Vote Then Read: Volume II

by Lauren Blakely

  When Jake spoke to her once more, his gaze was intense, his words clear and precise. “Are you listening to me, Olivia?”

  What was he doing? And why did he keep saying her name like that? Olivia wished like hell she could ask him.

  “Everything is going to be okay, Olivia.”

  One final time, Jake lowered and raised his eyes. He was trying to tell her something…but what?

  Her mind worked overtime to figure out what he wanted her to do. It was hard to think, though, when she could barely get any air into her lungs.

  Dark spots were beginning to flash all around her. If Jake didn’t do something soon, she was going to pass out.

  That’s it!

  Olivia’s pulse spiked when she realized exactly what he was telling her. Without a second’s hesitation, she closed her eyes and let her entire body go limp. In his struggle to keep hold of her, Shorty inadvertently moved his gun from her head, giving Jake the chance he needed.

  A loud boom thundered through the air, and Olivia felt something warm and wet splatter against her face. She collapsed to the ground under Shorty’s weight.

  “Olivia!”

  Wiggling the bottom half of her body, she tried to roll out from beneath the dead man. She was still struggling when suddenly, the crushing weight was gone.

  Olivia tried to push herself up, but then Jake was there, helping her to her feet. He untied her, then began running his hands frantically over her body, checking for injuries.

  “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

  She shook her head. “N-no. He didn't h-hurt me.”

  Relief filled Jake’s face. “Thank God.”

  Pulling her into his arms, he enveloped her with his warm embrace. They stood like that for several seconds, gripping each other tightly, neither wanting to let go.

  Minutes later, Jake stepped back just enough to get a good look at her. He raised his hand, and she flinched, instantly regretting the movement.

  Understanding filled his eyes as he gently wiped Shorty’s blood from her cheek. “You’re safe now, sweetheart. I promise.” Then, he kissed her.

  When they finally broke apart, Olivia couldn’t help but ask, “Is it really over, Jake?”

  He cupped her face. “Yeah, baby. It's really over.”

  The words had no more left his lips when they heard multiple male voices coming from the trees to her right. Olivia’s heart sank, thinking more of Cetro’s men had found them.

  They were coming for her. Would kill them both when they saw what Jake had done to the other two men. Fear and anger bubbled up inside, and she’d had all she could take.

  I'm so over this bullshit! Olivia didn’t think about what she did next. She simply acted.

  Determined to take out as many of the bastards as she could, Olivia reached down and snatched the gun from Shorty’s lifeless hand. She turned toward the sound and raised it out in front of her, ready to shoot.

  Three shadowy figures stepped out from between the trees. Olivia started to squeeze the trigger, but Jake’s hand whipped up, grabbing hers at the very last second.

  “Olivia, no!”

  Startled, she looked first at him, then back toward the other men. The one with shaggy blond hair sauntered toward them as if he didn’t have a care in the world. He looked at the two bodies on the ground and back at Jake.

  Whistling between his teeth, he lowered his gun to his side. “Cutting it a little close there, huh, boss?”

  Boss? She swung her gaze to Jake’s again, praying she'd heard right.

  Taking the gun from her trembling hands, Jake flipped on the safety and shoved it into his waistband at the small of his back. His lips curved.

  “It’s alright, sweetheart. They’re the good guys.”

  Olivia was still processing exactly what those words meant when Jake added, “See? Trevor's here.”

  She turned and saw Trevor standing with the other two. Like them, he held a very large gun at his side. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t recognized him right away. Oh, God. I almost shot him!

  Trevor smiled. “Hey, Olivia. I gotta say, it's damn good to see you, girl.”

  “H-hi.” She tried to smile. Instead, her face crumbled, and she burst into tears.

  “Ah, baby. Come here.” Jake pulled her back into his arms.

  With her face buried against his chest, Olivia’s entire body shook as everything hit her all at once. After a few embarrassing minutes, she pulled herself together and backed out of Jake’s arms.

  Wiping her face dry with her hands, she whispered, “I’m sorry.”

