by Han, Barb
There was more to it. His mind wound back to it being a threat. But why tip their hand if they weren’t looking for something specific?
This wasn’t the right time to share information. “They’ll do anything for a dollar.”
“Any word on my brother?” she asked.
“You already know he’s pretty banged up. The important thing to remember is he’ll be fine.”
Lauren flinched. “He’s safe now, right? You don’t think they’ll get to him, do you? They keep finding us. They seem determined.”
“I doubt it. More than one agency’s involved in his protection. All bases are covered. Every possible precaution has been taken. I’m more concerned about your safety right now.”
“Do you trust Gunner?”
“Yes.” Jaden paused thoughtfully. He believed in Lauren too.
“He seemed nice enough. Your training teach you who you can trust? Because I can’t tell the good from the bad.”
“When you’ve been doing this as long as I have, you get a sense about people,” he said defensively.
“And what about me? Did your ‘senses’ tell you to trust me when we first met?”
“Yes.”
A smile she couldn’t suppress spread. “And yet you didn’t.”
“I told you. I made a mistake once. You don’t forget being wrong in this business.”
She pressed a finger lightly to his shoulder. “Screwing up in my business means a supplier doesn’t get paid on time. People get upset, but no one dies.”
He didn’t respond.
“You ever think about changing your line of work?” she asked, looking pensive.
“No. Not until recently.”
“Because you got shot?”
He shook his head. “I —” His cell phone buzzed before he could finish his sentence. He shot a look of apology. “I better get this.”
“Gunner?”
He nodded as Lauren sucked in a breath.
“Everything okay?” Jaden asked into the phone.
***
Lauren held her breath waiting for news. Her heart pounded painfully against her ribs. Her gaze was glued to Jaden’s face, searching for any sign, a muscle twitch, which might indicate bad news.
His nod helped her fried stomach turn down a notch below panic. Jaden, as though sensing her fear, moved next to her. His arm looped her waist reassuringly. She felt herself pulled tightly to him, close enough to hear Gunner’s words. Her body pressed against his, close enough to feel his heartbeat. Her face rested on his chest, close enough to smell his musky, male scent.
“The security team is expecting you both. It should be safe. Move quickly.”
Thank God, he wasn’t calling with bad news.
As Jaden closed the phone, she felt a tender kiss press to her forehead.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Let’s go,” she said. Of course, she wanted to see Max, but a part of her feared she wouldn’t want to leave him. Now that she had her brother back, she couldn’t imagine wanting to let him go again.
A thought haunted her. Soon he would disappear into a new identity, and she’d never see him. Ever.
It would be for his own good. He would finally pick up the shattered pieces of his life and live anew. This was all she’d ever hoped for him. The worst part was she wouldn’t be around to see it. Everything in her life had changed.
This was going to be very good for Max, she repeated. She’d remind herself a thousand times if she had to in order to make it sink in, hoping it could dull the pain of losing him again.
Jaden seemed to be waiting for her signal. She looked up at him and smiled. Having him there beside her, she knew she could face anything. “Thanks for everything you’ve done for me and my family.”
She needed to force her thoughts away from the feeling of comfort she felt being this close to Jaden. She’d never experienced the sensation of a man having her back before. Or, being able to count on any other human being.
But then, Jaden wasn’t like anyone she’d ever met.
The crook in his smile was devastating. Her stomach gave a little flip. She glanced away for a second.
“Let’s finish disguising you, so we can get going,” he said, handing her a pair of oversized sunglasses from the bag.
Lauren couldn’t imagine facing this situation alone. Max had gotten himself in real trouble. She hadn’t taken his calls. Shame and guilt filled her, twisting her insides.
“It’s not your fault,” Jaden said, his arm reassuringly wrapping around her, pulling her close to him.
Guilt wouldn’t stop her from visiting her brother. Fear couldn’t hold her back. Lauren wanted desperately to see Max. She needed to know he’d be okay. To see it with her own eyes. Even if it put her in more danger. She’d let him down once. She wouldn’t do it again.
“I was selfish. Protecting myself instead of caring for him when I could’ve helped. Maybe I could’ve prevented all this.”
“You didn’t know he was clean. You couldn’t possibly have known how this situation would’ve turned out. He did this to himself.”
“You must think I’m terribly selfish. With all that you went through with your brother. I’m sure you’d trade your life for the chance to see him one more time. I can tell how much you love him.”
“I’d give anything for the chance to save my brother. But this isn’t the same situation. Your brother’s a grown man. Besides, taught me a lesson.” Jaden paused. “His name was Bobby. You didn’t know that.”
Was Jaden opening up to her?
Pain darkened his blue eyes.
“No. I didn’t,” she said quietly, reverently.
“When someone’s determined to destroy their life, you can’t stop them. You were right to protect yourself.” Jaden spoke with the conviction of a man who knew what he was talking about.
“I guess.”
“You should get dressed,” Jaden said. The subject closed.
She didn’t argue because she wanted to get to the hospital as soon as she could. Besides, she could see it had taken a lot for Jaden to open up.
