Whispers in the Dark (KGI #4)(54)

“I know, baby. Soon this will all be over and we can focus on more important things.”

She raised one eyebrow but he left the statement dangling. She knew damn well he referred to him and her, but now wasn’t the time to press further. He’d let her know she belonged to him. For now it was enough.

CHAPTER 23

NATHAN pulled off at a rustic lodge situated on Lake Talawa. He left Shea in the jeep and went inside to inquire about vacancies. There were several empty cabins situated along the shoreline and one deeper into the woods, away from the others. The clerk jokingly referred to it as the honeymooners’ lodge.

Nathan played along, grinning his delight over being afforded privacy. He made the appropriate jokes about getting away for a few days, took the keys and then hurried back out to Shea.

The road leading back to the cabins was narrow and dusty. The moon shimmered over the water, reminding him of home. In other circumstances, he’d be thrilled to be on the lake. Throw back a few beers with his brothers. Do a little fishing. Be lazy and talk about old times.

In truth he wasn’t looking forward to a reunion with his brothers. They were going to be understandably pissed that he’d taken off. Not just taken off on his own, but appropriated a KGI jet in the process. Yeah, Sam was going to have a kitten over that one.

But if they could help him keep Shea safe, he’d take whatever ass kicking they wanted to dole out.

He parked behind the cabin so the jeep was out of sight. Then he gathered his gear, motioned for Shea to get out, and they headed toward the dark cabin.

Soon they were inside. It was a little musty but otherwise clean. It had all the basics, but Nathan didn’t plan to be here long enough to worry over whether the kitchen was stocked.

His first priority was to see to Shea. She looked shell-shocked. Her eyes were glazed, whether in pain or confusion, he wasn’t sure.

“You need to hit the shower,” he told her. “I need to take a look at those cuts. One of them looks pretty bad.”

She lifted the backpack that contained the new clothes they’d purchased and shuffled toward the bathroom. Exhaustion and adrenaline letdown radiated from her. Imminent crash. He saw it coming a mile away.

He followed her inside the bathroom and found her sitting on the closed toilet seat, her shoulders sagging. She looked so damn vulnerable, but he knew her to be anything but. Okay, so maybe she was vulnerable, but she definitely wasn’t a shrinking violet. She was a big surprise in a little package. Fierce and unafraid to get the job done.

His admiration for her grew with every passing minute he spent with her.

He tossed his bag onto the counter and then knelt in front of her, gathering her hands in his. “You okay?”

She nodded. “I will be. I promise. I’m not freaking out on you, Nathan.”

He smiled. “I never thought you were. Can you take that shirt off? I need to get a look at those cuts. You caught several shards to the back as well. Cut ribbons into your shirt.”

She glanced up in surprise and then tried to turn to look over her shoulder. It didn’t surprise him that she didn’t realize the extent of the cuts. She likely hadn’t felt a thing at the time. But now that she was coming down, she would start feeling the discomfort.

Carefully he peeled away her shirt. She wasn’t wearing a bra and her br**sts bobbed free of constraint, soft and so plush. He stood and glanced down her back, relieved to see only knicks and shallow cuts along her shoulder blades.

There was one cut in the curve of her neck, running over the ridge of her neck. That was the one he suspected needed stitches. The rest could be cleaned, medicated and allowed to heal without dressing.

“You’ll be okay taking a shower on your own?”

She gave him a disgruntled look and then waved him away.

“When you get out, stay undressed long enough for me to take care of those cuts.”

She nodded and rose to turn on the shower. Taking his cue, he left the bathroom and went into the living room to call his brothers.

He turned on his cell phone, ignoring the cacophony of notifications of voice mails, missed calls and text messages. Still, the most recent message, from Joe, caught his eye and he clicked to read the full text.

You’re pissing me off, bro. We’ve never worked like this. You’re holding out on me. Since when did we ever keep shit from each other?

Joe was right, and it didn’t make Nathan feel any better to know he’d hurt his twin. Joe might sound all pissed off, but deep down he was hurt over Nathan’s avoidance and, worse, his refusal to tell Joe what was going on.

He sighed. It would end now, but it might not be enough to make up for the last months in his brother’s eyes. It had taken him the entire drive to work up the nerve and figure out exactly what he wanted to say and in the end, he still didn’t know how to explain it all. He had to just believe his brothers would take his word on faith.

He punched in Sam’s number, irritated with how nervous it made him to make that call.

“It’s about goddamn time,” Sam snapped as he answered the phone. “What’s going on, Nathan? Are you all right? And where’s my goddamn plane?”

Nathan grinned at the pissiness in Sam’s voice, because despite the anger, there was a deep thread of worry and relief coming through loud and clear. He thought of all the things he’d decided to say, but the only thing that came to his lips was the simple truth.