by C. R. Hill
Grabbing a flashlight and first aid kit, he knelt beside her. He touched her tee shirt. His hand came away slick with blood. “Dammit, Sierra,” he whispered. “You just can’t stay out of trouble.”
“You sound like Ms. Grayson,” she murmured.
The fact she was talking reassured him a little more. He lifted her shirt and shined the light on the wound in her side. “Who’s Ms. Grayson?” he asked, trying to keep the worry and anger out of his voice.
“Up-tight social worker.”
Jake shook his head. “I have to turn you.”
“’K, but I’m warning you I’m in no condition for sex.”
“Smart ass,” he murmured. Some of the tension eased out of his neck when he found two holes. Dealing with a clean wound was a lot easier than having to dig a bullet out. He just had to hope nothing major had been hit.
“How bad?” she asked, her eyes still closed.
“Bad enough. Just hold still. I’ve got to pack it and try to get the bleeding stopped.
“Yes, sir.”
Opening the first aid kit, he found a roll of gauze. He wadded up a huge handful and pressed it to the front of the wound and did the same for back.
Sierra groaned.
“Sorry, sweetheart. I have to push hard.”
Jake reached for another roll of gauze and lifted her against him. She groaned again. “You still with me, Sierra?”
“Trying not to pass out,” she said, her words were slightly slurred.
If he could get the bleeding under control, she’d feel better. Hell, he’d feel better.
The compliant weight of her body ticked him off. She was too full of piss and vinegar to be laying here limp. She was a fighter. He’d known it was a bad idea for her to be involved.
He wrapped gauze around her middle and pulled it as tight as he could. Sierra didn’t move. A moment of panic hit him and he leaned in close to her mouth. Her warm breath stroked his cheek. She was alive, but she’d obviously finally given in and passed out.
Instead of laying Sierra down immediately, Jake gave into his need to hold her and cradled her head against his shoulder.
Tears actually stung the back of his eyes. He swore viciously. He was definitely losing it. He kissed her forehead and laid her back on the seat. He needed to get them to safety where he could take care of her better.
~***~
Sierra opened her eyes, feeling weaker than a newborn colt. Where was she? The light from a lamp beside her made her squint.
Why did her side burn like someone was poking her with a hot iron?
Memories rushed into her consciousness of being hauled onto Jake’s boat. Everything else was a blur. Jake came into view over her. He looked stern and serious in the harsh light.
She tried to sit up.
“Don’t even think about it,” he growled, pushed her back flat and knelt beside her.
She attempted a smile. “Your beside manner sucks.”
Something Sierra couldn’t interpret flashed in Jake’s eyes. Then he held up a needle and she stopped trying. “Ah, shit,” she said and closed her eyes, realizing that her shirt was gone and Jake was intent on patching her up.
He touched her forehead and smoothed her hair away from her face. “I’m sorry.” He handed her his leather belt. “Might want to bite down on this. I have the needle and suture thread, but no Novocain.”
He rolled her to her side to have access to the entrance and exit wounds. The bullet had torn through her side no more than an inch from her hip.
She took the belt. “Don’t enjoy this too much.”
His blue eyes turned serious. “I’m not enjoying this at all.”
Before she could read that statement, he cut the bandage off her and poured peroxide over the wound. Sierra sucked in a harsh breath. “Ouch, that stings.”
Jake arched an eyebrow and stuck the belt between her teeth, then picked up the tweezers and needle he’d already prepared. As the needle pierced her side, she clamped her teeth on the belt. She closed her eyes and imagined herself in that farm house she’d always dreamed of. Then somehow a picture of Jake sharing that farmhouse entered her brain.
“Breathe, Sierra,” Jake said and paused in his task. “Though passing out again, might be easier.”
She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath, but at his words she opened her eyes, took the belt out of her mouth and took a deep lungful of air. “Would you kiss me?”
God, could her voice sound any more weak? Jake’s eyes darkened.