Are you determined to punish yourself? To be alone forever?
When this was all over, would he vanish as quickly as he’d appeared?
Chapter Fifteen
“How do I look?” Lauren asked when she’d put on the sundress and high heels Jaden had handed her.
He walked around her, slowly, trying to examine her from an outsider’s point of view. “You’d fool me.”
“I doubt I can walk in these,” she said, taking a step forward and stumbling.
Jaden caught her elbow and guided her upright.
He gave her another quick visual once over, and handed her a scarf.
She tied it around her hair like a headband. “How’s this?”
He shook his head. “Can you move it to your neck? You’d get more coverage that way. Besides, you’ll be wearing a helmet to cover your head.”
“Helmet?”
“Just wait till you meet Lucille … Lucille Harley.” He slid on a leather jacket and picked up his own helmet.
“How’s this?” She smiled as she finished tying a knot in front.
“Excellent. The less skin showing, the better.” He had selfish reasons for wanting her to cover up. He didn’t want another man’s eyes on her silky skin.
Lauren looked nothing like herself to the untrained eye. With short, black hair and a helmet, no one would recognize her.
They made it to Parkland Hospital in less than half an hour — a miracle in Dallas’s morning rush hour. The hospital was known for trauma care, it had a reputation for being the best. The stress creases around her eyes said that fact was not lost on her.
Jaden pulled off his helmet and secured it on his bike along with the one she’d slipped off and handed him.
“You can expect him to look pretty beaten up still. The swelling might get worse before it improves. You saw his facial lacerations.”
“Gunner
said he’s going to be okay though, right?”
“Things look very good for him at the moment. His labs are solid.” Jaden paused. Then came, “You should know he’s been tested for an assortment of drugs.”
“And?”
“He came up clean.”
“Could he have been selling them and not using?” Lauren asked, looking astonished.
“Looks so.”
“Can that be right?”
“It’s rare. Most people selling are also users. But it wouldn’t be the first time it happened. I just thought you should know.”
“Sounds improbable, doesn’t it?”
Jaden nodded.
“So why am I not surprised?”
“You believe it?”
“I wish you’d met Max when we were kids. He had the biggest heart. He would help anyone out. Liking them wasn’t a requirement.”
“Bad things can happen to good people.”
He referred to Max’s current situation.
“You already know our dad left before I was born. Mom was a wreck. She drank too much. Brought strange men in the house.”
Jaden’s jaw muscles clenched. He said nothing.
“Max used to sleep on the floor. Right outside my door. Swore if anyone ever hurt me, he’d kill them.”
“Sounds like the kind of guy I would’ve liked,” Jaden said, his set expression said he meant every word.
“We swore we’d never become like her. Imagine how devastated I was when I found out Max had slipped into the lifestyle.”
“Kids shouldn’t be left to their own devices so young,” Jaden soothed.
She shrugged, wiping away a tear. “He dropped out of school at thirteen, faked a birth certificate, and got a job as a dishwasher at a restaurant to put food on the table so I could stay in school. He didn’t have a chance, I guess.”
“He does now,” Jaden said, pressing a tender kiss over each eye. “We’ll make sure he gets the second chance he deserves.”
She leaned into him and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Thank you. For everything.”
Protectively, his arm went around her waist. “Do that again and we won’t make it upstairs.”
It took very little from Lauren to get Jaden going sexually. Thoughts of her body pressed against his obliterated his self-control. She was becoming so much more to him than the best sex he’d ever had. She stirred a place deep inside him — a place that had lain dormant forever — a place that made him want to protect her, to do whatever it took to keep her safe and happy, to tell her all his secrets. Mine.
His first instinct was to fight the feeling.
Not wanting to get inside his head about what that information meant, how it all would work, he focused on what he knew: he wanted to be with her.
Knowing his life wasn’t built for such an arrangement didn’t dim his heart’s desire. He’d have to figure out how to incorporate her into his life. Somehow.
What are you promising?
Would it be fair to ask her to wait around while he was out on assignment months on end? Sure, he knew men who did that, but he couldn’t say he especially agreed. And he didn’t want that kind of life for Lauren.
He’d be placing her in the same situation all over again. The one she’d avoided with her brother. The one she’d protected her heart from. The one that left her sitting at home waiting for someone who might never walk through the door.
Could Jaden think about a new line of work? Was there anything else he wanted to do? His agency had been his life for so many years now it had become his identity.
The thought sat heavy on his chest.
Could he change?
If not, Jaden hadn’t made any promises he couldn’t keep.
***
Lauren walked onto the elevator with a mix of emotions. She’d had to hold it together up until now and would have to in front of her brother, but she couldn’t help but wonder what she would feel when she saw him again.
Was he the brother she remembered from childhood? The kind boy who’d taken more than his fair share of beatings for sticking up for his baby sister?
Or was he the rebellious criminal who broke her heart when he’d fallen in step with their mother?
The lab tests showed he hadn’t been on drugs, and being clean was a good thing. It was a start she could build on.
