Her impatience grew. They had the truth now. Why was he throwing up roadblocks? “He owns some of the cops here, maybe that’s the case for other departments. She has a right to be nervous.”
He didn’t answer, so she touched his shoulder. “Letme check your bandage again and you can get some rest, okay? We’ve still got some dangerous hours ahead if Bullseye gets wind we’re flying out. His people know we’re somewhere in this forest, and I’m sure they haven’t stopped their ground efforts.”
She led him to the kitchen chair, where she examined his bandage. There was a small amount of fresh blood, but not enough to make her worry. She retaped the gauze into place.
He winced.
“Uncomfortable?”
“Nah. I’m practically healed.”
She kissed the lines of pain on his brow, allowed her fingers to graze his temple. He sighed, and his body relaxed. “We’re almost clear, Gideon. We’re going to return to the land of hot showers, microwaves, and all the praying mantises a guy could want.”
He didn’t smile and it pained her, so she bent her head and kissed him. His lips were warm and soft and his chin prickly with stubble. She’d intended a quick peck as a friendly encouragement, but she couldn’t resist giving him a proper kiss. Then it was all warmth and comfort, and when he eagerly returned the kiss, she couldn’t back away for what seemed like forever. When she did, breathless, she stroked his cheek.
“I’ll never forget everything you’ve done for me, and I promise I’ll accept my punishment for stealing your wallet as soon as I return.”
“You know that’s not my concern.”
“I do know that.”
He went quiet, the tenderness of his expression, thetingling on her own lips urging her nearer. But this was not the time, nor the place, nor maybe even the right choice, for them to nurture their closeness. This was a terrifying movie that was nearing its end. Soon they’d be safe.
Soon they’d be home.
She forced herself away from him. “I’ll take the armchair. You lie down on the sofa.”
Gideon’s gaze followed her. He needed more convincing. She didn’t.
She and Cordelia had both loved Aaron, and that bond would hold them together forever. Cordelia had risked everything, including her own life, to save theirs. It was enough proof of her intentions.
Mackenzie settled into the armchair, prepared for an uncomfortable night.
In a matter of hours their harrowing journey would be over.
And Bullseye’s problems were just beginning.
With a smile on her lips, still tingling from the kiss, she closed her eyes.
Sixteen
Waking froma dead sleepwell before sunrise felt like trying to swim through concrete. It was only to stop Mackenzie shaking his shoulder that Gideon opened both eyes, more out of self-defense than wakefulness.
“That really hurts, Zee,” he said with a grunt.
“Sorry, but you’re sleeping like the dead and we need to go.”
He couldn’t be 100 percent certain he wasn’t actually dying. His whole body was one throbbing nerve ending, and his head pounded like a timpani drum. Nonetheless, he extricated himself from the sofa, made it cautiously to his feet, and drank more coffee that someone had prepared as he tried to absorb the details revealed the previous night.
Cordelia appeared. She’d pulled her hair into a long dark braid, and she was dressed in the same clothes, a radio clipped to her belt. “It’s all set. We’ll ride most of the way until I drop off the horses to a lady I know who will evacuate them. The last quarter mile will be on foot, but Jake will pick us up if he can.”
“Jake, the pilot?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re positive you can trust him?”
“He’s sticking his neck out to help me.”
