Long Road Home

by Maya Banks

  Her shoulder throbbed, slick with blood. The smell nauseated her, bringing back the memory of when they had implanted it.

  Bastards.

  She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to block out the hatred, the desire for revenge. It would only make her vulnerable. And careless. But after so many years of coldness, she was awash with raw feeling. She was bombarded at every angle by differing emotions. Sorrow. Regret. Loss.

  Goddamn it, she would not cry again.

  Manny returned with a small bag, and she ignored his scrutinizing look. As he closed the door behind him, he motioned for her to twist in the seat.

  “Take your shirt off,” he directed. “I bought you a T-shirt you can wear.”

  After a moment’s hesitation, she tore off the bloodied shirt, keeping her chest to the door. Not that the sight of her boobs would send his hormones raging, but she would not feel any more vulnerable than she already did.

  She flinched when his hand gently closed on her shoulder. A cool rag wiped over her wound as he worked methodically to clean it.

  “Okay, this is going to hurt.”

  She barely had time to suck in her breath before her back lit on fire. She let out her air in a long hiss of pain as the antiseptic danced daggers on her shoulder.

  His thumbs pressed into her skin as he taped a bandage over the wound. Then he thrust the shirt at her.

  She hastily pulled it over her head.

  “It’s not the best, but it’ll do.”

  She nodded. “Where to now?”

  He sighed and started the engine then threw the BMW into reverse. He looked over his shoulder as they backed out of the parking lot and headed onto the street.

  “I need to call Tony. We still need to get to D.C.”

  She didn’t respond, and only halfway paid attention as he got on his cell phone to correspond with his partner.

  Yes, they had to get to D.C. Her destiny awaited her in D.C. Her last miserable effort to try and get out of the life she had made for the last three years, and then she’d disappear and hope Manny could get on with his life.

  She clenched her fingers into balls in her lap, her ragged nails digging painfully into her palms. If only she could draw Northstar out, she could put an end to everything. She’d take pleasure in killing the bastard who had heaped so much pain on her.

  Manny’s hand crept over hers, uncurling her tightly wound fingers. “You’re drifting again, baby.”

  She cringed. The endearment was back. He never could stay angry at her for long. Unable to help herself, she gripped his hand, holding tightly to it like a lifeline. She hadn’t even realized he had finished talking to Tony.

  Composing herself the best she could, she turned her head to Manny. “What did Tony say?”

  He sighed. “We drive to Beaumont, and he’ll have another car lined up for us. Then we hit the road to D.C.”

  “Another Bondmobile?”

  He halfway grinned. “If Tony lined it up, it’ll have all the bells and whistles.”

  She leaned back in her seat. “I’m sorry, Manny. I never meant to involve you in my problems.”

  His hand cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him.

  “I just wish you had involved me three years ago.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  They drove down Interstate 10 as fast as Manuel dared without drawing attention from any passing state troopers. Jules slumped in her seat looking unbelievably exhausted. He could relate. Fatigue had long since set in with him. He only wanted a safe place where they both could rest, and he could take care of her.

  When they arrived in Beaumont, as Tony promised, another vehicle waited for them at the rendezvous point. They ditched the Beamer for an SUV then headed north, paralleling Louisiana through Southeast Texas.

  His neck ached. His back ached. Hell, he hadn’t felt this bad since he was in high school when he tied one on graduation night.

  Jules broke the silence. “Let me drive.”

  He glanced over at her. “I’m okay.”

  She snorted. “You look like you’re about to fall over. Let me drive. I won’t kill us. I promise.”

  He sighed and pulled off. He’d pick his battles, and frankly this wasn’t one of them.

  They changed seats, and he settled back, watching her from the corner of his eye. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, her gaze directed forward, but at rapid intervals she checked the rearview and side-view mirrors.

  He opened his mouth, wanting to ask so many questions, but he halted before the first word left his lips. Truth be told, he didn’t even want to know the answers. And he didn’t want her to relive memories of her hell.

  Never again, he vowed silently. She was his to protect.

  “Do you want to stop for the night?” she asked, glancing over at him. “Or should we keep driving?”

