“Keep your voice down.”
“I will not. You’re a jerk. An egotistical, thick-headed, horrible man. As soon as we get to Houston, I’m relieving you of your job.”
Jake gritted his teeth. Anger he understood, but this went beyond what he expected. “You can’t fire me, because you didn’t hire me. Only your father can do that. Besides, we’re married, at least on paper, so you’ll have to be near me long enough to get it annulled.”
Lexi growled, rattled something off in Greek, and snatched a chocolate bar from the shelf just as the bell above the door rang. “Jerk.”
He lifted his head, and his eyes widened as his gaze landed on the drawn weapon the man was holding. Up until now, they’d been followed by men in suits, but this man had the stature of a bounty hunter. What was Faustus up to, and how was the man staying on top of them?
Jake drew his sidearm and knocked the candy out of Lexi’s arms.
“Would you stop—” Fear flashed in her eyes as she realized he’d pulled his gun, and then her gaze drifted to the front of the store. Her breath came in shallow puffs.
The man leveled his weapon at Lexi and fired. Without a second thought, Jake stepped in front of her, firing at the same time. The next seconds slowed as he felt the tip of the heated bullet melt his skin as it burrowed into his shoulder. Pain radiated from the wound, and he clutched the wound. Only, he didn’t have time to deal with that. He gritted his teeth, grabbed Lexi around the waist, and pulled her to the floor. “Stay down.”
“Dude, come on out. There’s no reason to shoot up this perfectly good store. You give me the girl, and we’ll call it good. I might even share some of the money with you.”
Lexi’s eyes widened, and she looked at Jake. What broke his heart was the questioning in her eyes, like she thought he might actually consider it. He’d known he’d been convincing, but he never thought she’d think that of him.
Another thing he didn’t have time to deal with, so he pushed it from his thoughts and concentrated on the sound of the leather squeaking as the man walked the front of the store.
Jake took a can of green beans from the shelf across from him. He waited until he could hear the man getting closer, sprang up, and chucked it at the man, knocking the gun out of his hand.
Jake took Lexi’s hand and pulled her to the front of the store. Just as they reached the door, a shot struck the glass, and it shattered. He curled around Lexi and shielded her as the glass hit his back. Before the glass stopped falling, Jake glanced up and shot twice. The sound of the man crying out let him know he’d hit his target, and as soon as the glass stopped, he picked up Lexi and ran out of the store.
He yanked open the driver’s side door and shoved her in, keeping her down as he climbed in after her. As he shut his door, he started the engine and threw it into gear. “There’s a towel in the glove box. Could you hand it to me?”
“Are you hurt?”
“Just a cut from the glass.” He didn’t have time to argue with her about needing medical attention. He knew the bullet hadn’t hit an artery, and if he staved off the blood flow, he’d be able to get them further away and deal with it later. “I’m fine.”
As she pulled the towel out, she glanced at him. “Thank you for rescuing me.”
He took it and nodded. “That’s my job.”
“Right, I’m just a job,” she whispered, and he suspected she didn’t know he heard her.
Jake leaned his head back and pushed everything from his mind except getting her to safety. Instead of driving further north, he set a course straight for Houston. With him shot, time was more important. Once they made it to Houston, he’d have help. Once he made it there, Lexi would be safe, and that’s all that mattered to him.
Chapter 15
Lexi sat rigid in the truck with her arms crossed over her chest. They’d been driving more than a day, again using backroads, with stops just long enough to get gas and use the restroom. The last sign she saw had them passing a town called Childress, which was somewhere in Texas.
Even though Jake had saved her from whoever it was that shot at them, she was still angry. Not just angry, deeply hurt. He used her. Manipulated her, and for what? Just to keep her happy? What kind of man did that to a woman? She would have never suspected he’d ever do anything like that to her.
