Reckless Read online

  I flew through a red light and slammed on my brakes before I hit the white Toyota in front of me. Jerking the vehicle to the right and then forward, I ignored the other drivers, some shaking their fists out their windows, others jabbering on their phones. Calling the cops.

  Really needed to blow this place.

  I barreled out onto NW 3rd, heading south, and back onto 17th, then 4th, snaking around a park, trying not to turn anyone into a statistic. Rows of palm trees dwarfed by high-rise buildings blurred on my right.

  Fuck. I wasn’t losing the Mercury behind me.

  My heart slammed against my ribs and, though I hadn’t run one single damn step, my lungs were on fire. Fury and desperation made my hands sweaty. Moisture trickled down my spine, making me itch.

  Haylee swayed in her seat, her eyes wide with panic and her mouth ajar. Was she reliving what happened that morning when Gabe was mortally injured?

  “Sorry,” I huffed out, not daring take my eyes off the road or my hands off the wheel for more than a sec.

  “It’s not your fault.”

  I compressed the brake pedal to keep from hitting a bicyclist then roared around another vehicle. Tires squealed and horns wailed, and I did my best to ignore them. I didn’t like endangering others. I had to end this. Right away. “I’ll lose him.”

  “For now.” Her voice came out bleak. Defeated.

  I growled my frustration. “Forever.”

  “He’ll keep coming.” Her wry laughter must’ve made her chest hurt because she gently rubbed her right side. “This job has been a shit show from the moment we took it on.”

  “We’ll find a way through this. Someone’s taken the lead and they’re after us, but we’ll bring them down along with the entire cartel.”

  “If you say so.” Her fingers traced along her scar. “So, this leg of mine.”

  “Yep?” Sunlight slaked through the side windows, and a quick glance at the clock told me time was ticking down. For my plan to work, we had to get to our destination soon. But I couldn’t bring our tail with us.

  Haylee set the gun in the drink holder and unbuckled. “Am I going to rip anything apart inside my leg or chest if I do some acrobatics?”

  “You planning on climbing up onto the roof?” I wasn’t joking. I knew Haylee. There wasn’t much this woman wouldn’t try.

  Well, except me.

  “Not yet,” she said.

  “Your leg’s plated. Ribs are secure. Docs said, if you’d been awake, you would’ve been shuffling around a week or so ago with a walker.”

  Her lips twisted, and her eyebrows rose. “I’m part of the geriatric crowd, am I?”

  “You would’ve been a hit with the old guys.”

  The snort she released made my pulse surge.

  I really needed to focus on my driving.

  While I rushed through traffic, Haylee turned and rose onto her knees, hissing at the discomfort. She held onto the oh-shit bar and there was no hiding her shakes.

  “I forgot my walker back at the rehab place,” she said.

  “No problem.” Seeing a gap between the lanes, I goosed it and the car surged forward. “You’ve got me.”

  “You can’t carry me everywhere.”

  “Watch me.”

  Compressing the button, she dropped the passenger window and ducked her head out. Wind worthy of a category three hurricane whipped through the car.

  She groaned as she stared behind us. “Talk about black car cliché!”

  We wove and swayed, dashing around cars with them in hot pursuit, Haylee hanging on and hissing through the pain.

  I half-watched in the rearview mirror, and my gut sank when the matching passenger window in the Mercury dropped and someone shoved their head and a weapon out the opening.

  An Uzi. Great. A blur of clicks peppered the air. And my SUV. Sounded like a pencil poking through foil.

  “Nice paint job you’ve got here,” Haylee said. “I hate seeing it get dinged up.”

  “Bullet-proof.” Mostly. It wouldn’t survive a lengthy barrage.

  More bullets encroached on the passenger side of my vehicle, rushing toward Haylee.

  “Get back in the car!” I roared. With her head leaning out, she presented the perfect target.

  “One second, hero,” she belted out through gritted teeth. “I’ve got a plan.”

  I grumbled while squeezing between two cars. Up ahead, the light turned green, and I shot through the intersection.

  “Can you get us somewhere quieter?” she yelled. “Not interested in friendly fire.”

