Caught in the Crosshair (18 page)

Chapter Fifteen

“How do I look?” Lauren asked when she’d put on the sundress and high heels Jaden had handed her.

He walked around her, slowly, trying to examine her from an outsider’s point of view. “You’d fool me.”

“I doubt I can walk in these,” she said, taking a step forward and stumbling.

Jaden caught her elbow and guided her upright.

He gave her another quick visual once over, and handed her a scarf.

She tied it around her hair like a headband. “How’s this?”

He shook his head. “Can you move it to your neck? You’d get more coverage that way. Besides, you’ll be wearing a helmet to cover your head.”

“Helmet?”

“Just wait till you meet Lucille … Lucille Harley.” He slid on a leather jacket and picked up his own helmet.

“How’s this?” She smiled as she finished tying a knot in front.

“Excellent. The less skin showing, the better.” He had selfish reasons for wanting her to cover up. He didn’t want another man’s eyes on her silky skin.

Lauren looked nothing like herself to the untrained eye. With short, black hair and a helmet, no one would recognize her.

They made it to Parkland Hospital in less than half an hour — a miracle in Dallas’s morning rush hour. The hospital was known for trauma care, it had a reputation for being the best. The stress creases around her eyes said that fact was not lost on her.

Jaden pulled off his helmet and secured it on his bike along with the one she’d slipped off and handed him.

“You can expect him to look pretty beaten up still. The swelling might get worse before it improves. You saw his facial lacerations.”

“Gunner said he’s going to be okay though, right?”

“Things look very good for him at the moment. His labs are solid.” Jaden paused. Then came, “You should know he’s been tested for an assortment of drugs.”

“And?”

“He came up clean.”

“Could he have been selling them and not using?” Lauren asked, looking astonished.

“Looks so.”

“Can that be right?”

“It’s rare. Most people selling are also users. But it wouldn’t be the first time it happened. I just thought you should know.”

“Sounds improbable, doesn’t it?”

Jaden nodded.

“So why am I not surprised?”

“You believe it?”

“I wish you’d met Max when we were kids. He had the biggest heart. He would help anyone out. Liking them wasn’t a requirement.”

“Bad things can happen to good people.”

He referred to Max’s current situation.

“You already know our dad left before I was born. Mom was a wreck. She drank too much. Brought strange men in the house.”

Jaden’s jaw muscles clenched. He said nothing.

“Max used to sleep on the floor. Right outside my door. Swore if anyone ever hurt me, he’d kill them.”

“Sounds like the kind of guy I would’ve liked,” Jaden said, his set expression said he meant every word.

“We swore we’d never become like her. Imagine how devastated I was when I found out Max had slipped into the lifestyle.”

“Kids shouldn’t be left to their own devices so young,” Jaden soothed.

She shrugged, wiping away a tear. “He dropped out of school at thirteen, faked a birth certificate, and got a job as a dishwasher at a restaurant to put food on the table so I could stay in school. He didn’t have a chance, I guess.”

“He does now,” Jaden said, pressing a tender kiss over each eye. “We’ll make sure he gets the second chance he deserves.”

She leaned into him and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Thank you. For everything.”

Protectively, his arm went around her waist. “Do that again and we won’t make it upstairs.”

It took very little from Lauren to get Jaden going sexually. Thoughts of her body pressed against his obliterated his self-control. She was becoming so much more to him than the best sex he’d ever had. She stirred a place deep inside him — a place that had lain dormant forever — a place that made him want to protect her, to do whatever it took to keep her safe and happy, to tell her all his secrets.
Mine.

His first instinct was to fight the feeling.

Not wanting to get inside his head about what that information meant, how it all would work, he focused on what he knew: he wanted to be with her.

Knowing his life wasn’t built for such an arrangement didn’t dim his heart’s desire. He’d have to figure out how to incorporate her into his life. Somehow.

What are you promising?

Would it be fair to ask her to wait around while he was out on assignment months on end? Sure, he knew men who did that, but he couldn’t say he especially agreed. And he didn’t want that kind of life for Lauren.