Was he really that good of an actor that he could fool her into believing that he might actually feel something for her? He had been doing this job for a long time. Maybe he was that good. Had he kissed his other clients? If so, how many? How many times had he used his charm and looks to manipulate a woman into doing what he wanted?
How could she have been so wrong about him? And why did it hurt so much? She’d known it wouldn’t last, but she ached so bad it felt like she was in pieces. As much as she wanted to deny it, she’d let herself care about him. But he…he’d used her.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice breaking through her thoughts. “I need to stop for a bit.”
A moment later, he pulled the truck into a motel and parked it. He touched his forehead to the steering wheel, and his eyes closed. “Lex, would you get a button-up shirt and a hat out of my suitcase?”
“Don’t call me Lex,” she spat.
“Sorry, Ms. Maheras.” The words came out breathy.
She gave him a hard look and then climbed out of the pickup, grumbling as she found a shirt and a hat. When she got back in the cab, she tossed the clothes at him and then stopped. His cheek was leaned against the steering wheel, he was breathing hard, and a line of sweat beaded his forehead.
Her gaze dipped to his hand holding the towel she’d given him the day before, and her jaw dropped. “Why is there so much blood on that towel?”
Jake slowly peeled himself off the steering wheel and slipped on the shirt and hat. “I’ll be back in a second.”
Fine. If he wanted to be a tough guy and not give her an answer, then she didn’t care. “Take your time. I’m not looking forward to being cooped up in a motel with you either.”
He pushed the door open and nodded. “I know.” She tried not to watch him as he walked into the lobby of the motel, but she couldn’t stop herself. One of the things she’d noticed in the last few days was that his back was as delicious as his front.
Lexi tilted her head and continued to watch him. He seemed to sway and then braced his hand against the outside of the building. A second later, he continued into the motel, and minutes ticked by until he emerged.
When he got to the pickup, he grabbed their luggage with one hand and opened her door for her. “Stay close, please,” he said.
She nodded and stayed next to him as they walked to the room he’d rented. Once inside, he dropped their bags next to the door and then sat down hard on the edge of the bed. Without a word, she gathered her clothes and toiletries and went into the bathroom to shower.
The door had barely clicked shut when the tears started. They streaked down her cheeks as she undressed and stepped into the hot water. Normally, a hot shower was able to soothe almost anything that was wrong, but not this time. She didn’t think there’d ever be enough hot water to soothe her broken heart.
Then again, maybe it was a good thing she’d found out sooner rather than later that he didn’t care about her. Now she didn’t have to waste thoughts on how to make a relationship with him work. Yeah, that’s how she had to see it. It was a good thing. He’d done her a favor. It was better this way because she could concentrate on her residency. That’s what she wanted in the first place.
Lexi let the water roll over her until she was certain she could face Jake again. This time, she’d show him cold indifference. If he was going to treat her like a job, then she’d treat him the same way.
After her shower, she dressed, and as she toweled her hair, she stepped out. Her jaw dropped. Jake was lying on the bed, hair matted to his head, and his face was pale. The shoulder on the denim button up shirt she’d given him was soaked in blood. He’d been shot? And kept it
from her? Why?
She dropped her towel as she dashed over to him. Taking his face in her hands, she said, “Jake. Jake!”
He cracked his eyelids open a fraction. “It was bleeding more…more than I thought. I need you to stop it.”
“What? I can’t do that in here. You need a hospital. A blood transfusion. More medical attention than we have in a motel room.”
“Do you trust me?”
She wanted to say no, but that was out of anger. Yes, he’d hurt her, but deep down, she knew she could trust him. “Yes.”
He loosely wrapped his fingers around her wrist. “I trust you. If I trust you and you trust me, then you should trust yourself. I know you can do this.”
“You took a bullet for me. After all the hateful, horrible things I said to you, you still stepped in front of me. Is this what you do for all your assignments?”
His eyes slid shut. “You’ve never been an assignment.”
What did that mean? Only she didn’t have time to dwell on that at the moment. “I don’t have anything to deaden the pain.”