He carefully pushed her to her back, leaned down and claimed her mouth. His tongue was gentle, teasing as he traced her bottom lip, before moving to lightly stroke her tongue. By far, it was the sweetest kiss she’d ever experienced. Who’d have thought Jake Harding could be so tender?
He drew back and rubbed a finger down her cheek. “I need to finish this. Just a few more stitches and you’ll be as good as new.”
She nodded. “Stitch away.”
She stuck the belt back between her teeth and bit as he rolled her back to her side. She focused on his face, noting the brackets around his mouth looked deeper as he concentrated on his task. Watching him helped her tune out the pain, though perspiration popped out across her forehead. Jake stitched as good as any doctor, his movements efficient. The man never ceased to amaze her with his talents.
“Okay, I’m done with this,” he said as he tied the last knot and cut the thread. “Now I need you to roll to your stomach. Your back has glass in it.”
Funny, she hadn’t felt any discomfort from that until he mentioned it. Now she could feel the sting as she lay on the bed.
Bed? It finally occurred to her that she didn’t have a clue where they were. She looked around. They were in what appeared to be a one room cottage. She must have been out longer than she’d thought. “Where are we?”
Jake retrieved more disinfectant from the bedside table, the tweezers he used to hold his needle still clutched in his hand. “Still in Santo Domingo in a small cottage I secured under an assumed name. We should be safe enough here, at least through the night.”
He helped her flip over. “Shit, Sierra. Why the hell did you have to set off the grenades?”
“It seemed like a good idea at the time. Besides, no telling what Diaz was planning to do with all those weapons. I bet he’s hopping mad.”
“I’m pretty sure he’s the one who shot you.” Jake plucked a piece of glass from below her shoulder blade, then dabbed it with peroxide.
“Ouch. Not so hard.”
“You just took fifteen stitches in your side without so much as a squeak, but you gripe about the peroxide?”
She looked at him over her shoulder. “The needle hurt, but once you punctured the skin it stopped. That crap burns.”
Jake just shook his head at her logic and went back to work. He removed four more glass fragments and cleaned the cuts from the ones that hadn’t embedded themselves in her skin.
Then he put bandages over the stitches and secured them with tape. Sierra tried to sit up, only to feel lightheaded.
Jake placed his hand against her shoulder and pressed her flat. “You lost a lot of blood. You need to rest.” He picked up the first aid kit from the floor and dug out a bottle of aspirin. After shaking two out, he handed them to her. “I’ll get you some water.”
Sierra waited until he’d handed her a glass of water and she’d swallowed the pills to say anything else. “What about the stuff I got from Diaz’s? We need to examine it.”
Jake walked across the room and picked up the bag with the pilfered goods. He brought it over and set it beside her, then settled next to her.
Pulling the cell phone out first, he pushed the power button. “Shit! It’s locked. We need a code to get into it.”
Sierra sighed. “So, other than punching in a bunch of codes, we need to get it back to headquarters. They should be able to get data from it.”
Jake nodded and dropped it into the bag. He pulled out the two
manila envelopes. The first one he opened was the one with their photographs. His lips thinned as he flipped through them. “These aren’t clear enough to identify most of us on sight, but it does give a good indication of our sizes and hair color.” She touched her blonde locks, glad she’d cut and bleached it.
“As you said back at your cabin, there’s only so many people who even know about us, much less where our headquarters is located.”
“We’re going to have to try to catch a flight out tomorrow.”
“What if we can’t find the mole with any of this info?”
Jake rubbed a hand over his face. “We’ll deal with that if it happens.”
She reached up to touch the whiskers across his chin.
“When was the last time you slept?”
He shrugged. “I’ve been catching a little shut eye here and there.”
“We can’t do anything until the sun comes up and we can check with the airport. Will you lie beside me?”
He didn’t hesitate. He stood and yanked off his tee shirt, then pushed his jeans down his legs. Sierra sighed at the sight of him. If she didn’t feel so weak, she’d jump his bones.
