Page 122 of Nuclear Option (Owens Protective Services)

“Yes, but why am I here?”

He lifted my head slightly and wrapped the brace around my neck. “You’re going to need this for a little bit.” Then he shoved his hands under my armpits and started pulling me out of the SUV. I squinted at the bright sunlight, doing my best to keep my neck level and not fuck up my stitches. Once he got me on my feet, I nearly toppled over. I hadn’t really been out of bed yet.

Looking down, I sighed in irritation. I was still in a fucking hospital gown, and right now, my ass was hanging out. “You could have at least brought me some clothes.”

“Don’t worry, chief. We gotcha covered,” Jack said as he walked around the SUV, coming from out of nowhere. When he bent down in front of me, I had enough.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“Helping you get dressed,” he said as if that was obvious.

“I can do it myself.”

“Really? Because you can barely hold your head up.”

Snatching the underwear out of his hands, I tried and failed to even lift my leg high enough with the neck brace making it difficult to bend.

“Yeah, you got this,” he laughed, taking them back from me.

“I’m so glad you find this so funny. My team has no idea where I am, I’ve been dragged away from my girlfriend while she’s testifying, and I’m stuck here with you dumb fucks in the middle of…” I glanced around. “Where the fuck are we?”

“Kansas,” Johnny retorted.

“Kansas. What the fuck am I doing in Kansas?”

“Good to see you alive.”

I closed my eyes and turned slowly, staring at Rafe. I should have known he would be here, but why?

“That was cutting it a little close. Personally, I would never put myself in the position to be taken out by a bullet, especially for a woman, but you do you.”

Dressed all in black and wearing a fucking cowboy hat, the man pissed me off just by being better dressed than me. “Was there a reason you dragged me out of my hospital bed?”

He shrugged slightly. “I thought you’d appreciate the change in scenery.”

“Cut the shit. Tell me what I’m really doing here.”

He grinned, his eyes twinkling in delight that he got the drop on me. “I came to make you an offer.”

“No thanks.”

“You didn’t even hear me out. I’m slightly offended.”

“I don’t need to hear an offer from you.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“You screwed me over with the terrorist threat, you failed to help when I needed it, and you tried to kidnap my girlfriend and hold her hostage for your own personal gain. Yeah, I’d say I’m pretty fucking sure.”

He looked a little shocked that I wasn’t willing to take him up on his offer. His eyebrows rose and he blew out a harsh breath. “Fuck, I was going to apologize and offer you this new office space since I sort of blew up the last one.”

“You didn’t blow it up. My men did,” I corrected.

“Yeah,” he scratched the back of his neck. “But for full disclosure, I was planning to.”

“And you think I’d want to take anything from you?”

“You haven’t even seen it yet.”

---