by Maya Banks
before the parking lot incident, healing him had sapped her of any remaining energy. Thank God he’d found her before someone else did.
But she merely snuggled deeper into the covers, burrowing her head into the mound of pillows in his bed. Unable to resist the urge, he slid closer to her and carefully wrapped an arm around her slight body, pulling her into his much larger frame. She sighed as his body heat enveloped her, and she wiggled closer to him as if wanting or at least needing his warmth and the security and safety he’d promised her.
She moved her head from the pillow and nestled it against his chest, her hair tickling his nose as her scent washed over him. It was a gesture of trust even if she wasn’t cognizant of it. Or maybe she’d just been devoid of any kind of human touch, tenderness and gentleness for so long that she was drawn to it.
He settled in, pulling her closer until they were skin to skin, and he closed his eyes thinking he was fucked. Well and truly fucked. He should be putting distance between them. There was too much he didn’t know and he couldn’t afford to make assumptions. That wasn’t the man he was. He was a man who dealt with cold, hard facts. The truth. Not supposition or maybes. Assuming anything in his line of work could get him killed.
She felt right against him. So small and fragile, and it riled his protective instincts like nothing ever had. He couldn’t resist touching and caressing her baby-fine skin even as he felt like an asshole for taking advantage of her when she was sleeping.
His fingers ran lightly up and down her arm and then up to stroke her long, curly hair. She brought him contentment, which was ridiculous considering the very real danger they were all in and the fact that he knew nothing about her. She could belong to someone else.
His mood immediately blackened. If she belonged to someone else, then they didn’t deserve her and they damn sure weren’t protecting her and taking care of her like they should. No matter what used to be, she was his now and even as he knew that was an arrogant, presumptuous statement, he also knew it was true.
He was interrupted from his thoughts by a light knock on his door.
“Eliza and Wade are here,” Zeke called in a low tone.
Reluctantly, Isaac extricated himself, already missing her warmth and softness. Oh yeah, he was fucked in a big way. But his first priority was keeping her safe. Anything else was secondary to that. Even the way he felt about her.
Hopefully she’d remain asleep until he could hammer out a plan with Eliza and Sterling. Then and only then would he awaken her and lay it out. And hope to hell she wouldn’t resist him becoming a very permanent fixture in her life.
He was a man who knew what he wanted and never hesitated to go after it, and he wasn’t about to change the way he lived his life now. This woman was his and her future was linked with his. It wouldn’t be easy. He didn’t expect it to be, but nothing good ever came easy and he wasn’t about to let her go without one hell of a fight, and he never lost.
SIX
ISAAC returned quietly into the bedroom to see that his girl was still asleep. Except she wasn’t as deeply under as he’d left her. She was restless, tossing and turning, and when he saw the silent streams of tears sliding down her pale, bruised cheeks, his chest tightened to the point of pain.
With no hesitation and giving no thought as to whether he should, he pulled back the covers and slid into bed next to her. He wrapped his arms around her and tucked her head beneath his chin. She trembled even in sleep, and he’d give anything in the world to be able to prevent the fear he knew she felt every hour of every day.
It was instinctual. He didn’t even consider what he was doing when he pressed his lips to her soft curls. He wanted to stay this way and simply enjoy holding her in his arms, but they didn’t have time. She didn’t have time.
Reluctantly he pulled away, putting distance between them. He slid his hand over her shoulder, gently shaking her.
“Baby, I need you to wake up. Can you do that for me?”
Her brow furrowed and her eyelids fluttered as though they were too heavy to open. Her mouth pursed and then fear chased across her features as she tensed beneath his touch.
“Hey,” he said softly. “I won’t hurt you. Nothing will ever hurt you again. I need you to believe that. Now can you open your eyes so we can talk?”
She went rigid and pulled away, her eyes slowly opening, but it gutted him when her gaze settled on him and panic swamped her entire face. She immediately began scrambling backward on the bed.
He shackled her wrist to prevent her from falling off the other side of the bed and swore when his action only seemed to alarm her more.
“Honey, listen to me. I’m never going to hurt you, and if you keep moving away you’re going to wind up on the floor on the other side of the bed. We need to talk. Nothing more. Can you trust me enough to do that?”
She nibbled nervously on her bottom lip, and he’d never been more tempted to suck that lip between his and soothe the damage she was currently doing to it. And he still didn’t even know her name, much less her story.
Patience was not one of his stronger virtues. Hell, it wasn’t even in his vocabulary, but he knew he’d have to go slow and pull on every reserve he possessed not to overwhelm her and start demanding the answers he needed.