  “On it.”

  Where? We were talking Miami. I wheeled around a corner, another, and the Mercury kept pace.

  No clue why we didn’t have an entourage of cops on our tails, too.

  A siren rang out, and I slammed my palm on the steering wheel. Jinxed us.

  We flew down a narrow street, and I was pleased to find it less crowded than the others. “This is it,” I called out. “The best I’ll find. Make your move.”

  “Hey!” Haylee yelled at the other vehicle. “Your big boy’s all muscle but this little lady in my hand has got brains.” She took quick aim with the 9 mil, while I held the wheel steady. A sharp crack and the car behind us swayed.

  They kept coming.

  “Losin’ my touch,” Haylee said limply.

  Her spunk had fizzled quicker than a popped soap bubble.

  More sirens burned through the air. In seconds, they’d be all over us. We didn’t have time for lengthy explanations. We needed to leave town fast.

  “Do you have a clean-up crew on hold?” Her hand smacked on the roof, and she groaned as she tried to maintain her balance.

  “Yep. Just do it, sharpshooter.”

  Her lethal reputation preceded her. Flint wouldn’t hire just any old Seabee. He wanted the best. Which was Haylee. She’d been a weapons specialist and gunner’s mate in the military.

  I swerved to avoid a bicyclist, and she started tumbling through the window.

  I slapped my hand on her ass. Not on purpose. Just to help keep her from sliding out onto the pavement.

  But damn. Her ass. So…firm. Rounded.

  Hot.

  Shouldn’t even be having the dirty thoughts running through my mind.

  Securing a hold on her hospital gown, I kept her from falling out.

  “Getting kind of frisky…aren’t you, Jax?” she said dryly.

  Like every other time she teased, my breathing stopped. My tongue froze. I wanted to give it back to her as fast as she delivered it, but I didn’t know how. What if I said something stupid?

  Wincing, she lifted the gun again and, bracing herself against the door, sighted down the barrel. “Hold it steady. On one…two…three.”

  A crack was followed by tires squealing and a grinding shriek. Tire blown, the Mercury bailed to the side, dragging its side along a row of parked cars before coming to an abrupt stop when it slammed into a sign.

  As I reached a second intersection and turned right, the guy who’d injected something into Haylee’s IV leaped out of the car and, weapon wavering, sighted down it as I careened out of view.

  Haylee gingerly climbed back inside, emitting tiny pants, her face florid with pain. She carefully lowered herself into the seat, leaned forward, and cupped her face. “Crap. I’m going to pass out. If I do, could you make sure my hospital johnny’s hiked down? Don’t want to show off my ass.” Easing to the right, her face fissured as agony shot through her. She put up the window. The gun dropped from her unresisting hand and onto the floor. “Safety’s on,” she gasped out. As she dragged her hand up to her shoulder and wrenched the seatbelt forward to snap it into place, she hissed. “Don’t let me do that again, okay?”

  “Sure thing.” Ah, and that was a smooth response on my part. Not. I scurried to find something worthy to tell her instead, because this woman literally blew me away. “Love how you work, sweetheart,” was all I could drum up.

  4

  Haylee

  The world slammed into focus when the driver’s door clicked shut beside me.

  Arms splaying wide, I pinched back a groan and stared around with blurry eyes.

  Jax’s SUV sat in a parking garage surrounded by other unmoving vehicles. The silence inside the cabin was broken only by the chilled whir of the AC and the soft hum of the motor Jax had left running.

  Ahead, beyond rows of parked cars, a grate-covered slice of sky peeked into the building.

  Were we still in Miami?

  Jax crossed the open area between this row and the next and met up with a guy in his late twenties—about our age—whose tee and jeans hung off his tall, lanky frame. The men bro-hugged then pulled apart. Jax’s grin came out loose and infinitely easier than I’d seen it before other than with Ginny and Mia.

  The other guy’s dark hair clouded around his face, and his longish beard brushed his chest as he gestured and spoke. He reached toward his spine…

  Gulping back fear, I scrambled for the gun I’d left on my lap, but it was gone.

