As her breathing slowed, a phone sounded. It wasn’t hers, and it took a few moments to realize it was coming from Bazarov’s body. With a groan, she got up and crossed to the dead Russian, where she rolled him over and retrieved his phone from one of the pockets of his tactical pants.
Caller Unknown displayed on the cracked screen. Curious, she swiped to accept the call.
“What?” she said on the heels of a painful exhale. Add at least one broken rib to the growing tally of injuries.
“Congratulations, kiddo.” Vaughn’s tinny voice came over the speaker. “I wasn’t sure you had it in you.”
Her blood pressure spiked. “Fuck off.”
“Oh, now don’t be such a poor sport. It’s not my fault Rudy was dumb enough to think he could take you. I mean, the guy had skills, and he had you outnumbered, but after losing an eye, he should have thought twice about screwing around with you.”
“Is that Vaughn?” Jackson asked, and she nodded.
Essie rubbed a sore spot on the side of her head where a lump was beginning to form. “Is there a point to this conversation?”
“No, not really. I just wanted to see if you were still alive.”
He sounded so damn chipper, she wanted to reach through the phone and throttle him.
“But you could do me a really big favor and stand down. We both know it’s only a matter of time before I collect on that contract.”
“And we both know that’s not going to happen.”
An exaggerated sigh came over the phone. “I had a feeling you were going to say that. Pretty ballsy, considering I know your location and you have no idea if I rigged the house to blow.”
An involuntary chill went through her. “That’s not your style.”
He wouldn’t waste good explosives on her. To the contrary, he’d been banking on the Russians doing his dirty work for him. If he’d thought for one second that she’d stood a chance against Bazarov, he would have called her phone instead. The knowledge burned away the last lingering vestiges of affection she once felt for him.
“Yeah, you’re right. I just thought I’d see if I could get a rise out of you.” He laughed, and the sound grated on her very last nerve. “All right, don’t say I didn’t warn you. See you out on the field.”
A ringtone sounded as she ended the call, but it wasn’t coming from Bazarov’s phone. She reached for her phone, only to realize it was no longer in the back pocket of her pants. It must have fallen out at some point during the fight. God only knew where it was among the kitchen wreckage.
“That’s mine.” Jackson took out his phone and checked the screen. “It’s Navarre. I better take this.”
Without a doubt, Navarre was going to be pissed when he learned about the damage to his house. She didn’t blame him, and she also wouldn’t blame him for being pissed at her about it. This wouldn’t have happened if she wasn’t here.
“About time you called,” Jackson said when he answered the phone. He didn’t sound angry; it was more the tone that friends used when giving each other grief. “Yeah, we’re good, but the house is tore up. Just wait until you see the kitchen.”
Jackson gave his roommate a brief recap of what happened, and then listened to Navarre’s response. “No, most of the damage was contained to the kitchen and living room.” Another pause. “That’s cool. Could you do me a favor and pick up Pinto? Essie popped some of her stitches. Thanks, man. See you in a few.”
Finished with the call, he stuffed the phone back into his pocket.
“How’d he handle the news?” Essie asked.
“About as well as I expected. He’s not happy, but who would be? We put a lot of work into this dump.”
A fresh round of guilt rained down on her. “I’m really sorry about this.”
“Stop apologizing. You didn’t mean for it to happen.”
No, she didn’t, but she still felt bad about bringing death and destruction to their door. She tried to get up off the floor and a shock of pain had her sucking air through her teeth. Most of the adrenaline had ebbed from her system, leaving her exhausted, irritated, and feeling each and every one of her injuries.
“Don’t do that.” Jackson crouched beside her and put one arm around her waist. “Let me help.”
She tried to wave him off. “It’s okay. I can do it.”
He made a rough sound. “Look, I know it’s hard for a big, strong woman like you to accept help. But come on, after what we just went through, it’s okay to take a break from being a badass.”
