AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I don’t need him.” The sincerity in her pointed words poked at Jax. “I can take care of myself.”
The doctor’s brow drew together. “I’m sure you can in most cases, but you’ve got a serious bump on your head and you need to stay off your leg as much as possible. So either you stay here and let the nurses look after you or you can go home with...”
“Jax. Jax Monroe. And I’ll see that she’s taken care of.”
Cleo worried her bottom lip. And in that hospital gown, she looked like a child again. All he wanted to do was take care of her any way possible...even if it meant getting closer to her instead of beating a trail into the sunset. That would have to wait for another day.
Cleo’s worried gaze turned to him. “Are you sure about this?”
“I wouldn’t have said it otherwise.”
The doctor’s gaze swung between the two of them, deciding if he could trust them. “Now that it’s settled, I’ll go check on things. If you wait in the lobby, we’ll call you when she’s ready to go.”
Jax didn’t mind a few minutes to himself to pull his scattered thoughts together. He started for the doorway when Cleo grabbed his hand.
“I need to talk to you. I just remembered something.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll have plenty of time for that later.”
“But this is important.” Her distressed tone caught his attention.
He wondered if this had something to do with the police poking around. “I’m listening.”
“There’s a man after you.”
“What?”
As though recalling her fingers were still gripping his hand, she let go and made a point of straightening her white sheet. “When I went back to the bungalow a man approached me. He wanted to know how to find you.”
“And he attacked you?”
“Not really. When I tried to get away from him, he followed me. He grabbed my arm and put a hand over my mouth. He said he had a message for you.”
Alarm arrowed through Jax’s chest. “What is it?”
Cleo’s gaze lowered. “I don’t know. I bit his finger before he could relay the message. He let go of me and the rest is kind of a blur.”
His gut was telling him trouble had followed him from New York. And Cleo had ended up paying the price. Guilt beat at his chest.
“Don’t worry. He won’t bother you anymore.”
“How do you know? Who is this man? What does he want?”
Jax held up his hand, halting the flow of questions. “I don’t know him, but I promise you won’t have to deal with him again. Remember from here on out I’m in charge of your safety. Doctor’s orders.”
She started to sit up. “Jax, I need to know what’s going on.”
“Calm down.” He placed a hand on her shoulder, pressing her back against the pillow. “When I learn something I’ll tell you. Now I have a couple of phone calls to make.”
Jax hated the thought that he’d dragged Cleo into his problems. He had no proof that this mystery man was tied into the money-laundering case, but he’d be willing to bet his fortune that he was right. His priority now had to be keeping Cleo safe. And since that hired thug knew her name, her face and where she worked, it wouldn’t take long for him to track her down at home, either.
Just then the doctor returned. “We’ll have you fixed up in no time.”
That was Jax’s cue to leave. He turned back to Cleo. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.”
As he strode away, she called out, “What are you going to do?”
He didn’t pause to answer because, at that moment, he didn’t have a clue. It was obvious that he needed to get Cleo and himself out of Las Vegas. But how far could he take her with her injuries? If she needed further medical attention, he didn’t want to be stuck out in the middle of nowhere. There had to be a compromise. A place where the thug hired to scare him into silence wouldn’t think to look for either of them.
