Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 138334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 692(@200wpm)___ 553(@250wpm)___ 461(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 692(@200wpm)___ 553(@250wpm)___ 461(@300wpm)
“No.” He was firm. “We stay together.”
“If something goes wrong, they’ll take you to the States.” Now she sounded impatient. He could hear the exhaustion in her voice. Before, she’d tried to spare him; now, she was just too tired to put in the effort.
“No. I mean it, Lotus Blossom. We stay together.”
She didn’t waste time arguing with him. He stood up and tested his weight on the swollen leg. It wasn’t going to hold up. He’d have to accept her help whether he wanted to or not. She wrapped her arm around his waist without a word, and they hobbled out together. Every step had him cursing under his breath. He wasn’t nearly as stoic as he wanted to be. He couldn’t see where he was going or how far it was, and she didn’t give him any kind of a reference. To be fair, she was struggling to keep him on his feet. He was giving her more of his weight than he had before.
“Three more steps and you’re going in the back seat.” She left him for few seconds to yank open the door. “All clear. I don’t feel a target on my back at the moment. Do you?”
He shook his head and then wished he hadn’t. “I need to lie down before I fall down. I’m beginning to think I’d welcome a target at this rate. Should have asked the doc for painkillers.”
“He left you some. I think he was afraid I’d shoot him if I came back and found you high as a kite on pills.”
“Would you have?” Gedeon was curious.
“Shot him because you were high?” Amusement was back in her voice, replacing the exhaustion as she helped him the last two steps to the back seat. “I might have paid him more money just to see what other secrets you had to spill. Step up, Gedeon, I’m not going to toss you onto the back seat.”
Gedeon did his best to climb into the Jeep. He made it inside, but it wasn’t pretty, and he really did crawl, dragging his injured leg and swearing in several languages. Sweat broke out, beading on his body. He was on the floor of the Jeep rather than the seat. He rested his head on the seat and fought for his breath.
“I think this is just fine, right here.”
She must have agreed because she shut the door quickly, was gone a couple of minutes and returned with two suitcases. Stowing them in the front passenger’s seat, she hopped into the driver’s side and the Jeep was in motion.
“You okay back there?”
“No, I’m dying.”
“What happened to the badass who single-handedly wiped out thirty murdering traffickers in a night? Where is he in the middle of all this whining?”
He caught the note of concern in the midst of her teasing. “Yeah, I think the badass got the shit kicked out of him by a little four-foot-and-some-change lotus blossom.”
The Jeep swerved sharply to the left and then straightened again. He turned his head to see her better. He’d forgotten the bandages covering his eyes for just that little moment.
“Sorry, dog in the road. We’re almost there. I’m sorry, but it’s another change. Nicer vehicle. We have to ditch the Jeep. Once we get to the plane, I can take better care of you. There’s a bed on the plane, Gedeon. You can take whatever the doctor gave you for pain and sleep. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Why? I learned a long time ago that nothing’s free. Why are you helping me? You know what kind of man I am. I was up front with you. I even told you I can’t leave witnesses.”
“I heard you loud and clear.”
“Then why?”
“I have my reasons. I don’t particularly feel like sharing them. You wouldn’t understand. I had three destinations I could choose from and you had a real estate transaction in New Orleans, a house you bought, so I chose that. I’ll get you there and disappear.”
“Let me get this straight. After rescuing me and getting a doctor to check me out, stealing money to pay him, calling in an enormous favor to get papers and fly us out of the country, you’re going to dump me in a house that needs tons of work, still blind, unable to walk, and just leave me to fend for myself.”
There was a telling silence. She was getting antsy to leave him. Women fell all over him. He was used to walking into a club and having his choice. He just looked, crooked his finger or nodded and the woman hurried over to him. He didn’t even have to bother walking over to her. It was a unique experience to have this woman give him attitude and not even try to persuade him that he would be better off with her.