by Maya Banks
She nodded shakily.
“Get her out of here. I’m locking this room down until he shifts back,” Jonah told Eli.
It was useless for her to argue. For once, she knew there wasn’t anything she could do, no argument she could wage. D had finally slipped beyond control. Tears clogged her throat, squeezing, relentless. Grief welled, sharp, like a blade. Always, always she’d been there to comfort him, to shield him as he’d shielded her. Only now, they would be separated. Jonah would never leave them alone after what happened today.
Chapter Twelve
Katie huddled under the steaming hot spray of the shower and let it pelt her skin until it was pink and raw. Even after she’d lathered her hair twice and soaped her body repeatedly, she stood still as the water cascaded over her.
She didn’t want to move. Ever.
But she had a strong suspicion if she didn’t get out soon, one of them would come haul her out.
With a regretful sigh, she turned off the water and stepped out, reaching for a towel. She dried briskly, taking care around the more tender parts. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she grimaced. Then she pulled the towel away and let her gaze trail down her body.
Her shoulders slid downward, and her eyes crossed with fatigue. She was starting to have some serious fantasies involving a pillow and a bed. Blankets were completely optional.
An irritated sigh escaped when she realized she’d neglected to bring clothes into the bathroom with her. And there was no way she was putting the nasty stuff she’d taken off back on.
She wrapped the towel around her and kept her arms pressed against the fabric so it had no chance of slipping down. Then she stuck her head out the door before exiting.
Braden was lying on the bed, eyes closed, and Ian was perched on the edge of the mattress, his expression brooding. Ian looked up at her, his eyes shuttered.
“I, uhm, just need to get some clothes,” she said in a low voice.
Ian stood. “Not yet.”
He walked toward her, and she blinked in surprise. His hand cupped her elbow, his touch gentle as he urged her toward the bed.
“You can keep the towel wrapped around you for now,” he said gruffly. “I need to tend to that cut on your foot, and then I’ll take a look at your arm.”
Braden opened his eyes and rolled to the edge of the bed before putting his feet down with a thud. He rubbed his face in a tired gesture then rose to stand beside her.
“Get the kit,” Ian told Braden.
Ian urged her down, and she sat awkwardly, keeping her gaze on her knees, bared just below the edge of the towel.
“Lay back and let me see your foot,” Ian directed.
She eyed him for a moment but did as he said. Her head bounced softly on the mattress as she settled down, and she focused on the ceiling.
Gentle hands covered the top of her foot and tilted it back as he examined the instep. His fingers were firm and warm against her skin.
Braden leaned over and took her arm, lifting as he examined the bruising and swelling.
How long had it been since she’d simply enjoyed the touch of another? Close proximity, the feeling of not being so terribly alone?
It was overwhelming and yet so deeply pleasurable that she couldn’t ask them to stop. She didn’t want them to stop.
These were concerned touches. Caring and light. There was no desperate mark of possession, no shouted words, no deep-seated insecurity.
She shivered even as she craved more.
Ian felt her tremble beneath his fingers. He saw raw vulnerability behind a flash of sudden tears, and it tore at his gut. Here was a woman unused to any sort of tenderness. She expected the worst, and it seemed she usually got it.
What the hell kind of life had she led, and why had Gabe left her to fend for herself?
Trying not to let himself be too affected, he put antiseptic on her cut and quickly bandaged it. Braden was carefully manipulating her arm, but other than a few winces, she didn’t seem too bothered by it.
He thrust the small bottle at Braden along with fresh bandages. “For her hand.”
Braden took the stuff from him and settled next to Katie, his hip close to her shoulder. Her fingers shook against Braden’s as he carefully pried them apart.
Ian eased down on her other side. “I need to look at your ribs, Katie,” he said in a low, soothing voice.
Color flooded into her cheeks, and her eyes flickered away, her gaze focusing on the wall.
