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She also had to nix these conflicting feelings she was having about Cap. At that thought, she deliberately looked at the woman still standing too close to Cap. Yep, that should do it pretty damn quick. The woman smiled at as if she was reading Ava’s mind. It pissed her off.
“I don’t know why I’m here. I don’t know why you’re here. Jo?” Ava called out.
The truck driver she’d hitched a ride with walked up, face drawn and worried. “I’m here, girl. Let me explain.”
Ava nodded. “Please.”
Jo drew in a deep breath, her beautiful gray hair flowing in the blustery wind rifling through the night. “You’re in trouble.”
Ava snorted. “Ya’ think?”
“Don’t sass me. I picked you up when you needed help. You can hear me out without the smart-mouth,” Jo said with a frown.
“Yes, ma’am,” Ava said immediately.
Holland laughed outright at that. Ava’s gaze zeroed in on Cap. Bastard was hiding a smile.
“That’s more like it,” Jo said. “I brought you to Tex, girl. He’s got connections I knew you needed. But it seems like I brought you to the lion’s den, so hop on back in the cab and I’ll take you somewhere you can disappear.”
Ava nodded.
“You aren’t going anywhere,” Cap said, that delicious voice sliding through Ava like butter.
“Watch me,” she said, ignoring him and stepping around him and the blonde-haired goddess hanging on his shoulder.
He reached for her, and she heard Caesar growl. It was low and mean, and it was as beautiful to her as Cap’s voice had been moments ago.
Cap lowered his hand. “You aren’t going anywhere. There are people looking for you and I made a promise.”
She shrugged. “Won’t be the first time you’ve broken one of those.” But she wondered what promise he’d made and to whom he’d made it.
“I’ll follow.”
“Cap, she obviously doesn’t need us,” the woman at his side said.
He shoved off her hand and stalked toward Ava. “If you leave, I’ll follow. I would think the least you could do is let me talk. You look like you’ve been run over by a bus and I know you’re hungry. I can hear your stomach growling from here.”
She winced. She needed rest. Jo had brought her here for a reason. She could leave whenever she wanted—nobody could keep her where she didn’t want to be; she was good at disappearing.
“Jo?” she asked.
The woman stopped and peered at her in the darkness. “What?”
“Tell me about Tex. Why’d you bring me here?”
“Well, I’m safe. Protecting women is what I do,” Tex answered from beside the cab. He hadn’t moved a muscle it seemed and that grin was still on his face. “I won’t let Cap take you, but I do think you need to listen to what he’s got to say, Ava Maddigan. I do believe you should.”
Ava hated the good ol’ boy routine, but damn if John Keegan didn’t have it down to a science. “You do, huh?”
“I think it’d be to your benefit. And if it helps at all, I know Cap. I’ve run missions with him. He won’t hurt you.”
That last was said with sincerity but Tex had no idea.
“Jokes on you, Mr. Keegan. Cap not only has hurt me, I’m pretty sure he’ll do it again and again. I think he enjoys it. And as far as anything he says being to my benefit, well, sir, that’d be a first.”
Holland cackled. Cap hissed in a breath.
“Just listen. Worse comes to worse, you get a decent night’s sleep and some food in yours and your dog’s belly.” Keegan’s dog barked at that.
