“Your money, Dr. Smythe. How is he? What do you think now that you’ve thoroughly examined him?”
She came straight to the bed. To his side. He counted the steps again automatically. Taking his hand, she sat on the edge close to him and leaned in to brush his cheek with her cool, soft lips. His heart jumped.
“He needs rest and to keep his eyes covered for at least two weeks. I’ve given you a soaking solution you can pick up anywhere. You have the antibiotics. I’ll return in three days to check on him.”
“Thank you so much, Dr. Smythe.”
Gedeon didn’t want her to follow Smythe to the door even to see the treacherous bastard out, so he kept a firm hand circled around her wrist. To his shock, the moment the door closed she jumped up.
“We don’t have much time. I got you clothes and we’ve got to get you dressed. Between the two of us, we can get these trousers on you. They’re just drawstring cotton pants, but you’ll be decent. I’m pulling a T-shirt over your head now.”
He felt her tug the shirt over his head and automatically fit his arms through the openings. She let him take it and drag it over his chest. It fit snug, but it was clothing. Then she was pulling his feet through the legs of the cotton pants and dragging them up as far as she could. She was carefulof his swollen leg. The lacerations the doctor had carefully closed and covered with fresh gauze and bandages were treated with extra gentleness. He helped as best he could, lifting his body when she got to his hips. She didn’t even hesitate pulling the material over his groin.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” He didn’t know whether to be amused or annoyed that she refused to see him as a man. She treated him like a small child or a patient in the hospital she had to care for. That put him at a distinct disadvantage, which tended to amuse more than annoy him.
“You know exactly what’s going on. Don’t pretend ignorance. I’m exhausted and I had to use up one of the biggest favors owed to me in order to get you safely out of here. That doctor is going to go straight to the authorities and tell them he’s got two of the bomb-making rebels sitting in an apartment waiting for his return. He’ll expect to collect a huge reward for his trouble. We have to go now.”
He wanted to kiss her. She was intelligent and she acted on her instincts immediately. She didn’t just decide to hash it all out endlessly and get killed when she took too much time. And what did she mean,use up one of the biggest favors owed to her? She traded in favors? A woman after his own heart if that was what she did. Few people thought that way. They were all about dollar signs, forgetting that people often could give so much more in return for something you did for them. The old barter system in place. He specialized in collecting favors—and money—depending on the job.
She circled around to the other side of him and pried a board loose from the wall. Catching his wrist, she placed a gun in his palm. Replacing the board, and that meant she drove the nail back into the hole, she went around to the other side and did the same, again handing him the gun she’d retrieved. Next, she took his old clothing and stuffed it into a bag she brought in. He could hear the rustling.
“I’m going to help you to the one and only chair in the room. I’ve covered it with a cloth we’re taking with us. You were on the sheets so we’re taking those as well. I have to strip the bed. Put this cap on your head and the dark glasses. Keep them on. I trust this man with my life, but not necessarily with yours. Don’t threaten anyone no matter what is said. These people are my friends and they’re going out of their way to help us.”
“You mean to help you.” He clenched his teeth as she helped him hobble over to the chair. It hurt like a son of bitch, but he kept that to himself.
“They created new identities for both of us. Those identities will be impeccable. They don’t come cheap. They’re allowing us to fly using one of their private jets. That doesn’t come cheap either. The flight plan has been filed and we’re being picked up a few blocks from here. I can’t have the neighborhood seeing the vehicle we take to the airport.”
“The money you took with you?”
“I delivered the money to Orlov and put the receipt in your wallet. When we board the jet, you can ask the attendant to read the contents to you. I’d like to tell you I don’t steal, but that’s how I got the money to pay the doctor. So I do when I need fast money.”
A surge of adrenaline caught him unawares. His leopard roared with rage. She calmly stripped the bed and stuffed the sheets into a bag she’d brought. He heard movement around the bed and catching up the pillows and stripping them of the pillowcases. He thought he caught a slight groan escaping, but if he did, she hastily covered it.
“I parked the Jeep as close as possible. I’ll help you walk to it and get in the back seat. Lay down in the back seat. I’ll take you to the rendezvous point and then go on to ditch the Jeep...”
“No.” He was firm. “We stay together.”
“If something goes wrong, they’ll take you to the States.” Now she sounded impatient. He could hear the exhaustionin her voice. Before, she’d tried to spare him; now, she was just too tired to put in the effort.
“No. I mean it, Lotus Blossom. We stay together.”
She didn’t waste time arguing with him. He stood up and tested his weight on the swollen leg. It wasn’t going to hold up. He’d have to accept her help whether he wanted to or not. She wrapped her arm around his waist without a word, and they hobbled out together. Every step had him cursing under his breath. He wasn’t nearly as stoic as he wanted to be. He couldn’t see where he was going or how far it was, and she didn’t give him any kind of a reference. To be fair, she was struggling to keep him on his feet. He was giving her more of his weight than he had before.
“Three more steps and you’re going in the back seat.” She left him for few seconds to yank open the door. “All clear. I don’t feel a target on my back at the moment. Do you?”
He shook his head and then wished he hadn’t. “I need to lie down before I fall down. I’m beginning to think I’d welcome a target at this rate. Should have asked the doc for painkillers.”
“He left you some. I think he was afraid I’d shoot him if I came back and found you high as a kite on pills.”
“Would you have?” Gedeon was curious.
“Shot him because you were high?” Amusement was back in her voice, replacing the exhaustion as she helped him the last two steps to the back seat. “I might have paid him more money just to see what other secrets you had to spill. Step up, Gedeon, I’m not going to toss you onto the back seat.”
Gedeon did his best to climb into the Jeep. He made it inside, but it wasn’t pretty, and he really did crawl, dragging his injured leg and swearing in several languages. Sweat broke out, beading on his body. He was on the floor of the Jeep rather than the seat. He rested his head on the seat and fought for his breath.
“I think this is just fine, right here.”
She must have agreed because she shut the door quickly, was gone a couple of minutes and returned with two suitcases. Stowing them in the front passenger’s seat, she hopped into the driver’s side and the Jeep was in motion.