Braden touched her cheek, running a finger down her delicate jawline. “Don’t be afraid,” he said quietly. “We just want to make sure you’re okay. I swear to you we won’t hurt you.”
She closed her eyes and slowly nodded.
Ian arranged the towel so that it hung loosely over her waist. He couldn’t cover her breasts and her pelvis and felt she’d probably be the least embarrassed to have them staring at her breasts.
Bruises were scattered along her ribcage, some the size of a fist, others smaller, purple fingerprints against pale skin. When he saw the dark smudges close to her nipples, his jaw tightened in rage.
“Did they rape you?” he demanded bluntly.
Braden yanked his startled gaze to his brother, and his brows drew together in admonishment.
Katie’s eyes flew open, and she too stared at Ian in shock.
“N-no,” she stammered.
“Did he try?” Ian pressed, not sure why it was so important that he know the depths of Ricardo de la Cruz’s depravity.
A dark flush stained her cheeks, and her eyes glittered with anger.
“I doubt he’ll be able to use that part of his anatomy for a long while,” she said darkly.
A grin flirted with the edges of Braden’s mouth. Ian relaxed, unaware of just how tense he’d been until some of the edginess left him.
“Okay, so what exactly did he do?” Ian asked as he tended to a cut just below her left breast.
She let out a sigh. “Does it matter? I have no plans to get caught by him again. I wouldn’t have this time if you two hadn’t slowed me down.”
Braden winced. “We were only trying to help.”
She turned to look at Braden for a long while. “I’d like to believe that. Really, I would. But I still don’t know why you’re here. You say Gabe sent you. Why? You hint that someone else is after me, but I’ve spent all my time running from Ricardo.”
Ian absorbed that latest piece of information. He and Braden exchanged glances, and then Braden cleared his throat.
“Why don’t you get dressed, Katie. Then we can have that conversation we talked about.”
Ian raised one eyebrow in question.
“We worked out a trade,” Braden explained. “While you were…sleeping. She gives us information, and we give her the same.”
Katie wrapped the towel around her body and struggled to sit up. Ian put his hand behind her neck and helped her forward. His fingers lingered at her nape, drawn to the softness of her skin. Tiny little goose bumps prickled and raced across her flesh, and her muscles quivered beneath his palm.
She wasn’t immune to him any more than he was immune to her.
Unsure what to do with that realization, he pulled his hand away and let her get up from the bed. For a brief moment, she hesitated and looked back at him, her eyes wide with equal parts confusion and uncertainty.
Then she clutched the ends of the towel tighter around her and grabbed her bag before heading to the bathroom.
“I get the distinct impression that we’re not going to like what we hear,” Braden murmured. “What could she possibly have done to make a man treat her like he has?”
“Sometimes a woman doesn’t have to do anything,” Ian said with a growl. “Maybe he just couldn’t take no for an answer. Whatever the case, we need to get her the hell out of the country.”
“So we can use her,” Braden said in a low, dissatisfied voice.
“Do you see another way?” Ian kept his voice as low as Braden’s.
“Hell, Braden, I don’t like it either. She’s obviously had a shitty time, and God knows why Gabe left her alone, but do you really want to stay like this for the rest of your life? Half man, half wild animal with no control, no choice?”
He cupped his hand to the back of his head and rubbed up and down to the base of his neck in agitation.
“At least we’ll keep her safe. Hell, when was the last time you think she ate? Did you see how slim she is? She had, what, two hundred dollars on her? Yeah, we need her to draw out Esteban, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to throw her under the bus.”
Braden stared back at him, brief uncertainty flashing in his eyes before his lips drew together in a fine line. “No, I don’t want to be this way forever. But maybe…maybe we need to be realistic. There might not be a way to fix this, Ian.”
Chapter Thirteen
Katie took her time dressing as she pondered just how much to tell Ian and Braden. Of course how much she told them was solely dependent on what they told her. She still wasn’t convinced they weren’t full of shit.