To his satisfaction, she scooted over a few inches so she wasn’t about to take a fall, and she sat up against the pillows behind her. She looked nervously at him and he released her wrist. Not because he wanted to, but because he needed her to know she could trust him and that he wouldn’t do a damn thing she was uncomfortable with.
“How did I get here?” she asked in a small voice. “Where am I?”
“You’re safe,” he said firmly. “As to how you got here, we found my SUV in a wooded area with you passed out in the backseat. You’ve been out for hours and you were an easy target there, parked in the open, unconscious. Anyone could have found you and taken you. I’m just thankful as hell that I found you first.”
“Why?” she whispered.
Her response enraged him. It took everything he had not to explode on the spot. Jesus, but this woman evidently was so used to no one giving one fuck about her that she was genuinely perplexed as to why someone would actually want to help her. That someone would care.
“You saved me,” he growled. “You put yourself at great risk to save someone you didn’t even know, and there was no way in hell I was going to leave you to whatever those fuckers who are after you have planned for you.”
Tears filled her eyes and she hastily looked away so he wouldn’t see her distress. Taking a chance, he gently cupped her chin and turned her back to face him.
“What’s wrong, honey? Why are you crying?”
“Because they’ll never let me go,” she said in a resigned voice. “They’ll never stop looking for me, never give up, and anyone in their way they’ll dispose of, just like they tried to do to you.”
“Lucky for me, then, that I had my own little guardian angel to save me.”
“You should get as far away from me as you can,” she said with utter gravity. “No one who helps me is safe.”
He growled and she jumped, eyeing him nervously. He moved closer to her and then cradled her cheeks with both his hands, his palms engulfing her small face.
“You aren’t getting rid of me, baby. Now, there are other things we need to talk about and we don’t have much time. I need some answers from you so I can keep you safe.”
“The less you know about me, the safer you’ll be,” she said in a low voice.
“Fuck that. Let’s get something straight right now. You aren’t protecting me. I’m protecting you.”
He could swear he saw relief flicker in her eyes just before it was replaced by fear. He’d remove it permanently if it was the last thing he did.
“What’s your name, honey?” he asked gently.
She blinked in surprise.
“I can’t keep calling you ‘baby’ or ‘honey’ forever.”
/> She blushed, and he found it adorable.
“No one has ever called me anything sweet before,” she said wistfully.
“I didn’t say I’d stop calling you honey or baby or a number of other endearments, but I do need to know your name because no one else is going to call you those other things but me,” he growled.
Surprise flashed in her eyes and then she blushed again, and it took all his restraint not to kiss her.
“J-Jenna,” she stammered.
“Last name?”
To his surprise, shame crawled across her face and she turned away, tears sparkling on her lashes. What the fuck?
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “I was just Jenna. Not important enough to have a last name.”
Again, what the fuck?
“Jenna is a pretty name. It suits you. Perfect name for a beautiful woman.”
She turned back to meet his gaze, her expression hopeful. Jesus, was she so accustomed to rejection that she expected it at every turn? Did she not realize how sweet and heart-stoppingly beautiful she was? Stupid question. Of course she didn’t. This was a woman who’d never been assured of her self-worth. A woman who felt she had no worth. He wanted to put his fist through the wall.
“What’s your name?” she asked shyly.
“Isaac. Isaac Washington. At your service, ma’am,” he said with a charming grin.
She smiled and holy fuck, what a smile she had. He made a vow then and there to coax them out of her as often as he could, because something told him she didn’t smile a lot, nor did she have a whole hell of a lot to smile about.
Then he became serious. “Jenna, I need to ask you some questions and we don’t have a lot of time, because I’m moving you to a safe house in the next hour. And I know you’ll have some questions before you blindly trust me. I get that.”
She stiffened, and apprehension once more sparked in her eyes.
“Please don’t be afraid, honey. Not of me. Never of me.”
“I’m afraid for you,” she burst out.
Isaac sighed. “Okay, before we get into what I really wanted to discuss, I think it’s a better idea to tell you who and what I am so that your fears will be eased.”
She looked puzzled.
“I work for a security company. Personal protection. We’re the best, Jenna, and that’s not an idle boast. Our job is to protect people and we’re damn good at it. So you don’t need to be worried about me or any of the men who will take part in protecting you.”
Her eyes widened at that statement.
“They will offer peripheral protection, but I am the one who will protect you. The only damn one,” he said gruffly. “And listen to me, Jenna, because I don’t make promises lightly. Anyone who tries to hurt you or take you away from me will have to come through me to do that.”