He’d be placing her in the same situation all over again. The one she’d avoided with her brother. The one she’d protected her heart from. The one that left her sitting at home waiting for someone who might never walk through the door.

Could Jaden think about a new line of work? Was there anything else he wanted to do? His agency had been his life for so many years now it had become his identity.

The thought sat heavy on his chest.

Could he change?

If not, Jaden hadn’t made any promises he couldn’t keep.

***

Lauren walked onto the elevator with a mix of emotions. She’d had to hold it together up until now and would have to in front of her brother, but she couldn’t help but wonder what she would feel when she saw him again.

Was he the brother she remembered from childhood? The kind boy who’d taken more than his fair share of beatings for sticking up for his baby sister?

Or was he the rebellious criminal who broke her heart when he’d fallen in step with their mother?

The lab tests showed he hadn’t been on drugs, and being clean was a good thing. It was a start she could build on.

Could she trust he was onto a new life?

Her stomach tensed. If he was good, if he’d changed for the better and she finally had the real Max back, how would she be able to leave him now?

Jaden squeezed her hand reassuringly as the elevator dinged, letting them know they’d reached the fifth floor.

Where she expected despair and loneliness, she felt comfort instead. It had everything to do with the man standing next to her. Jaden. Her temporary hero.

She tugged on his arm, stopping him, and then raised up on her tiptoes to kiss him again.

“I wasn’t kidding before. Much more of that and I won’t be able to control myself.” He glanced around the hallway and gave her a crooked a smile. “I’m sure we can find an empty bed around here.”

Lauren beamed up at him. “Tempting as it sounds, we’d better wait.”

“Okay, but kiss me one more time, and I’m not responsible for my actions.”

They turned left, rounded the corner where Max’s room was, and all joking diminished.

A stark reminder of how serious the situation was hit Lauren like a smack to the forehead. There were men in dark suits everywhere. Some wore business suits and had earpieces. Others wore police uniforms. All stood guard outside Max’s room.

As soon as Lauren took a step inside the hallway, she was stopped by one of the suits.

“This is a restricted area, ma’am.”

Jaden stepped in between them protectively. “I’m Jaden Dean, and I own ManTech.”

“Special Agent Caldwell. Pleased to meet you.” He stuck his hand out between them.

Jaden accepted a hearty-looking shake.

“I’m going to need some ID, sir,” Agent Caldwell said apologetically.

Jaden flashed his license. “You should also know I’m carrying.”

“Sir, we’ll need to search you,” Caldwell countered, examining the ID.

“Understood.”

Another suit came over, eyeing the situation carefully. Lauren’s stomach hit rock bottom. Not because her brother was being heavily guarded. That he was being so protected actually made her feel slightly better about his well-being. He had the best trauma doctors in the world working on him. The level of protection he received made her stomach drop because it reminded her of how deep he’d been in. How much he needed protecting. How bad the guys were who wanted to make sure he didn’t testify.

Those thoughts would keep Lauren awake at night.
Max, what have you gotten yourself into?

It was almost better to think he would leave here to a fresh start. A new life. If he could bring a few jerks down in the process, better yet.

“Everything okay here, Caldwell?”

“Yes, Captain. This here’s one of our men,” he said nodding toward Jaden.

Jaden accepted a second handshake, this one looked less rigorous. “Gunner, my Commanding Officer, called ahead. This is Lauren James. She’s the sister of the man you have in custody. She’s been cleared to visit.”

“Of course. Does she have ID?”

“No. Hers was lost in the Caribbean. Got a government guy working on issuing her replacement,” Jaden said.

Her hands twisted nervously. She was out of place in the world Jaden was so comfortable in. Another reminder she didn’t fit.

“I dyed my hair. In case you’re wondering why I don’t look the same. We weren’t sure if anyone would be watching the hospital.”

Jaden shifted slightly. He was still positioned squarely in between her and the security detail, but he’d moved enough to allow them to see her.

Caldwell stared intently at her. “You did good. I’m sure you didn’t bring attention to yourself out there. The doctor will be back in fifteen minutes for an update. As of this morning, your brother looked strong.” He stepped aside. “Go ahead through.”

