It was time to fly. Gunner stirred and checked his cell. Lauren checked on her brother.
“We’re cleared. We gotta move fast.” Gunner hopped to his feet. “We didn’t get a chance to talk about this before. She’ll need protection from here on out until we unravel this. Should I assign an agent?”
“You aren’t saying you think they’ll go after me back home, are you?” Lauren asked, eyes wide.
“I’m staying with her,” Jaden said to Gunner before turning to Lauren. “It’s a precaution. As soon as we know you’re safe, you can have your life back. Until then, I’m not leaving your side, sweetheart.”
Jaden wanted to tell her he would stay by her side forever. It was a promise he knew he couldn’t keep. A man in his line of work couldn’t commit to forever. And especially one who was in so deep that he’d lost all sense of normal life.
When he’d waxed nostalgic and reached out to Bryce back on the beach, he’d been killed. A couple of agents had families. Daniel Damon had a wife and daughter. He seemed the exception. Smith was gone, leaving behind a wife and kids. Helena would never be the same after losing Tim.
What kind of life was that?
If Jaden ever had rogue thoughts about wanting to settle down, Lauren was exactly his type. Smart. Beautiful. Brave. Incredibly sexy. And yet, it wouldn’t be fair to risk her safety.
Lauren was already ensnared in a trap because of her brother. Her anguish was palpable. If she ached this much for her brother, how would she feel about her husband? Jaden’s line of work would keep her in danger, too. Anyone tied to him would be threatened. A wife? Family? Jaden had never expected those things.
The life he’d built was meant for one.
Jaden figured the best he could do was keep himself alive. He loved his work too much to consider changing professions. Besides, what else could he do? He was a soldier. And a damn good one. White picket fences and two point five kids had never been part of the plan. Lauren deserved both and anything else she wanted.
And yet, Jaden could admit that some of the thrill had been missing from his work lately. He’d been inside his head too much. Someday, when there were no more bad guys to fight or the fight drained from him, he’d retire and buy a fishing cabin. Then he’d fish until he couldn’t stand the smell of bait anymore.
Lauren showed up and had him thinking about things he knew better than to expect. He wouldn’t compromise her safety because he selfishly didn’t want to leave her.
When Max woke, they would have the evidence they needed to put the Ruiz and Menendez bastards away for a very long time, and Jaden would disappear from her life forever.
His military training had taught him a thing or two about personal sacrifice. This was his job. Lauren was his asset. This was a protection detail, not a relationship.
So why did an invisible band tighten around his chest?
Before Lauren could utter the words, “Blue skies,” Max was loaded and they were being whisked away on a Black Hawk helicopter bound for the States.
The noise from the rotors was deafening, and yet nothing could drown out the thoughts looping in her mind.
Her brother was safe.
She was heading home.
The experience seemed unreal to her now, like a dream, and she half expected to wake up any minute to realize none of it actually happened.
No one spoke on the long helicopter ride. Voices wouldn’t be heard over the sound of rotors cutting through the air anyway. Lauren watched as a medical team worked on Max. Before long, he had an IV drip of antibiotics and enough pain meds to keep him comfortable.
Her hand rested in Jaden’s the entire trip. He squeezed hers reassuringly from time to time.
They landed at Addison Airport in Dallas by eight o’ clock in the evening. Lauren wanted to kiss the ground underneath her feet after touchdown.
An ambulance waited. As soon as they landed, the team transferred Max and disappeared.
When words could finally be heard over the roar of chopper blades, Jaden thanked Gunner.
“Where are you headed?” Jaden asked his boss.
“Back to D.C. to put some of these puzzle pieces together,” Gunner said.
“You have the SIM card?” Jaden asked.
Gunner dipped his hand in his front pocket where he’d left it. “It’s gone.”
“Helena must’ve gotten to it. Damn. She’s on a witch hunt and we need that evidence to turn over.” Jaden swore again under his breath.
“I know she’s angry, but I have to believe she’ll be smart about this. I don’t want you going after her yet,” Gunner stated.
“For now, she’s my priority,” Jaden said, his hand pressed to Lauren’s back. “Besides, Gabriel is with Helena. He’ll keep things under control.”
Lauren’s heart practically danced, but then two words sunk in. For now. Her time with Jaden had an expiration date.
“Keep her safe. This’ll all be sorted out soon,” Gunner said.
A uniformed soldier interrupted them.
“These are yours,” Gunner said, tossing a set of keys to Jaden, and motioning toward a parked sedan.
Lauren followed Jaden to the car. “Are we going to the hospital?”
“No. I’m taking you home first. They won’t allow you to see him, and you’ve been through too much,” he insisted. His tone left no room for argument. As much as she wanted to put up a fight she also realized he was right. Exhaustion wore thin and walking took great effort.
The ride home went by in a flash.
Lauren sighed as they reached her two-story brick townhouse at Preston and Royal inside half an hour.
“That’s my place there,” she pointed, “and we can pull in the attached garage.”
Jaden didn’t blink.
“You already know that, don’t you?” What else did he know about her?
“It’ll be best
