Page 82 of Paths
Making sure he doesn’t turn on us, I don’t take my eyes off him until he’s out of view as the pilot taxis to the runway.
“We’re going, Cain. Buckle up,” I hear him call to me from the cockpit.
But I don’t buckle. I go to the galley and brace myself as we speed down the runway. With nothing else to use, I wrap ice in a towel, and wet another one to clean her face.
Feeling my phone vibrate again, I ignore it and move to Maya, who’s visibly shaking. My gut wrenches as I gently lift her face. Her beautiful face—that’s wet with tears, laced with fear, and now seeping blood—has what looks like road rash across her cheekbone.
“I’m sorry, baby. So sorry I had to let you go. He pulled a gun—I had no choice.”
She shakes her head and shifts into me, but I need to check her out.
I lift her face to mine again to get a good look. Wiping away her tears gently, I ask, “What happened?”
As she finds her voice, I wipe the blood from her scratches before applying the ice to her cheek.
She winces. “He works for Weston’s dad. Holy shit, they don’t mess around.”
I know all this, but don’t want her to think about it, so I ask again, “Not that. Tell me what happened when I had to turn my back. How did you get hurt?”
Her hand comes up to mine to hold the ice to her cheek. “I was trying to get away from him. I thought I had, but he grabbed me and I fell, sort of skidded. I’ve never seen that guy before, just the older one with the gun.”
“How hard did you hit your head?” I turn on my phone light and lift her chin farther to check her pupils.
She blinks rapidly as I flash the light in and out of her eyes. “Not that hard. Stop it.”
I feel the plane lift off the ground and breathe a sigh of relief when my fucking phone vibrates again.
I see Crew’s name across my screen. Frustrated, I answer, “What?”
“Answer your fucking phone,” he clips. “We got word they’re gonna make a move on Maya. Where are you?”
“How do you know this?” I ask.
“Asa’s contact at the FBI got a tip. Where are you?”
“They got their tip a little too late. Our plane just took off, but we were jumped at the airport. One of them was the same guy who showed up at the Ranch that day with her ex. I don’t know the other. One pulled a gun on us. I took care of it, but not before Maya got tossed around and scraped up.”
“You’re good then?” he asks with more meaning than I like, but I get that he might wonder where my head is.
I look at Maya as she takes the ice away from her face and shifts into me. I put my arm around her and say into the phone, “I’ll talk to you after I get her settled.”
I end the call without saying goodbye and pull her to me tighter.
“Ouch,” she winces.
I release my hold. “What’s wrong?”
She rubs her arm before she sinks into my chest again. “He hurt my arm when I was wrestling with him. It’s over. I’m fine.”
I lean back, pulling her to me more gently this time. I scoot us down in the couch as she settles into my chest.
“Grady?”
I close my eyes and try not to think about how bad that could’ve been. “Hmm?”
“I’m sorry,” she murmurs into my chest. “You were shot at because of me—because of my shitty history with Weston.”
I rub her arm gently. “Don’t worry. They had no idea what they were doing and that’s not the first time I’ve been shot at.”
