Page 65 of License to Kill

“Could we not do this in the apartment? I really don’t want to repair anything.”

Jake sighed. “Now you’re just being a pain in my ass. Fine, but I get to pick the location.”

“Fine, pick the location.”

“Grab your purse. Better yet, put on some real clothes so you don’t have to carry that dinky little contraption around with you. Something with pockets large enough to fit your wallet.”

Knowing it’d worry him and drive him insane, I marched for my bathroom. “Hold on, I need a few minutes to put on all those cosmetics I bought for work…”

Jake grabbed me by the waist, tossed me over his shoulder, and headed for the door, scooping up my purse on his way by. “Forget I said anything. I have your little feminine contraption. Let’s go.”

Fourteen

They’re going to kill you.

Jake took us to Baltimore in a little sports car he borrowed from another FBI agent who lived in Manhattan, a man who cooperated for a chance to annoy Jake’s parents. I made it the entire drive without succumbing to my anxiety, but my inability to unlock the front door shattered my crumbling defenses. It was stupid to sob helplessly over something so insignificant, especially considering Jake was already digging his keys out of his pocket.

With a few curses, he got the door open, scooped me up, and carried me inside. “I have your keys inside, Karma. They’re in the safe along with your guns and your other things. If you give me five minutes, I can open it up and give them to you. Please don’t cry.”

He beelined for the couch and lowered me onto it, and I grabbed hold of him in the reflexive fear of being dropped. He chuckled, attempted to pry my fingers open, and discovered I had a death-grip on his shirt. “I can’t get your keys if you don’t let me go.”

Shaking my head, I kept my hold on him.

“All right. I’ll get your keys when you’re ready to let me go, then. Are you going to let me sit down?”

I hesitated but nodded. Giving him just enough time to sit, I crawled on his lap, hid my face against his chest, and cursed. He seemed larger than I remembered, although after I thought about it for a bit, it wasn’t that he had gotten larger, but that I really wasn’t much more than bones held together with a thin layer of skin barely capable of offering the illusion of decent health.

“I thought I’d limit the damage to our property. That, plus Mom and Dad are still in New York City, probably fretting I haven’t returned to the hotel despite claiming I’d come back eventually. Even better, I left my phone in your apartment. Yes, my tracked phone. I gave it a full charge while you were showering, then I tossed it on your bed. I’m considering it payback for suggesting I should leave you alone.”

I hiccupped and sniffled. “They’re going to kill you.”

“They sure are, especially after they track my phone and find it in a tiny little apartment in the worst part of New York City. I’m not sure I can live with you living there, Karma.”

“I haven’t had any problems.”

“That probably classifies as a miracle. And don’t feed me any of your bullshit about it being close to work, as I know you have an hour and a half long commute on a good day. While I’ll grudgingly drive you back so you can go to work on Monday morning, I’m not going to like it. In fact, I might book a hotel near your work and make you stay there with me. I’m sure I can find something for us to do with all that time you’ll save.”

I scowled and rubbed my eyes. “You’re being an asshole.”

“I am. You’ve lost your right to complain about my asshole tendencies until you’re at least a hundred and ten pounds and capable of resuming some form of martial art so you can properly kick my ass when needed. I’d say one fifteen, but I know how hard it is for you to get into competition shape.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Sure it is. You got what you wanted and ran yourself into the ground like a little idiot. If you can’t take care of yourself, I’ll take care of you, and you’re just going to have to deal with it.”

“You’re going to piss me off,” I predicted.

“Good. Go shift and put me in your place—if you can.”

The implication I couldn’t annoyed me so much I wiggled free of his hold on me, spat curses at him, and stormed to the bathroom to prove I wasn’t entirely weak and useless.

Jake waited for me in the hallway as a wolf, and while he was larger than me, I didn’t feel dwarfed by him—much. Like when I was human, I’d suffered as a fox, too, scrawny enough I realized I had an advantage over him. While I could throw all my weight into trying to rip his fur out, I’d break if he used all of his bulk against me, something I suspected he realized, judging by the way he twisted his ears back.

I resisted the urge to clamp my tail between my legs at the shaggy state of my fur.

Jake sighed and licked my muzzle, and I twisted away from his foul wolf breath. He pursued me, turning his attention to my throat, which he nipped just hard enough I yipped from surprise more than pain. Stalking me to the living room, he circled me. A golden gleam lit his chocolate eyes.

Showing him my teeth did nothing to dissuade him. If anything, it encouraged him to come closer.