“But you don’t even know me,” she said softly.
“You’re right. But I will.”
It came out as a vow. Matter of fact. Inevitable. She looked too stunned to respond to his promise.
“But why?” she choked out.
He touched her cheek, stroking it in the lightest of caresses. “You may not know why yet. But you will.” Another promise.
“Now, tell me about the people after you. I assume they want you because of what you can do.”
Her expression turned bitter, but before she could respond, a forceful knock sounded at the door. She jumped, her gaze jerking to the closed door and Isaac shouted, “Not right now! Whatever it is can wait. Just give me a goddamn minute,” he bellowed in frustration.
Instead of going away as Isaac had ordered, someone knocked again. More forcefully than before, and this time, there was no waiting for Isaac’s invitation to enter. Sterling burst inside holding some of Eliza’s clothing, a grim expression on his face.
“We need to move. Now. We have company. My men just reported movement in the northern quadrant, which means Eliza and I need to get out now. You wait fifteen minutes and then head west. One of my men will pick you up and take you to a safe house. We don’t have time to hash this out unless we want to engage, and there’s no way in hell I’m going to do that when my wife’s safety is at risk and she still hasn’t fully recovered from the last time she was shot.”
Isaac cursed the timing, but knew hers and the others’ safety came first. He’d just have to get Jenna to talk whenever they got settled again. He turned to Jenna, all business now, and handed her the clothing Sterling had tossed him. “Get dressed and make it fast. There’s a bathroom there,” he said, pointing to another door in the room. “You need to hurry, Jenna. We don’t have much time.”
Jenna jumped off the bed and fled to the bathroom, already pulling the T-shirt one of his men had put on her over her head when she closed the door behind her.
“Three minutes, sweetheart. Then we have to roll,” Isaac called loudly enough that she’d hear through the door.
Isaac turned to Sterling and then eyed him seriously. “I appreciate this more than you’ll ever know. Keep Lizzie safe. I don’t want her hurt because she’s helping me.”
“No one is going to so much as touch my wife,” Sterling said in a rigid tone. Then he turned and stalked from the room.
SEVEN
ISAAC stood with Jenna in the back of the house where it was dark, and long shadows were cast over the rear entrance. A slight rustle was his only indication that they were no longer alone and then Shadow appeared, barely discernible, much like his name indicated.
“Dex, Zeke and Knight have scouted the perimeter, and it appears they took the bait and are following Sterling and Eliza.”
“What the fuck is Knight doing here?” Isaac demanded.
Shadow sent him a look. “If you think this job is about money to him any more than it is for us, then fuck you.”
“I never said that.”
“Yeah? Then why would you expect any of us to stand down when one of our own is in danger and an innocent woman is being pursued by assholes who’ve already roughed her up once?”
“Gratitude,” Isaac whispered.
“Fuck your gratitude,” Shadow grumbled.
Isaac chuckled. “Anyone ever tell you how graciously you accept a thank you?”
“Even if she wasn’t wearing bruises and her safety wasn’t at stake, she saved you. That’s enough for me—for us. She gets our protection whether you like it or not.”
He almost said thanks again but just shook his head, grinning. “Nice to have the backup,” he said instead. “Never said I’d turn it down.”
Shadow checked his watch. “Time to roll. Sterling arranged for a pickup, but it’s a bit of a hike, and we need to keep to the shadows and be as quiet as possible.”
Isaac turned, twining his fingers with Jenna’s. “You ready, sweetheart?”
She looked dazed and shell-shocked, as though she was still trying to process the day’s events. Then she gave a short nod. But when she took a step forward, Isaac didn’t miss her wince, though she tried hard to cover it up.
“Fuck this,” he muttered.
He swung her slight form into his arms, cradling her close to his chest, and took off after Shadow.
“Isaac, what are you doing?” she asked in bewilderment.
“You’re hurting, and there’s no way in hell I’m making you walk through the woods in the dark.”
“You can’t carry me the entire way,” she said, embarrassment clouding her words.
“Can’t I?” he challenged. “Honey, you’re a tiny slip of a thing. I barely notice the extra weight. Besides, we’ll move faster this way, and the quicker we get to the rendezvous point the safer you’ll be. And when we get there, I’m having you checked out by a doctor. I’m worried you may have broken some ribs and by the way, Jenna? You’re going to tell me exactly how you got those bruises. Every single one.”
