“I’m slow. Give me a recap.” Jaden stood there.
Lauren’s body tensed as she waited for the answers.
“He’s alive. I handed him off this morning.” His black eyes now wider with panic. “Now get that thing off my lap before you fry my nuts.”
“You the one who beat him?”
Beady Eyes squirmed, the heat obviously becoming too much for him. “Hurry up. This ain’t cool. Take it off.”
“Okay. If you say so. One thing first.” Jaden dealt a blow that left the guy unconscious.
He picked up the ball of fire and threw it in the sink. A second later, he stripped the Latin guy’s weapons, moved to the patio, and tossed all but one of the guns over the sea wall.
“Insurance,” he said to Lauren. Then, he pulled the guy’s cell phone from his pocket and tried to unlock it. Jaden closed his fist around the SIM card. “Might be able to get something out of this at headquarters.”
He moved to the bathroom next, with Lauren trailing close behind. He stopped long enough to tie the Latino’s arms and feet together and snatch his key ring. “That should hold him. Give us time.”
Lauren followed him into the kitchen.
“We need supplies. Find whatever you can. A paring knife. Fruit. Water. Anything that might keep us alive in case we don’t make it to the safe house.” Jaden approached the back door. A gust of wind smacked it against the wall as soon as he opened it. “We need to move. Our location has been compromised. More men are probably on the way already.”
Fear gripped Lauren. Her stomach rumbled. There was no way she could eat but her stomach reminded her it had been too long since her last meal.
A voice in her head reminded her that against all odds Jaden had kept her alive.
She sure didn’t plan to hang around in the condo alone with a dead man in the living room, an unconscious man in the shower, and his clone close by. She trusted Jaden to get them to safety. He’d made the right calls so far, managing to keep them alive despite their circumstances.
Thunder clapped. Before Lauren could rationalize her thoughts, she found Jaden and burrowed into his chest.
He wrapped strong arms around her and brushed a kiss on her forehead.
She couldn’t stop herself from wondering if he felt the same sense of comfort when they were this close as she did, not that it was relevant now. More men with guns waited out there.
In here, they’d been safe for a little while. She wished she could linger in that feeling as long as possible. No more thoughts about her brother. No more thoughts about the raging storm outside. No more feeling empty and alone…
“You okay?” Jaden asked, searching her face, looking at her like he couldn’t quite read what was on her mind.
She collected her random thoughts. She hadn’t come all this way to stop now. “Fine.”
“Let’s get out of here and get to safety. Then we’ll take care of these.” He motioned toward her bumps and bruises.
“Meaning your safe house?” she asked.
Jaden nodded. “Shirley Heights.”
“Can we trust it?” Lauren asked, unsure if Jaden could honestly answer yes.
He shrugged. “It’s our best chance of survival right now. We can’t stay here. The location’s been compromised. We have no choice but to go for it.”
Lauren took the hand being held out to her and followed Jaden through the door.
The brush underfoot was thick. Her foot tangled, and she nearly lost her balance. Jaden’s hand steadied her. She looked up in time to catch a glimpse of something colorful and substantial. “What’s that?”
As they moved closer, she got a good look at the bright yellow beacon. She kept an eye out for falling debris as Jaden guided then to a yellow 4x4.
The Jeep, a soft-top complete with window zippers, wouldn’t offer great support but was better than being completely exposed to the elements.
Jaden pressed his face against the plastic window. “The keys are inside.”
He secured the supplies behind her chair, scuttled around to the driver’s side, and then climbed in.
He wasted no time cranking the engine.
Glory of all glories, it started on the first try.
He tapped the gauges. “Can’t be sure about the gas. Says it’s full, but these old Jeeps are notorious for floating needles.”
“Think we’ll be alone at the next safe house?” She had to shout to be heard over the rain and wind lashing the Jeep.
The Wrangler rocked back and forth as Jaden gunned it. He jammed the gearshift while he stomped the gas pedal. “It’s top secret. Not even Gregory knew about it. Even so, I can’t be sure until I get there.”
He didn’t need to say more. She realized pretty quickly all that he meant.
Cranking the wheel left, he just missed a tree branch sailing through the sky. He had to slam the steering wheel right to avoid another that nearly careened into them.
The Jeep was old to begin with, and it was taking a beating. The windows started fogging, and the big crack across the front made it nearly impossible to see out the window.
She looked up in time to see a thicket. A palm tree broken in half and a few other mangled trees completely blocked the road. “Watch out.”
Jaden nailed the brake, and they both flew forward. The Jeep spit, sputtered, and fishtailed until it came to a stop at the edge of the rubble.
Seeing the road was completely blocked, he vaulted from the Jeep and went to work quickly clearing debris and untangling branches.
Lauren hopped from the passenger seat in time to yell, “Look out!”
A palm tree spun around in the sky, and then flew straight into Jaden’s side, knocking him onto the mound of debris.
“Oh. God. No.” By the time she got to him, he was slumped over on top of the heap.
Winds howled as she gingerly turned his face around. His head moved too easily. If he didn’t survive, she’d surely die too.
She felt for a pulse. Got one.
“Jaden.”
The branch
