Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 104185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
But he didn’t. His hands pressed me deeper into his reckless kiss. Maybe he felt he had little left to lose.
As much as I didn’t want it to end, we were running out of time. I placed my hands on his broad shoulders and eased him back. “Why were you in handcuffs?”
“Because when I came to, you’d been taken.” His brown eyes were serious and intense. “There was some FBI agent being a real dick about needing my statement when there were,” he considered how to phrase it, “better uses of my time.”
“Did you break his nose, too?” I frowned as the horrible image of Jason breaking the man’s jaw flashed through my mind.
“No, all I did was shove the guy out of my way. But I can tell you, he did not care for that.” He made a tight noise when he righted himself.
“Are you okay? I thought maybe the vest—”
“I’ll survive,” he said. “And you? Did he hurt you?”
“No, I don’t think he planned to, at least not in the van.”
He clearly did not like the sound of that, but he held back any other emotion he was feeling. “What did he say? Try to be exact.”
I hurried through the story with Jason’s arms around me, and his hold tightened when I shuddered and described Frey’s tongue on my skin. The shower had done little to wash the revulsion off me, but his presence was a powerful distraction.
We couldn’t stay like this forever, though. It had definitely been longer than ten minutes, and each second was likely to piss Bill off even more.
“What happens now?” I asked, unintentionally holding my breath.
His arms fell away and he stepped back, his gaze running from mine. “I need a minute.”
I swallowed thickly. I understood this wasn’t an easy decision for him, and it was beyond selfish for me to ask him to make this sacrifice, especially when we barely knew each other. But it hurt regardless when his answer wasn’t immediate.
The silence was utter agony and lasted forever.
“Will you get on the helicopter if I don’t?” he asked finally.
There was no air left in my lungs, but somehow, I managed to speak. “No.”
His face went oddly blank, and then he uttered the words I was hoping for. “Then let’s go.”
Bill’s scowl covered his entire face when we came out and moved toward the car. I pretended I didn’t see it and ducked into the back seat.
It was surprising when Jason followed, slipping into the seat beside me, as if his boss were our chauffeur. Bill’s aggravated gaze caught mine in the rearview mirror, but I broke it off and pressed my lips together.
We’d barely pulled away before Jason leaned toward the driver’s seat. “What did the log say?”
Bill didn’t get a chance to answer him because his phone rang. He tapped the screen and lifted the phone to his ear. “Hey. Thanks for calling me back. Did you—”
Whatever the person on the other side had to say, it was urgent. The car was quiet as he drove and listened, and although I could hear a voice on the phone, I couldn’t make out the words.
Could Jason? He grew more tense with every second, and one of his knees bounced nervously, but when I flashed him a questioning look, he didn’t explain.
Bill’s phone call was still going when we pulled into the parking lot of what seemed to be a high school football stadium. A black helicopter was perched in the center of the field with its rotors still spinning, the choppy thumps amplified by the empty metal stands.
It stole my breath that it was here because of me.
There was no directive from Bill, but it was obvious he wanted us to follow him. He shut off the car, climbed out of the driver’s seat, and headed toward the fence surrounding the track without looking back. His conversation was too serious to spare us any attention.
I pushed open my door, got out, and wrapped my arms around myself. The sweater I wore was thick, but the cold air easily cut through it, and my hair was still wet. My teeth immediately began to chatter as I strode toward the helicopter.
“Wait.”
Jason’s voice was hesitant, putting me off balance as I turned to look back. He wore a conflicted expression, and before I could open my mouth to ask what was wrong, he captured my lips with his.
His boss had his back turned, but it was stunning he was willing to risk this. To not only disregard the rules, but to flaunt it so publicly, and at this moment. But his kiss was its own flash grenade, voiding everything else out.
But it ended so quickly, it was jarring. I was dizzy in its aftermath, swaying on my feet. What the hell? Jason pumped more confusion into me when he grabbed my hand, laced our fingers together, and pulled me toward the open space in the fence.