His tone was fiercer than he intended, and she stiffened in his arms, whether in fear or embarrassment he didn’t know.
“I will never hurt
you, Jenna,” he said softly. “And there is nothing for you to feel shame over. Ever. Do you understand me?”
She buried her face in his chest, avoiding both of his statements, but it didn’t bother him because by burrowing closer into him, she’d displayed another gesture of trust, even if she wasn’t aware of it.
A dark vehicle loomed ahead and Isaac quickened his step, wanting Jenna out of harm’s way as quickly as possible. Then the unmistakable whine of a bullet striking metal sounded just as Shadow grunted beside him.
“Fuck. Fuck!” Isaac roared. He vaulted toward the open door and threw Jenna into the backseat, where Knight broke her fall and immediately pushed her down to the floor, out of the line of fire.
“Shadow, you hit?” Isaac demanded as his teammate threw himself into the front seat of the SUV.
“Doesn’t matter,” Shadow growled. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
The man Sterling had sent to drive them to the safe house wasted no time and floored it, roaring through the wooded area while Zeke, who was in the third row seat with Dex, lifted his head, staring toward the front seat.
“Shadow, man, did you take a hit?”
“I said it doesn’t fucking matter. We have more important shit to worry about right now,” Shadow snapped. “It’s nothing.”
Despite Knight’s attempts to keep Jenna down between him and Isaac, she lifted her head, her face a mask of sorrow as she stared at Shadow. Tears gathered in her eyes and Shadow swore, but he didn’t bite her head off or even raise his voice. Instead he gentled his tone into one Isaac had never heard his teammate use.
“I’m okay, sweetness. I’ve certainly had worse. Now you need to stay down until one of us tells you it’s safe to come up.”
Ignoring his soft command and shaking off both Knight’s and Isaac’s hands as they tried to pull her back, she leaned over the front seat and gently peeled Shadow’s T-shirt up his side to reveal blood flowing downward from either a graze or a direct hit.
“I’m so sorry,” she said in a devastated voice, tears welling in her beautiful eyes.
Before anyone could set her straight on the fact that she had nothing to be sorry for, she reached out and placed her hand over the bleeding wound, splaying her fingers wide. She closed her eyes and strain became evident on her face. The others watched her in fascination, but Isaac had already witnessed the miracle she was and he didn’t like that she was going through it all over again. Even if it was necessary.
Shadow’s grim expression eased, and then he relaxed and stared at Jenna in astonished disbelief. Then he closed his eyes, and Isaac could swear that the deep lines and grooves that were permanent fixtures on his face eased as peace overtook him. He looked caught up in the most beautiful experience. To Isaac’s further amazement, when Shadow finally opened his eyes, there was a light sheen of tears, gone nearly before they’d registered.
Jenna’s hand fell away and she slumped over the back of the seat she’d leaned over to get to Shadow, her strength seemingly sapped. Tentatively, Shadow feathered a hand over her hair, caressing the strands as if to offer her even a fraction of the comfort she’d just given him.
“That was the most incredible thing I’ve ever felt—experienced—in my life, Jenna,” he said, every word laced with sincerity. “I don’t know how to thank you. Not only for this, but for what you did for Isaac. I haven’t felt peace since I was a child and you gave me that. I felt warmed from the very bottom of my soul, from the inside out. In places that have been cold longer than you’ve been alive. I don’t pretend to understand your gift, but what you need to understand is that you are a gift. A very special gift. More special than you’ll ever know, and if I had to guess more special than anyone has ever made the effort to make you feel. I don’t lie, Jenna. I don’t say smooth shit to make people feel better. I’m not one to spare feelings. I’m blunt and I say it like it is. Always. And I’m telling you that you are a beautiful person inside and out, and furthermore you have the most beautiful soul I’ve ever encountered in my entire life. That’s twice you’ve saved someone you don’t even know at great risk to yourself. I know you’re scared and I know it’s likely you don’t trust anyone and that you can’t afford to trust anyone. But I’m making you a promise right here and now. On my life, Jenna. On my life. Isaac will protect you. I will protect you. We will protect you. Isaac is a good man, one of the best, and you’ll always have my gratitude for saving him instead of saving yourself. You can trust him. He’ll never let you down. And the rest of us will have his back the whole way. You aren’t alone in this. You can trust all of us because we’re going to make sure those assholes never get their hands on you again. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Jenna was trembling, both with extreme fatigue and with emotion. Her eyes were glossy with unshed tears as she stared back and forth between Shadow and Isaac.
“I want to believe you,” she whispered brokenly.