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He spent the next few minutes pulling the wound together and taping it closed as best he could, mindful that his work would determine the size of her scar. He wasn’t sure she’d care all that much, but he hated to see her soft, golden skin marred. When he was satisfied, he covered it with gauze and wrapped her upper arm with a bandage to keep everything in place.
“Nice job,” she said, peering at his handiwork.
He rummaged around in the first aid kit once more and pulled out a bottle of Tylenol. Shaking out a few tablets, he handed two to Maria and popped the other two into his own mouth. After he swished them down with water from the bottle, he let out a long, exhausted sigh.
Maria’s warm hand touched his shoulder. “Thank you.”
“I’m glad my misspent youth came in handy,” he answered.
“I meant with my arm, but the grand theft auto too,” Maria said, laughing wearily.
**
Teag’s eyes closed the moment his head hit the pillow. Maria pulled the blanket over him and stood. She desperately wanted a shower. Dried sweat coated her body, and despite Teag’s best efforts at cleaning her up, blood had soaked through her shirt and stuck to her skin. Instead though, she checked the locks on the door, tugged the curtains tightly closed, and pulled out the burner phone she used to communicate with Jake. When she checked the screen, she saw several missed calls and texts from him, their tone growing more and more alarmed as time went on without any response from Maria.
She typed out a brief text. He found us. We got away. We’re safe, but I pushed Teag hard, and he needs rest. Will call you tomorrow.
Jake answered almost immediately. I’m calling in the cavalry. We’ll have a plan by morning. Are you sure you’re okay?
Yes.
She tossed the burner next to her gun on the nightstand. Peeling out of her clothes, she dumped them in heap on the floor next to the bed, unable to muster the energy to fold them. The cool sheets soothed her aching body as she slid carefully into bed.
Teag’s chest rose and fell, his breathing even in sleep. Maria stared at him for a few moments before reaching over to turn off the light. She’d almost lost him again tonight. While she’d been the one to take the bullet, Ivanovich had been gunning for Teag. The terrifying truth was the fucking assassin had found them and they’d barely escaped with their lives.
Under the covers, Maria’s body shook, and her teeth chattered so hard she thought they might break. She’d been under fire before and knew when the adrenaline wore off, the physical and emotional crash could be pretty awful. Teag had basically passed out, which was a good thing since his body badly needed rest, but Maria’s mind raced ahead at full speed, replaying every moment of their escape. She heard the gunshots ring out over and over again, felt the sting of the bullet when it hit, relived the moment of stark terror when she thought they were both going to die.
“Fuck,” she whispered, inching closer to Teag’s warmth.
Her arm throbbed, so she couldn’t roll onto her side and curl herself against him like she’d done every night at the safe house. She managed to press a cold thigh and hip against him, but it wasn’t nearly enough to dispel the bone-deep chills wracking her body.
“Hey,” Teag whispered.
Maria tried to apologize for waking him, but instead choked out a pathetic sob.
“Roll onto your other side,” he said.
When she turned, he looped an arm over her stomach and pulled her against his chest, spooning her snugly.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered, his breath a warm caress against her cheek.
As she nestled against his solid, warm body, her violent tremors subsided, and she fell into a dreamless sleep