Logic told her, not that she could be accused of being logical, that whoever they were, they weren’t involved with Ricardo. If so they would have hand-delivered her back into Ricardo’s hands when she’d escaped his house.
Instead they’d risked their lives to save her.
She frowned. No one did anything without reason, so what was theirs? What did they want with her? She didn’t buy that they were here simply because Gabe had sent them.
As much as she’d avoided the details surrounding Gabe’s death, she realized she needed to know. Somehow, as much it pained her, her wellbeing was inexorably tied to Ian and Braden.
With a quick frown, she shoved her still-damp hair behind her ears and smoothed her hands down her T-shirt. For good measure, she pulled on the zip-up hoodie and left it open in front. It gave her added warmth, and she didn’t feel quite as exposed.
She squared her shoulders, took a deep breath and opened the bathroom door. As she stepped out, she glanced over to the bed to see Braden still sprawled out, his long legs dangling off the end.
When he saw her, he rose up on one elbow and glanced at Ian who was standing by the window. Then he patted the space on the bed beside him.
She ignored the summons and took refuge in the only part of the room where she didn’t feel overwhelmed by their presence. She stopped a foot in front of the door, careful to keep it easily accessible.
“We’ll just go after you, Katie,” Ian said calmly.
She fidgeted nervously and refused to meet his gaze. Instead she focused on Braden. “Talk,” she said huskily. “Why did Gabe send you? What happened to him?”
“I’m not talking to you when you’re standing there looking the world like you’re going to run the minute we say something you don’t like,” Braden said. “We can sit down and discuss this without resorting to violence.”
She stood unmoving for several seconds before she grudgingly relented and walked over to the bed. She sat on the corner opposite Braden and still a decent distance from Ian. To her utter irritation, they closed in on her, flanking her on both sides.
“How often was Gabe in contact with you?” Ian asked.
She pressed her hands into her lap. “I asked you a question first.”
Braden grunted. “There are some not very nice people who are looking for you.”
“What was your first clue?” she asked snidely.
“These people make Ricardo de la Cruz look like a kindergartner,” Ian said
Fear fluttered in her chest and ran circles around her throat. “Why?” she croaked. “What people?”
Ian’s face darkened. “The people Gabe sold us out to.”
Katie shot to her feet.
“Ian, what the fuck?” Braden’s angry voice rose over the red haze circling Katie’s mind.
“She wanted the truth. She’s getting it.”
“You’re a liar,” she spat. “Gabe is intensely loyal. He wouldn’t betray his team.”
“For you he would,” Ian said calmly. “Sit down, Katie. You wanted to hear everything and I’m telling you.”
She stood there paralyzed by the utter conviction in Ian’s voice. For you he would. What did it mean?
She sank back onto the bed.
“Tell me,” she said hoarsely.
“Gabe sacrificed himself for us,” Braden said gently. “For Ian and I.”
She turned to stare at Braden. “But Ian just said he betrayed you.”
Braden grimaced. “He did. It’s complicated. There were threats…against you. Gabe was trying to protect you. In the end it didn’t matter because they were going after you anyway.”
“They used me to make Gabe betray you?” she asked in bewilderment. “How did they know anything about me?”
“We didn’t even know about you,” Ian said. “Why is that, Katie? Why were you such a big secret?”
A dark flush heated her cheeks. “Because of Ricardo,” she murmured.
“Ah yes, Ricardo. Why is he after you? Why does he want you so badly? Is it simply a case of obsession and unrequited love?”
Her temper flared, and like so many times in the past, she let her mouth get ahead of her brain.
“I think it has more to do with the fact that I killed his brother than me refusing his sexual advances, though neither won me any points with him.”
As soon as the words flew out she clamped her mouth shut in disgust. Bad judgment and rampant stupidity clung to her like stink on shit. After so long of playing it safe, of finally making smart decisions, of keeping horrible secrets and taking charge of her life, she’d risked it all by letting a man rattle her.
