Savor the Danger
Page 91
“Yeah, I know. I wasn’t planning to come see you tonight. I meant that I’ll figure out a good place for us to meet closer to where you are. But tomorrow, okay? I’m beat.”
God, but he wanted to go to her. Now. This instant.
As long as she insisted on doing her own thing, running wild and looking for trouble, he had to assume she found it.
No way in hell would he let her lead that back to Dare’s home where it could endanger Molly or anyone else.
“Tonight works better for me.”
“Yeah, because you’re freaking Superman. I remember. But as you keep telling me, I’m just a girl, and I need rest.” She gave a loud, effective yawn. “It’s been a long day.”
Tension knotted his muscles. “Listen to me, Arizona. Whoever is in that BMW means business. There’s been a lot going on. A lot you don’t know—”
“I’m betting you’d be surprised what I know. Like…two shooters?”
He went mute. No. No way. But…probably. Back teeth locked, he said, “That was you?”
“Gotta look out for my number one guy, right?” She made a kissing sound into the phone.
“No.”
She ignored his whispered denial. “But, hey, don’t worry about any of that right now. I can explain everything better in the morning, after I’ve gotten some shut-eye. For tonight, I’m just gonna find a hole in the wall—”
Jackson heard her winding down, and it left him sick with urgency. “Don’t you dare hang up!”
“—and I’ll be in touch sometime tomorrow morning.”
“Goddammit, Arizona, I mean it.”
Voice going very soft, she whispered, “If I need you, Jackson, I really will call. Thanks to you, I’ve gotten used to living.” He heard the smile, and the truth she seldom admitted. “I even sort of like it.”
She ended the call.
Primed, his vision clouded with a red haze, it took all Jackson had not to crush the phone in his fist. But if he broke the damn thing, how would she reach him when she needed him? And he knew that she would.
She played some dangerous game. A game that, despite her wishes to the contrary, didn’t suit her.
Everyone watched him, waiting, and it was too damn much. “She hung up on me.”
“She’s okay?” Trace asked.
“Says she is.” But Jackson wasn’t buying it. Not really. It took everything he had to sound calm, to maintain a posture of control. “I don’t know where she is. Not at school.” He shook his head. “On the road, she says. Coming into Kentucky.”
Alani stood close behind him. “She wanted to meet you?”
“Tomorrow. She said she’ll call back and arrange something after she gets some sleep.”
Dare sat forward. “The silver BMW?”
“It was following her.” He heard Alani gasp. “She says she lost it.”
“You believe her?”
He didn’t know what to believe. “The second shooter at the house? Well, Alani was right.”
“I was?”
“We assumed it was two adversaries, but Arizona claims that it was her.”
Silence sounded louder than a gun blast, assaulting his ears. There was so much he’d never told them about Arizona.
“She was at my house,” Alani said, “but she had no way of knowing me or where I lived.” She touched his arm. “So the question now is whether or not she followed you there, or did she follow the shooter?”
“Yeah.” Whichever the case, she’d come armed. If only to follow him, then did she do it as protection? But why? What did she know that he didn’t, to make her think he needed protection?
The woman at the house, the one who’d drugged him… No. He felt sick for even thinking it. Alani had described the woman to him, and at mid-thirties with short hair, she sounded nothing like Arizona.
But then who?
So many unanswered questions.
Every muscle in his body strained with the need for exertion. He wanted to run. Or swim.
Or f**k.
He glanced back at Alani.
As if she read him like a book, her golden brown eyes darkened. “You should eat,” she said softly. “You’ll need your strength.”
A promise? His heart started tripping.
With Grim in his arms, Chris stood and walked to a wall monitor. “Vet’s here.” He glanced back to eye first Jackson, then Alani. “Yeah, why don’t I just take care of it?”
Jackson worked his jaw, tried to find something logical to say, but he couldn’t.
Alani spoke up. “Thank you, Chris.”
Priss and Molly bounced their gazes between them. He didn’t know what had the wives looking so tantalized, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
He pulled himself together, but it wasn’t easy. “I can do it.”
Dare said, “No.” He took his wife’s hand and tugged her from the chair. “Let Chris and the ladies take care of it. And yes, Alani, that includes you.”
Alani started to protest, but Dare overrode her on it. “It’s always better to go over everything while it’s fresh in the mind to get another perspective.”
Knowing Dare was right, that he needed to look at this logically when logic hovered right out of reach, Jackson nodded. “I might have missed something.”
