by Barb Han
She brought her fingers along his muscular lines as he thrust again. She matched his tempo. Everything was in perfect rhythm, their bodies, their breathing.
She wriggled her hips and their heat lit a fire inside her belly. “Don’t stop.”
“Oh, it’s too late for that,” he said with that devastating smile.
He pumped harder, faster, deeper.
And she met him on every level until match point. Blasts of electricity rocketed through her body. His heart pounded against her chest and his breathing was jagged as he stayed inside her, thrusting and surging until her body finished quivering and he finally let go. His breath quickened and his entire body tensed until she could feel the sweet release.
Chests heaving, he stayed on top of her until every last spasm was drained from her.
After a long moment, he rolled onto his side and pulled her against the crook of his arm.
“I’m falling for you, Jaden. But I don’t even know who you are,” she said quietly. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to hear from him. A commitment? This soon? It sounded silly even to her. But her world had been tipped on its axis from the minute they’d met. Making love had sent her down a path there was no returning from. And a part of her needed him to know that she didn’t take making love casually. “But what’s the use of caring for someone when you’re not even sure of his real name?”
Jaden stood, his expression darkened with hurt.
Damn his blue eyes. The pain. They had Lauren wanting to reach out to him and tell him everything would be okay. She finally understood how conflicted he was at making promises he wasn’t sure he could keep.
She wanted, no needed him to speak. She craved answers she knew deep down he didn’t have any more than she did.
When he didn’t, she said, “You said they’re expecting us in the morning. We should get sleep.”
Before he could respond, she rolled over and closed her eyes.
Why could Jaden speak his mind? Why couldn’t he tell Lauren that everything would magically work out? There was no denying the fact that he was falling head over heels for her. What was so damn hard about speaking the words?
Instead, he sat on the edge of the bed, listening to her breathing. He told himself there was no way he could look into her eyes and lie to her. Oh, those eyes. They were the brown-gold equivalent of the North Star, bold and bright, lighting the way to his mind’s salvation. They radiated acceptance, and emotion as foreign to him as love. Yet he still couldn’t find his footing on the path that would take him there.
Jaden was a soldier. His world had order. He traveled most of the year. His work was dangerous. It could put her in the line of fire. She’d be a loose thread. No matter how selfish he wanted to be right then a woman like Lauren deserved so much more.
Once he heard Lauren’s breathing become steady and he was certain that she’d fallen asleep, he dressed and grabbed his motorcycle helmet.
Anger fueled his footsteps out to his bike. He fired off a text to Gunner to see if his boss was still awake. Jaden’s mind was churning and he needed to talk out his ideas.
Speaking of loose threads, Helena was becoming an issue.
Based on the text Jaden received while at the store, Helena was camping out on the island. Waiting.
He punched in Gunner’s number as soon as he stepped outside. Jaden wanted to speak to his boss without Lauren around.
“They got to the asset’s place before us. It was completely ransacked,” Jaden said quickly.
“Not unexpected.” Gunner’s calm tone grounded Jaden. His boss was right and Jaden was getting emotionally involved. He needed distance to keep his thoughts straight.
“The way they tore the place up, I’d say they were sending a message. Someone’s angry. It felt like a threat. Could be for Max.” Jaden appreciated focusing on the mission again.
“They’ve done their homework.”
“You hear from Gabriel yet on Helena?” Jaden asked, frustrated that it had already been a month since Tim’s death and they were still without any leads on the shooter.
A deep sigh came through the line. “No.”
“Where does that leave us?”
“I’m afraid we can’t do much of anything until we receive more data,” Gunner said. “It’s a watch and wait.”
“You got anyone…”
“Helena, of course. Gabriel. Me and you. I don’t want to involve anyone else. I’d rather keep this one under the radar and off the books.”
It was probably a good call considering all that was at stake. “Wish we could contact Helena directly.”
“She hasn’t surfaced yet. Neither has Gabriel. With communication equipment being compromised I won’t reach out to either one,” Gunner said.
“She’ll show up at some point.” She had to. “Menendez’s men were ready for us on the beach. Then, they found me and Lauren at the seaside condo. Her townhouse has been ransacked, and we had a tail not long after we touched ground.” How did they anticipate his every move? The cartel had to be getting information from someone on his and Lauren’s whereabouts. The new leader, whoever he was, had raised the stakes. “We can’t be too careful.”
“Agreed,” came quickly from Jaden’s boss.
“What’s the word on the brother?” Avoiding using names kept the mission less personal.
“The doctor’s hopeful for a full recover.” Gunner paused for a beat. “He took a beating.”
Jaden needed to know what he was about to walk Lauren into come morning. “Is he conscious?”
“Unfortunately no,” Gunner said.
Damn. Jaden would’ve liked to ask Max a few questions. “How bad does it look?”
“You saw the facial lacerations and swelling. His ribs are broken. They’re running tests to determine whether or not there’s internal organ damage or bleeding. They beat him within an inch of his life.” Gunner’s tone lowered, respectfully. Justice was one thing, but this was over the top. Which lead Jaden to believe this had been no ordinary kidnapping.
