Page 51 of Reckless

He would tell her about his friend Cotton later. The identity of the shooter was much less important than the man who’d paid for the hit.

“We’re fairly sure the same man responsible for abducting you was the one who hired someone to kill me.”

“That’s insane! I thought my abduction might have something to do with my past, since he knew my real name, but if he’s after you, too, there’s something else going on. Is this related to one of our ops?”

“No. We’ve ruled that out. It’s a long story, for a different day, but I know the man who took the contract. He called me after the fact and told me what had happened. He actually missed on purpose.”

The confusion in her expression was battling with the fatigue he knew she was feeling. Wanting to get this said and let her rest, he continued, “Again, that’s a story for another day. Thing is, even though he missed on purpose, a shard from a brick wall caught Hawke in the neck.”

Gasping, Jazz sat up, horror in eyes. “What? Is he okay?”

“Yes, he’s fine now. It was touch and go for a few hours because of where the piece hit and the loss of blood, but he’s going to make a full recovery.”

Pressing her head back against the pillow, she whispered, “Thank God for that. Liv must have been terrified.”

“She was. But he’s already been released from the hospital and is home with Liv and Nikki. It’ll take him a few weeks to get his strength back.”

Surprising him, she grabbed his hand and brought it to her mouth for a soft kiss. “I hate that Hawke was hurt, but I’m so happy you’re okay.”

“Yeah, me, too. We need to find this bastard and get some answers.”

“And you really think it’s all related? My kidnapping and someone trying to kill you?”

“Yes. But that’s something we can talk about after you get some rest.”

“I’d like to argue with you, but I’m not sure I can stay awake for the argument.”

He laughed, and damn, did it feel good to be able to do that. He hadn’t felt the slightest amusement in over two weeks—not since she’d walked away from him.

“I’ll be back in a few hours. Get some rest.” Standing, he leaned over and kissed her again. This time, he let his lips linger, softly caressing her mouth. She moaned beneath him, and he thought it was the sexiest, most beautiful sound in the world. He wanted to hear more of those moans.

He stopped at the door and turned to see she’d already closed her eyes, but what caught his breath in his chest was the little satisfied smile playing around her lips. Two days ago, he hadn’t been sure he’d ever see her again, and now, not only did he have her back, they were both finally on the same page. He’d dreamed about this forever. And he would kill anyone who tried to take her away from him again.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Montana

Sitting on the back porch of Xavier’s cabin, Jazz drew in a breath of crisp fresh air, relishing its perfection. Before moving to Montana to work for Option Zero, she had always been a beach person. Mountains were pretty to look at, but you couldn’t swim in them like the ocean or walk barefoot through them, the way you could on a sandy beach. After she’d lived in the state for less than a month, her attitude had undergone a drastic change. There was nothing more beautiful than a snow-capped mountain, the sweet music of a meadowlark, or the sun reflecting on a golden aspen leaf.

She was relieved to be out of the hospital and a thousand miles away from Chicago. The doctors hadn’t been thrilled about her leaving, but after agreeing to follow every medical instruction and Xavier’s solemn vow that he would take the very best care of her, they had relented.

Funnily enough, their greatest concerns weren’t her gunshot wounds. Only one bullet had entered her, and it was actually still there. The other two had thankfully created only deep creases in her skin. She’d required stitches and antibiotics, but all in all, she’d been extremely fortunate. It had been the other things that had caused them concern—mainly her dehydration, exposure, and weight loss. Staying above one hundred ten pounds was always her goal. Most times, she didn’t make it, but she normally had a healthy appetite and tried to consume enough calories. Having been deprived of food and water for almost two weeks had dropped her weight much more drastically than she’d thought. She was now hovering just below a hundred pounds.

Fortunately, her appetite was returning, so with the additional promise to eat full, healthy meals and get plenty of sleep, she had been released.

“You need anything?”

Her heart performed a double flip at the gruff, sexy voice behind her. She looked over her shoulder and inwardly sighed. Xavier had been nothing but gentle and solicitous since she’d been here, treating her as if she were made of the most fragile of porcelain. She couldn’t say she hated it, because it felt so good to be cared for with such detail and determination. When Xavier Quinn set his mind to something, he was like a bulldozer, knocking down anything that might get in the way of his goal. And it was obvious that his goal was to make sure she fully recovered.

Such total focus from her sexy, handsome partner was a double-edged sword, though. On one hand, she appreciated everything he was doing for her. On the other hand, being seen as an invalid or weak was not how she wanted him to view her. Jazz thrived on her independence. And Xavier, bless him, was so vigilant that she was surprised he even allowed her to feed herself.

Realizing he was waiting for an answer, she shook her head. “I’m good.”

“Are you warm enough?”

It was the middle of summer, and though they were at a high altitude, it certainly wasn’t cold. However, he’d insisted on covering her with a blanket when she’d come out to sit on the porch.

“It feels good out here. Why don’t you sit with me?” She scooted over on the bench. “You’ve been working your ass off ever since we got here.”

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