Find her brother and they’d have answers. Jaden was almost certain that one of Menendez’s boys had killed Tim. Camila was responsible for Smith’s death.
A gust of wind slammed the windows.
Lauren gasped.
Jaden popped to his feet. “Better grab a shower while we still have hot water. I have no idea if the generator will hold. Toothbrush is on the counter. Found some new ones in the cabinet. Everything you need is in there.”
Nodding, she grabbed the clothes stack and darted toward the bathroom.
Jaden waited outside the door, debating his next move. Their safe house was an old military compound. The condo, being a makeshift location, was therefore more vulnerable. The storm tripled the threat. Also made it more difficult to leave.
The lights dimmed, and then Jaden found himself standing inside a black hallway.
Lauren screamed.
Jaden opened the door so fast it smacked against the wall.
“What is it?”
“C-c-cold.”
The faucet turned off and a few moments later Lauren appeared wrapped in a towel. Lightning lit up the small hallway. She stood there shivering.
“How about that generator?” Jaden shouted to Gregory.
“Sorry. I’m working on it. For now, power’s gone,” Gregory called from the other room.
Jaden retrieved another towel and moved to her. It took all his energy to cover her with the cloth and look away from the soft curve of her bare shoulder, which glistened with tiny beads of water.
“You ever been through anything like this before?” Lauren asked as Jaden led her into the living room.
The volume rose on the radio in the other room, cutting through the winds.
“Trust me. We’ll get through this. You know that, right?” He lowered his voice.
She didn’t respond or budge. Panic must’ve caused her to freeze. Losing self-control wasn’t good. She’d been through a lot already. If she slipped into shock…game over.
Jaden took her in his arms to warm her. Pulling her close did little else but cause her lilac scent to fill his senses. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Her long lashes swept up, and her golden eyes stared into his. “I know,” she said softly.
Jaden sighed sharply, unsure of why he felt compelled to offer reassurance, to tell her what he’d never spoken aloud before when all he wanted to do was cover her mouth with his kisses. “Believe me when I say I know how important finding your brother is to you.”
She broke eye contact. “You can’t possibly know what this is like. Not when you go around saving people all the time.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I had a brother once, too.”
Her gaze came up to meet his. “What happened?”
“He was four years older than me. Got involved in the wrong crowd in high school. Drugs. He was small time. Got shot and killed when a deal went bad.” His voice caught. His fists clenched and released. “He was just a kid. Didn’t know what he was doing. He died for forty dollars. That’s what they took from him as they stepped over him and left him for dead.”
She lifted her gaze to study his face, examining every curve, as though his confession explained a lot. “It’s the real reason you do this job, isn’t it? Because you couldn’t save him.”
He shrugged, non-committal. He didn’t want to examine his actions any more than he wanted to face the shaft of light to his heart brought on by her smile.
“Why’re you telling me this now?”
He rolled his shoulders, winced. Damned if he knew. He wanted, no needed, her to know she was different. “I wanted to be honest. With you. With myself. Show you I’d never fight this hard for the wrong side.”
She paused, looking everywhere but at him. Clearing his throat, he tried to break free from the fog clouding his judgment. He should walk away. He should fight the instinct he had to hold her, touch her, and tell her everything she wanted to hear.
Should have. Would have. Could have.
But didn’t.
So he kissed her.
Sanity must’ve taken over a few seconds after their lips touched because Jaden pulled back. But for a moment, Lauren got lost. Lost in the strong and dangerous man’s arms. Lost in the fleeting feeling of comfort he provided. Lost in the hope that this whole situation would magically work out.
The silence between them reassured Lauren. It shouldn’t. She reminded herself she should be angry and hurt that he’d held back information after everything they’d been through together.
Then she really saw the hollow cast to his eyes. The dark circles. The story that lurked just beyond those cool baby blues. The pain. He’d opened up to her a little. For a man used to being alone, it must’ve taken a lot.
Just then, he leaned in so close that his lips grazed her hair, and he whispered, “I believe in you.”
His soft words and warm breath on her neck made her lightheaded. She took in a steadying breath, fearing that if he got any closer the gravitational orbit that surrounded him would take over, pulling her into his solid-wall chest where she’d melt.
A crush of emotions knotted in Lauren’s stomach, climbed, and lodged in her chest. Her throat tightened, making it impossible to swallow. Quietness blanketed the room as deafening as the roaring winds had been. She could hear Jaden’s heart beating steadily, securely inside his chest. The rhythm comforted her.
The winds outside calmed as though Mother Nature had a remote control and had hit pause.
“We need to make our move soon,” he said.
With her index finger, Lauren outlined the muscles in Jaden’s forearm—his thick, ripped arms.
How sexy was he?
Her head was spinning, her body tingling. He was perfection.
