by Nana Malone
I was going to focus on getting Mayzie the hell out of there, and then I would freak out.
I reached the gate and shoved until it opened. Willa went through first. I followed with Mayzie, and Jax was behind me. We shimmied through the opening and then closed the gate.
"Run!" Jax said in a commanding voice.
He had his flashlight out and showed me the path. "Come on, let's go." He took my hand and dragged me behind him. There was no careful, quiet track now. This was a full-on run for our lives. And boy did I run. Everything felt slower because I had Mayzie strapped to my chest and my pack on my back, but I did my best to keep up. And Jax didn't let us fall far behind. There were times where I felt like he was literally dragging me off my feet behind him. It was the longest half-mile I'd ever run in my life. When we reached the car, it looked like some muscle car. I didn't know what it was exactly, but I thought it was a Dodge. I recognized the emblem.
He dragged the tarp off of it and unlocked my side. "You're going to have to hold her. There is no car seat. I'll solve that later."
I nodded numbly and unstrapped her from my body. Then I climbed in, put her on my lap and tugged the seatbelt over us.
Jax jumped into the driver’s seat, started the car, and gunned the engine. Willa was crouched in the back, watching the woods as if she was waiting for the boogeyman.
Jax hit the gas, and we started to roll at an alarming speed. And just in time, because someone ran through where we’d just come from, emerging from the blackness that was the forest.
But Jax was screeching out of there. As soon as we came out of the woods, we locked onto a road and headed east.
It wasn't until we’d been driving a good five minutes at a breakneck speed that I started to breathe again, unaware that I'd been holding my breath the whole time. "Who the hell were those guys?"
"I don't know. But the safehouse was compromised. We'll have to take our chances at a hotel."
"Oh, okay. Whatever you say."
He slid me a glance and then a wry smirk. "I feel like this is the first time you have ever uttered such a phrase in your entire life."
"You wouldn't be wrong."
He flicked his gaze to Willa. “Don’t think you’re getting out of this. You have a lot of explaining to do.”
Jax…
What in the name of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph was going on? Willa freaking MacKenzie was in the back of the car. Alive. And from the looks of it she wasn’t a reanimated zombie.
She’d also brought armed heat on her tail.
She kept looking behind us. But I had to wonder if it was real fear or contrived?
I drove them to the next ferry landing, then we hopped another ferry to Lords Island. Only then did I think it was safe enough to stop. How was it that I was on plan B already?
Something had gone very fucking wrong. How the fuck had Willa MacKenzie known how to find us? And who were those armed men? Had they been following her, or were they fucking independents?
I had to resist the urge to shake her and demand answers. Safety first. Neela and Mayzie were my priorities. Once the ferry landed us on Lords Island, I reached into Neela’s go bag and pulled out some clothes. Then I turned to Willa. “Strip.”
Her eyes went wide. There was something I couldn’t read in them. Was it fear? Disdain? Lust? “You’re kidding.”
“Jax. What the hell?” Neela’s gaze was ping-ponging our exchange.
“She turns up out of the blue with arseholes with guns on her tail. So we’re going to need answers, like who were they and how did they follow her. Maybe she’s for real and she really did run for her life. I’m not taking chances either way that she has a tracker on.”
Willa didn’t move.
Then I pulled out my gun. “You can strip and hand over your phone and jewelry, or I can shoot you. Either way, my problem is solved.”
Neela’s gasp was soft, but it felt like I had swallowed needles. I didn’t want to hurt Willa, but I would do anything necessary to protect Neela and Mayzie.
Willa put her hands up. “Okay. Okay. Relax.” She handed me her phone.
I tossed it onto the ground then crushed it under my boot.
“Clothes. Now.”
She stripped and changed in record time. Then I tossed all her possessions into the water and we got back in the car. “Happy?” She glowered at me.
“Immensely.” I didn’t give two fucks about Willa. Neela was my concern. She was quiet, and her breathing was shallow. Mayzie had begun to stir, and Neela’s hands had been trembling when she patted her back to quiet her.