Reaching down, he unhooked her belt and began unbuttoning her pants. Before she could move to help, he had her shoes off and her pants down her legs.
“I’m still mad at you for getting involved in this,” he said gruffly as he climbed over her and settled on the bed. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.
“Yeah, well, get over it,” she mumbled as she snuggled closer to his warm, naked body.
She’d never been a cuddler, but right now, she was more content than she could ever remember—even with the throbbing in her side. Inhaling his warm musky scent, she closed her eyes and sighed. There’d be enough time later to worry about how deep her feelings were becoming for Jake.
For now, she just wanted to feel his arms around her.
Chapter Eleven
Sierra shivered. The room had been warm when she’d fallen asleep, but now it was freezing.
Jake’s arm tightened around her. She turned into him, burying her nose against his chest. That was better, warmer, yet her body still shuddered.
Jake’s hand went to her forehead, then he kissed the top of her head. She didn’t care what he did, as long as he didn’t take the warmth of his body from her.
“Sierra, honey.” His voice was gentle. First the sweet kiss last night, then he called her honey. Maybe she was dreaming. She snuggled closer and put her hands against his chest so they would be warm too.
“Sierra.” Jake shook her lightly.
She opened her eyes. She wasn’t dreaming, so why did he sound so concerned? The room was illuminated with the gray light of dawn filtering through the blinds. Her contacts were dry and scratchy. She needed to take them out, but after blinking a few times, she focused on Jake’s face.
“You have a fever.” Now that was the Jake she knew. He wore a frown that left small creases between his eyebrows.
Her brain was a beat behind, but when it caught up she nodded. “That must be why I’m so cold.”
In response to the words, her body shivered hard again.
Jake rolled away from her and she moaned with the loss of heat. “You need to take more aspirin.”
What she needed was a blanket and more sleep. She pulled the comforter from Jake’s side and curled it over her. His heat lingered in the slightly scratchy fabric. Heavenly.
Jake jostled her shoulder again and she realized her eyes had closed. She blinked them open. He slid an arm under her shoulder blades and sat her up. Two pills were popped into her mouth like she was a child, then the glass of water pressed to her lips. She swallowed the pills with a gulp and wrapped her arms around Jake’s neck.
“You make a good nurse, Harding.”
He sighed. “We need to get you back to the States. I don’t have any antibiotics.”
She pulled back and looked at him. “I’ll be fine, Jake. I don’t get sick. Mrs. Grayson used to say I was just too mean. The fever’s a reaction to the trauma.”
True, the temperature was making her sluggish, but she’d be fine.
Jake didn’t look convinced by her statement. “Maybe. We need to dress and see about getting a flight out of here. Diaz will have people looking for us.”
Sierra released Jake and scooted to the edge of the bed. When she stood, black dots danced in front of her eyes. She must have swayed, because Jake grabbed her arm to steady her.
“Shit! You’re not in any shape to go anywhere.”
Yep, that was the Jake she knew all right. He sounded pissed.
“I’ll be fine.” She jerked her arm from his grasp, only to land on her ass on the bed.
Well, that little move didn’t lend a lot of credence to her words. Stubbornness propelled her back to her feet. She fought the dizziness and stood straight. “I’m going to the bathroom.”
With major concentration, she forced her feet to move steadily across the floor until she closed herself inside the small square space. Shivers still wracked her body and her side now throbbed with every beat of her heart.
She propped her hands on the sink and took several deep breaths. Being incapacitated was unacceptable. Especially if it made Jake believe she was unfit to finish this job. He hadn’t wanted to work with her to begin with. No matter what Trent had told her, the fact she was a woman was a big part of Jake’s hang up. Probably didn’t think she was tough enough.
