Faith snorted out a short laugh.
“Seriously, you have high—”
“Feet, huh? You’ve seen every square inch of my nakedness and,” she lifted a finger toward the appendage he was admiring, “that’s what does it for you?”
Randall smiled. “I’m trying to keep things light, ease the awkwardness. Would you rather I comment on the womanly areas I saw earlier?”
She studied him, imagining his manly areas, Yes, before offering a threadlike smile. “Thank you for your discretion.”
“You’re welcome. Now, as I was saying,” he slid his palm across the top of her foot, “you have high arches, and your toes are well proportioned. On me, that second one,” he thrust out an arm, “sticks out a mile long. Yours, however...”
She chortled.
“...are the perfect length. And your skin is quite soft as well.” He went to work collecting and replacing the medical supplies. “I suspect a lot of women would love to have those qualities.”
“Well, thank you for the...unique compliment.” Faith rubbed her foot. “And thank you for the patch job, too.”
“My pleasure.” Randall grabbed the water bottle and stood. Twisting off the cap, he held it out to her.
She eyed the lip of the bottle and raised an eyebrow at him.
“It’s clean. It never touched your foot.”
“Well, even if it had,” she took a sip and gave him back the container, “my...”
He put the opening to his lips and tipped back his head.
“...sexy foot would’ve only made it taste better.”
His mouth widened at her quip, and water dribbled down his cheeks. He quickly righted himself, wiped away the liquid, and faced her. “I see you’re not letting go of that, are you?”
Beaming at a lone drop of water still clinging to his chin, she slowly shook her head. “Not just yet I’m not.”
“You know...most heroes who save the damsel in distress are showered with flowers, or get a simple kiss, not wisecracks.” Randall thought for a moment. “Although, I guess I did get a kiss.”
“No.” Faith wagged her finger. “No. That wasn’t a kiss.” She recalled her embarrassment from earlier. “Whatever happened back there, we’re not calling that a kiss.”
“I’m fine with that.” Peering over the Dodge’s roof, “It kind of felt like,” he stared at some distant trees, “like I was sucking on a mound of ice cream.”
“Hey!”
He cranked his head back toward her, lifting an open hand a beat later at the scowl on her face. “Hold on. Just,” he pumped an index finger toward her, “just let me finish.”
Trying her best to show feigned indignation, she folded her arms and dropped them onto her belly. “Oh, I can’t wait to see how you get out of this one.”
His mouth ajar, his mind spinning, Randall stared at her lower legs. Think fast, Noah. Think fast. “It was like ice cream...on a, a—a hot summer day. It felt like ice cream on a hot summer day.” He flipped his palms skyward and met her gaze. “I ask you. What’s more refreshing than that?”
Unable to fake injured feelings any longer, Faith let her amusement return. “I’ll give you this. You’re quick on your feet.”
“I’m a CIA man. I have to be.”
“I thought you said you were DEA.”
He lifted a shoulder. “I was traded for a first-round draft choice.”
She chuckled before lightly massaging her aching foot. “So how do you know my sister?”
“I’m her new partner.”
“CIA...DEA...now a marshal? You get around, don’t you?” She confronted him. “Wait a minute. What happened to her other partner? Where did Blake go?”
His humor evaporating at the thought of Faith not knowing that Blake Hawkins had been killed, Randall gaped at the concrete road and rubbed the back of his neck.
Faith noticed the change in his demeanor. “Did something happen to Blake?”
∞=∞=∞=∞=∞=∞=∞
.
Chapter 19
I’m Sorry
His cheeks puffing outward, Randall exhaled a long, slow breath and explained that Blake had been murdered in Mexico. When Faith probed for more information, he told her the whole story, including the attack on Devlin’s family.
Having finished recounting the tale, Randall turned his back on Faith and slid hands into pants pockets. “I’m sorry.” He looked up at a bright blue sky, a few stringy clouds playing across it. “I’m sorry I had to be the one to tell you that. I figured Jessica would’ve contacted you by now.”
“She called me...before I was taken. But I,” Faith put both feet on the ground, bent over, and held her head in her hands, “I was busy. I couldn’t take her call.” She cursed. “Some sister I am.”
“We all get calls we can’t take. You couldn’t have known.”
The roadway around her rotating, Faith slammed shut her eyes at the thought of Blake being dead. A series of violent images zipped through her brain, beginning with her abduction. Those images were accompanied by an overwhelming sense of fear at how close she had come to being raped and most likely murdered.
“I’m sure Jessica understands.” Randall pivoted. “She knows you’re—”
Faith’s shoulders bounced up and down.
He saw wetness between the fingers covering the woman’s face. Taking a knee, he clutched her upper arms. “Hey, hey...it’s okay. She knows you have a lot of responsibilities.”
Faith sat upright, shaking her head, and wiping her cheeks. “It’s not that. I know she understands. It’s just,” she sniffled and ran fingers over her nose, “it’s just...I think with everything that’s happened...in the last few days,” she swallowed, “I think it all just came rushing up to the surface.”
He patted her hip. “That’s to be expected.”
Her chest swelled. “I can’t help but think there was something I could’ve done differently...something,” she looked away and exhaled, “something I should’ve done that would’ve kept all this...”
“No.” Randall whipped his head back and forth. “No. Don’t...”
“...from happ—”
“...don’t take that on.” He sloped sideways and got in her line of sight. “You did
