by KD Jones
Daniela turned her head and locked gazes with the handsome bounty hunter. What was his name again? Jagger? “I hurt everywhere,” she croaked. Was that her voice?
Jagger nodded his head as he opened a leather backpack. He pulled out a medical kit and approached the bed Daniela was laying on. For a moment she panicked thinking he was going to hurt her like the other two guys did. Jagger paused, holding up the kit.
“I’m just going to give you an antibiotic, healing agent, and a pain shot. That’s all.” He waited until Daniela nodded. Jagger sat down on the bed beside her and opened the kit. He made sure to show her everything that he was doing.
Daniela looked around the room again. “Where’s the guy that you captured?”
“He’s in the bathroom tied up.” Jagger quickly gave her the shots in her upper arm holding the pressure down to keep it from bleeding.
“What are you going to do with him?” She tried to ignore the tingles his big hands were causing on her.
“I’ll take him in when I take you to lockup. Have him arrested for battery, assault, and attempted…” He didn’t finish.
She looked away. “Yeah, thanks for saving me back there, and thanks for taking care of my injuries.”
It bothered him that she was thanking him for caring for her. He shouldn’t be thanked. It was his right. He frowned. For him to think it was somehow his right was even more disturbing. He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t think you should have to be in lockup bruised if not necessary.” A loud bang came from the bathroom making both of them jump.
“Excuse me.” Jagger placed the med kit on the nightstand. He stood and walked into the bathroom.
Daniela heard another bang and then something that sounded like skin hitting skin. Then silence. Jagger walked back into the bedroom rubbing his fist. “Our guest is going to take a nap now. I think we should all do the same. We have to head for the shuttle station in the morning.”
She was feeling the pain start to fade. The healing agent he gave her was working fast too. Already the cut on her lip was nearly gone. She paused and looked up at him. What he just said registered. “Wait…Jagger isn’t it?”
Hearing his name on her lips did something to him. And he didn't like it. “Yeah, so what.”
“Jagger…please help me. I am innocent of the charges that were brought against me.”
Jagger snorted and started to remove his weapons from his holsters. “Honey, that’s what all the fugitives say when they make a run for it. They didn’t do it… They were framed… Someone made them do it.”
“But it’s true for me. My boyfriend…fiancée is uncovering the truth. He said he thinks he knows who the true thief is. Just call him. He’ll tell you.”
“Hate to break it to you, sweetheart. But that fiancée of yours says you are guilty. He’s testifying against you.”
“No! Lial wouldn’t do that. You have to talk to him. He’ll tell you…”
Jagger took out his cell phone and pressed a button, a recording came on and Daniela immediately recognized the voice. “Lial,” was the only she said before the recording went on and she listened.
“Over three weeks ago, the authority came and arrested her for stealing from the company I work for.”
“Whom do you work for again?”
“Ariston Bank Consultant Firm. I’m one of their accountants.”
“Miss Martin is a chef for a local restaurant correct?”
“Just a sous chef actually.”
“How would she get access to your company’s financial accounts?”
“I didn’t password protect my access from home. I didn’t think I needed to. She was my girlfriend, someone I thought about marrying one day. It’s a damn shame really.”
“If I was Ariston Bank Consultant Firm, I would think that maybe you had something to do with the money disappearing. No offense.”
“I was questioned extensively by the firm’s board members. I explained that my direct supervisor asked the accounting team to review the recent transactions because there seemed to be a discrepancy. I was the one who discovered that it was Daniela who had been going into the firm’s financial accounts using my home access and slowly filtering money into her own account. The board members were understanding about my predicament and promised that I would not lose my job if I testified against Daniela.”
“You plan to testify against the woman you had planned to marry?”
“Of course. What Daniela did was completely in the wrong. I just hope the authority find her and put her away.”
Jagger ended the recording. He watched the devastated look come over her face and the sudden realization.
“He set me up,” she whispered. Tears streamed down her face.
“Aww, honey, we covered this already. You can get your legal counsel to prove your innocence when we get back. Go on to sleep now.” He turned out the lights and sat down in the chair that he moved in front of the door.
Jagger steeled himself when he heard her silent sobs. It made him want to hit something. He was only a bounty hunter, not a cop or her lawyer. It wasn’t up to him to prove her innocence. He would take her back to lockup and ensure the company he and Victor had built from nothing did not lose their money. But it didn’t seem to keep him from feeling a tightness in his chest with each of her sniffles. Damn, he hated it when women cried.
Chapter Six
Jagger woke with a start. He had fallen asleep in the chair still in front of the door. He glanced over at the bed. Daniela had kicked the covers off and she was asleep lying on her side. She was beautiful even with no make-up and having cried most of the night.
She had cried herself to sleep. It took all of Jagger’s will to keep himself from going to her, taking her into his arms, and comforting her. He never comforted people. He was not known for his soft side because he didn’t have one. She was making him turn inside out. He didn’t like it at all. The sooner he took her back and put distance between them the better.
Standing, Jagger headed to the bathroom. He needed to take a piss and he needed to check on their guest sleeping in the tub. He did his business and saw the man finally stopped struggling against his shock cuffs. He started back into the bedroom and then froze in place. The bed was empty and the door was open. Fuck!
