AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Despite how sore he was, and the fact that he knew full well the danger he was in, Teag couldn’t help his smile when Maria walked in bright and early the next morning. His pulse kicked up and his insides warmed at the sight of her. Ever since she’d softened toward him a little, he’d been obsessing over what it might feel like to kiss her. He was ass over tea kettle for her, using his mum’s favorite expression.
“You look much better this morning,” she said, giving him a thorough once-over.
“I feel better,” he said, and he honestly did. He’d made it to the loo without falling flat on his face, a feat for which the nurse had praised him as if he were a toddler learning to walk. His appetite seemed to be returning somewhat, and he hadn’t needed nearly as much pain medication as he had just the night before. Moving in the right direction, the doctor had said when she’d stopped in on her early morning rounds.
“We’re busting you out today,” Maria said. The teasing nature of her words ran contrary to the serious look on her face.
“Excellent. The food here is sub-par,” he joked back.
“All right, here’s the plan,” she said.
An hour later, his IV had been removed and all the monitors turned off, and Maria had helped him dress in a pair of loose khakis and a golf shirt, clothing he normally wouldn’t be caught dead wearing. The sunglasses and baseball hat completed the look. He felt like a stranger in his own skin.
Maria wore loose sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. She’d twisted her hair up into a messy bun and put on a pair of thick reading glasses.
“Oh, love, you are rocking the sexy librarian look,” he said with a grin.
She glared at him while Tank and Cam helped him into a wheelchair.
When they reached their destination, the maternity ward elevator, Cam held his finger on the button to keep the doors closed. Gingerly, Teag stood, and Maria took his place in the wheelchair. Tank handed her a bundle wrapped in a pink blanket. If Teag hadn’t been so focused on her face, as he always seemed to be these days, he would have missed her flinch when she took the baby doll and held it clasped to her chest. He filed that strange piece of information away for later consideration and held onto the handles of the chair.
When Cam released the stop button and the door opened, Teag shuffled out of the elevator, pushing Maria and their fake baby out into the bustling lobby. If anyone had eyes on them, they’d look like new parents, bewildered and exhausted and trying to get themselves into a maroon-colored minivan.
“You’re doing great, Teag,” Maria said softly, obviously aware that he wouldn’t have been able to stay on his feet if he hadn’t been holding the wheelchair handrails.
He grunted, sweat prickling at his temples.
Maria stood and opened the van’s sliding door, deposited the baby doll in a car seat, and got into the passenger side. Teag pushed the wheelchair back to the curb and gingerly made his way to the driver’s side of the van.
“Good call on the hat and sunglasses. No one can tell I’m sweating like a pig,” he said between gritted teeth as he eased himself into the driver’s seat.
“You only have to get us into the side parking lot,” Maria said.
Dark spots flitted in his peripheral vision and sweat now coated his skin. His breathing was labored, and he had to keep one hand on the ugly van as he slowly circled it to the driver’s side. All thoughts of how much better he was feeling fled from his mind. Clearly, he was still a disaster.
Maria’s concerned gaze tracked him as he eased himself into the driver’s seat. The vehicle was already running, and the cool air on his overheated skin felt like heaven. He sat panting with his hands gripping the steering wheel for a full minute before he forced himself to move.
“You’ve got this,” Maria said, her voice coaxing. “Just slowly drive us around the corner.”
He put the van in gear, checked his surroundings, and followed Maria’s directions. When he pulled into an empty spot in the back corner of the busy lot, Maria placed a gentle hand on his arm. “Hang on just a second.”
She pulled a gun from her waistband, and holding it low and tight against her body, cautiously opened her door. Despite the circumstances, namely his ass with a target painted on it, he enjoyed watching Maria work. The look of concentration on her face and the graceful way she moved totally turned him on. If he hadn’t felt like death, he would have leaned over and kissed her before she slid outside.
He watched her scope out their surroundings. Satisfied they weren’t being watched, she nodded to him. “We’re clear. Let’s switch places.”
He bit back a groan as he made his way to the passenger side. When they were on the move again, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, bone-deep fatigue washing over him.
“Go ahead, put the seat back and take a cat nap,” Maria said, her voice laced with concern.
“I’m all right, love.” But he did as she said, and before he knew it, she was carefully shaking him awake.
“We’re here.”
Disoriented and sore, it took a minute before he remembered where “here” was. A safe house. Because he’d been shot, and a Russian killer was after him. Excellent. With a grunt, he opened the door and hauled himself out.
“Wait!” Maria squealed, and he abruptly stopped moving. He expected her to pull out her gun and do some kind of perimeter check, or whatever it was badass bodyguards did when their clients arrived at a safe house, but instead, she hooked an arm around his waist and tucked her shoulder under his arm on the good side.
“Let me help you inside,” she said, her voice now soft and rather sweet.
