I’m waiting for the sound of more screeching tires. There’ll be another billow of dust as she shoots away like those morons did.
I should have hit them harder. I should have made sure none of them could freaking walk again.
Five guys and one innocent girl.
It makes me sick.
They’ll call victim, though. When they crawl in their front door, they’ll be bitching and moaning about how unfair the world is.
Shit, what if they call the cops?
What if they head to a hospital?
That could lead them back to me.
I need to get out of here.
I’ll wait until Kena’s taken off, and then I’ll start walking for the highway.
I’m injured, but not so badly that I can’t defend myself again if I have to.
The idea exhausts me.
It’s followed by thoughts of Arley and Jade, which make me want to sink into a mire.
How the hell am I supposed to keep my promise?
I don’t think Cruz will hurt Arley, but she’ll be so scared right now.
She needs me, and I can’t reach her.
“Dammit.” A soft whisper catches my ear.
Then shoes scuff the dirt.
I creep my eyes open and jolt in surprise.
Kena’s beside me, bending down, gripping my shirt.
“Come on,” she murmurs, straining to help me stand.
I find the strength to get up, leaning against her as she helps me to the car.
“What are you doing?” I mumble.
“I don’t freaking know!” she snips, her sigh heavy as she helps me around to the passenger door and secures me inside. I wince as the belt stretches across my body.
“You’re bleeding through your shirt,” she mutters, her forehead wrinkling. “I mean, I think that’s your blood, right? As opposed to the other blood.”
I just look at her, not sure what to say.
She huffs and reaches into the back. “You need to put pressure on it.”
I hear a zip, a grunt and a little rustling, and then she’s by my side again, folding up a towel and placing it gently against my shirt.
“Hold this here.” She adjusts my hand so I’m pressing the towel into my wound.
I wince and her forehead wrinkles again.
She looks worried about me.
What the hell is going on right now?
Why is she helping me?
I glance down and spot the blood blooming across my cotton shirt, blending with Jade’s. My chest constricts like someone’s just punched me with a battering ram.
Leaning my head back, I watch Kena race around the car and jump into the driver’s seat.
The engine kicks in, and she grips the wheel.
I’m still reeling that she hasn’t left me.
This chick must be crazy.
I freaking took her hostage. I stole from her, abandoned her. If my conscience hadn’t kicked my ass, she’d be the victim of a gang rape or whatever those jerks were going to do to her.
The thought makes me want to throw up.
None of this makes sense.
This girl should be running as far from me as she possibly can.
Is it because I came back?
Maybe she thinks she owes me something.
“You don’t owe me,” I whisper, fighting off the sudden exhaustion that follows a fight.
She stares at me for a moment, her brown eyes assessing me like she’s trying to figure out some scientific formula.
After a long, awkward beat, she shakes her head and spins the car around, hitting the road and accelerating away from the rest stop.
“You need help. I’m getting help.”
Snatching her wrist, I ignore the way she flinches and soften my move by running my thumb lightly over her skin.
“No hospitals,” I whisper. “They ask questions I can’t afford to answer. Just dump me near a drugstore and be on your way.”
She lets out a scoffing laugh I can’t decipher.
I frown and she shakes her head again like she knows something I don’t.
15
Too Many Questions
Like I’m gonna dump him outside a drugstore.
He just saved my life!
He tells me I don’t owe him anything, which is sweet and all.
But come on!
I mean, yeah, he kidnapped me, stole from me and tried to ditch me… but he came back.
He came back.
That’s proof this guy has a good soul, and I’m not just going to leave him bleeding in some abandoned rest stop.
The guy is desperate.
And I need to find out why.
“I’m not just going to dump your bleeding body on the side of the curb,” I mutter, shaking my head. “You need a hospital.”
“I said no hospitals!”
“Why not?”
His jaw clenches.
I huff and accelerate down the road. I have no idea where we are or where I’m going. My eyes dart to the right, and I spot a slash in his jacket sleeve, blood oozing through the tear. It looks nasty. He needs to get cleaned up. Fixed up!
“It’s because of the cops, right? You’re worried if you go to a hospital, your injuries might make them call the police.”
His nod is so stiff and minimal, I barely see it out of the corner of my eye.
“Okay, so why can’t the cops know about those guys chasing you? Are you worried about me selling you out? Because I won’t. I’ll just say you hitched a ride with me or something.”
He whips around to look at me, his face scrunched with confusion.
“What?” I snap and return my eyes to the road, unnerved by his gaze.
“You don’t have to lie for me. I’m not pulling you into this mess. Just drop me outside a drugstore like I told you.”
“I’m not doing that! You look like shit! I won’t be surprised if you keel over before you even got in the door.”
“I’m not that bad,” he grits out, then proves himself wrong by wincing. “I’ve been worse.”
“Worse? Worse than this? What the hell do you do for a living?”
“What do you think I do? Arrange flowers or something?”
I roll my eyes. “No, I thought you were a wedding planner.”
He’s silent for a beat, but then he snickers, a smile stretching over his lips.
Damn, he’s got a beautiful smile.
I glance away, not wanting it to distract me. The road is leading us around the lake and looks to be getting more and more isolated. I need to figure out where the hell we are.
As soon as it’s safe to pull over, I ease the car off the road.
“What are you doing?” Deeks asks, shifting again and hissing.
“This is ridiculous. You’re in pain and injured. You need help.” I hold out my hand. “Give me my phone so I can figure out where we are and where the nearest help is.”
He frowns and points to it.
I roll my eyes, embarrassed that I didn’t notice it was still where I left it.
“I’m not your problem okay? Just dump me in the next town, and you can keep driving to wherever the hell you were going.”
“Dump you in the next town,” I mutter, shaking my head while unplugging the phone, ignoring yet another text from Aunt Valerie and opening the Maps app. “So you can go and carjack someone else?”