Hands on her hips, Alani turned to him.
He expected her to be hurt. Maybe angry.
God, but he wanted to go to her. Now. This instant.
As long as she insisted on doing her own thing, running wild and looking for trouble, he had to assume she found it.
No way in hell would he let her lead that back to Dare’s home where it could endanger Molly or anyone else.
“Tonight works better for me.”
“Yeah, because you’re freaking Superman. I remember. But as you keep telling me, I’m just a girl, and I need rest.” She gave a loud, effective yawn. “It’s been a long day.”
Tension knotted his muscles. “Listen to me, Arizona. Whoever is in that BMW means business. There’s been a lot going on. A lot you don’t know—”
“I’m betting you’d be surprised what I know. Like…two shooters?”
He went mute. No. No way. But…probably. Back teeth locked, he said, “That was you?”
“Gotta look out for my number one guy, right?” She made a kissing sound into the phone.
“No.”
She ignored his whispered denial. “But, hey, don’t worry about any of that right now. I can explain everything better in the morning, after I’ve gotten some shut-eye. For tonight, I’m just gonna find a hole in the wall—”
Jackson heard her winding down, and it left him sick with urgency. “Don’t you dare hang up!”
“—and I’ll be in touch sometime tomorrow morning.”
“Goddammit, Arizona, I mean it.”
Voice going very soft, she whispered, “If I need you, Jackson, I really will call. Thanks to you, I’ve gotten used to living.” He heard the smile, and the truth she seldom admitted. “I even sort of like it.”
She ended the call.
Primed, his vision clouded with a red haze, it took all Jackson had not to crush the phone in his fist. But if he broke the damn thing, how would she reach him when she needed him? And he knew that she would.
She played some dangerous game. A game that, despite her wishes to the contrary, didn’t suit her.
Everyone watched him, waiting, and it was too damn much. “She hung up on me.”
“She’s okay?” Trace asked.
“Says she is.” But Jackson wasn’t buying it. Not really. It took everything he had to sound calm, to maintain a posture of control. “I don’t know where she is. Not at school.” He shook his head. “On the road, she says. Coming into Kentucky.”
Alani stood close behind him. “She wanted to meet you?”
“Tomorrow. She said she’ll call back and arrange something after she gets some sleep.”
Dare sat forward. “The silver BMW?”
“It was following her.” He heard Alani gasp. “She says she lost it.”
“You believe her?”
He didn’t know what to believe. “The second shooter at the house? Well, Alani was right.”
“I was?”
“We assumed it was two adversaries, but Arizona claims that it was her.”
Silence sounded louder than a gun blast, assaulting his ears. There was so much he’d never told them about Arizona.
“She was at my house,” Alani said, “but she had no way of knowing me or where I lived.” She touched his arm. “So the question now is whether or not she followed you there, or did she follow the shooter?”
“Yeah.” Whichever the case, she’d come armed. If only to follow him, then did she do it as protection? But why? What did she know that he didn’t, to make her think he needed protection?
The woman at the house, the one who’d drugged him… No. He felt sick for even thinking it. Alani had described the woman to him, and at mid-thirties with short hair, she sounded nothing like Arizona.
But then who?
So many unanswered questions.
Every muscle in his body strained with the need for exertion. He wanted to run. Or swim.
Or f**k.
He glanced back at Alani.
As if she read him like a book, her golden brown eyes darkened. “You should eat,” she said softly. “You’ll need your strength.”
A promise? His heart started tripping.
With Grim in his arms, Chris stood and walked to a wall monitor. “Vet’s here.” He glanced back to eye first Jackson, then Alani. “Yeah, why don’t I just take care of it?”
Jackson worked his jaw, tried to find something logical to say, but he couldn’t.
Alani spoke up. “Thank you, Chris.”
Priss and Molly bounced their gazes between them. He didn’t know what had the wives looking so tantalized, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
He pulled himself together, but it wasn’t easy. “I can do it.”
Dare said, “No.” He took his wife’s hand and tugged her from the chair. “Let Chris and the ladies take care of it. And yes, Alani, that includes you.”
Alani started to protest, but Dare overrode her on it. “It’s always better to go over everything while it’s fresh in the mind to get another perspective.”
Knowing Dare was right, that he needed to look at this logically when logic hovered right out of reach, Jackson nodded. “I might have missed something.”
Hands on her hips, Alani turned to him.
He expected her to be hurt. Maybe angry.