  My worry dropped three notches when the guy pulled a small leather portfolio from underneath his shirt and held it toward Jax. I’d thought he was going for a weapon. They’d hugged but it wouldn’t be the first time someone had come across friendly only to shoot a moment later.

  A second man joined them and slapped Jax’s shoulder. Older, like mid-forties, the second man had red hair and was clean shaven. About the same build as the first.

  Jax unzipped the portfolio and pulled out a couple of U.S. passports. When he opened them, his hands stilled. The first voice lifted, but I couldn’t make out what he said.

  After closing the passports and zipping up the portfolio, Jax released a jerky nod and tapped the guy’s arm.

  The
three men turned and strode toward the SUV but the second guy stopped at the hood. A half-grin rose on his face when he caught me watching, and he lifted a limp arm to wave. His narrowed gaze followed Jax as he went around the driver’s side to the trunk and opened it. After rifling around, he shut the back and came up beside me with a large pack strapped to his back.

  Opening the door, he nodded when my eyes met his. “Good, you’re awake. Was worried about you for a second.”

  “Only a second?”

  “At least ten minutes.”

  I blinked, unsure if I should laugh or take him seriously. His neutral face and stormy blue gaze gave nothing away.

  The black guy opened the driver’s side door and dropped into the seat while the other waited in front of the vehicle. He dipped his chin my way. “Fine day.” His voice came out like honey drizzling down a spoon. Slow and southern, his mouth cupped the words before releasing them. “Hope you two have an awesome trip.” His deep brown eyes softened and, when his teeth flashed white in his face, I swore he held back a laugh. “Fixed things up nice for you.”

  “We’ve gotta go, Haylee,” Jax said. “Dwayne, here, has come up with our out. We’re ditching the SUV. Dwayne and Eben will take care of it now.”

  “Thanks, Dwayne,” I said. I nodded to Eben, who just stared.

  “Anytime. Anytime,” Dwayne said. He leaned out the car. “Eben. Dude. Stop gawking and get into the back seat.”

  Eben stomped around the driver’s side and opened the door. When he dropped inside, the weight of his gaze fell on me, though he said nothing.

  I couldn’t say why, but while I felt comfortable with Dwayne, I didn’t with Eben. I shoved the thought aside. Eben was Jax’s friend. I could trust him.

  It hardly mattered. We were leaving, and I’d never see him again.

  As Jax stepped back a pace, I swung my legs over toward the opening, holding my breath when my body protested the movement with spasms.

  Seeing my hesitation, Jax reached inside and slid his arms around me. He scooped me up into his arms. “I’ve got ’ya.”

  Now Dwayne did laugh. “Almost want to go with you, dude. Watch the fireworks.”

  “Only rest and recovery where we’re going,” Jax said dryly. “You know I stay away from open flames.”

  “If I know you, that won’t last but a minute,” Dwayne said. “You always did jump into the fire before thinking things through.”

  Was Jax’s friend also former military? And what about Eben?

  Dwayne patted the dash. “I’ll take care of your baby. You said bright yellow, now, right?”

  Jax growled, his chest rumbling beneath my cheek. “Green. We agreed you’d paint it dark green.”

  “You sure?” Dwayne said with a laugh. “’Cuz I kinda like yellow.”

  “Ass,” Jax said, and to me, “A new paint job and plates,” he added to Dwayne. “That’s it.”

  “Disguised?” I asked, shifting to get more comfortable. It felt odd snuggling against him like a child. Or, shit, a girlfriend.

  Do not go there.

  Yes, I should be protesting, insisting I could walk wherever we were going, but it felt too good to be held by him. He smelled like laundry detergent, cotton, and the deep woods on a hot summer’s day. I wanted to close my eyes and nuzzle my nose into him, but I was confident he’d take me back to the hospital and demand the neurologist run more tests.

  I was tempted to give into my weakness when I needed to be strong.

  “Take care,” Dwayne said, shifting the SUV into gear.

  Eben said nothing, just stared. Creepy dude.