Jaden’s arm looped around her waist. He pulled her toward him protectively as he led her to Max’s room.

Nothing could’ve prepared Lauren for walking into that hospital room, seeing her brother hooked up to all those machines.

Jaden’s reassuring voice rasped in her ear. “It’s never as bad as it looks. He’s going to be fine.”

Lauren blinked back tears as she moved to Max’s bedside.

Jaden stood at the door, giving her enough space to have a private moment with her brother, yet never letting her out of his sight. “Take your time.”

Lauren sat in the chair positioned near Max’s head. She took his hand in hers.

“Max, I’m here. It’s Lauren.”

Bruised and swollen, Max’s eyelids fluttered.

“Get your rest, brother. I’m not leaving.”

Lauren felt the hand in hers attempt to squeeze. It was good he could hear her. His face was cut, swollen, and distorted. His nose was double its normal size. But it was Max. He was alive. He was getting the care he needed. And best of all, he was drug free. That was a good start. Soon he’d get the second chance in life he so deserved.

“You’re going to be fine,” she soothed. She didn’t leave his bedside for the next few hours.

Jaden stood guard at the door; no one came in or out without his approval.

Lauren felt protected, and it was foreign at best. In her life, she couldn’t recall ever feeling that way. It was nice.

Would it last?

Or would this assignment end, sending Jaden and her in separate directions.

Seeing her brother okay, she couldn’t help but wonder how much longer Jaden would hang around.

***

Jaden couldn’t shake the bad feeling in his bones. He was missing something, something right under his nose, and he knew it.

Questions swirled. Why had Lauren’s place been ransacked? What had she done? He knew she was innocent. He’d only doubted her for a while because he couldn’t accept the thought he’d be suckered twice.

Lauren was with him,
his
, in every way that counted. Not because he’d saved her. Their feelings were real, genuine.

Max stirred.

Lauren looked back at Jaden and waved him over.

Max was straining to speak.

“I can’t make out what he’s saying,” Lauren whispered.

Jaden had only to look into her eyes again, and he was hooked. She had him, every part of him. She’d awakened parts of his heart he’d thought long dead. He’d left himself unprotected when it came to Lauren.

He loved her.
Love?

He refused to regret it.

“Max is waking up,” she said staring up at him.

“Good.”

Max’s eyes blinked open to slits. “It w-w-w-as herrr.”

“Who?” Lauren asked intently. “Who was it, Max?”

“H-h —” He struggled to speak. “H-h-e —”

***

“Max. Don’t talk now. It’s okay. You can tell me later. You need to get stronger. We have the rest of our lives to speak to each other.” It was a lie that needed to be told in Lauren’s estimation.

His head shook fiercely.

“H-h-he …”

“What are you trying to tell us? I don’t understand. Do you need me to contact someone? A friend?”

He grimaced from the movement.

“A girlfriend?”

A look of disdain darkened his swollen features.

He tried to speak again, but failed.

Frustration took over, and he squeezed Lauren’s hand.

“Don’t worry, Max. I’ll be here. You can tell me later. I promise I’ll be here.”

As Max closed his eyes again, a loud beeping sound came from his IV monitor.

Lauren’s heartbeat drilled her rib cage.

Jaden’s hands on her shoulders reassured her.

A nurse scurried into the room and immediately checked tubes and pressed buttons on the IV cart. “Did he wake up?”

“He tried. His eyes are too swollen, so he can’t open them much. He squeezed my hand.”

The machine settled, pulsing rhythmically again. Lauren let out a breath.

“That’s good news. You must be his sister. He perked up as soon as he heard you were coming, but he needs his rest now. You should probably go.”

“We just got here. Can I stay a little longer? I’ll sleep in the chair.”

“Against hospital policy I’m afraid. He’s been through a lot. Believe me, with the amount of pain meds he’s on, he won’t even remember you’re here. This will all be a blur for him later.”

“Is there someone I can speak to about staying?”

“You can take it up with administration. Won’t do any good. Not on this floor. I’m sorry. I can see you love your brother very much. I know you want what’s best for him. He needs rest if he’s going to get better. You do too. This is a marathon, honey.”