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“I met him yesterday when Alex picked me up. I don’t think he’s a hostage, though. He’s Alex’s friend.”
“Shit. Where is Liam now?”
Jordan shifted, suddenly nervous. She was telling Travis everything she knew. Did that mean she believed him about Alex now?Apparently, more than I did an hour ago.“He’s probably searching for me if they know I’m gone. Liam was with Alex when he drove in this morning.”
“The bodyguard? I knew that guy looked familiar though his hair was much shorter than in the picture I saw. That solves one mystery, and I know a senator who won’t be happy with that news.” Travis narrowed his eyes. “Does that mean you believe me?”
Jordan shrugged but couldn’t help wanting to believe him. “I’m still having trouble picturing Alex as a murdering racist. He didn’t come to see Brody, you know. He came looking for me, saw Brody, and passed along a message from his uncle about the bad crowd Brody has been hanging with.” As her argument poured out, she doubted her own words. How had Alex found the camp, hidden in thousands of acres of forest?
“And...you know that because that’s what Alex told you?” Travis’s forehead furrowed as he raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Are you sure about that?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “Did you tell him how Brody treated you? He could see for himself someone hit you.” Travis winced as his gaze sought out the bruise on her face. “If he was so concerned about you, why didn’t he get you the hell out of there?”
“He said he had to....” Her words trailed off as she remembered Alex’s lame explanation and how empty she’d felt when he left her alone in the tent. Damn it. She’d practically begged him not to go.
Jordan rubbed the bruise on her jaw. “Okay, I’ll give you that one.”
Travis gently removed her hand from her face and placed his there. “I’m sorry about this. I hope you know that.”
She laughed. “I thought Kyle was going to shoot me. Later, I realized you’d undoubtedly saved my life, but did you have to hit me that hard?” Jordan tried to look stern but ended up with a grin on her face.
Travis didn’t smile but turned her head and brushed the softest kiss on her bruise, causing shivers to flit wildly under her skin. He held her gaze as though he could see her thoughts, cleared his throat, and removed his hand. “Joe Halstead is the brains and the money behind their operation. He’s the one I’m after, but if I can get Alex and Brody too, I’ll take it.”
Jordan didn’t want to believe everything she heard, but some of what Travis said had started to sound like the truth. Had he made a believer of her with one butterfly kiss?How’s that for easy?She tore her gaze from his, focusing on the flames that danced in the fire pit. She’d met Alex’s Uncle Joe earlier this week, and he’d been gruff and preoccupied and made her uncomfortable. Alex had been different that day, too, promising her he’d only be a minute, then holing up with his uncle in the study, leaving her to wander the grounds by herself. He’d apologized and made excuses for his uncle on the way home, but it’d been clear to Jordan that the man could do no wrong in Alex’s eyes.
“Alex has a problem.” Travis’s smooth voice jerked her back to the present. “Uncle Joe doesn’t leave loose ends, and Alex can’t afford to let you go home and talk to anyone about what happened up there. That’s why he arranged for Brody to walk you off a cliff tonight.”
Jordan gasped as the words she just couldn’t believe bombarded her. Alex had cared for her. Hadn’t he? Not even his uncle could change that. Her chin came up as she met Travis’s gaze. “That’s not true. Whatever else Alex has done, he’s not a murderer.”
Travis came to his feet in a heartbeat and towered over her. “What did you call it when Timothy McVey and Terry Nichols blew up a federal building in Oklahoma City, killing a hundred and sixty-eight innocent people?” His voice didn’t raise, but he vibrated with anger.
Her inability to believe his words had triggered Travis’s temper.Fine!She was just as furious. “You don’t know Alex, so you don’t get to be his judge and jury.” She jumped to her feet and returned his glare.
“Don’t be a fool, Jordan. Your boyfriend doesn’t have control of this situation, so hecan’tlet you live. And for the record, he didn’t have any trouble making the decision.”
She snorted a laugh. “You are so self-righteous, yet you don’t have a problem punching women in the face. And stop calling himmy boyfriend.” She raked her fingers through her hair.
A muscle ticked in Travis’s jaw. “Kyle would have blown your head off.”
“Then why not hithim?” Jordan heard the petulance in her voice, but she couldn’t stop herself.
“It wasn’t in the plan.” Travis shrugged as though he couldn’t care less.
She clenched her fists so hard that her fingernails dug into her palms. “Of course not, but by all means,saveme so you could take me back to Brody for God knows what!”
Travis shook his head slowly, and his contemptuous laugh mocked her. “Sometimes, even I make the wrong decision.”
Jordan huffed and tried to shove past him, but he stepped in front of her. “Look, I told you the truth. I’m sorry it wasn’t what you wanted to hear, but at least think about what I’ve said.” She started to speak, but he raised a hand to silence her. “Maybe I should have left you there to fend for yourself, but that’s not how I roll. I chose to save your ass even though you’re making my job ten times harder. I can deal with that. Under different circumstances, I might even admire your loyalty, but it’s misplaced. Alex will come after us, and he’ll come hard.”
She’d heard enough and tried to shove him out of the way. She might as well have been pushing on a pine tree.
“When the time comes, Jordan, I’m going to take him down. Don’t get in my way.” He stepped aside, turned toward the fire, and knelt on one knee to throw a few more limbs on the coals.
Jordan tried to gather her faltering resolve. Was there anyone she could believe? In less than twenty-four hours, her life had spiraled out of control. Why would Travis lie to her?That’s easy—so I’ll trust him and do whatever he says.
But, aside from punching me in the face, for which there was a compelling reason, Travis has done nothing to hurt me. He rescued me from Kyle in the bar even before we met, and he dropped me home and left without taking advantage—even though I offered. He didn’t even yell after I accidentally pulled the trigger when we fought for the revolver I stole from Brody.
Travis’s pros outweighed his cons, but what about Alex? There were several reasons she’d decided not to continue dating him. The possessive streak she’d sensed more than once, the cruel killing of the deer, and the withholding of crucial details about their mountain trip were only a few. Then there was the image she relived every time she closed her eyes—Alex greeting Brody at the camp as though they were best friends. He’d explained, but it was eerily coincidental. If Jordan believed Travis’s story, Alex was almost certainly involved in his uncle’s illicit activities, making him a racist and a terrorist.
Oh my God!Alex and his uncle financed thugs who built bombs to kill innocent people because they weren’t white. What made her think he wouldn’t kill her—the product of interracial marriage?
