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“We’re not out of the woods yet,” Max piped up at the same time as he ended the call. “Artur just told me the guys are closer than he originally thought.”
Was Jenna warning me or trying to save her own skin? The terror in her eyes was very real, and so was the blood matting at the back of her head. If she was in on this or not, those assholes had hurt her.
There wasn’t time for any questions, and with a growl, I picked her up and hauled her to the car. Max followed with Mrs. Hardy, who he dumped in the backseat, while I went back for the revered councilman. The only place for him was in the trunk, and even that was too good for the sack of shit.
Jenna swayed, holding onto the side of the car, and I tossed her the zip ties I’d found in Hardy’s jacket pocket. Witha look of grim determination, she tied up Hardy’s wife’s ankles and wrists, shoving her over to the side of the backseat so she’d have room to fit.
“Sit up front,” I told her. “Max can drive us back, and I’ll keep an eye on this one.”
She shook her head, all but grabbing for the gun I had strapped to my side. “Now it’s my turn to be the one holding the gun,” she said, giving Mrs. Hardy’s limp body a filthy glare.
For a split second, I kept my hand over the gun, wondering if she’d turn it on me. When I handed it over, she grasped it in both hands and slid in, only aiming it at the unconscious woman. We got out of there, tires skidding in the churned-up dirt. I kept casting surreptitious glances back at Jenna as we made our way back to the resort.
She was clearly exhausted, but kept a steady aim at Mrs. Hardy, who woke up shortly after we left the cabin. I’d had her pegged as an idiot, but she had the good sense to stay quiet and keep her eyes closed until we met up with Aleks, halfway to the spa.
Max jumped out to transfer our two captives to that car, where he’d take them up to San Francisco while we decided what to do with them. Since they were so high profile, simply getting rid of them wasn’t an option, though that seemed to be what they planned to do with Jenna and me.
As soon as my brother had the wife dragged out of the backseat, I tensed, sitting in front of Jenna, who still had my gun in her hands. It was just us now, and she could have easily turned it on me and put a bullet through my skull. If she was determined enough, she might even get the drop on at least one of my brothers before they realized what had happened.
Would she turn my own gun on me? Was my second-in-command’s intel good, and was she part of this failed plot to bring me down? I turned slowly and caught her gaze, morbidly curious to see if she’d complete the plan to her satisfaction. Was I about to let her kill me, if that was what she wanted?
She blinked as if she only realized she was still holding the gun and wilted out of the tense posture she’d been maintaining while Hardy’s wife was in the car. I jumped in the backseat with her since Aleks could drive us back to the resort while Max took care of our captives.
“It’s over now. They’re not going to mess with you again.”
She swayed toward me, going pale as all the adrenaline began to drain out of her. Would she be so quick to lean on me if she was really working against me? Or was it just weakness getting the best of her? Everything in my being was fighting the belief that she had anything to do with this, but Arturo’s information-gathering techniques were second to none. If he found out something, it was usually a fact.
“I’m okay,” she said, swaying back toward the window on her side. Was she trying to keep her distance?
“All that blood on the back of your head says otherwise,” I told her, my voice harsher than I meant it to be.
“I got smashed into a tree,” she said, shocking me with a small laugh. My brave girl.
“Son of a bitch is going to pay, don’t you worry,” I told her.
She nodded, winced, and closed her eyes, remaining silent for the rest of the ride. Aleks wanted me to try to sneak her up to her room once we returned to the resort, so Katie wouldn’t see the blood and freak out. He pulled up to a side entrance, andI helped Jenna, who was wobbly on her feet but making an effort not to fall over and get inside. It should have worked, and I could have helped Jenna get cleaned up and changed, but her sister had some sort of telepathic powers and was staking out that very entrance.
Pacing and pressing her hands into her sides, she caught sight of us and hurried over, grimacing as she hauled Jenna into a hug.
“Oh my God, I’m so glad you’re okay,” she said. Instantly turning on me, her smile turned to a death glare. “Why didn’t you take her straight to the hospital?”
Aleks appeared from dropping the car off at the valet up front, getting as worked up as his wife that she was out of bed.
“She’s fine. Now get your ass back to your room and rest.”
Katie grabbed Jenna’s shoulders, making her groan as she tilted her head around. “Look at that. Does that look like strawberry jam to you? It’s blood, and she needs to be looked at by a doctor, or I won’t be able to rest.”
Jenna gathered her strength to pull out of her sister’s anxious clutches and stepped back, reaching for my arm so she wouldn’t tip over. “I’m fine.” She looked Katie up and down, frowning. “But you don’t look so good.”
We all honed in on Katie, who was chalk white, her lips tight with suppressed pain. Her hands were held tight at her sides, and she barely kept herself from doubling over.
“Damn it, are you trying to cover up the fact you’re freaking going into labor?” Jenna accused. The sight of her sister in trouble gave her a burst of energy, and she stood up straight and dropped her grip on my arm. “You’re having a contraction right now, aren’t you?”
“What the hell, Katie?” Aleks roared, picking her up and carrying her toward the lobby. “You guys run ahead and get the car back from the valet.”
I stood there, stunned at the turn of events and about to argue that Jenna was in no condition to run anywhere.
But my wife, who had been close to passing out a few seconds ago, grabbed my arm and shook it, dragging me forward. “What are you waiting for?” she demanded, like she’d never been kidnapped and put through a harrowing ordeal. “We have to get to the hospital. My sister’s having a baby!”
