The Safe Bet (Hidden Truths #1)(65)

His tan throat moved as he swallowed. “An explosion blasted near me, knocking me to my feet, and then I felt the first bullet splice through my shoulder. I was on the ground, dust in my face as the boots approached me. The insurgent was dragging someone. A soldier. The guy had a knife to his throat, and I was the last person he would see before his throat was slit.”

Her heart slammed against her ribcage, hating the words he would have to utter next, and hating herself for making him relive the memory.

Two empty blue eyes were staring back at her, almost in a daze. “And then the guy took out his gun and shot me twice. Somehow, Jake got to me and kept me alive long enough until secondary forces swooped in to fight off the Taliban insurgents. Not a day goes by that I don’t regret that I lived. I just keep seeing his eyes—looking up at me with such horror. It should have been me.”

She couldn’t fight back the tears any longer. They rushed free over her face. He moved his thumb across her lips.

“Don’t cry,” he said and cradled her head against his chest. “Please, don’t cry.”

*


“Answer your phone.” Michael slammed his cell phone down on the couch and rubbed his temples. He had called Jake five times in the last five minutes, with no answer.

He glanced over at the bedroom. The door was shut, and he assumed Kate was still resting. He’d burdened her with his past, and she’d broken down as a result. He should never have opened his mouth given what she was going through right now.

Stupid.

She’d need to eat at some point, though. His cabin had coffee and granola bars, and that was it. He couldn’t risk going to the store, and he hated the idea of having a delivery man come to the house, but he had no choice.

He grabbed his phone and ordered a pizza online. After, he dialed Connor.

“Hey, man.”

“Shit, Connor. What’s going on? I can’t get hold of Jake. Is everything okay?” He ruffled his hair and walked into the small kitchen.

“Yeah. Jake’s working on some leads. He knows that if he talks to you, you’ll just flip out, which you have every right to do.”

“Where are you guys? My place?” He tried to keep his anger in check, at least for the moment.

“We’re close to you, actually. We’re staying at a hotel in Cornelius. Jake thought we should be nearby.”

Michael was quiet for a moment. “Is Jake still using Kate as bait?” He pressed his hand on the counter, trying to steady himself.

“No,” Connor said after what felt like too long. “He wants to keep a close eye on you and Kate. Give you some back-up.”

For some reason, Michael didn’t believe him. “Tell Jake to call me.”

He turned around when he heard the bedroom door open and ended the call, shoving the phone into his pocket.

“Something wrong?” she asked with a soft voice.

“Jake’s ducking my calls. Afraid of me, I guess.”

She gave him a weak smile and rubbed her arms as if a chill had snuck up on her. She was wearing some of his sister’s clothes—skin tight white jeans and a white T-shirt with no bra. Julia used the cabin every so often and had a few things stored there.

“I ordered pizza,” he said while scratching the back of his neck, trying to look away from her nipples, which were poking against the thin material of the shirt. This wasn’t the time or place to be getting a damn erection. Jesus.

She nodded and took a seat on the couch, clasping her hands on her lap. “I’m not hungry.”

“You need to eat. It’s getting late, and all you’ve had is coffee.”

“That’s not true. We split the granola bar you found in your cabinet earlier.”

“Yeah, well, that’s not enough.” He came up next to her and sat down and reached out for her hand. Her fingers were freezing, and her hand was shaking a little. “Let me grab you a blanket.”

“I’m fine. You can keep me warm,” she said while looking up at him beneath long lashes, her eyes puffy a little from crying earlier. He was pretty sure she’d had a tear jerker session as a result of a lot more than the heavy shit he’d laid on her—the woman was dealing with a whole mess of a situation, and he couldn’t begin to imagine how she must be feeling.

Michael tugged her against him and held her tight. She rested her head on his shoulder, and her hand slipped up to his chest. His heart was racing, and he knew she’d be able to tell beneath her palm.

It was part nerves about what was going to happen with Dustin, but also because of fear—he’d opened up to this woman. He’d never opened up to anyone. And he had no clue if he’d be able to continue to be this man—the man she needed . . . or if he’d wind up hurting her.

The thought of causing her any more pain was unbearable, but he didn’t know if he could trust himself. This was unchartered territory.

They sat in silence, holding each other until the delivery man sounded the buzzer at the gate.

Michael grabbed the 9mm he kept in his safe and tucked it at the back of his pants and then went to meet the delivery guy.

Fortunately, the guy appeared normal, and so he handed the kid a hundred. “Keep the change.”

The delivery man’s face cracked into a deep smile. “Thanks, man.”

Michael watched the kid enter his car and waited until he was out of view before heading back into the house.