I point at one of the women. “Get me a grocery bag in the kitchen.”
She looks confused so Blakely repeats the order in Spanish. Nodding and eyes wide, the dark-haired woman jumps up and returns with a paper bag. Then, with my gun still on Young, we back down the stairs and step over the unconscious guard. Once out the door, I stride along the sidewalk, eyes on the white van idling just outside the entrance.
Several other men of the community approach us from all sides, about to pin us in.
“Run!” I clutch the bag of money with one hand, her forearm with the other and bolt the last three hundred feet.
Lucky has a gun on the guard at the gate. It opens and we dash to the van. I hop into the front as Lucky pulls Blake into the open side door.
The Aussie grins. “That was cutting it a little too close, mate. Don’t you think?”
My heart thumps in my chest and I catch my breath, eyes on Blakely. “I wanted Grayson’s money back. It was just on loan. It’d take me two lifetimes to pay back.”
Lucky checks the paper bag and whistles under his breath. “Go fuck! There must be a couple mil’ in here.”
He grins at Blakely. “Wow. She is a beauty. No wondah.”
An unusual surge of jealousy coils in my stomach. “Careful, that’s my temporary wife you’re talking to.”
“Congratulations, you wankah.”
Blakely doesn’t say a word at the banter.
So, I turn around in the front seat, thinking she’s upset over the marriage thing. “Hey, it’s not permanent.”
“I know.” She stares out the window and I let it go. Something’s bugging her but maybe she doesn’t want to share in front of two strangers.
Suddenly, I remember. “Stop at the next drug store.” Obviously, she’s worried about having my kid.
The big Aussie notices something is off with her, too. “Are you hungry, luv?”
“Not really.” She pulls out a picture and shows it to me. “I found my sister’s wedding picture with her husband.”
I whistle through my teeth. “Fuck. David Young was her husband?”
“Yeah. Not only that, he killed her and I remembered. I was there.”
“Whoa. Back up there a little, sweetheart. I thought you said you didn’t recall anything.” Outside, we pull into a CVS drive-through pharmacy. It’s a little weird when Suds asks, “What do you need?”
“The day after pill.” Thank God Blakely shouted out because my poor brain just froze.
However, I’m smart enough to add, “And a pack of condoms.”
Back on the road, Blake doesn’t seem to notice how my two buddies are struck dumb. She just continues to stare at the photograph. “It’s just as clear as if it happened yesterday.”
“Just a sec. Lucky, can you record this?”
He nods, presses record, and holds his phone up in the air. “Go ahead, luv.”
Not to be outdone by the Aussie, I use my own term of endearment. “Honey, start at the beginning. Tell us everything you remember. Even the smallest detail could be important.”
I nudge Suds at the wheel. “Did Slate find us a safe house? I think we need to hole up for a few days.”
He punches in an address on Google Maps and makes a quick right onto a thruway, away from the airport.
Blakely closes her eyes and I wish I had jumped in the back seat next to her. Instead, I watch from the front, wishing I could pull her into my arms and hold her tight to my chest.
Last night comes to mind and how sweetly she reacted to my touch but I need to set sex aside. Her feelings were no-doubt triggered by the adrenaline of the moment, being in close quarters, and a bit of hero-worship. A bodyguard, I’ve seen it all before. Still, I couldn’t help but hope this time was different as I see her slipping away.