He went for the door when something heavy crashed against the back of his head. He went down to the floor hard. He heard Daniela call out to him as she ran past him.
“Sorry, Jagger.”
Then she was out the door, taking the keys to his motor pod with her. Oh hell no! Jagger struggled to his feet holding a hand to the back of his head. At least he wasn’t bleeding. For a small woman she packed quite a wallop.
Daniela worried she had hit Jagger too hard, but she couldn’t stop now. She had to hurry. The bounty hunter would be right on her tail. She made it to the motor pod but fumbled with the key. She looked over her shoulder and saw Jagger staggering out of the motel room. She turned back to the key lock. Please please please. Yes! Just as she got the key to work and the door open, the door was slammed shut and she was pushed up against the side of the motor pod.
“You’re not getting away from me, sweetness,” Jagger growled in her ear from behind.
He pushed his body up against hers, trapping her body with his. He then turned her struggling body around so her back was against the vehicle. Jagger pushed his thighs and chest against hers and couldn’t help but respond to the feel of her against him. With her every struggle and move, his cock twitched.
“Daniela, you need to stop moving,” he groaned against her ear.
She stilled instantly, suddenly very aware of his breath against her neck warming her skin and the telltale sign of his arousal pressed hard against her stomach. His natural scent mixed with his aftershave was drugging her senses. Her nipples tightened and her breasts felt heavy with need.
Jagger’s own breathing was becoming rapid like he had ran several miles and suddenly stopped. He sniffed her neck and smelle
d her intoxicating arousal. He lifted his head and stared into her shocked green eyes. Eyes so beautiful and clear he could lose himself in them forever. Then he lowered his gaze to her lips. She licked them drawing moisture there. It was a beacon calling to him and he wasn’t prepared to resist the call.
Daniela felt drugged with need. She had been on the run for weeks, scared, and alone. She had no one to hold her and tell her that everything would be okay. This embrace was more than she had had in a while and she didn’t want to let it go yet. She licked her dry lips and noticed how Jagger’s eyes zeroed in on that movement.
Was he attracted to her? Did it matter? She was attracted to him from the first time she saw him standing across the street. She needed to feel another person’s touch. Why not his? Taking a chance, she stretched upward until her lips touched Jagger’s.
So light and sweet was the touch of her lips, it stunned him for a moment. Then it was like a dam of need broke and he had to have her. He grabbed a handful of her dark hair in his hand bringing her head closer to him, her lips right where he wanted them.
Daniela was lost in sensation. His warm breath on her face and his strong lips moving against hers. The feel of him, the taste of him lit her up inside in a way no one ever had before. Not even Lial. This was just a simple kiss but it quickly turned into something more. What would happen if they made love?
An image of them naked and writhing against each other popped into Daniela’s mind. She moaned as the image made her insides ache more. Opening her mouth a little was enough for Jagger to take advantage.
Jagger plunged his tongue deep inside her mouth taking her like his cock wanted to take her wet pussy. All reason left him. His only thoughts were going further, touching her everywhere, and getting her clothes off. One of his free hands dug underneath her tight t-shirt and slid upwards along her skin. He paused just underneath her breast, teasing her skin with his fingertips.
“Jagger,” she moaned his name as she pressed her uncovered breast into his waiting hand. Oh God, nothing else had ever felt so good. She was so lost in the moment that it wasn’t until the lights of a passing vehicle jerked them back to their senses.
Jagger pulled away from her as if her skin burned him. What the hell was he doing? Making out with his fugitive was a bad idea. Vic would ream his ass if he found out. He looked down into the drowsy eyes of Daniela. Her cheeks were pink and lips swollen from his kisses. She looked damn sexy and he wanted another go at her. Fuck! He grabbed her arm and started dragging her back to the motel room.
“Please let me go, Jagger.” She started to gain her composure. How embarrassing. She had practically thrown herself at him. She could still feel his hand massaging her breast.
“It’s not my call, sweetheart.”
She tried to jerk her arm out of his grip. “I’m not your, sweetheart! I have fiancée.”
“Right, the one who is planning to testify against you.” Jagger slammed the door shut and locked it before he let her go. A thump on the other side of the room caught his attention. He looked over and groaned. Damn perp was trying to wiggle his way to freedom. He didn’t get very far though.
“Stay.” He gave Daniela a hard look before going over to the man on the floor.
‘Where do you think you are going?” He lifted the tied up man easily as if he weighed nothing and placed him in a nearby chair. The man mumbled but no other sound came out from the tape he had over his mouth.
Jagger looked over at a devastated Daniela. She was finally realizing that she was going back to jail. He felt bad for her because he suspected the girl’s fiancé was setting her up, but it wasn’t his job to defend her, it was her lawyer’s job. However, maybe he could help her uncover some information that might help her lawyer do his job. He ripped off the tape covering the man’s mouth.
“Ouch! Damn it that hurt!” the perp said.
“I don’t care about your hurts. I care about answers,” Jagger told him.
“What answers?”