“You killed his brother?” Braden asked in disbelief. “Damn, Ian, I think I’m in love.”
She bolted off the bed and whirled around, rage choking her, closing off her airway like a giant fist had seized her neck. Tears of pure fury burned her eyes. “You think it’s a joke?”
The grin disappeared from his face about the time her fist connected with his mouth. His head snapped back, and he had to plant his hand into the mattress to keep from falling.
She was instantly on guard and yanked around to check Ian’s position. He held up his hands defensively.
“Don’t look at me. Have at it. The dumbass deserved it.”
She turned back to Braden to see him rubbing his jaw, a scowl darkening his face.
“So much for not resorting to violence,” he grumbled. “Don’t have much of a sense of humor, do you.”
“Braden, stop it,” Ian barked. “You’re upsetting her.”
Braden’s expression softened. “Sorry. I’ve never been accused of having tact.”
Katie backed away. She just wanted to be gone. She bumped into Ian, and his arms came around her to steady her. His cheek rested against her hair, and his breath blew lightly over her ear.
Warm. It was her first thought. He felt warm and solid. She waited for the panic to hit, but all she registered was the ripple of awareness deep in her belly.
She found herself being turned around in Ian’s arms. He gripped her shoulders loosely and stared intently into her eyes.
“Level with me, Katie. Why did you kill Ricardo’s brother, and do we need to be worried about the police being on our asses in addition to de la Cruz?”
She shook her head resolutely and drew her lips into a compressed line.
“We deserve to know what we’re up against,” he said.
“You’re not up against anything,” she said quietly. “I am.”
Ian shook his head. “Afraid not. We became involved when Gabe took a bullet meant for us and with his dying breath made us promise to protect you. Now you may not like it, and I’m sorry for that, but you don’t have a choice in the matter.”
She swallowed and then swallowed again, determined not to let emotion overrun her control. Gabe was still trying to look out for her even in death.
“Talk to me,” Ian whispered. �
��I’m not here to judge you. If he was anything like his bastard brother, I can see why you’d kill him.”
Her eyes watered and stung. She retreated, the backs of her knees bumping into the bed. Her hands flew to her face to cover the surge of tears as she slowly sank down.
“I’ve made so many mistakes,” she whispered.
A gentle hand crept over her shoulder, and she realized it was Braden. He’d scooted up beside her and sat mere inches away.
“We’ve all made mistakes, Katie.”
“And what if trusting you is yet another mistake?” she asked. “My instincts never lead me right.”
“And what are your instincts saying about us?” Ian prompted.
She glanced up to see him towering over her. “Not to trust you.”
“Well then if you can’t trust your instincts, and they’re telling you not to trust us, then I’d say maybe you need to do just that.”
“That’s twisted,” she muttered.
“Yeah, it is,” Braden agreed. “I like it.”
“Look at us as the lesser of two evils then,” Ian said patiently. “Whether you trust us or not, we need the whole story, Katie. You owe us that much at least.”
She went back and forth, the panic of her decision buzzing in her head like bees on speed. She swallowed back the edge of fear and took a deep breath.
“You didn’t know about me—no one knew about me—because Gabe didn’t know about me until I was a teenager. We had different fathers, and our mother wasn’t stellar parent material. She ditched Gabe when he was young. She ditched me when I was ten.
“I got into trouble when I was sixteen, and the cops tracked Gabe down. I’m still not sure how. He was just about to enter the service, so he didn’t have a whole hell of a lot of time to play big brother or try to straighten my ass out.
“He took me home, told me I could stay or leave but he wouldn’t be around to drag me back or bail me out of jail.”
“Sounds like Gabe,” Braden said dryly. “Not a very warm and fuzzy guy.”
“He was fine,” she said fiercely. “I didn’t need or want warm and fuzzy.”
“So he joined up. What then?” Ian asked impatiently.