Rules of Protection(94)

My stomach felt squeamish. “Who is he?”

Cowboy spoke up. “No one knows. He’s not from around here. That’s why I came to warn Jake.”

“But how could anyone know where to look for me?”

“I don’t know,” Jake said, looking puzzled. “No one should’ve known where to find us. I haven’t even spoken to Director Brockway, in case they tried to put out a trace.”

“Why would anybody trace the…call?” Dim recollections of the drunken memories I suppressed came rushing back.

I stumbled back, my belly tightening with spasms. Jake and Cowboy both reached for me. Hank pulled down the tailgate on his truck and the boys lifted me, setting me on it. Jake pushed my hair back to look at my face while Cowboy gripped my arms, keeping me upright.

“You look like you’re about to pass out,” Jake said with a strained voice. “Take slow, deep breaths.”

“I’ll grab a cold washcloth for her,” Floss said, already on her way inside.

“It’s probably stress,” Hank noted calmly.

In my daze, I could hear their voices, but did my best to tune them out of my head. More pressing issues had arisen, like figuring out how to tell Jake what I’d done and willing myself not to puke. I could almost hear him screaming at me already. Damn.

Then again, he didn’t yell at me for getting lost in the woods. Surely, that was worse than making one lousy phone call. I snapped back to reality, trying to gather my composure. Everyone stared at me with blank looks.

“What’s that about?” Jake asked me.

“Huh?”

“You said karma is biting you in the ass. What’d you mean?”

“Jake, I…I meant to tell you—”

“What did you do?” he asked suspiciously. He was like a powder keg filled with explosives, and I was the idiot who’d lit the fuse.

I gulped a deep breath, heated guilt burning inside me. “I called Gina from Floss’s cell phone the night we came back from the bar.”

A moment of silence passed while Jake tried to contain himself and the other men said a small prayer for me.

“Jesus Christ, Emily! What the hell were you thinking?” Jake yelled, pacing angrily back and forth. “I’m trying to keep your ass alive and you’re…chatting on the phone with your girlfriend?”

“Calm down, Jake,” Hank said, walking off toward the house. “Let me grab my pistol. We’ll go into town and check it out. It may be nothing.”

“I’ll grab my gun out of the truck,” Cowboy said, walking away from us to give us some privacy.

God, I felt stupid. “I’m sorry. It was a mistake.”

“Yeah, you make a lot of those,” Jake said with his teeth clenched, his eyes flashing with heat. He kicked the truck’s fender a couple of times to let off some steam. It didn’t help. “For God’s sake, were you trying to get us all killed?”

Lowering my head, I whispered, “No, of course not. I wasn’t thinking—”

“That’s your damn problem! You don’t think! I can’t compensate for your stupidity.”

“Jake!” Cowboy said, walking back over. “That’s enough.”

“She hasn’t begun to have enough,” Jake said, frustrated with Cowboy’s interference. “She needs to learn there are consequences for her actions.”

I hated listening to them talk about me as if I weren’t there, but I knew if I opened my mouth, the sobs would erupt from my throat. I swallowed them, pushing them down as far as I could, but couldn’t stop the moisture leaking from my eyes.

Cowboy watched me wipe my eyes and he patted my hand. “She knows, Jake. You can get off her ass now.”

Jake let out a disgusted laugh. “We were sitting ducks for the past few days. She didn’t even bother to warn us.” He walked closer, glaring, as angry words of accusation poured from his mouth. “Emily, you better hope this turns out to be nothing because if anybody gets hurt, it’s going to be all on you.”

“I said that’s enough,” Cowboy yelled, shoving Jake away. “You’re my boy and all, but if you say another word to her…”

“Damn it, you two, knock it off!” Hank came up behind Jake and put his hand on his shoulder, giving it a hard squeeze. “Son, you have no business talking to a woman like that. Now, go put on some clothes, get your gun, and get your ass in the truck. You’re wasting time with this nonsense.”

Jake stormed off without another word. I couldn’t hold back the sobbing any longer. Cowboy put his arm around me and held me against his chest.

“It’s okay, honey,” Hank said softly. “Jake’s just scared, and he’s taking it out on you.”

“Well, he crossed the line,” Cowboy said angrily.

Hank nodded in agreement. “Someone has to stay here to protect the women. You want to volunteer?”

Cowboy smoothed his hand over my hair, brushing it from my wet cheeks. “Reckon I already have.”

Hank opened the door to his truck and stepped in. “Take her into the main house and stay inside. We’ll be back soon.”

Cowboy walked me upstairs and opened the door to the house as Jake came out of the cottage. I watched him adjust his shoulder holster before getting into Hank’s truck, but he didn’t look at me. Then they drove away.