“Why were you and your associate after Miss Martin?” Jagger noticed Daniela perk up at his question.
“Miss who? Don’t know her name. Just wanted to get a piece of ass. Thought she was a willing prostitute,” the man said on a sneer.
“Interesting, most prostitutes have rights and are treated better than what I saw you doing to Miss Martin,” Jagger said, standing in front of the man with his legs set apart and his muscled arms crossed over his chest.
Daniela sat on the bed watching as Jagger interrogated the man who had attacked her. She felt no sympathy for him at all but wondered what Jagger was going to do with the man. The bounty hunter could do a citizen’s arrest and with him having a bounty hunter status the authority would most likely accept his word for what happened. She wanted to ask some questions too but she wasn’t as intimidating as Jagger was.
Jagger continued his questioning, “What’s your name?”
“Don’t have one.” The man tried to look away.
“It’s Bob,” Daniela offered.
Jagger turned to look at her in surprise. “Bob?”
Daniela shrugged her shoulders. “They called each other by name. This is Bob and the other one’s name is Crawley.”
“Shut up, bitch!” Bob tried to lunge for Daniela but Jagger hit him hard and he fell back into the chair.
Jagger wanted to rip the man’s head off his neck. His anger was building and building. Finding out the two men used their names in front on Daniela told him something very important. They weren’t going to let her live when they were done with her. The thought that they would kill her, take her bright light out of the world, made Jagger see red. He fought to keep control. He didn’t want to lose it in front of Daniela.
“Daniela, why don’t you take a shower while Bob and I have a little boy talk.”
Daniela shook her head. “I want to stay for the questioning.”
“I will tell you everything he says and if there is something I forget to ask him, you can ask when you get out.” Jagger was insistent.
She caved. She felt really dirty after the two motels and having Bob and Crawley manhandle her. “Okay. But I want to know what he says the minute I get out.”
“Deal.” He watched as she gathered her things and went into the bathroom. The door closed and locked. He wasn’t worried she would try to escape again because there was no window or exit. He turned back to the perp.
“Alright now, Bob. It’s just us men here. Let’s get down to the truth. Why were you and your friend, Crawley, after Miss Martin?”
Bob hedged and spoke quickly when Jagger was about to punch him again. “Wait. Okay, okay. She was a job. We were supposed to grab her, question her about who all she talked to, then get rid of her.”
“And by get rid of her you planned to kill her and dispose of her body?” Jagger asked.
“Look, I needed the money, man. I have bad gambling debts, two ex-wives, and two blood-sucking divorce lawyers I have to pay for.”
“So killing an innocent woman is no big deal because you needed the money. Who hired you?”
Bob shrugged. “I don’t know. He used an alias and never gave us a number to call him, he always contacted us.”
Jagger pulled out Bob’s wallet and cell phone that he had confiscated. He scrolled through recent calls on the phone. “How was he supposed to pay you?”
“He transferred a third of the money into our accounts when we accepted the job. The rest we would get after we finish the job.” He watched Jagger going over his ID. There was no way he would get out of going to jail this time. He had too many charges against him. “Hey, man, I’ll split the money with you if you let me go.”
Jagger took out his own cell phone ignoring Bob’s offer. He dialed the programmed number. “Isaac, hey, man, I need to give you some information to run for me. Yeah, I found her. Some guys were trying to hurt her. I need to get information on the men. I am going to text it to you. Run his name in the system. Check for recent bank transaction
s and see if you can track where the money transfer came from. Also, run a check to see if there is any associate named Crawley that is affiliated with this guy Bob. I have my suspicions but I want to see if you come up with anything without me saying. Yeah, call me back on this number. Thanks.”
“Come on, let me go. You got the girl, you don’t need me. No harm, right?” Bob pleaded.
Jagger walked over and punched him again knocking him out. “No harm my ass.”
He looked up when Daniela came out of the steamy shower. She was wearing short boy shorts and a tight pink camisole. No bra. Her nipples were tight points pressing against her shirt. Hell and damnation he wanted her. She frowned when she saw the unconscious form of Bob.
“Hey, I wanted to ask him some questions,” she complained.
“I got everything out of him that he knew.” Jagger kept his eyes on her, tracking her like prey as she crossed the room.
“What did he tell you?” She sat down on the bed and started to brush her wet hair.
“He and Crawley were hired to question you and then take you out.”
“Take me out?” She looked up in question.
“Kill you. They were paid to kill you.”
“Who would do that? Lial’s company wouldn’t get their money back by killing me.”
“No, but the real thief could get away with it if the supposed thief suddenly was found dead after going on the run from the authority,” Jagger told her.
“But how did they find me?” She was confused over this.
“I found you. But truthfully, I believe your fiancé sent them here.”
She shook her head. “Lial? He isn’t the violent type.”
“Maybe he doesn’t like to get his hands dirty but he isn’t above hiring others to do the messy work for him.” He didn't like this Lial and he wasn’t going to pretend to either.
“It’s just so hard to believe Lial would be behind all of this.”
“Honey, you heard for yourself the recording. Lial sold you out to save his job at the very least. At the very worst he is the culprit behind the whole thing and wants you dead.”