  “We should probably drive as long as we can,” he replied. “Put as much distance between us and the baddies as possible. We can stop when we reach Tennessee. Tony will line us up a spot.”

  “You trust him.”

  It wasn’t a question, but she voiced it as if surprised. But then he supposed she had learned to trust no one.

  “Yes, I trust him. With my life. Our lives,” he added for emphasis.

  She nodded, and Manuel felt a twinge of hope that she was allowing herself to trust him.

  “Want me to drive?”

  She smiled. “No, I’ve only been driving an hour. Why don’t you get some sleep? You can take over when we reach Arkansas.”

  “Okay. Wake me.”

  She nodded again.

  Jules watched as he dozed off, his head leaning on his shoulder. She ached to reach out and touch him, burrow into his arms and sleep as well. She was nearly past her breaking point, exhaustion seeping from her every pore. But she knew Manny needed rest. She’d gone without sleep before, sometimes for days. She could certainly do it again.

  She focused her attention on the never-ending road in front of her. The towns passed in a blur, and darkness began to fall. When she reached Texarkana, she turned east on the interstate toward Little Rock.

  Who was trying to kill her? She had no doubt Northstar had known her every movement, but why after she’d agreed to do the job had someone tried to kill her? No one else should even know where she was.

  Beside her, Manny’s cell phone pulsed and vibrated. She yanked it up and hit the button to silence it so it wouldn’t wake him.

  She drove on mechanically, maneuvering through traffic, counting mile markers to stay awake. When they were a few miles outside Little Rock, Manny stirred beside her and shifted up in his seat.

  “You okay?” he asked, his voice still heavy with sleep.

  “Yeah.”

  “Want me to drive?”

  Instead of speaking, she pulled onto an exit and parked at a gas station. They needed to fill up anyway. She turned off the ignition and leaned forward, resting her head against the steering wheel.

  Strong hands stole over her back, creeping up, massaging her neck and shoulders, careful around her wound.

  “You need to sleep, baby,” Manny said, his voice full of love and concern. “I’ll pump the gas. You want anything from inside?”

  She shook her head and opened the door to get out. The cool air did little to revive her. It wasn’t as cold as in Colorado. She walked around the front, meeting Manny as he moved toward the pump.

  To her surprise, he caught her in his arms and pulled her to his chest, enfolding her completely in his embrace. He stroked her back comfortingly, taking care not to bump her bandage.

  She laid her head on his chest, soaking up the moment like the desert does the rain. He kissed her on top of the head and slowly pulled away.

  “Get in and get some rest,” he ordered. “We’ll be on the road again in a few minutes.”

  She slid into the seat and sighed. It was still warm from Manny’s body. She curled closer to the leather, wanting to absorb his presence.

  A few mi
nutes later, Manny got behind the wheel and started the engine.

  “Someone called for you while you were asleep,” she said as they drove from the parking lot.

  “It was probably Tony.”

  She shrugged. “Maybe.”

  He stared at her for a moment then reached for his phone.

  She turned away and looked out the window, searching the sky for answers she knew she wouldn’t find. Behind her, Manny spoke in low tones. She supposed Tony was giving him information on the place in Tennessee. Or giving Manny more dirt on her. As if he didn’t know enough already.

  She felt his touch on her back and turned around. He was off the phone.

  “Get some rest. We’ve got another six hours before we get to the place Tony squared away for us.”

  She nodded and scooted down in her seat. Six hours. It was a long time and yet not nearly enough time. She wanted so much to…

  It didn’t matter. She closed her eyes. What she wanted she couldn’t have, and there was no use dwelling on it.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Around two a.m., Manny pulled into the drive of a log cabin situated on a large lake. Jules was exhausted, but she hadn’t slept. Her nerves were too jagged.

  They stepped into the cold night air, and she inhaled sharply, hoping the bite would sharpen her senses. She followed Manny to the door, and as he had done in New Mexico, he drew his gun and pushed the door open, sticking his gun in first, then following slowly behind.

  “Find the light switch,” he whispered.

  She fumbled along the wall until she found the switch, and light flooded the foyer.