There was nothing but silence on the way to the hotel. Neela was likely having an acute anxiety attack. Willa, I couldn’t make out.
Worse, I needed to check in. I wasn’t the only one who’d gotten the perimeter breach alerts. When we stopped I’d check in. But I wouldn’t be telling them where we were.
I trusted my team. I did. But we had a leak somewhere. Maybe an unintentional one, but still. Willa had known exactly where to find us. So had the armed goons.
I certainly wasn't using another safe house again. That way, if the leak was internal, nobody would know where we were.
When we reached the hotel, I took Willa with me to check in. That way I knew she couldn’t alert anyone to our location. Instead of using cards, I paid with cash.
I was able to secure us a suite with three bedrooms. I’d roll the cot into the smallest room for Mayzie. It was more expensive, and we'd only be able to stay there for a week, maybe two, but I hoped that everything would resolve by then, and I'd slap Ariel with a fat-ass expense report.
As soon as we were in the suite, Willa reached to take Mayzie from Neela, but I stepped between them. “Oh no you don’t. We’re going to talk, but not now. Neela has had enough, and Mayzie needs to sleep. First thing in the morning we’re getting the whole story of your bloody resurrection.”
“But I just want to hold my baby.”
The hell I was going to let that happen. “And you will. After I ascertain the truth. It’s three o’clock in the morning, so we’ll all get some shut eye. Then we’ll talk.”
“Who the fuck died and put you in charge?”
“You actually. Now, that’s you over there. I’ll be on watch, so don’t get any funny ideas.”
Willa tried to look around me to Neela, but I blocked her path. “You don’t look at her. You look at me.”
She rolled her eyes and held up her hands. “Fine. You’re in charge, big man.”
With Willa in her room and Mayzie in hers, I ran my security protocols, getting cameras up and sensors on the windows. In the morning, I’d tap into the security feed using the black box Ariel had given me.
Neela came out of Mayzie's room. "Are you okay?"
Her question was soft, timid, as if she was afraid to talk to me. "Yeah, I'm fine. How's Mayzie? And how are you? You should be resting." I stood to try and corral her back to the bedroom.
"Mayzie’s fine. You know babies, she slept through the whole thing. She'll wake up in the next town and have no idea what even happened."
"Kids are resilient. They bounce. I promise."
"Yeah, but how high a bounce?"
"You're still freaked out?"
She nodded solemnly. “I should be happy that Willa is back, but instead, I’m scared. Terrified, actually. I've never seen anything like that. Do you—Do you think those men are gone?"
Of all the questions I thought she'd ask, that was probably not at the top of the list. "I don't know. Maybe. I don't usually go for kill shots unless I'm fired at first. But they had a chance and they didn't take it."
"Good."
My brows lifted. "Are you okay? You look a little shell-shocked."
She shook her head. "I don't know. I knew that Mayzie was in danger. Possibly me too. And then Willa walked in. My brain couldn't compute. Next thing I knew, men were shooting. Real guns. For what?"
"Very likely the ledger or money, but they won't find either one. Y
ou know I'm not going to let anything happen to you, right?"
She nodded. "I know. I just—"
I closed the laptop and stood. I slowly approached her and held out my hand. "Come here."
She stared at my hand for a long moment and then stood as well, placing her hand in mine. "Look at me. I want to check your pulse and make sure you're not in shock. Just keep talking to me."
"It's weird that I have nothing to say. I'm just— How do you do it?"
"It's a lot of training. The alarms went off, which is the reason you happen to be here in this place."
"I'm so scared. I had Mayzie in my arms and... I was just so scared."
I knew I shouldn't. I knew I was asking for trouble. I knew touching her again was going to mess with my head. But I couldn't watch her like this and not do something to help. I pulled her in close, and wrapped my arms around her, placing my chin on her head. "I promise you, you'll be okay. Take a nice deep breath. You're fine. I have you."
