Without it, she and her baby would probably be dead tomorrow, certainly within a week. She prayed Nick’s hatred of their common enemy was enough to persuade him to help her. She hoped Nick Navarro had a good side she could appeal to.
But based on everything she’d heard, she wasn’t counting on it.
God, what was she doing? Surviving, she hoped. But the fact she’d had to knock on this man’s door made her angry. She felt betrayed. She’d followed every rule she’d ever been given, believing that would keep her safe. Instead, she’d been fattened up like a lamb corrupt people intended to slaughter. She had no idea how to stop them alone.
Enter Nick.
When he reached for her, Sasha stiffened. If he noticed her reaction, he said nothing. He merely lifted the heavy duffel bag from her drooping shoulder and slid it to the ground.
“You look tired, hungry, and cold.” His dark gaze drifted over Harper. “You can’t carry your daughter all night.”
His words surprised her. Why wasn’t he demanding to know the reason she’d rung his doorbell so late? Or why she’d come at all?
She wished she had the luxury of telling him that she and her baby would be fine, like she’d been saying to people since Mike’s murder. But she couldn’t afford polite lies anymore. Nick Navarro was her very last hope.
God help her.
“I’ll be fine. But Harper has been sick. If you have a blanket she could curl up with while we talk, I’d appreciate?—”
As if on cue, the girl coughed, raspy and deep. Between one fit and the next, she drew rattling breaths into troubled lungs.
“She needs a bed, Sasha. I have four in this house. Pick one and put her down.” When she hesitated, he towered above her, eyes narrowed. “She needs sleep and a doctor. You need help. That’s why you came, isn’t it?”
It took everything Sasha had to stand her ground and nod.
“Do you have any clean clothes in there for her?” He gestured to the duffel.
“No.”
“I’ll take care of it. The bedrooms are down the hall. When she’s settled, come back and tell me what you’re after.”
Without another word, Nick turned his back, pulled out his cell phone, hit a few buttons, and paced out of the cavernous foyer. Who was he calling at dang near midnight? He hadn’t reacted at all like she’d expected when she’d rung his doorbell. But she couldn’t worry about him now. Harper needed her.
Sasha dragged herself out of the foyer and down the long hall, until she came to the first bedroom. Airy, with two twin beds—she could tell that much in the dark.
Flipping on the light, she saw two plain beige comforters with soft white sheets. Nothing frilly. But a real bed would be a blessing for her baby. It had been so long since she’d slept in one, and this looked like heaven.
Stopping, resting, indulging—Sasha couldn’t for long if they wanted to live.
As she eased off Harper’s clothes, the poor girl barely moved. Across the hall, Sasha found a powder bath and coaxed the little girl awake long enough to use the potty.
Naked except for Barbie underwear, Sasha tucked her daughter into bed. Harper sighed as her head hit the pillow and she fell back asleep. A fever heated the child’s brow. For over a week, Harper had been ill. It was getting worse. But she had no money, almost no medicine left. She feared going to a hospital and filling out paperwork would be like drawing a map of their location for the lethal man chasing them.
Fighting tears of exhaustion and worry, she kissed her daughter’s cherubic face, pushing the pale hair from her forehead, praying a good night’s rest would help cure her.
“Is she asleep?” Nick asked in low tones.
Sasha turned at the unexpected sound of his voice. He filled the doorframe completely, looking as solid and as massive as the door he replaced. She shivered.
“Yes. Thank you.”
“She’ll have new clothes tomorrow morning, size three-T. Everything in the duffel is in the washer now. A pediatrician will be here at nine.”
Again, he’d surprised her. Kindness? “I promise, we’ll get out of your hair immediately after the doctor leaves. And I’ll pay you back as soon as I’m able. I just came to see you about?—”
Three electronic beeps resounding through the house startled her. Nick dragged his rough gaze down her body. At his inspection, Sasha shivered. She had no idea what he was thinking.
“Come with me.” Without waiting for her response, he turned and prowled down the hall.