She’d faced the same attitudes when she’d joined the army. She’d been skinnier back then, but still scrappy. She’d had to work twice as hard to prove herself as the male soldiers. Twice as hard to gain respect. And that was okay, because in the end it had made her a better fighter than men who outweighed her by sixty pounds.
Jake hadn’t wanted her helping him from the start of this. But she’d gotten the job done. Now all she had to do was get home.
First thing she needed was to get these damn, scratchy contacts out of her eyes. They were so dry, they popped out without too much trouble. Next, she splashed some cool water on her face and dampened her hair to tame it to some semblance of order. Wishing she had some dye to take it back to its original color. Though Jake had made love to her as a blonde. Maybe blondes really did have more fun. She chuckled to herself. God, she was delirious.
She wished she had some make up. Not that she wore a lot when she wasn’t on assignment, but her face could use a bit of color to convince Jake she was okay to travel.
After using the bathroom, she walked into the other room to face Jake. He was dressed and on his cell phone. He glanced at her, his frown still in place. Sounded like he was talking to the airport.
As steady as possible, she slipped into her pants. The material felt scratchy against her over sensitized skin, a side-effect of the fever. Her shirt was covered in blood, so wearing it to the airport wouldn’t do. Then she noticed the shirt Jake had laid on the bed.
She didn’t know where he’d gotten it, but it was a red woman’s shirt, with exotic flowers on it. Had to be the ugliest thing she’d ever seen. Turning her back so he wouldn’t see her wince, she pulled it over her head.
He hung up with the airport. “We have a reservation for a flight out at nine. That gives us two hours. You need to eat something. Sit at the table and I’ll fix it.”
Sierra turned toward him and nodded. She wasn’t particularly hungry. If she told him that, he’d argue. She didn’t have the energy to spar with him right now and concentrate on staying upright. That probably should have worried her, but that was something else she wouldn’t show Jake. Never let them see your weakness.
His eyebrow hitched up as she settled on one of the two wooden chairs. “You must feel like shit to do what I tell you without comment.”
“I’ve felt better. I thought you’d be pleased that I obeyed.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I like not arguing with you over everything, but it worries me. You haven’t done what I said since we be
came involved in all of this,” he said and opened a cabinet. “All I stocked when I got this place was some cans of soup and fruit. You can have chicken noodle, vegetable beef or peaches.”
“Hmmm, how bout chicken noodle. You can skip the peaches.”
Maybe it was delirium from her fever, but Jake even looked sexy stirring soup. “Do you think there’ll be trouble flying out of here?”
Jake met her gaze. He didn’t have to say anything for her to know his answer.
She smiled. “Go ahead, Jake. I’m a big girl. I thought I proved that the other night.”
His eyes narrowed and again he didn’t have to say anything for her to know what he thought. He was remembering the heat and passion like she was. Just mentioning the other night made her forget how crappy she felt for a moment. She wondered if there’d ever be a repeat performance.
Jake broke eye contact and grabbed two bowls from the cabinet. After pouring them each soup, and inserting spoons, he carried them to the table and sat down. He pushed a bowl in front of her. “Diaz has a lot of pull here. He’ll have people looking for us.”
Sierra ran a hand over her blonde hair, she saw her black stocking hat lying on the floor near the bed, but that wouldn’t do. It would look too strange in the warmth of the island. “I need a ball cap or scarf.”
“We’ll get you something,” he said and swallowed a spoonful of noodles. “By the way, I like you better as a brunette.”
His comment surprised a laugh out of her. “And I was thinking I might keep it. After all you had sex with the blonde, so I figured it really was true that blondes have more fun.”
“Eat your soup, Sierra.”
She ate a few spoonfuls before saying anything else. “Jake, why were you so against working with me?”
He didn’t look at her, just kept eating.
She reached across the table and touched his arm. “Jake?”
“I simply prefer to work alone.”
“There’s more than that. Is it just because I’m a woman and you don’t think I’m capable?”
She didn’t want to tell him that Trent had hinted at something deeper to her.