After several minutes, I could see the tension ease off of her shoulders. "You saved our lives."
"I certainly hope so. That is the job description."
"All this time I've been so caught up. I just—"
"This is a perfectly normal reaction. Don't be mad at yourself."
"I just don't know what to do."
I held her until more tension eased off of her. She pulled back and blinked up at me. "Thank you."
"You don't need to thank me."
Her gaze darted to my lips, and my body tightened. I knew she was still mad. I knew there was no way in hell she wanted me. And whatever the hell dream she’d been having before we made our escape, it was long gone, if she even remembered it. That didn't stop me though. As her gaze pinned on my lips and hers parted in a request, I knew I was going to lose my mind.
I watched her mouth as she nibbled the corner, like she did when she was nervous. Full and ripe, her lips invited me to taste them. Rolling my shoulders to loosen the tension, I closed the gap between us. I could ask for forgiveness later, but now, all I wanted to do was taste her again.
Before I dipped my head, I flexed and unflexed the hand at her waist, giving her a moment to walk away. But she didn’t. Her lips parted, and the tip of her delicate pink tongue peeked out, moistening her bottom lip.
Body tense, I reached for her, massaging the back of her neck and her waist. “Neela.” We stood like that for several moments as I worked the tension out of the back of her neck. I reveled in the feel of her delicate skin beneath my hands.
In the instant before our lips met, our breath commingled, and I could feel the energy ebbing from her. What was meant to be a soft, testing kiss, immediately changed to a more urgent one the moment her tongue met with mine
My blood ran thick and hot. The roaring in my skull a primal scream of need and desire. I deepened the kiss. Nella whimpered, her pliant body pressing into me, and I shifted my hand from her waist to her arse, palming it and pressing her closer.
If I’d ever had any fucks, I’d lost them now. She was letting me kiss her, and I was going to make it the best I could.
I brought my hands up from her waist to cup her face. “Neela.”
She mumbled something unintelligible into my mouth. I didn’t want to stop. Couldn’t think of a reason to stop, so I nipped her ripe lower lip.
She rewarded me with a moan and wiggle, effectively rubbing her belly along the length of me. My erection surged and struggled for freedom from the confines of my pants. Reflexively, my hand clenched in her hair. Instinct and need clouded every rational thought to take it slow.
She responded by raking a hand up from the base of my neck through my hair. The action sent sharp tingles to each of my nerves. Straining for control, I ripped my lips from hers, using the hand tangled in her hair to hold her motionless.
I tightened my grip in her hair as my dick threatened to explode. “Do. Not. Move.”
Her own harsh breaths mingled with her husky words as her heavy, lust-lidded eyes fluttered open. “I’m s—sorry, I—”
“Shh. Trying—get—control.” My inability to form cohesive sentences surprised me. I’d been with plenty of women, but none of them ever made me feel like I had an electric current connected to my dick. I dragged in another breath.
“Why?”
More throbbing. My damn dick was going to all off. “Damn it, Neela—”
She silenced me by licking my bottom lip before she suckled it. My reaction was instant. In a swift movement, both hands scooped down over her arse, cupping it and then picking her up.
I braced her against the wall, just like the first time we’d made love, and adjusted her position so that my cock was directly situated against her.
She tasted like vanilla and strawberries, a decadent treat. At first, her tongue was tentative, and then her arms looped around my neck hard. Then she attached herself to me, kissing me back with all the ferocity that I was kissing her. My hands slid into her hair and angled her head just the way I liked it, so I could dive in deep with my tongue. I wanted to taste her, make her feel better.
All of a sudden it was like the kingdom of Heaven hadn't been close to me, and the one I couldn't see clearly was right in front of my eyes, and she was meeting me slide for slide, stroke for stroke and she wanted me too.
But then, just as suddenly as she kissed me, she pressed her hands against my chest. She was pushing me back. I tore my lips from hers. "What?"
