Page 36 of Fighting for Julia
“And Tex?”
“He texted early this morning to let us know that the trail went cold.”
Miguel swore. “I knew it.”
“At least we know their destination.” Luca squeezed Miguel’s shoulder. “Listen, buddy, now that you’re out of the woods, I’m joining Justice and the rest of the team in New York City for Madam Secretary’s rally, unless you need me to stay longer.”
Miguel and Julia shook their heads.
“Not necessary,” Miguel assured him. “What will you do, anyway? Watch me waddle down the hallway?” He flashed his now-familiar grin, and Julia’s stomach fluttered with a now-familiar response.
Luca chuckled. “Good one, River.” He clasped Miguel’s hand and hugged and kissed Julia on the cheek. “Stay safe. Protect each other. And keep us in the loop.”
“We will,” Miguel promised. “You do the same.”
Within a minute or two of Luca’s leaving, the lead day shift nurse and an orderly came to prep Miguel for his transfer to a private room. She unhooked his near empty IV bag from its pole and disposed of it. Then she removed the leads from the heart monitor and raised the railings on both sides of Miguel’s hospital bed.
“There you go, Agent Rivera. You’re being moved to the fifth floor. Be well.”
They thanked the nurse. Julia grabbed their duffel bags and followed the orderly as he guided the hospital bed toward a set of two elevators. They rode one to the fifth floor where theorderly rolled Miguel to room 534 at the end of the corridor. An unexpected shiver of concern at the distance between the nurses’ station and Miguel’s room rippled through Julia, but she dismissed it.
Shortly after the orderly left, a nurse joined them. She went through the routine of introducing herself and verifying Miguel’s identity before hooking him up to an IV bag of fresh fluids. After she made Miguel comfortable, the nurse poured him a cup of water. “Do you need anything, Agent Rivera? Agent Washburn?”
“No, thank you. Julia?”
“I’d love a bottle of water, if you have one?”
“Of course. I’ll be right back.”
The nurse returned a few minutes later with a cold bottle of water. When she left them alone, Julia asked, “So, what’s our next step?”
“Getting into Mexico without drawing attention to ourselves.”
“I have friends who are border guards.”
“And I have relatives…” Miguel’s voice faded as he grew sleepy. “The pain meds are kicking in. I can’t stay awake much longer.” He gazed up at her. “You have dark circles beneath your eyes. Go check into a hotel, Julia. Get some rest and work out a plan. I think…I think I’m gonna be asleep for a while.”
“But—” she began to protest.
“No buts, Julia.” Miguel waved her closer to him. “I’m feeling uneasy. Can’t explain why. So, I need you sharp while I’m recovering. Please listen to me.”
“All right. I understand.” She recalled her own uneasiness earlier and couldn’t explain it either. She kept her concern from Miguel and turned to grab her duffel bag.
In a swift movement that surprised her, Miguel’s hand clutched her arm. “Wait. I was out of it when I first woke up, and I’m a little loopy now, but could you refresh my memory?”
“About what?”
“This.” He pulled her down, and their mouths melded in an electric connection.
Miguel’s soft but firm lips tasted and tested hers. The exploration, the gentle, ever-increasing pressure ignited tiny sparks in Julia’s core that burst into full-blown flames, threatening to consume her. Even without using his tongue, he excited and thrilled her, and she yearned for more. Nearly a year without sex augmented her desire, and she almost whimpered with need.
When Miguel moaned low in his throat and kissed her harder, Julia knew he felt the same slow burn as she did. After a few more hot, sweet moments, when they’d stolen each other’s breath, they broke apart.
“Mm,” Miguel murmured in a voice drowsy with desire. “Now I remember.”
Julia smiled and dropped a quick kiss against his lips. “Very clever, Agent Rivera.” She straightened up and reached for the duffel bag at her feet.
“Julia, where’s my gun?”
