Tiffany’s my first stop, sitting over near the command center. Digit gives me a distracted smile as I pass by him.
I drop into a crouch beside her and give her knee a gentle squeeze. A bruise is already marring the skin around her eyes – gonna be a doozy tomorrow. “Hey lovely, I just wanted to see how you’re doing. And to tell you how sorry I am about all of this.”
Her bottom lip trembles, and she bites down on it. It about rips my heart out. I feel so guilty that these women have suffered stress and trauma at Izabella’s hands.
“I shouldn’t have come on this trip. My husband didn’t want me to, but I never listen. He’s going to be so mad when he finds out what happened.”
“I so very sorry, Tiffany.” I don’t know what else to say. The exchange is awkward at best, and she’s definitely not in the headspace where apologies mean anything.
Patting her knee, I get back to my feet. I look down at her, not sure what else to say, when her eyes almost bug out of her head. What the hell has her scared? I hear my name as I turn to look at what she’s seeing and understand her trepidation.
A man in full camouflage, his gear, and that same creepy paint they put on their faces is bearing down on us at a full run. How the hell he can move so quickly with all that gear to weigh him down I have no idea. He draws near and calls out my name again.
Jessen.
My heart racing a mile a minute, I run out into the rain to meet him. The second we’re close enough, Jessen pulls me into a hug so tight I fear my ribs will crack. It’s difficult to draw a full breath, but, God in heaven, it feels incredible to have his arms wrapped securely around me. So much so, I don’t even bother to protest. I want him to keep on holding me, to never let me go.
But he does, eventually. Stepping back, he does a full body scan as if to ensure himself I really am all right. “You okay, gorgeous? You hurt anywhere?” His eyes are intense on mine, as if he could see all the way into my soul.
“I’m fine, Jessen. I’m a little sore from hitting the floor when the guy fell on me, but otherwise I’m absolutely fine.”
Shit, should not have said that. The thought runs through me head as the air around him goes wired. “What do you mean the guy fell on you? What guy?” he asks.
“Let’s get out of the rain, yeah?” I say, stalling. I hurry back over to the lean-to.
Jessen follows. “What guy, Tigs?” He repeats.
“Um, one of our captors. He grabbed my arm and marched over to the window. I thought he was going to use me as a shield when he opened the shutter, but he didn’t. Out of nowhere, he drops to the floor like a stone, and since his hand was still clamped around my arm, he dragged me down with him. In fact, I broke his fall. Turns out someone shot him.”
“It was – you were … Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, it was your arm he had in his grip?” Jessen closes his eyes, breaking that intense gaze.
“Yeah. Why?”
“Fucking hell. If anything had gone wrong …” His words trail off, and he looks like he’s going to be ill.
“Jessen, you’re scaring me. What are you talking about?”
He wraps a hand around his neck, the grip so tight his knuckles are white. “I’m the ‘someone’ who shot him.” His fingers make air quotes as he says ‘someone’. “If the wind had shifted, if he’d moved a couple inches to his left, hell, if you’d got it in your head to struggle …” My heart clenches at the anguished expression in his eyes. “Tigs – I could have shot you. Jesus.” He turns and paces away.
Going over to where he’s standing, I lay my head on his shoulder. His body is all but vibrating. “But you didn’t. I’m still here, unharmed.” Well, relatively unharmed, but I don’t say that. “All thanks to you. You saved me.”
Jessen turns his body into mine, wrapping his strong arms around me, and it’s like coming home. My safe place. Despite the insanity of today’s drama, I feel safe. Holding tightly to each other, we stand on the dock, the storm raging around the lean-to, people milling about, and yet it’s like we’re the only two there.
“Lucky, I’m sorry to intrude, brother, but we gotta go.” One of the biggest men I’ve ever seen materializes at Jessen’s shoulder.
How the hell does someone that large move so quietly?
For a moment, his arms tighten around me. Then, with a deep sigh, Jessen drops his arms and steps back. Immediately, I miss the contact.
“I have to go …” Jessen’s voice is low, strained.
“I know you do. I wouldn’t want you to get into trouble for refusing to obey an order. I’ll be fine.”
“I asked Digit to make sure you were safe until I could come find you, but he’s going to have leave now too. The other guys will take care of all of you. Just please stay in range of sight. At all times, yeah? It’ll destroy me if anything happens to you.”
“Okay.”
“Promise?”