“Keep me posted on his progress,” Jaden said to Gunner.
“You know I will.” Gunner ended the call.
Jaden returned from the drugstore with a bag full of supplies. Lauren’s russet locks would be dyed black. Jet black. Blacker than night. This would be difficult for him because he loved her long curly hair. The way waves cascaded over her shoulders. But the waves had to go.
He set the bag down and walked into the bedroom.
Instead of finding her asleep, she was sitting up and staring at a fishing magazine he’d picked up when he first came to the stakeout.
“Where’d you go?” she asked, covering the hurt in her voice by clearing her throat.
“Store. I bought a few supplies but you should—”
“Rest? I close my eyes and all I see are men with guns. I can’t sleep.” She threw the covers off and stood up. “Let’s get this over with.”
He urged her toward the kitchen in his small rented one-bedroom apartment. With her there, he realized how empty the place had been before. The feeling had no connection to the sparse decorations. It wasn’t warm, like the feeling he had whenever he was near Lauren.
Then again, it wasn’t meant to be. This place served a purpose, he reminded himself. Anything else would’ve been a distraction.
Lauren blinked up at him from the sink where he washed her hair. Her pulled scissors from the bag of supplies and cut her tresses up to her jaw line.
He somehow thought she’d look different to him. She didn’t. Her pink lips were just as full. Her brown eyes just as beautiful. He washed the black color rinse in her hair, and the gold flecks in her eyes stood out even more than usual. “And what about you?”
“I have a bandana and some biker clothes in the closet. Sunglasses and a helmet will shield my face,” he said.
“Why do you really think they broke into my apartment? Would they really do all that just for a little money?”
They wanted someth
ing badly. He hoped for her sake it was information about Max. And yet, his gut told him something was wrong with the picture. Why ransack her place? Why tear it up to that degree? There was more to it. His mind wound back to it being a threat. But why?
“Do you trust Gunner?” She shocked him with the question.
“Yes.” Jaden paused thoughtfully. He believed in Lauren, too.
“And you’re sure?”
“If I’m wrong, I’m dead…”
She pressed a finger to his shoulder. “Screwing up in my business means a supplier doesn’t get paid on time. People get upset, but no one dies.”
He didn’t respond. His finger flexed and released, wanting to hold her again.
“You ever think about changing your line of work?” she asked.
“No. Not until recently.” He was being honest. He’d never once considered doing anything besides being a soldier.
“Because you got shot?”
He shook his head. “I—” His cell phone buzzed before he could finish his sentence. He shot a look of apology. “I better get this.”
“Gunner?”
He nodded as Lauren sucked in a breath.
“Everything okay?” Jaden asked into the phone.
Chapter 20
Lauren held her breath waiting for news about her brother. Her heart pounded painfully against her ribs. Her gaze was glued to Jaden’s face, searching for any sign, a muscle twitch that might indicate bad news.
He looped his arm around her waist. He pulled her close enough for her to hear Gunner’s words. She momentarily thought about pulling away from him but her heart was all in. She sensed his might be, too, even though he’d gone quiet earlier.
“The security team is expecting you both. It should be safe. Move quickly and get out as soon as you can,” Gunner said.
With her body pressed against Jaden’s, she could feel his heartbeat and breathe in his musky, male scent.
As Jaden closed the phone, she felt a tender kiss press to the side of her head. “Ready?”
“Yes.” Of course, she wanted to see Max, but part of her feared she wouldn’t want to leave him. A thought haunted her. Soon, her brother would disappear into a new identity and she’d never see him.
Lauren couldn’t imagine facing this situation alone. Guilt twisted her insides.
“It’s not your fault,” Jaden said, his arm wrapped around her, reassuring her, pulling her closer to him.
“I was selfish. I only thought about protecting myself instead of caring for him when I could’ve helped. Maybe I could’ve prevented all this.” The thought kept replaying in her mind.
“You didn’t know. You couldn’t possibly have known how this situation would’ve turned out.” Jaden’s voice held no judgment, only compassion.
“With all that you went through with your brother. I’m sure you’d trade your life for the chance to see him one more time. I can tell how much you loved him.” She locked gazes. “What was his name?”
“I said it before and I’ll say it again. It’s not your fault.” Jaden paused a beat. “His name was Bobby.”
Pain darkened his blue eyes.
“I’m so sorry,” she said quietly, reverently.
“When someone’s determined to destroy their life, you can’t stop them. You were right to protect yourself.” Jaden spoke with the conviction of a man who knew what he was talking about.
“I guess.” She didn’t argue because she wanted to get to the hospital as soon as she could. Besides, she could see it had taken a lot for Jaden to open up. And he’d closed up again just as quickly.
Lauren dressed and was ready to go inside of ten minutes.
They made it to Parkland Hospital in less than half an hour—a miracle in Dallas’s morning rush hour. The hospital was known for trauma care, it had a reputation for being the best.
“I wish you’d met Max when we were kids. He had the biggest heart. He would help anyone out who needed a hand. Liking them wasn’t a requirement.” She handed over her helmet and Jaden secured it on the back of the motorcycle.
“Bad things can happen to good people,” he said.
