Page 36 of Dirty Gambit

But did he want it to change? Did he want her to hand over Jessie and … what? Stay with him? Join his family on Sundays for dinner? Sit with them Christmas morning opening presents? He knew literally nothing about her. Twenty-four hours ago, in his father’s office, he’d been ready to snap her neck. Wanting her under him, wanting to be inside her didn’t change that.

It couldn’t.

Chapter Seven

LENA

The thump sent Lena upright. Her back and neck screamed as the stiff muscles wrenched. Pain splintered in fine webs up into her skull, filling her eyes with tears. But she squinted through them to the tiny bundle rolling off her stomach and into her stubby knees.

Jessie grinned at her, clearly pleased with herself for scaring Lena.

“Morning brat,” Lena muttered, lifting a palm to massage the nape of her neck.

Even under her untrained touch, she could feel the hard cords of stress and a bad night’s sleep bunching beneath the skin. Her fingers were icy against the warmth and she shivered.

The barn hadn’t been ideal by any standards, but it had done its job protecting them from the storm. She knew it would take a good, long shower to rid them of the smell, and still, she had no regrets.

“You ready for breakfast?” she asked the girl, free hand already reaching for the baby bag.

Their detour put them a whole day behind, which terrified her on many levels. For one, she only had a set number of premade containers of food for Jessie. She’d packed a bit extra for emergencies, but those wouldn’t last long if they didn’t get back on the road immediately. The other was how every second they weren’t moving was one second Travis was using to get them. It was only a matter of time before he was right on their tail.

Smothering the building terror rising in her throat, Lena yanked the bag over and onto her lap. The zipper was torn open, releasing a plum of cool air into the already frigid space. Most of the ice packs had begun to warm, but there were still enough remaining to serve her purpose.

From within, she withdrew three containers and a small, plastic spoon.

“Alright, missy, we have a lot of road to cover, so let’s get the day started, shall we?”

The girl babbled a series of childish arguments but didn’t fight Lena when she was quickly changed and dressed before being fed bits of fruit and cold oatmeal.

Lena didn’t glance at the figure on her other side, seeing no point when she could feel his eyes on her, drilling holes through fabric and skin to warm her blood. She wondered if she should offer him food and the use of the bathroom before heading off, but didn’t; they didn’t have time. Plus, he was an adult and could wait. Not long, but long enough to get as far away from that place as possible.

Outside, the rain had stopped. However, the wind continued to push against the sides of the barn. She didn’t know who the owner was, but she guessed they would at some point drop by to make sure the place was still standing and Lena knew she had to get them out of there before that happened.

With Jessie fed and dressed, Lena gathered their things together and piled them up by the opening. She scooped Jessie into her arms and turned at last to the guy waiting to be uncuffed.

“I’m going to check on the car,” she told him. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

It was unclear to her why she was telling him anything. He was her prisoner. He had no choice. Still, she found herself explaining herself to him.

Annoyed, she started carefully down the steps with Jessie held tight to her chest.

“Why are you taking her?” Jaxson called after her, struggling with the restraint. The metal rattled violently against the pipe. “Leave her with me.”

“No.”

She didn’t wait for a response. She got to the bottom and marched to the doors.

It had become a land of mud outside the rickety safety of their shelter. Each step had her sinking nearly to the ankle and it was taking all her concentration not to trip. Her flat palm pressed into Jessie’s back tightened, forcing the girl to wiggle in attempts to throw her off, but Lena held on.

It wasn’t difficult finding the path they’d taken to the barn; their footprints were deep imprints in the muck. She just couldn’t remember it being such a narrow opening between the high wheat blades. Nevertheless, it was barely a five-minute walk and she found herself staring at the balding tires rim deep in the mud. She mused she could attempt to drive them out, but she couldn’t without risking them in even deeper. Her only other option was finding a phone and calling a tow truck before getting Jaxon. It would most likely take a few hours, which she didn’t have, but there wasn’t any other choice.

“You up for a walk?” she asked Jessie, bouncing the girl around until she was perched on Lena’s hip.

Jessie didn’t seem like she cared either way. Her biggest concern was a fluffy cloud far up in the nearly cloudless sky.

She jabbed a chubby finger up at it and mumbled, “Sky.”

Lena took that as a yes and started towards the main road.

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