“I know, but the bleeding has to stop.”
“I’ll need to irrigate it.”
“I know. I’ve been shot before. There’s contact solution in my bag. That’ll clean it out.”
She nodded, knowing he was right, and left him long enough to grab her medical bag, his contact solution, and a few towels.
Her hands shook as she pulled out her instruments and lined them on the bed. Gathering her thoughts, she closed her eyes, knowing there was no way she could perform a surgery with her hands shaking. If she was going to help him, she needed to be his doctor.
With a deep breath, she opened her eyes and looked at him as she would a patient. She swiftly cut through the sleeve of his shirt to reveal the wound and cleaned the area around it.
“I’m going to start now, okay? You need to stay still.”
He slowly nodded. “Ten more steps.”
She tilted her head. “Steps?”
“It’s what I tell myself when I don’t think I can keep going. Ten more steps. You can always walk ten more steps.”
Tears welled in her eyes again. “Well, just make sure you keep stepping, okay? I’m going to clean this out, so brace yourself.”
The second the solution hit the wound, he stiffened. His face turned red, and he balled his fist and grimaced. When she was finished, she pressed a towel against his shoulder and held it there a second. “I’ll stitch it up for now, but you’ll need an x-ray to make sure you don’t need it taken out.”
“I know.”
She peeled off the towel, and he grimaced again as she stitched the wound closed. “You need some water to help with blood production.”
Jake shook his head. “No.”
“Yes,” she said as she cleaned her instruments and put them away. She stood, filled a glass with water, and set it on the nightstand as she lifted him enough so he could drink. “Drink,” she said as she put the cup to his lips.
He drank greedily and gulped air as he finished it.
“For someone who didn’t want water, you sure did drink that fast. I think you need more.”
Before she got the last word out, he went limp in her arms. She cupped his cheek. “Jake?” He’d pushed himself as far as he could in order to keep her safe, all while she was telling him not to speak to her.
What kind of character did the man have in order to take the kind of a verbal abuse she’d dished out and still step in front of a bullet for someone? He said he wasn’t worthy of her. That she deserved better. In her book, with the way he’d sacrificed himself, she didn’t deserve him.
She pushed his hair back from his face and traced the line of his jaw with her fingertips. He’d said she wasn’t just another assignment, but what did that mean? He’d told her he’d kissed her because he was bored and lonely.
As another conversation came to mind, she touched her fingers to her lips. He’d said he couldn’t let a distraction keep him from doing his job…again. Was that why he’d pushed her away? Had he said all that to make her mad on purpose?
Whatever the reason, it had to wait. For now, she needed to get him cleaned up. She pulled out her scissors again and made quick work of both his shirts. Mangled flesh covered his left side in what looked like a burn scar, and what she thought was a tattoo on his neck was the discolored edge of it. What on earth happened to him? She lifted her gaze to his face and studied him.
Oh, she’d behaved so horribly. She told him he wasn’t good enough for her. Called him all sorts of terrible names. Tears streamed down her face, and she squeezed her eyes shut. More than likely, he’d felt responsible for dallying at the monument. He pushed her away, thinking he was the reason she was shot at, and in his mind, keeping her at a distance helped him keep her safe.
Leaning over him, she braced herself with one hand and palmed the side of his face with the other. She wasn’t wrong about him at all. He took everything she’d dished at him and never said an unkind word back. When he woke up, she would apologize and hope that he could forgive her, even though she didn’t deserve it.
Chapter 16
Jake jerked awake and sat up. “Lexi?” Not Lexi. She didn’t want him calling her that anymore. “Ms. Maheras?”
Lexi peeked out of the bathroom and smiled. “I’m right here. You’ve been running a low-grade fever, and I was rewetting a washcloth.”
“How long have I been out?”
“Not long, maybe six hours.”
He pushed off the bed, stumbled, and fell back. Pain shot through his shoulder, and he winced.