“You already know our dad left before I was born. Mom was a wreck. She drank too much. Brought different men in the house.”
Jaden’s jaw muscles clenched and his hands fisted but he said nothing.
“Max used to sleep on the floor. Right outside my door. Swore if anyone ever hurt me, he’d kill them.”
“He sounds like a good brother,” Jaden said, his set expression said he meant every word.
“We swore we’d never become like her.” Saying those words hurt but they were true.
“Kids shouldn’t be left to their own devices so young,” Jaden soothed. “The pull to the other side can become too strong without a proper anchor.”
She shrugged, wiping away a tear. “He dropped out of school at thirteen, faked a birth certificate, and got a job as a dishwasher at a restaurant to put food on the table so I could stay in school. He started hanging around with older guys, a bad crowd, which lead to partying. He didn’t have a chance at a normal life.”
“He does now,” Jaden said, pressing a tender kiss to her lips. “We’ll make sure he gets the second chance he deserves.”
She leaned into him. “Thank you. For everything.”
Jaden linked their fingers as they headed inside the tall white hospital building.
Lauren walked into the elevator with a mix of emotions. She’d had to hold it together up until now and would have to in front of her brother, but she couldn’t help but wonder what she would feel when she saw him again.
Was he the brother she remembered from childhood? The kind boy who’d taken more than his fair share of beatings for sticking up for his baby sister?
Or was he the rebellious criminal who broke her heart when he’d fallen in step with their mother?
The lab tests showed he hadn’t been on drugs, and being clean was a good thing. It was a start she could build on.
They turned left, rounded the corner toward Max’s room.
There were men in dark suits everywhere. Some wore business suits and had earpieces. Other wore police uniforms. Not exactly low-key but security was being taken very seriously.
As soon as Lauren took a step inside the hallway, she was stopped by one of the suits.
“This is a restricted area, ma’am.”
Jaden stepped in between them. “I’m Jaden Dean, and I work for ManTech.”
“Special Agent Caldwell.” He stuck his hand out between them. “Pleased to meet you.”
Jaden accepted a hearty-looking shake.
“I’m going to need ID, sir,” Agent Caldwell said apologetically.
Jaden flashed his license. “You should also know I’m carrying.”
“Sir, we’ll need to search you,” Caldwell countered, examining the ID.
“Understood.”
Another suit came over eyeing the situation carefully. Lauren’s stomach hit rock bottom. Not because her brother was being heavily guarded. That he was being so protected actually made her feel slightly better about his well-being. The level of protection he received made her stomach drop because it reminded her of how deep he’d been in and how dangerous the criminals he’d been involved with were.
Those thoughts would keep Lauren awake at night until she was certain her brother was safe. It was almost better to think he would leave this place with a fresh start. A new life. If he could bring a few jerks down in the process, better yet.
“He gave us everything we needed. Names. Locations. The people who did this to him will do hard time for the rest of their lives,” the agent finally said. “He’s been out ever since. Go ahead through.”
Jaden’s arm looped around her waist. He pulled her toward him as he led her to Max’s room.
Nothing could’ve prepared Lauren for walking into the hospital room, seeing her brother hooked up to all those machines.
Jaden’s reassuring voice ras
ped in her ear. “It’s never as bad as it looks. He’s going to be fine.”
Jaden stood at the door, giving her enough space to have a private moment with her brother, yet never letting her out of his sight.
Lauren blinked back tears as she moved to Max’s bedside. She sat in the chair positioned near Max’s head and took his hand in hers. “Max, I’m here. It’s Lauren.”
Bruised and swollen, Max’s eyelids fluttered.
“Get your rest, brother. I’m not leaving.”
Lauren felt the hand in hers attempt to squeeze, it was good he could hear her. His face was cut, swollen, distorted His nose was double its normal size. But it was Max. He was alive. He was getting the care he needed. And best of all, he was drug free. Soon he’d get the second chance in life he so deserved.
“You’re going to be fine,” she soothed.
And she hoped those words were true.
Jaden couldn’t shake the bad feeling in his bones. He was missing something, something right under his nose, and he knew it.
Lauren glanced up at him and then waved him over.
Max was straining to speak.
“I can’t make out what he’s saying,” Lauren whispered.
Jaden had only to look into her eyes again, and he was hooked. She had him, every part of him. She’d awakened parts of his heart he’d thought long dead.
“Max is waking up,” she said staring up at Jaden.
“That’s good,” Jaden said.
Max’s eyes blinked open to slits. “It w-w-w-as herrr.”
“Who?” Lauren asked intently. “Who was it, Max?”
“H-h—” He struggled to speak. “H-h-e—”
“Take your time, Max.” She seemed to realize just how important his next words might be.
“H-h-he...” Max couldn’t seem to drum up the energy to finish.
“What are you trying to tell us? I don’t understand. Do you need me to contact someone? A friend?”
He grimaced from movement but could speak. A look of disdain darkened his swollen features. He tried to speak again, but failed.
“Don’t worry, Max. I’m here. I promise I’ll be here for you.” The sweetness in Lauren’s voice was another shot to Jaden’s heart.