  Looking as though he wanted to throttle her, Jake spoke low, his words only for her. “You don’t ever apologize to me. Not for this. You hear me?”

  Warmth spread through her chest, and for the first time since leaving the cave, Olivia felt something other than fear. “Yeah, Jake. I hear you.”

  His eyes softened, and he gave her a smile. “Good. Now, what do you say we get the hell out of here?”

  Finally able to breathe again, Olivia smiled back. “Okay.”

  Jake linked his fingers with hers, his thumb caressing the skin on the back of her hand. It was a small gesture, but to her, it meant everything.

  After weeks of living in hell, it was finally over. Jake’s team had found them, and they were going home. The rest was simply too much to deal with, so Olivia chose to focus on what mattered.

  With a sideways glance, she couldn't help but wonder where she and Jake would go from here.

  Hand-in-hand, they walked toward the three men. Like Jake, the others were dressed in black cargo pants, boots, and t-shirts. They even had matching backpacks.

  If she wasn’t still reeling from nearly dying just a few minutes earlier, Olivia probably would have made some joke about them looking like a super-soldier boy band.

  Trevor and the blond were still smiling back at her and Jake. The other one—the bigger one—just stared. His cold-as-stone expression made her nervous, but if Jake trusted him, she figured she could, too.

  “Guys, meet Olivia Bradshaw.” Jake turned to Olivia. “Liv, this is my team. Well, part of it. This is Derek West, the computer specialist I told you about, and Grant Hill, our explosives expert. Of course, you already know Trevor.”

  “Ah, talkin’ about me to your lady, boss? I’m honored.” Derek greeted her with a nod, “Ma’am.”

  His sandy-blond hair was a bit unruly, but it somehow worked for him. He reminded her of a surfer-slash-cowboy. The guy’s nose had obviously been broken at some point, and his eyes were a bit on the small side, but he was still nice-looking, in his own way. The smile reflected in his eyes seemed so genuine, he immediately put Olivia at ease.

  Trevor stood to Derek’s left. Olivia remembered meeting him that first time and thinking he was almost too handsome, if there was such a thing. His dark eyes were round and beautiful, his nose near perfect, and his strong jaw and chin had just enough scruff on it to be sexy.

  Trevor’s dark, brown hair was cropped short on the sides and back, but the top was a little longer. Even now, after traipsing through the humid jungle, there didn’t appear to be a single one out of place.

  He slung his weapon over his shoulder and opened his arms, but made no further movement toward her. Olivia’s heart swelled a little when she realized he was giving her the choice to either accept or deny the gesture.

  Tears began to well up again, but she fought against them. Stepping closer, she wrapped her arms around his narrow waist and squeezed. “Hey, Trev.”

  He hugged her back. “Hey, honey. I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  After a few more seconds, she ended the hug and found herself pulled against Jake’s side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, lazily running his hand up and down her bare skin. Olivia leaned into him, her head resting against his chest.

  The third man, Grant, was still just staring. He was a little shorter than Jake, but not much. And the man was built.

  The others were all ripped, too,
but this guy was nothing but a wall of muscle. Not in a steroid-induced, obsessive bodybuilder kind of way. Just enough to set him apart from the others.

  His light brown hair was cut very short, and while Trevor’s and Jake’s scruffy jaws made them appear sexy, Grant’s only added to the stay-the-hell-away-from-me vibes he was putting off. His eyes were a light blue, the color just this side of grey, and there was an unyielding darkness there.

  Grant looked at her, his face expressionless as he gave her a slight tip of his head. Apparently, it was the only greeting she was going to get. Okay, then.

  Olivia straightened her shoulders and did her best to smile at the two men she didn’t know. “It’s nice to meet you. I know it doesn’t even come close to being enough, but thank you. For helping me, and for having Jake’s back.” Jake’s arm squeezed her to his side a little more.

  Derek spoke up, his drawl adding to his easy-going personality. “Nice to meet you, too. Sorry it had to be under these circumstances.” He motioned toward the two men Jake had been forced to kill.

  Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it.

  Sensing her distress, Jake started forward, guiding her as he moved. The others fell in line with them.

  “So, aside from the obvious, what the hell happened?” Trevor asked as they finally walked away from it all.

  Jake kept the palm of his hand on Olivia’s back. It was almost as if he couldn’t stop touching her. Not that she was going to complain.

  “Long story. I’ll fill you in, and then you can tell me how you managed to find us. I’m assuming you called Ryker?”

  Trevor’s face bunched, “Yeah. He’s pretty pissed.”

  “I’ll deal with him.”

  Jake glanced down at Olivia and winked, but she wasn’t really following the conversation. All she wanted was a long, hot shower, and a week’s worth of sleep. Maybe two.

  She looked back up at Jake as he continued talking to his team. His words faded out as Olivia thought about the way he’d been with her in the cave before Shorty and Mateo had shown up. How he’d risked his life to keep his promise and free them both from those two monsters. And the way he’d pulled her into his arms and kissed her afterward.

  He was so strong. So brave. Despite everything that had happened to them, Olivia’s lower body began to stir. Okay, so maybe there’s one more thing I want.

  Jake turned and caught her eye. His brow lifted. “You okay?”

  “Yeah,” she said, surprised when the word came out all husky. Damn. She really had zero control when it came to this man.

  Jake gave her a slow, knowing smile and winked again before turning back to the conversation with his team. Olivia looked at the four men surrounding her. She’d never felt more grateful—or protected—in her life.

  Trevor glanced down at her feet. “I’ll take a look at those when we get to the hotel. We’ll get them cleaned up, and I’ll get you started on some antibiotics, too.”

  When she looked to Jake for understanding, he smiled and said, “Trev’s not just a hired gun, Liv. He’s also our medic.”

  Jake had originally introduced Trevor to her as one of his military buddies. When she’d probed for specifics about what his job was, Trevor had given her the same song and dance Jake had. Former active duty, a few tours overseas, and then a desk jockey.

  Trevor gave her an apologetic smile, and Olivia surprised herself by chuckling and shaking her head. At this point, she couldn’t care less that they’d both lied about their jobs.

  “A fellow medical professional, huh? Well, I’ll let you take a look, but not until after I’ve had a shower.

  Three of the men chuckled at that. Grant kept stoically quiet, and Olivia was struck with an odd sense of sadness for a man she didn’t even know. Something had happened to make him this hardened warrior, and Olivia found herself hoping one day, she’d get the chance to see him smile.

  The next hour passed by in a blur. They finally reached the helicopter, and not a minute too soon. Jake strapped her in before taking the seat beside her. She couldn’t keep from moaning at the glorious feeling of sitting down on an actual cushioned seat. Within minutes, they were airborne.

  Staring out the opening on the helicopter’s side, Olivia knew she’d never been happier to leave a place behind. She’d just leaned her head back against the padded seat and closed her eyes when Jake’s strong, calloused hand found hers. He rested their joined hands on his thigh, and they sat like that for the remainder of their trip.

  Jake had given her a set of headphones after they’d taken off, and she half-listened as he finished filling his team in on everything. Well, almost everything. Thankfully, he left out the specifics about what they were doing when those two men found them in the cave.

  The steady thump, thump, thump of the helicopter’s motor was oddly soothing, and soon, Olivia started to doze. She still managed to pick up bits and pieces of the guys’ conversation, like the part about their teammate who’d been injured.

  Coop had been shot in the leg, but had already been treated back in the States for the through and through. He was recuperating at home with their other teammate, Mac, there to help.

  When Trevor told Jake that Mac was making sure Coop followed doctor’s orders, Olivia heard a few low chuckles. She wondered what that was all about, but was too exhausted to ask.

  A while later, the chopper bounced, startling her awake. Jake squeezed her hand a little tighter, and she turned to find him looking at her as if she were about to shatter.

  “Okay?”

