Rules of Protection (Tangled in Texas #1)(23)

“Which guy?”

“You know, the one who falls for the witness who gets killed.”

“Damn it, Emily. I’m responsible for your safety.”

“Then wear a condom!”

“Jesus,” he said, breathing out hard. “I was right before. You definitely have multiple personalities.”

My eyes narrowed. “Yeah, well maybe I do, and none of them like you!” I folded my arms across my chest and resisted the urge to gaze back at him.

Jake slammed the car door and stomped around the front of the vehicle, stopping long enough to bang his fist on the hood before getting in. His hand tightened into a death grip on the steering wheel, but he didn’t try to strike up another conversation. I quietly stared out the passenger window as we got back on the road. I didn’t have to look at him. I could feel him next to me. His anger vibrated the air and danced on my skin.

An hour later, we still hadn’t spoken. Isolation fueled the depression I desperately tried to push away. The blahs tend to multiply when you are silent for long durations. I counted the bug splatters on the windshield to pass the time until we crossed into Oklahoma on I-35, and then, before I knew it, my eyelids drifted closed.

When I woke up, we were in a rest area parking lot. Jake leaned against a payphone outside my door with his back to me. Guess he didn’t want to risk being tracked by using his cell phone. So much for his supposedly secure line.

He had left the car running and the air conditioning on high, which explained my icy-cold skin, goose bumps, and hard nipples. I turned the air conditioner down a few notches to keep from getting hypothermia and cracked open the window. That’s when I heard Jake talking.

“It’s a solo mission, but she doesn’t have a bullet hole in her head. At least not yet.”

What did he mean yet?

“We aren’t exactly on speaking terms at the moment,” Jake commented. “She trusts me, though. I’m good at this. Her decision to cooperate sealed her fate. Now it’s up to me to make sure things go as planned.” He paused for a second, listening to the person on the other end. “No, nobody knows her whereabouts or where she’s going, including her.”

Who the hell was he talking to?

“Yeah, I’m bringing her in. In fact, it won’t take us much longer to get there. Probably another couple of hours. Get your guns ready,” Jake said. “She’s a live one. We may have to draw straws to see who gets to shoot her first.” Then he chuckled.

The deep timbre of his laughter jolted through me like a high-voltage shock wave. Jesus Christ. I thought I was safe with an FBI agent and, all along, he planned to kill me. I thought Jake kidded when he said he should turn me over to Frankie Felts, but I was wrong. He was going to let me die. That shrewd, double-crossing bastard! I knew he was a weasel. No wonder he didn’t want to have sex with me. I was practically dead already.

And he knew it the whole time.



Chapter Five

My brain felt clogged.

I had to get away from Jake, but I didn’t know how. He manhandled me every time I didn’t do something he asked, which, now that I thought about it, should’ve been a red flag. FBI agents went through psychological testing, right? If so, I don’t know how Jake passed. He had anger issues.

Jake hung up the phone and slid into the driver’s seat. “I’m glad you’re awake. Do you need to use the restroom while we’re here? We have a few hours to go before we get there.”

This was my last chance to escape. “Yes, I need to go,” I told him, trying to keep my voice even.

“Come on,” he said, turning off the car and taking the keys out of the ignition. “I’ll walk you over there.”

Shit. I hoped he’d leave the keys behind. “No, that’s okay. I can walk myself.”

“You’re not going alone. I can’t protect you if I’m out here.”

“Protect me from whom…the elderly couple, the parents with their children, or the two teenagers skateboarding on the sidewalk? I don’t think any of them are going to take me out.”

“With you, you never know.” He stepped out of the car and waited at the front for me to join him.

Pressing the issue would only make him suspicious. I couldn’t risk him wondering what I was up to. If I managed to get away from Jake, it would be a small miracle. He had the keys and, chances were, he’d come after me in the car once he figured out I was gone. I wouldn’t have much of a head start unless I could slow him down. Hmmm. Jake was too busy scoping out the area to see what I was doing inside the car.

As soon as I opened the car door, the heat slapped me in the face. It was like stepping into a hot oven, and sweat instantly formed on my lip. “Where are we…Hell?”

“Close. Texas.”

The midday sun, bright and hot, seared into my skin. I shaded my eyes and surveyed my surroundings, mindfully planning my escape route. The busy four-lane highway wasn’t a good option, but the mounds of dirt surrounding the rest area kept me from seeing what was on the other side and didn’t look like easy climbing. “I thought Texas was supposed to be flat.”

“We’re in the hill country. Only things here that are flat are the armadillos in the road.”

We walked inside the brick community building together and stopped outside the entrance to the ladies’ room. “The men’s room is on the opposite side,” Jake said, grimacing. “Men piss faster than women do. I’ll be back before you come out.”