Page 31 of Plain Jade

“Have you even heard yourself?” she asked.

He nodded. “Trust me. Anyone can come and go in a hospital, they’re not safe.” Braxton winced as she pressed the wipe to another point on his body.

He was in a great deal of pain, and she winced. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’m fine.”

“So, you kill people. Like a contract killer, or are you an assassin?”

“Neither, really. I take care of problems. I have a knack for tying up loose ends, or making problems disappear. That’s what I do.”

“And you don’t want to do it anymore?” Jade asked.

“I’m good at it, Jade.”

“And someone wants you dead.”

He chuckled, and the pain in his abdomen traveled up his body, making him growl out the final part. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine. Someone wants you dead and we should go to the cops.”

“They will hand me over to them, Jade. I can’t trust them. There are a few good cops, but some of them take the money to look the other way, or to hunt out the problem.”

Her mouth fell open and then she shook her head.

“Do you want to tell me what you want to do?” she asked.

“Just … help me.” He hadn’t asked anyone for help in his life. Not once. Jade looked at him for several minutes and then nodded.

“Okay,” she said.

He didn’t know what to say to that and he did have tears in his eyes, which he knew was fucked up. There was no reason to cry. No reason to be anything.

She was silent as she helped him cover every wound. There were quite a few, but none of them were too deep, which he was thankful for. After she had gotten all his scars, she helped him up and toward her bed.

“I can move.”

“I don’t care, Braxton. You’re hurt. Let me take care of you. Let me handle this.”

He didn’t have the energy to argue with her, and he loved seeing the passion in her gaze. She looked so fucking sexy. Climbing into her bed, Jade took over and placed the cushions on him.

“I’ll be back.”

She patted his knee, the one he noticed wasn’t hurt. He watched her go. Tonight, he knew he had made a mistake. He’d put Jade’s life in jeopardy if any of the assholes had followed him. That was okay, because he was pissed off.

He didn’t like to be ambushed and he would make sure all those that had gone against him would suffer. Every single one.

He looked toward the window, listening to Jade bustle about in the kitchen. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. Damn it, he had tried to stay away. Five weeks he had lurked in the shadows, watching her, keeping an eye on her when she walked home, or to the grocery store. He hated that she had scaled back her life to only working and shopping. When she finally took a detour in the park, he’d been so fucking proud of her. Then when she’d gone window shopping, he loved to watch her slowly come out of her fear and learn to accept life again. This is what he wanted for her. He didn’t give a fuck about himself. Jade deserved a good life, and he knew he could have fucked that up coming here.

You love her.

You want her.

You need her.

Braxton had never loved, wanted, or needed anyone. Since he was a kid, he had known there was no one out there that would save him. He only had himself to rely on. Killing was what he knew. It was what he was good at, and no one could take that away from him.

Running a hand down his face, he hated that he had finally found that feeling he’d been so desperate to find. Damn, Jade. Fuck this situation.

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