Page 33 of Carter's Battle

He was guiding the seat belt around her body when she murmured, “This is the nightmare that keeps on giving.”

Carter agreed wholeheartedly, and it was only going to get worse.

CHAPTER 18

Mia swallowedthe pain pills Carter had given her with her tea and then leaned back into the sofa cushions.

“Why don’t you go get ready for bed?” Carter suggested.

“In a bit. I just need a moment to….”

Carter sat down next to her and put his hand on her thigh. “You scared the hell out of me.”

“I scared me, too. When I looked over and saw nothing but air I thought I was done. God that noise when the car rolled, it was so loud and crazy. My poor car.” That was an expense she hadn’t planned on. Insurance would cover some, but it wasn’t likely to buy her a brand new car. She’d have to go searching to find something she could afford.

“Mia, do you know why that guy wanted to kill you?”

She shook her head. “I’ve been trying to figure that the whole ride home. Nakoa and Mikey work for Bobby. They’ve always been nice to me in the past.” She shook her head. “Why would Bobby suddenly think it was a good idea for me to be dead? Did he get his money another way? Am I just a loose end? If that’s the case, then so are Akela and Kai.” She stared at Carter. “Do you think I should call them, warn them?”

Carter rubbed the back of his neck. “God’s honest truth? I have no idea. Do you think your uncle might be on to Bobby and again, Bobby is afraid that you’ll tell your uncle that he’s trying to take over the gambling ring?”

“That’s a possibility, and probably the more likely scenario. If my uncle suspected Bobby was trying to oust him and set up his own gambling business again, and taking my uncle’s clients, then he would be very pissed off. Bobby would want to reassure him that he wasn’t doing that. Having me around could be a threat. I don’t think he knows that Makaio is my uncle, but he probably knows we’ve met and that Uncle Makaio knows who I am.” She rubbed her forehead. “Bobby knew how much money I made when I was gambling so he had to have someone on the inside. If that person told Bobby that Makaio came over and spoke to me, it might have spooked him. Maybe that’s why he sent Nakoa and Mikey.” She rubbed circles on her temples. All this thinking and assumption was making her headache worse.

Carter cocked his head. “It’s a thought. Let’s think about it some more in the morning. I, for one, am flat-out exhausted. It’s been a long day and an even longer night.” He leaned over and kissed Mia on the forehead. “You aged me tonight. The thought that Donny might hurt you just about did me in.”

She offered him a small smile. “Thank you for saving my ass.”

He grinned. “It’s such a cute ass, I couldn’t let anything happen to it.” Mia yawned and Carter laughed. “Off to bed with you. You need some rest.” He gently helped her up from the sofa and walked with her into the bedroom.

Mia couldn’t wait to crawl into bed. She was beyond exhausted but more. She couldn’t wait to have Carter’s arms around her. Then and only then would she feel truly safe.

Mia slipped soundlesslyout of Carter’s arms and quickly gathered her things. She stepped into the bathroom and started the arduous task of getting dressed. Her ribs were on fire. She pulled on her clothing and then immediately searched the bathroom for some Advil. Finding some, she took two and then looked at herself in the mirror. A jagged dark line marred her swollen lip, and the skin under her eyes might be slightly bruised and, based on her cheeks feeling stung, she suspected she had a rash from the chemicals in the deploying airbag. Probably a good thing the light in the bathroom was dismal. The airbag had done a number on her, but it had saved her life so she couldn’t complain.

Exhaustion made the fine lines around her eyes look deeper and the frown lines around her mouth more pronounced. She would love to crawl back into bed with Carter and stay there for the foreseeable future. That idea was bliss. Carter coming to help her after she’d managed to get out of the car last night was nothing short of miraculous and she would owe him forever.

But after he’d fallen into a much-deserved sleep, Mia had lain there staring at the ceiling. She was safe because Carter made her safe but at what cost? Her safety put him in danger. He’d risked his life to come find her and save her. Nakoa could have shot him. That was such a terrifying thought that even though she was in pain and beyond exhausted, she hadn’t been able to sleep.

It was time to go to the cops. One cop specifically. She had to talk to Emery. By now her friend would have heard that Mia was gambling again. The question was, did she think it was because Mia was doing it for fun, or did she know anything about Bobby?Emery had sent her a couple of texts last night, but Mia hadn’t responded. Once she got into work this morning, she’d no doubt hear about Mia’s accident, and then she would have all kinds of questions.

Emery would also know Mia lied to the cops. Emery knew Mia well enough to know that she would never, under any circumstances, drive if she was that tired. After what happened with her parents, Mia had adhered to strict rules about driving safety.

Mia let out a long breath. The only thing to do was go see Emery. Maybe she could help Akela and Kai. Maybe there was something she could do about Bobby, too, although Mia had her doubts. Either way, Mia was just going to have to tell Emery what was going on and let the chips fall where they may. Because there was no way Emery was going to let any of this go.

More importantly or even if she were being totally honest, her involvement in Bobby’s scheme would be exposed, and Carter would no longer be in danger from trying to protect her. She couldn’t deal with that. The thought that he might get hurt because of her was just too much. She wouldn’t let that happen.

Mia did her best to look at least halfway decent. Quietly, she slipped from the bathroom and sneaked out of the cabin. Like before, she called an Uber and met it by the gate. She didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until they were halfway to town. She didn’t want Carter to try and stop her. He still wasn’t keen on her going to the cops until they knew more.

She turned and craned her neck to see behind her and then swore silently. Her ribs protested her movement, but at least there weren’t any cars behind the Uber. She didn’t think Bobby and his goons would try anything in broad daylight, but it didn’t hurt to be vigilant.

Ten minutes later she got out of the rideshare at Emery’s house. A van with the wordsTropical Landscaperson the side ofit blocked Emery’s driveway. There was a guy hauling gardening stuff from the cargo space. Working two jobs must really pay well if Emery could afford a landscaper.

Mia went around the van, smiling a greeting to the guy, and started up the driveway. The house was a cute little place, just like Mia’s. Perfect for one or maybe two people, she thought. Carter’s face popped into her mind. She let out a sigh. No point in dwelling on that thought.

Mia glanced at her watch. Just after six a.m. Hopefully, Emery was drinking her first cup of coffee for the day, which would be good because Mia could sure use a cup herself. If not, Mia would wake her and make the coffee while she waited. A sound behind her made her turn just as the man from the van put something over her nose and mouth. She tried to fight, to scream but the smell was overpowering and made her woozy. She flailed but her limbs were just so heavy, like she’d strapped weights around them. Her eyelids closed. She sagged and her last thought was of Carter. At least he was safe.

CHAPTER 19

Mia’s ribshurt enough that it finally roused her. There was a bag over her head, which made it difficult, but not impossible, to see. The loose weave of the fabric allowed her limited vision. And she wasn’t happy with what she could see.

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