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She glanced down, noticing the bandages on her shoulder and arm. “Did I get stitches?”
“Two on your shoulder and eight on your arm. Also, you had cuts on your right hip and left leg that I missed at first.”
She barely remembered those wounds. The images in her head were of Renee’s cherry-red face, filled with an intense hatred and determination, followed by shock when Jules slid the knife into her.
“She would have killed me if I hadn’t killed her.”
“Yes, she would have. And if she had lived, she might have tried to carry out Rhinehart’s plan in order to honor him.”
Jules let that settle in her mind. While she could regret the necessity of taking a life, she also understood that she’d had only two choices. She refused to regret being the one who lived.
Apparently realizing she needed to process the information, Ash proceeded to check her wounds. Though they would cause her some pain for a few days, she knew she was fortunate they weren’t worse.
“They look good. Omar’s doctor didn’t even think they’ll leave scars.” He stood and headed to the other room. “I’ll let you shower. Leave the door open in case you feel faint.”
Jules waited until he was out of the room before she placed her feet on the floor. Other than a little weak-kneed and sore, she felt fine. Taking a shower and then getting some food inside her would go a long way to making her feel normal again.
* * *
Ash poured himself another cup of coffee while he kept an ear out for any sign that Jules was in trouble. She might have told him she felt fine and tried to convince herself as well, but the haunted look in her eyes said something else. She was still suffering. Crying in his arms had been a good start, but she was a long way from being fine.
He didn’t bother wishing that things had turned out differently. Ash had learned long ago that “wishing” got you nowhere. When he had accepted Omar’s invitation, he had done so to continue to help Humphrey establish trust in a somewhat tenuous relationship with a weapons dealer. Killing a known terrorist and two of his associates certainly hadn’t been on his radar. Even though he’d done what was necessary, and had most certainly saved lives by taking Rhinehart out, that didn’t mean he had enjoyed the deed. He’d done his share, but killing was and always would be the last resort. There had been no other choice. Jules had
known that, but that didn’t mean it hadn’t cost her.
That was why they were going to take a few days here. Staying holed up in the hotel would give Jules time to heal. He could work from here and be available when she was ready to talk.
And since lying to himself was not his way, he could admit to a purely selfish reason: He wanted to get to know her better. She had told him some things, and Kate had filled in some blanks for him, but there was so much more to Jules Stone. They both knew she had secrets. It was his policy that as long as an operative’s secrets didn’t interfere with his or her job, they were welcome to keep them. This was different. For the first time since Meg, he realized he wanted to get to know a woman on a personal basis.
There would be complications. In the years since he’d started OZ, he had never once considered breaking his self-imposed rule of not getting involved with a co-worker. That wasn’t a rule he imposed on any of his employees. As long as the liaisons didn’t compromise the job, their private lives were their own business. And since OZ was an off-the-books secret organization, relationship choices could be severely limited. Only made sense that they gravitated toward one another.
When the shower cut off, Ash took the domes off the food he’d ordered and fixed a plate for himself and one for Jules. He didn’t know what type of food she liked, but there was a variety to choose from.
“Um, Ash, where are we?”
He grinned at her. She was wearing a hotel robe that practically swallowed her and a definite frown of irritation.
“Missoula, Montana.”
“How? I don’t even remember getting on the plane.”
“That’s because you slept the entire flight. I figured you’d wake up when we got off the plane, but you were sleeping deep.”
The doctor had told him that would likely happen. Not only had she been exhausted and in shock, the blood loss had left her body depleted.
“I’m surprised we didn’t just go on to OZ headquarters.”
“The amenities are better here.” He nodded toward the plate he’d fixed for her. “Come eat.”
Still looking a little uneasy, Jules sat across from him at the small table. He waited until she’d taken a few sips of coffee before saying quietly, “We both need a few days to recover.”
“I’m—”
He held up a hand to cut her off. “Don’t say you’re fine. You’re not. You need some downtime.”
The emotions on her face were a testament to just how unfine she really was. From the moment he’d met her, he was impressed with her composure and ability to hide her thoughts. Not so today. He saw anger, frustration, sadness, and, if he wasn’t mistaken, trepidation.
The last one concerned him the most. “This suite has two bedrooms.”
