life.
His manhood, just as hard as the man himself, pressed up against her stomach. He dipped his head low so that his lips swept over her face. The canines that she’d spotted between his lips felt cold against her neck, but she lifted her chin as if it were the most natural thing in the world for her to do.
“Where were you taking me?” ‘Keira.’ His voice was in her head. It caressed her body. It was inside her.
She panted. “To the hospital.”
“I told you not to do that,” he whispered against her throat. His fingers slid down her hips, then gripped her backside, lifting her up closer to him. “A hard head makes a soft ass.” A growl rumbled in his throat sending shivers down her back.
Keira cried out when the heat of his erection pushed at her center. Even through clothes, she could literally feel him pulsing against her. She wanted him inside her, filling her where she most needed it.
“I didn’t want you to die,” she said, then slid her fingers across his abdomen to his side. “What happened to the wound? What are you?”
When he didn’t answer, she traced the curves and indentations of his chest up to his chin. He was definitely a man. The erection pressing against her hips confirmed this. But what ordinary man could dispel bullets in less than hour with no medical intervention?
Aiden turned his face into her palm and inhaled. She outlined his profile, touching her fingertips to his eyebrows, nose, cheeks, and jaw. Everything seemed normal...on the outside.
She should have been afraid, but instead she was aroused.
Her digits rested on his mouth, right where she’d seen the canine-type teeth. They weren’t there anymore, but it was probably because he had his mouth closed. She pressed lightly at the seam of his lips and he parted them.
When he took her fingers into his mouth, her pussy clenched in intense need. He slid his tongue up her finger, like licking an ice cream cone as it melted, and gently sucked. Her clit throbbed, ready to be teased to satisfaction.
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