In the next breath, Lexi was leaning over him. “Slow down. We won’t be going anywhere if I have to restitch that wound.”
“We need to go.”
“Okay, but slowly. You lost blood. It’ll take time for your body to bounce back from that.”
He sat up again. “It can bounce back while we’re riding down the road.”
She reached to touch his forehead, and he stopped her. “I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine,” he said, not feeling very fine at all. In fact, his stomach flipped as he said it. He wasn’t sure why he felt so bad, but more than likely, he’d pushed himself too far and getting shot didn’t help.
“Okay, I’m ready.”
“Let me get a shirt on and brush my teeth, and we’ll go.” He stood again, only a little slower this time.
Squatting in front of his bag, he rummaged through it and found a shirt. With a little work, he managed to pull it over his head without his shoulder hurting too much. Then he realized he didn’t feel disgusting, and he should have.
Lexi sat on the edge of her bed. “If you’re wondering, I cleaned you up. I thought you’d want to leave as soon as you woke up.”
He knitted his eyebrows together. “Thanks.” Why was she being nice? He’d pushed her as far away as he knew how. She should still hate him. “Just a pit stop in the bathroom, and I’ll be ready.”
“Sure.”
Jake nodded and took his toiletry bag with him into the bathroom. As soon as he shut the door, he leaned back against the wall. He’d been shot before, and he didn’t remember feeling this awful. He grabbed a washcloth and wiped his face, brushed his teeth, and then used the restroom. Once he’d washed his hands, he stepped out.
Lexi stopped a few feet from him. “I made you a sling while you were passed out. I thought it would help keep your arm immobile and help with the pain.” She stepped a little closer and held it out to him.
“I appreciate that.” He took it and fixed it around his neck and arm. “Let’s get going.”
“You know I could drive.”
“I can drive with one hand, but thanks for the offer.”
He stepped in front of her and peeked out the door. Tentatively, he stepped out and surveyed the area before picking up the luggage with his good arm.
He set the luggage in the bed of the pickup and climbed in as Lexi shut her door. Their eyes met for a second, and
he pulled his gaze away. He knew he’d hurt her, but at the moment, he couldn’t think about that. They needed to move.
Once they were on the road, he leaned his head back against the seat and kept his focus ahead of him. He could remember making it to the motel but not much after that. It was obvious Lexi had stitched his wound closed, and she said she’d cleaned him up.
A round of nausea hit him again, and he shifted in the seat. Hadn’t he picked up something to drink at one of the convenience stores? There was a bag at Lexi’s feet, but she told him not to speak to her.
Lexi twisted in her seat and faced him. “I want to tell you that I’m sorry for all those things I said to you. They were hateful, and you didn’t deserve that. I hope you’ll forgive me.”
She was apologizing? He was the jerk who’d kissed her and then told her it didn’t mean anything. That it had come out of boredom and loneliness when it was anything but. “You don’t need to do that. It was deserved.”
“No, it wasn’t. I called you things I know in my heart aren’t true. I did it out of anger, and I shouldn’t have.”
He shot her a glance. “Don’t worry about it.”
“So, does that mean you forgive me?”
“Consider yourself forgiven.” He smiled.
Her face lit up. Could she be more beautiful? “Thank you.” She twisted in the seat and faced forward. “How much longer do we have until we reach Houston?”
Longer than he wanted, that was for sure. He was forcing himself to stay focused. “I don’t know. If we’re found again, I may have to stay off major roads, and that’ll slow us down.”
“Okay. I was just curious.”
“Don’t worry. You won’t have to deal with me much longer.” He shot her a half-smile.
She started to reach out to him and stopped. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
He shifted again and raked his hand through his hair, trying to loosen it from his scalp. He was so hot, and the hotter he got, the worse he felt. “Do you mind if I turn up the air? I’m a little warm. And do I have a drink in that bag?”
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