  She stared at him a moment longer before turning her head toward his team. Derek was at the controls, Grant was in the other front seat, and Trevor sat across from Jake. “I will be,” she looked back to Jake. “Thanks to all of you.”

  He brought her hand to his mouth and pressed his lips against it. That whole, heart-skipping-a-beat cliché? Turns out it’s not a cliché after all. Their eyes locked, and Olivia knew she was staring into her future.

  A short time later, the chopper landed in a small field. When Jake helped her climb out, she saw a white, van waiting for them on a gravel road just a few yards away. She didn’t bother to ask where it came from.

  A man who appeared to be local drove. Grant sat in the front passenger seat, and Olivia was nestled snugly between Trevor and Jake in the middle seat. Derek sat in the center of the third row with his arms stretched out to his sides.

  He looked relaxed, as if they were on a Sunday drive, but she knew better. No one actually came out and said it, but from the way she was surrounded, Olivia suspected they were all still very much in protective mode.

  The driver spoke up, his Hispanic accent thick. “The motel you will be staying at is not far, now.”

  To Jake, Olivia asked, “We aren’t staying at the one you told me about?”

  “Senior Ryker instructed me to make other arrangements for you,” the driver answered for him. “He did not want the men returning to the same place as before. So as not to draw attention to yourselves. Also, the rooms are accessible from the outside, just as he requested. Will make it easier to get the woman in and out without being seen.”

  Apparently, this was a good thing because Jake nodded his approval. Olivia tilted her head up to him, her question showing in her eyes.

  “The world still thinks you’re dead, sweetheart. For the time being, we’d like to keep it that way. At least until we’re stateside.”

  She must not have done a very good job at hiding her concern, because he ran the knuckles of his free hand down her cheek and said, “It’s just a precaution.”

  Their driver pulled next to a small store and stopped. Olivia glanced out one of the tinted windows. There was a square building with a handful of freestanding clothes racks positioned along the front walkway. From what she could see through the propped-open door, the place had a little bit of everything.

  Trevor turned to her and asked, “What size are you?”

  Unlike most women, Olivia wasn’t
worried about what the men might think. She was healthy and toned, with curves she wasn’t ashamed of. She knew she’d never be a size two, and was perfectly fine with that.

  “Six. Sometimes an eight, depending on how it’s made.”

  Trevor gave her a once-over. “I’m guessing you may have dropped a size since coming here. We’ll get you something to sleep in and a change of clothes. His eyes found her still-bound feet. “What about shoes? I’m guessing you’re a seven?”

  She couldn’t help but grin. “And a half. Impressive.” He patted her knee in a big-brother sort of way. “I don’t know what sort of selection they’ll have, but I’m sure I can find you something more comfortable than Jake’s ratty clothes.”

  Olivia scoffed, “As long as I have access to running water and an actual bed, I’ll sleep naked for all I care.”

  The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, and the look on the men’s faces sent a rush of blood to her cheeks. Derek, who was now leaning over the back of her seat between her shoulder and Jake’s, gave her a smile that would make most women’s mouths water.

  Trevor tried to hide his smirk as he shifted toward the door, and Jake…Jake’s brows shot up with a look of surprise, which was quickly replaced with something more. Olivia found it impossible to tear her eyes away from his.

  Clearing his throat, Trevor muttered, “Be right back,” as he and Derek exited the van and headed into the small store.

  Jake’s fingers ran across the top of her arm. “How are you feeling?”

  She held back a shudder from his touch. “Okay. A little achy, but that’s to be expected.”

  “I’ll make sure Trevor gives you something for the pain.”

  “Ibuprofen will be fine.”

  “He has something stronger if you need it.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t want to be loopy. Besides, I have a feeling I won’t need any help getting to sleep.” On cue, a huge, unattractive yawn hit. Olivia quickly covered her mouth.

  Jake’s lips turned up. “We’re almost there. You can get cleaned up, put some real food in your belly, and get some well-deserved rest.”

  As promised, Trevor and Derek returned after only a brief absence. They settled back into their seats, and Trevor handed her a large, plastic bag.