I turn away, resting my chin on my knees. What kind of coincidental timing was that? It’s almost as coincidental as me getting hired as his assistant the night after we slept together.
“I guess I’m glad you did.”
There’s some part of this story I’m not understanding. Something doesn’t add up. My brain is fuzzy, and my body feels weak with blood loss. I’m too exhausted, physically and emotionally, to dwell on this right now.
“Are you ready?” he asks me, standing beside my chair.
I slowly nod, beginning to stand.
“Can you walk?”
I almost say no so that he’ll lift me up in his muscled arms again. My feet find the floor, and I reach out to steady myself on him.
His hand grips my elbow, the other finding my waist. “Be careful. You’ve lost a lot of blood.”
I finally notice the state he’s in. His left eyebrow has a gash in it, and dried blood is stuck to the side of his face. His eye is nearly swollen shut, a violet bruise decorating it. His split lip, which hasn’t healed yet, is busted open again, puffy on the left side. Blood has dripped from his nose. A small slice in the front of his neck looks like it was a hair’s width away from being lethal.
I stand still, mouth agape as I stare at him. He no doubt has multiple hidden wounds I can’t even see.
How is he even functioning?
“Uhh . . . are you okay?”
“I’ve got a headache.”
“You look like . . . you need a doctor.”
His eyes sweep over me, pausing at the bandage on my arm.
“You too.”
I stare at him, realizing there must be a very good reason we flew to a farm in North Carolina instead of going to a hospital.What kind of danger are we in?
We make our way through the cabin. He releases the stairs, revealing the tempestuous storm. The wind and rain begin to blow into the aircraft as we walk down to an old, beat-up pickup truck idling nearby.
A man jumps out of it, wearing a rain slicker. He jogs up to us. “Hey, boss man! You want me to taxi her into the hangar?”
“Yes. Thanks, Tommy,” Luke replies.
He leads me into the waiting vehicle. The musty scent of dirt and old-car greets us. I scoot into the center of the single-cab bench seat while Luke takes the driver’s seat.
“The house isn’t far from here.”
He pulls around to the large metal building painted green. It blends in well with the surrounding trees and grassy fields.
Tommy taxies the plane into the large opening of the structure, and several moments later, he runs back out to the truck. He opens the passenger door, climbing in. “Well, it sure has been a hot minute, Mr. Luke.”
He grins widely, crooked teeth with one missing on the side flashing at us. His eyes trail over me, causing me to shift in my seat, a bit closer to Luke.
“Yeah, Tommy, been busy. How’s the farm going?”
Tommy’s eyes have finally left me, and he looks out at the torrential downpour we’re driving through on a muddy road.
“Oh man, it’s going great. We got the south pasture to yield peaches this spring! They were delicious. We have a lot in the deep freezer, and Miss Bell has made gallons of ice cream.”
“Mmm, I can’t wait to try it out,” Luke says, looking over at him with a smile. “This is my friend, Kate. Kate, this is Tommy. He helps manage the farm with the Bells for me.”
Tommy’s smile is wide as he reaches out to shake my hand. I extend the one that’s not my hurt arm. His age is difficult to determine. His skin is deeply tanned and slightly wrinkled, but he looks to maybe be around thirty. His hair is dark and messy, and his shirt is damp from the rain but also has a stain dripping down the front.
