Jacked Up (Bowen Boys #4)(87)

Carefully she lowered one leg to the floor and dipped her toes into the water. No electric shock. Good. Hastily she fished the busted appliance from the tub, lifted her skirt the best she could, and exited the bathroom, stopping at the sight of the man sprawled on the floor, facing down. His broad frame wasn’t moving, but she kicked him for good measure. As he flinched and grunted, she realized he looked familiar. Dread started churning in her gut. She turned his face to her. Oh God, she’d electrocuted Jack.





Chapter Twenty


Jesus f*cking Christ, Elle had fried him. He shook his head, trying to snap out of it and regain his bearings, but the lethargy didn’t go away. And he had James’s fretting voice asking for a status update in his ear.

“Found her,” he muttered. “Heading out.” Well, as soon as he could get his shit together and scramble to his feet.

“Oh God, Borg, are you okay?”

He wasn’t sure; he hadn’t been roasted before. “What the f*ck were you doing?” he grumbled, struggling up.

“Rescuing myself, of course, like in Shrek the Third.”

“Shh… What?”

“You don’t know Shrek? Of course not,” she said rolling her eyes. “I was rescuing myself. What did you think, that I would be here lying around and waiting for someone to do it? You okay? Did I hurt you?”

He cursed. He was soaking wet too.

“Sorry for frying you. On the plus side, you won’t need to get a perm, ever.”

She wasn’t making a lick of sense. “What?”

“Kidding. What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here? I came to get you.” Her look of disbelief said it all. “You thought I wouldn’t?”

“Last time we met you couldn’t wait to be rid of me so no, I wasn’t holding my breath for you to appear, not to mention you didn’t know where I was.” Then she frowned. “Wait. I’m wearing the dress from the fund-raiser. It’s bugged, isn’t it?” she asked sounding irate and happy at the same time.

“The purse was, but you dropped it at the bar.”

If she gave him any shit for the bug, he was going to gag her. She didn’t. She threw herself at him, hugging him so hard it almost hurt to breathe.

“You came for me,” she whispered, as if to herself.

“Haven’t you realized it yet, pet? I’d run into hell for you.”

“No, I hadn’t. You walked out on me and stayed away from the Bowens, after telling me off and all but insulting me.”

Stayed away from the Bowens? Right. That was an impossibility. Those *s wouldn’t let him.

“I didn’t insult you. I said the sex was great.”

“Right, fantastic way to make me feel cheap when I was offering you my heart.” Her smile was all teeth. “Can’t convey in words how glad I am the sex was up to standards. You weren’t bad yourself. Your pillow talk is shitty, but we all know talking is not your forte.”

“We don’t have time to hash this out now, pet, but we will. As soon as we get out of here we’ll have a serious conversation.”

“Who says I’m interested now, Borg?” she muttered.

He grabbed her and pushed her against him, planting his lips on hers. “I say so. I’ll talk and you’ll listen. And we’ll figure this out. Now let’s go so you can scream at me properly.”

“The guards—”

“Down,” he said.

It had been easier than he’d thought to sneak in, busy as security had been with the distraction at the other end of the compound. Dropping the two thugs who had been posted at her door had been a piece of cake.

“I rigged two cars. If we run into trouble, I’ll detonate them and we’ll use the diversion to escape. James, Cole, and Max are outside, ready to cover us.” He hoped to God it wouldn’t come to that. Cole had been right; opening fire on the private property of a rich guy, with an army of ex-military at his disposal and an army of lawyers, was going to be a bitch.

“Jack, wait,” Elle said pulling at him. “Maldonado is alive. I forgot to tell you, with the excitement of frying you and all.”

“I saw the boat in the marina. Did he or Exxum hurt you?”

“Not yet.”

“Let’s keep it that way. Do you know how to shoot?” he asked, handing her a gun.

“Does it work like a paintball gun?”

“Basically.”

“Then we’re good.”

“Let’s go.”

He stuffed the guards into the room and locked them in. The hallway was deserted. So far so good.

“Where are we going?”

“Downstairs to the kitchen.” He’d gotten in through the service door. With a bit of luck they could take the same route without encountering resistance. “James, are we clear?” he whispered.

“Lots of movement on the first floor west side” came through the earpiece.

“Understood. Heading out.”

They made it to the first floor. Jack heard the guns being cocked a second before a voice said, “Look what the cat dragged in.”

Exxum’s security detail. Fuck.

There were eight men in front of them, guns at the ready.