When he closed the door, she turned back to Jake, unsure of what to do. How could she get him medical attention when they were wanted for murder? And would a doctor even know what to do for him? She’d be in the same fix she was with Kendall, having to explain that he’d been in a psychic battle and gotten hit by mental thunderbolts.
Pulling down the quilt, she examined Jake’s chest. As far as she could see, there was nothing wrong there.
But they’d hit him in the leg, she remembered. At least their aim hadn’t been perfect. Thank God for small favors.
He didn’t move when she unbuckled his belt, worked the button at the top of his jeans and lowered his zipper. Then she slipped off his shoes and set them on the floor. Trying not to move him around too much, she pulled his jeans down, then off.
When she focused on the wicked looking red place on his stomach, she gasped. The skin of his right leg was also red and puckered, like he’d been burned. But not third degree burns, thank God. His flesh wasn’t charred. It looked more like a bad sunburn.
A tap at the door made her jump. When she opened it, Kendall handed her the keys. He looked beyond her to Jake, saw the wounds and shook his head.
“I’m leaving now,” he said. “The car’s two doors down–to the right.”
“Thank you.”
As he withdrew, her chest tightened. She wasn’t sure if she could trust him, but Jake had, and she would rely on that, in the absence of other information.
She laid her hand on Jake’s chest, reassured by the steady beating of his heart. Wondering what to do, she slipped off her own shoes and climbed onto the bed, putting her arms around Jake and holding him.
“We’re at Kendall’s place,” she said. “We’re safe. But I don’t know what to do for you.”
When he didn’t answer, she closed her eyes, trying to reach him with her mind.
Jake, we’re safe at Kendall’s. He’s letting us stay here, but he’s nervous about it. Please wake up and tell me what to do.
When he still didn’t respond, she repeated the message, hoping she was getting through to him, but she felt like she was sending her thoughts into the empty air.
The sensation terrified her. All her life, she’d been alone in a way that most people couldn’t even imagine. Then she’d found Jake, and everything had changed.
And now . . .?
She knit her fingers with his, willing him to come back to her, but he only lay on the bed, his breath shallow. She knew that he was injured in some way she couldn’t understand. It wasn’t just because his leg was burned. They had done something that shut him off from the world–from her. He’d gotten out of the warehouse, but now he didn’t seem to be aware of his surroundings at all.
And something else alarmed her, too.
His skin had begun to cool.
“Jake?”
He didn’t move. Didn’t give any indication that he knew she was there.
“Jake?” She heard the panic in her own voice, knew that she was on the verge of losing it. Losing him.
And if that happened, what would become of her? The old Rachel had told herself she was content with her life. That was before she’d found out there was something more. Something the two of them had that she’d never in her life imagined.
At this moment, it was gone. Vanished as though it had never existed. She was alone again.
She was sure she couldn’t go on without him. Not when she knew how it had been between them.
Desperation welled inside her. She looked toward the door, then got up quickly and turned the lock, hoping that Kendall really was gone and that no one else would come in. Not now.
Standing beside the bed, she took off her shirt, bra and jeans, leaving only her panties.
When she’d climbed onto the bed again, she slid on top of Jake, pressing herself against him, trying to warm him with her body as she tried desperately to reach him with her mind.
With her cheek against his, she whispered his name, begging him to open himself to her. She used her voice and also a silent plea.
For long moments, nothing happened.