  “Stay here while I check the rest of the house.”

  She sighed but didn’t argue. Let him play super agent. She was too damn tired to go looking for bogeymen in the closet.

  A few minutes later, he returned, and he motioned her into the living room.

  He looked at her, uncertainty flickering across his face. “Do you want to go straight to bed?”

  She stood still, not really knowing how to respond. She was tired. More tired than she’d ever been in her life, but the idea of going to a dark room alone scared her more than she wanted to admit.

  “I can build a fire if you want, and we can sit in here for a while,” he offered. “I need to change your bandage as well.”

  Had he read her so easily? She was going to have to work on keeping her thoughts from her face. She hadn’t survived the last three years by being a walking billboard.

  “Sounds great,” she finally said.

  She walked around to the couch situated close to the large stone fireplace and settled down, tucking her legs underneath her.

  He piddled around the hearth for a few minutes, gathering newspapers stacked to the side and crumpling them under the grate. Then he went outside, and she heard scraping and thumping. Seconds later he returned with an armload of wood and began arranging it in the fireplace.

  Soon flames licked over the dry wood and the hearth came alive with the crackle of fire. He rummaged around in one of the bags he’d brought in and carried over a bandage and the antiseptic.

  She turned around to present her back and tensed as she awaited his attentions. His fingers were gentle as he peeled off the tape. She heard the slosh of the liquid then felt fire on her shoulder as he swabbed a cloth over the cut.

  She let out a long hiss and closed her eyes.

  “I’m sorry.”

  She shook her head and remained still while he arranged another bandage over the wound. When he was finished, he pulled her back until she reclined against the sofa.

  “Long day.”

  “Mmm hmm.”

  Awkward silence settled between them, and the effort for idle chitchat died. She stared into the fire, the warmth reaching out and enveloping her.

  Manuel watched the protective way she held her arms around her. He doubted she even realized how vulnerable it made her look.

  Her eyes flitted sideways at him several times as if she wanted to ask something but couldn’t quite muster the courage. In the past, she would have never hesitated to ask him anything. Sadness crept over his shoulders, tightening his chest.

  “Manny?”

  “Yes, baby?”

  “Did you mean what you said before? At the restaurant?”

  He furrowed his brows in confusion.

  Her breath hiccupped in a soft rush. “About…about wanting to marry me?”

  He closed his eyes for a second. “Yeah, Jules. I meant it.”

  “Oh.”

  She looked panicked, as if she had no idea how to respond.

  He reached a hand out, feathering over her cheek, feeling the smoothness of her skin. His fingers curled around her chin, his thumb swirling close to her ear.

  “Is that all you can say? Oh?”

  Her eyes found his, so full of pain, questions and something that looked remarkably like hope.

  “I just never imagined…” Her voice trailed off, and she looked away.

  Her shoulders shook silently, each twitch shooting an arrow directly into his soul.

  He leaned forward and pulled her into his arms, turning her back around to face him. Her gaze found his, and there was so much vulnerability in her eyes. So much that he wanted to wipe away. He lowered his lips to her forehead.

  A breathy sigh escaped her as he blazed a path to her lips.

  “I wanted nothing more than for you to come home from France and spend the rest of your life with me,” he said as he brought both of his hands up to cup her face.

  She leaned into him, burrowing into his embrace. His hands fell away as she pressed her face into his chest. He held her as tightly as he dared, not wanting to hurt her ribs.

  Her face nuzzled in his chest, then her soft mouth turned upward, finding his neck. She kissed it softly, sending a shockwave down his spine.

  He slid his hand around her neck, running his fingers through her hair. She felt so right in his arms, as if she had always belonged there. He had waited so long, and now that she was here, he was having a hard time grappling with his control.

  After what had happened to her, she deserved tenderness, and he’d be damned if he gave her anything but.

  “Let’s sleep in here,” she murmured. “By the fire.”

  “If that’s what you want.” He reluctantly pulled away. “I’ll get some blankets and pillows.”

  Jules watched him walk toward the bedroom, and she stood up from the couch, moving closer to the fire. She wasn’t cold. Far from it. The heat from Manny’s body had scorched her.