"Make love to me."
Hell, yes.
Fuck, no. Geeze.
"Neela, I want you more than I should. More than makes any sense. But what you're asking for right now, it's not real. It's because you're scared. Something terrifying happened to you, and you don't know what to make of it. You want to feel alive right now because everything else is too scary. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything, but I can't."
She blinked at me thrice. "You're saying no?"
I cleared my throat and released her. "Believe me, it pains me more than it pains you. But not like this. I want you to want me because of me. Not because you want to feel alive and you're scared. If you're scared, I can help you. I can help you feel safer. But let's not do this because of that."
She sighed and leaned back. "Oh my God, what in the world did I just do?"
"Neela, wait."
But she was already running from me. Again.
Nine
Neela…
I’d kissed him. Like an idiot.
I’d been keyed up and raw and tired and—
And you wanted to climb that man like a tree.
Fine, yes. I’d wanted him. And he’d been there, holding me, wrapping me in the warm, safe cocoon of his arms.
So I’d kissed him. I shook my head still trying to get my brain around it. I was pissed at him. Hurt by him. So why the hell had I thought kissing his stupid soft mouth would fix anything?
I didn’t know when I’d fallen asleep. I’d been wound so tight after that kiss.
Mayzie had woken up, and I’d finally managed to get her back to sleep. I knew I shouldn’t have let her sleep in bed with me, but after our midnight run, I wanted her close.
I wanted to hold onto her until Willa claimed her again.
Jax was in the living room on the couch. He’d wanted to watch Willa’s room, which was honestly ridiculous.
Except, how the hell had she found us? And where the hell had she been all month? I wanted to be happy to see her… I did. Mayzie had her mom back. But this was Willa. The only way this ended was with me unhappy.
In the end I barely slept. I was up with the sun, and so it seemed were Mayzie and Jax.
My only warning was the soft knock before he barged into my room to get her when she woke. “You know, you’re not actually her manny. You don’t have to jump with every little cry. I can handle it.”
He watched me warily. “I know. It’s sort of a habit now. Besides, Mayzie May and I sort of have a short hand.”
The door to the
other room opened and I stiffened.
As usual, he took notice and knew just what I needed. “Why don’t you grab a shower. I’ll feed Mayzie. When you’re feeling refreshed, you can tackle the other stuff.”
Just when I wanted to keep hating him, he said something sweet.
After a shower, I stalked into the living room ready to face everything.
"Jesus Christ, Willa."
Her smile was saucy. Her hair was freshly washed, and she looked as beautiful as always. "In the flesh. So, I guess you want me to explain."
“Yeah, I mean, you’re fucking alive. So maybe start there.”
Jax scowled at Willa from the kitchen, holding Mayzie protectively.
"Jax, it's okay."
His gaze didn't even waver. "No, it is bloody well not. Until we get some explanations, nothing is okay. She shouldn't have known where we were. Therefore, she can't be trusted.''
I swallowed hard. He had a point, but still. "She is Mayzie's mother. She wouldn’t hurt her."
He lifted a brow, and I could almost see the cocky, sardonic grin that wanted to break out. "Yeah, so you're telling me you’re okay with the zombie in the room?"
"Oh my God, zombies can't talk. Everyone knows that."
Willa was far less amused by our exchange. “You two done flirting now?” She slid him a glance, rolled her eyes, and then her gaze darted back to me. "Where did you pick him up from?"
"Well, your lawyer, Mr. Bipps, insisted that I needed security. He came with the package."
She nodded. "Yeah, I insisted on it."
"First of all, why? And second of all, thanks for not giving me any choice."
"Look, the people that were after me, I didn't know if they'd come after Mayzie. I had to protect her.”
"Jax, give us a minute, please."
He scowled, but then took Mayzie and her cereal into her room.
Willa took that opportunity to slide her gaze all over him. "When I said security, I didn't know that they were going to be hot, or I would have hired them myself. Jesus."