Jake’s hands stilled momentarily, before he resumed his work. He remained silent for so long, Olivia had started to think he wasn’t going to answer. When he worked his jaw again, Olivia frowned.
She was about to ask him what that was all about when he finally brought his gaze to hers. The bitterness there was terrifying.
“I came here to find the bastards responsible for killing you, and make them pay for what they’d done.”
She could have sworn the blue in Jake’s eyes darkened with his words. His expression was fierce, and there was an edge there. One she’d never seen before.
He didn’t elaborate, but she didn’t need him to. Olivia understood perfectly. His sole purpose for coming here was to kill Scarface and his men. For her.
As she held his haunted gaze, she realized Jake was not only the most caring and protective man she’d ever known. He was also the most deadly.
Jake turned away and finished wrapping her left foot. Once that was done, he started cleaning her right one before he spoke again, all traces of that dark edge gone.
“So, you want to tell me what happened to you and the others?”
Confusion, from both his sudden change in tone and topic, made Olivia’s head swim. She wanted to ask him more about coming here. About his team and the men who’d taken her. But after everything he’d done for her, Olivia decided if he wanted to change the subject for now, he could.
That didn’t mean she wanted to relive the horrors of that day. Just thinking about it sent a shiver down her spine. She shrugged, doing her best to sound as casual as he had.
“Not much to talk about.”
Jake’s hands stopped moving again. He glanced at her, his voice dipping lower. “Liv.”
Olivia had always loved the way he used the shortened version of her name. The emotion with which he said it this time, however, nearly undid her. She focused on her hands, which were wringing together in her lap.
“Olivia?”
Her breathing picked up again, and she tried her best to speak calmly. “If you read the paper, then you know what happened.”
With a softness that made her want to scream, Jake said, “The papers only gave minimal detail. I need to know everything.”
“Why?”
Olivia wasn’t purposefully being stubborn. She just really, really didn’t want to talk about this.
Jake seemed to understand, because he kept that same, gentle tone when he explained, “Because, sweetheart. The more we know, the better chance we have of making sure every single one of those men is stopped.”
He waited, and Olivia knew he was giving her time to open up. She wanted to help him. Hated the thought of anyone else having to go through what she and her friends had. She opened her mouth to tell him, but the knot in her throat made it impossible to speak.
Sensing her internal battle, Jake asked for a small piece of the whole, sordid puzzle.
“One thing I don’t understand is why the authorities thought your body was with the others. I get that your personal effects were there, but they knew how many were with your group. They should have realized someone was missing. So, the only thing that makes sense, is if someone else was there at the time of the attack.” He paused briefly. “Another woman.”
He wasn’t going to let up. Not until she gave him something. So, she did.
“Malani.” Olivia squeezed her eyes to help hold back the tears. God, just saying her name hurt.
“Who was she, Liv?” Jake asked quietly, his fingers sliding back and forth over her ankle. When she didn’t answer right away, he gently prodded her. “Come on, sweetheart. Talk to me.”
Olivia filled her lungs, holding her breath for a moment before exhaling slowly. She met his inquisitive gaze.
“Malani was a local woman. I met her our first day on the island. She lost her entire family in the hurricane...a husband and two daughters. Her home was destroyed, so she came to me and asked if she could help us. I”—her voice broke and her throat tightened again—“I didn’t have the heart to tell her no.” Olivia quickly averted his eyes, catching a tear with her fingers before it could fall.
“I’m sorry,” Jake whispered sincerely, still rubbing against her skin.
“It’s okay,” Olivia murmured back, even though, she knew it wasn’t. “Are you about done?”
Chapter 8
Securing the last clasp, Jake gave Olivia’s ankle a soft pat. “All finished.”
He wanted to push her for more information, but after the day she’d had, he decided to let it go. The guilt in her eyes when she spoke of the other woman fucking killed him. He couldn’t imagine how hard it was going to be for her when the time came to share the rest.
Removing her feet from his lap, Jake stood and stretched his stiff back. Then, he bent down and took both of her hands into his. With a teasing grin, he asked, “Ready to try them out?”
Not waiting for an answer, he pulled her to her feet slowly. His smile grew wide at her startled expression.
“Where are we going?”
Jake chuckled. “Nowhere. I just have a few things I thought would make you more comfortable.” He glanced down at his handiwork. “How do those feel now? Any better?”
Olivia followed his gaze. She shifted her weight from one side to the other, then wiggled her cute little toes to test the bandages out.
Looking back up at him, she sounded surprised when she said, “Actually, yeah. That’s a lot better. I mean, they’re still sore, but the stinging isn’t nearly as bad. Sort of reminds me of how they feel after wearing a pair of really high heels for too long.”
Jake laughed at that. “I'll have to take your word for it.” When Olivia smiled