  “Thanks.” Jax bumped the passenger door shut with his butt and carried me over to a silver Hyundai sedan. He carefully lowered me to my feet on the driver’s side as Dwayne drove the SUV out of the spot and toward the exit.

  “You okay standing?” Jax asked, tugging my attention back to him.

  “Yes.”

  “Hold on to me if you want.”

  “I will.”

  He opened the back door. “Would you mind lying across the back seat?”

  “I just took a nap.”

  “You passed out.”

  “Some date I am, right?”

  Jax’s face shut down, telling me I needed to keep this serious and avoid jokes.

  As if I’d commented on the weather, he continued in a practical tone. “Anyone who saw us enter the garage will be looking for a man and a woman at the exits.”

  Good point.

  “I can lie down,” I said. Turning carefully, I presented my rear to the seat and dropped onto the cloth cushion. Inching, I eased my way inside and bent my knees up, moving my legs until my feet wouldn’t catch in the door, then lowered myself onto my back. Agony roared through me.

  “Hurts,” I choked out. Chuffing, I rolled onto my side, facing the front. While some might think lying on broken ribs would hurt more, it was actually more comfortable. The solid seat braced the fractures and allowed my good lung to expand to make up for the loss of the other.

  Jax put the pack inside the trunk then came around and settled in the driver’s seat.

  “Go easy on the bumps, okay?” I gritted through clenched teeth.

  “Yep.” He started the car and eased it out of the spot.

  We snaked through the parking garage to the exit.

  Though it was a challenge to see his face, whenever he turned, Jax’s lips remained in a thin line. His posture gave nothing away.

  “You’re Coral Jacobs,” he finally said, braking to slow the vehicle. After lowering the window, he paid for the parking. When the gate lifted, he stiffened and eased the vehicle forward, joining traffic. Sunlight burst through the windows, blinding me.

  “Coral? Cute name,” I said, blinking fast. “What’s yours?”

  “Clark Jacobs.”

  “Are we passing ourselves off as brother and sister?”

  Jax peered into all the mirrors at least three times before sighing. “You can sit up now.”

  I did, buckling in behind the front passenger seat.

  Driving up to a light, Jax tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. While he kept his gaze trained between the mirrors and the road, tension had eased from his shoulders.

  No one was following us, then. And the sirens had moved on. Would we get away this easily?

  “Here’s the thing,” he said. “For now, we’re husband and wife.”

  “Did we get married while I was asleep?”

  “Passed out.”

  Whatever.

  “For now,” he added. “Married for now.”

  “Divorcing me so soon?” We hadn’t even consummated the marriage. Yeah. Definitely shouldn’t be thinking of something like that with Jax, or my heart would burst from my chest.

  When he said nothing, I lifted my left hand. “No ring.”

  He reached over his shoulder, dangling a gold band. Taking it, I slid it on my left finger.

  And just like that, we were married. A disguise shouldn’t make me feel squirrelly inside.

  “What if I prefer silver?” I said, just to be ornery.

  The way his snort popped out past his tight lips made me think he didn’t like giving anything away. “We can change the bands later.”

  “I take it we’re leaving the country, then?”

  “Flint thought it’d be best. We’re hiding you until he and the crew can figure this out. Clyde…”

  “Who is that?”

  “Bodyguard the government sent.”

  “Oh, yeah. He was supposed to be in my room.”

  “He’s missing.”

  Not good. My gut sank. Another person endangered because of me.

  “Your dad’s on it. They’ll find him,” Jax said, injecting confidence into his voice that couldn’t be real.

  My shoulders curled forward. “I hope so.”

  “Flint approved of the plan Dwayne came up with.”

  “Which is…?”

  Silence followed.

  “I imagine it’s a solid plan,” I said to fill the growing gap between us.

  Injured as I was, I was useless, unable to defend myself. Hell, I couldn’t even run—walk—if I had to. “Are we going to the airport?”

  “Not quite.”

  “You’re keeping awfully quiet about our destination.”

  “As I said, Dwayne hooked us up.”

  Hooked up, huh? My chuckle came out jagged, and I gulped back my pain.