“Don’t need any.”
He pulled out a handful of stiff fibers and laced them through the wood. Attaching wire to each battery terminal, he touched the ends of the bare wires together next to the tinder. Sparks ignited the broom fibers on the first try. He blew out breaths in short bursts while fanning the flame.
When the old wood started to crackle and hiss, he leaned back on his heels. His slow smile stretched full lips over beautiful, white teeth. She could stare at him forever when he smiled.
“Is this part of your training?” she asked, wondering if using his charm was also nothing more than a weapon.
“Yes.” If Jaden was being honest, he’d admit how badly he wanted to lay her down right then and there, feel her silky legs wrap around his waist and bury himself inside her.
The moment crashed when he really looked at her. She was dripping wet, her teeth chattering behind a slight smile on her purple lips.
“Maybe these wet clothes will dry out soon.”
Crossing to the couch, he grabbed a dry blanket. “Take ’em off.”
She peeled off her soaked clothes before wrapping the blanket around her. He turned his back to give her privacy.
“Okay, you can look now,” she said before motioning toward the gash on her forehead. “How bad is it?”
“Lay down on the couch,” he instructed. He settled next to her with a bottled water and a handful of paper towels. He poured the water over the cut on her forehead, carefully dabbing it a moment later with the clean towel.
He opened the emergency medical kit they kept stocked at the safe house and located a small packet of Bacitracin. “This antibiotic gel will keep your cut from getting infected.” He placed a thin trail of the gel on her forehead before bandaging her with fresh gauze and medical tape. “Better,” he said, satisfied with himself, battling the urge to lean over and kiss her sweet skin.
“Thank you.”
“Now to see what’s going on.” Jaden hoped someone from ManTech hadn’t tipped off the bad guys off to his location at the condo. The once-laughable idea that there could be a mole in the agency wasn’t funny anymore. Then again, Helena craved revenge so badly she could be making mistakes, leaving a trail that anyone could capitalize on. Camila Menendez was smart. She’d lead Jaden and Smith into an ambush. A woman like her would take advantage of any weakness, any crack in the system.
Jaden needed to signal Gunner again, and they needed to be ready for anything. He returned to the fire a moment later with a small laptop he’d retrieved from one of the desks. This signal was the most secure. It would be scrambled from the safe house, making it even more difficult for the cartel to locate him. If someone from the agency was the problem, Jaden would find out soon enough.
“Are you contacting your boss?” Lauren stretched before tightening the covers around her.
“I need to figure out a way to get you off this island,” he said.
She shook her head furiously. “Not without Max.”
Despite her fears, she looked peaceful and safe, cocooned in the blanket. Another peak of light elbowed into his dark soul.
Jaden pulled out the SIM card he’d taken from Beady Eyes and placed it into the computer. It would take the system a while to hack into it. They might find answers.
Lauren’s hopeful expression dropped, replaced by another that nailed Jaden’s gut. Like she’d come in to contact with men like these a little too often.
“What about your agency? You said people are being targeted? How do you know who you can trust?” she asked.
“There’s only one way to find out and that’s contact my boss. I’ll keep you safe no matter what. You know that, right?” Big eyes stared at him before she nodded.
He typed in the code, sending the signal for a meeting with Gunner. The message would let his boss know Jaden had made it to the safe house. Jaden hoped it wasn’t a mistake to give his location to the man a second time. He closed down the laptop and secured it back into its spot.
He then fanned Lauren’s clothes on the hearth. “These should be dry in no time.”
“It’s nice to be warm and dry again.” She paused before locking gazes with him. “Will your guy come here to meet us?”
“He was probably on his way already.” Jaden cleaned and dried his Glock before moving to a cabinet full of ammunition. “We’ll be ready for whoever walks through that door.”
A flash of fear darkened her features and he had a feeling it was more than just this situation. “Everything okay?”
She stared at the door like a ghost might walk through, or something worse…an abuser. She stood up and moved to the fire.
“I hate being afraid of anything,” she admitted. “But I especially hate watching doors.”
Chapter 14
“What happened?” Looking at Lauren standing next to the fire—her sweet face, the rosy hue to her cheeks, those pink lips—stirred emotions deep in Jaden’s chest. His feelings were running deeper than a fleeting attraction. That made her more dangerous than the storm, or the thugs chasing them through it, or the possibility of someone at ManTech turning.
“When Max and me were little…it might be easier to say what didn’t happen. Neglect? Check. Abuse? Check. Our mother worked late hours when she had a job. There was a man who lived downstairs who used to try to get in the door. Max would push a chair against the knob. One time Max made an anonymous call to the police pretending to be one of our neighbors because the guy got inside and dragged me away from Max. My brother was too quick thinking to let anything too bad happen. But we always had to be on our toes. There were other times when our mother would come home and go on some rampage about the house not being clean