Could she trust he was onto a new life?
Her stomach tensed. If he was good, if he’d changed for the better and she finally had the real Max back, how would she be able to leave him now?
Jaden squeezed her hand reassuringly as the elevator dinged, letting them know they’d reached the fifth floor.
Where she expected despair and loneliness, she felt comfort instead. It had everything to do with the man standing next to her. Jaden. Her temporary hero.
She tugged on his arm, stopping him, and then raised up on her tiptoes to kiss him again.
“I wasn’t kidding before. Much more of that and I won’t be able to control myself.” He glanced around the hallway and gave her a crooked a smile. “I’m sure we can find an empty bed around here.”
Lauren beamed up at him. “Tempting as it sounds, we’d better wait.”
“Okay, but kiss me one more time, and I’m not responsible for my actions.”
They turned left, rounded the corner where Max’s room was, and all joking diminished.
A stark reminder of how serious the situation was hit Lauren like a smack to the forehead. There were men in dark suits everywhere. Some wore business suits and had earpieces. Others wore police uniforms. All stood guard outside Max’s room.
As soon as Lauren took a step inside the hallway, she was stopped by one of the suits.
“This is a restricted area, ma’am.”
Jaden stepped in between them protectively. “I’m Jaden Dean, and I own ManTech.”
“Special Agent Caldwell. Pleased to meet you.” He stuck his hand out between them.
Jaden accepted a hearty-looking shake.
“I’m going to need some ID, sir,” Agent Caldwell said apologetically.
Jaden flashed his license. “You should also know I’m carrying.”
“Sir, we’ll need to search you,” Caldwell countered, examining the ID.
“Understood.”
Another suit came over, eyeing the situation carefully. Lauren’s stomach hit rock bottom. Not because her brother was being heavily guarded. That he was being so protected actually made her feel slightly better about his well-being. He had the best trauma doctors in the world working on him. The level of protection he received made her stomach drop because it reminded her of how deep he’d been in. How much he needed protecting. How bad the guys were who wanted to make sure he didn’t testify.
Those thoughts would keep Lauren awake at night. Max, what have you gotten yourself into?
It was almost better to think he would leave here to a fresh start. A new life. If he could bring a few jerks down in the process, better yet.
“Everything okay here, Caldwell?”
“Yes, Captain. This here’s one of our men,” he said nodding toward Jaden.
Jaden accepted a second handshake, this one looked less rigorous. “Gunner, my Commanding Officer, called ahead. This is Lauren James. She’s the sister of the man you have in custody. She’s been cleared to visit.”
“Of course. Does she have ID?”
“No. Hers was lost in the Caribbean. Got a government guy working on issuing her replacement,” Jaden said.
Her hands twisted nervously. She was out of place in the world Jaden was so comfortable in. Another reminder she didn’t fit.
“I dyed my hair. In case you’re wondering why I don’t look the same. We weren’t sure if anyone would be watching the hospital.”
Jaden shifted slightly. He was still positioned squarely in between her and the security detail, but he’d moved enough to allow them to see her.
Caldwell stared intently at her. “You did good. I’m sure you didn’t
bring attention to yourself out there. The doctor will be back in fifteen minutes for an update. As of this morning, your brother looked strong.” He stepped aside. “Go ahead through.”
Jaden’s arm looped around her waist. He pulled her toward him protectively as he led her to Max’s room.
Nothing could’ve prepared Lauren for walking into that hospital room, seeing her brother hooked up to all those machines.
Jaden’s reassuring voice rasped in her ear. “It’s never as bad as it looks. He’s going to be fine.”
Lauren blinked back tears as she moved to Max’s bedside.
Jaden stood at the door, giving her enough space to have a private moment with her brother, yet never letting her out of his sight. “Take your time.”
Lauren sat in the chair positioned near Max’s head. She took his hand in hers.
“Max, I’m here. It’s Lauren.”
Bruised and swollen, Max’s eyelids fluttered.
“Get your rest, brother. I’m not leaving.”
Lauren felt the hand in hers attempt to squeeze. It was good he could hear her. His face was cut, swollen, and distorted. His nose was double its normal size. But it was Max. He was alive. He was getting the care he needed. And best of all, he was drug free. That was a good start. Soon he’d get the second chance in life he so deserved.
“You’re going to be fine,” she soothed. She didn’t leave his bedside for the next few hours.
Jaden stood guard at the door; no one came in or out without his approval.
Lauren felt protected, and it was foreign at best. In her life, she couldn’t recall ever feeling that way. It was nice.
Would it last?
Or would this assignment end, sending Jaden and her in separate directions.
Seeing her brother okay, she couldn’t help but wonder how much longer Jaden would hang around.
***
Jaden couldn’t shake the bad feeling in his bones. He was missing something, something right under his nose, and he knew it.
Questions swirled. Why had Lauren’s place been ransacked? What had she done? He knew she was innocent. He’d only doubted her for a while because he couldn’t accept the thought he’d be suckered twice.
