Chapter Twelve
He might have been drowsy and hopped up on God knew what pain medication, but Seb could tell something was different with Jenna. There was an intensity about her that hadn’t been there earlier.
He tightened his hold on her, the sudden worry that she was going to simply disappear on him rising through the pleasant fog of the pharmaceuticals, clearing some of the haze.
“It was just some random bad luck that I stepped out into the passageway—”
Her shaking head stopped his train of thought cold and dead. “I don’t think it was a random case of bad timing.”
But if it wasn’t a coincidence, that meant—
“You think it was another attempt on my life? That whoever the shooter was had been waiting for me to come out alone?”
“Commander Yang and Alpha are already questioning why the heck anyone on a deployed military battleship would feel the need to suddenly rob a bar.”
Damn it. If Jenna was right, that ninja, or whoever had been behind the mask, had come too freaking close to succeeding in their jonesing to see him dead. Next time, he might not come out of it so lucky. He’d almost lost function of his arm, for Christ’s sake. If Sacha wasn’t such a brilliant surgeon, his career as a fighter pilot might have been over tonight. Never mind dangerous missions behind enemy lines, the idea that he very easily could have lost everything he’d worked for with one shot of a gun made a sickly, cold sweat ripple across his flesh, freaking his shit out in a way nothing else ever had.
The reality of the cost of helping Jenna throbbed through him with every pounding ache of his shoulder, the pain meds starting to wear off.
They couldn’t keep going this way, because either one or both of them were going to end up dead.
“Then, I think it’s about time we told them the truth. This is Yang’s ship. He deserves to know what’s going on. And as for Alpha, I’d trust him with my life, no hesitation.”
Jenna pulled her hands from his and crossed her arms. “We aren’t telling them anything. The more people who know, the more people are in danger. You really think CI will hesitate to kill Yang because he’s a commander? They’re experts at making death look like an accident. I should know, I’ve been on some of those assignments myself. CI will clean house if they have to. They think they’re above the UEF military and operate by an entirely different set of rules.”
Frustration, fed by his pain and exhaustion, washed through him in a smoldering tide. “We can trust Yang and Alpha. They won’t tell anyone. There’s definitely no love lost between them and Stanton.”
“It’s not about trust. It’s about being smart and minimizing collateral.”
She stepped back from the bed, and it was like a wall dropping down between them. Not that’s she’d exactly been open to begin with, but he could see her withdrawing as effectively as packing her crap and leaving the building.
“That’s why we need to bring them in on this. We have to be smart. And it’s time to admit taking on CI isn’t something we can do by ourselves.”
“We aren’t taking on CI. This is my fight. You’re just giving me somewhere to lie low.”
Oh burn. Was that what she really thought was going on here?
“Yeah, well tell that to the person trying to kill me. And if you really think my role in this only goes so far as giving you a place to crash, you’re a colder bitch than I thought.”
A flare of something that could have been shock flashed across her features, but she quickly shut it down and went back into neutral. Damn it, he hadn’t meant that, and now he felt like an ass. The problem was, he’d started caring a little too much about her. Surely, she cared about him as well, even just a little? Would she be here now otherwise? If she didn’t care, she could just as easily have been off trying to find whoever was behind all this. But she wasn’t doing that, she was standing here, staring at him with those too-honest green eyes that showed a whole lot going on beneath the surface. Pity he didn’t have the first clue what those thoughts might be.
And maybe it made him a complete moron, but seeing her when he’d first opened his eyes had brought a strange sense of relief and comfort.
“Look, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.” He slouched against the pillow, head starting to spin. “I’m just tired and annoyed that some sociopathic CI agent has me on their hit list. And in a situation like this, I’m trained to rely on my team. We’re programmed to work as a unit and trust the system.”
“That’s the problem. In this situation, it’s the system that will end up getting you killed.” She released a small sigh, dropping her crossed arms. “I know it’s asking a lot, but give me another twenty-four hours. Let’s see if the program I’ve got running works and then consider our options. Maybe you think I don’t care, but I’m going to do everything in my power to keep us alive. I just need you to trust that I know what I’m doing.”
Well, what the hell else was he going to do? If he went against her, told Yang, Alpha, or Bren, and something happened to her, he’d never forgive himself. And obviously his own death wouldn’t exactly be a satisfactory outcome, either. His guts told him he needed his team, that the only way to beat the shadows of CI was to force them out into the light. But what did he know? He was just the grunt, a stick jockey. This was her world, and he had to let her do what she’d been trained for, just like when she put her trust in him to get that old rust bucket of a ship to the ground on Ilari.
“It’s not like I’m going anywhere or doing anything, anyway. The fake ninja-robber probably did us a favor. At least if I’m in hospital with Sacha hovering over me, I won’t be getting into any trouble.”
A small smile touched her lips, and she sat on the padded visitor’s chair next to the bed. “While you’re in here, it looks like neither of us will be getting into any trouble.”
“What do you mean by that?” He half rolled, making it easier for him to see her without having to crane at an awkward angle.
“You were almost killed. For a second time. But there won’t be a third. I’m not letting you out of my sight again until the threat is neutralized.”
His eyes got heavier, and he took a long blink, then had trouble bringing her back into focus. “Since I’m pretty sure being in two places at once isn’t one of your skills, won’t playing bodyguard make it a little hard to find out who’s behind all this?”
She tugged his blankets up a little higher. “How about we work that out tomorrow when you’re actually awake?”
“I’m awake,” he murmured. But his eyes had closed without him noticing, and the dark was pleasant and comfortable.
…
The low tones of conversation teased him awake, and Seb shifted, his entire body aching like he’d gone ten rounds with a bottle of vodka and lost.
The bed beneath him was narrow, unfamiliar, and definitely uncomfortable, clueing him into the fact he was on med level. Everything came flooding back.
He forced his heavy eyes opened and saw Jenna sitting in the same chair where he’d last seen her the night before, except now she had a light-green blanket draped across her. She wasn’t looking at him, but had her attention fixed on the opposite side of his bed, nodding as though she was listening to someone.
Words registered in his ears, but his brain hadn’t quite caught up with the whole being-awake thing yet, so the sound didn’t compute into anything understandable. He rolled over, letting out a low groan at the pain of his burning shoulder. The wound had been entirely repaired, as they usually were, but the ache still told him his flesh had bled and been roasted like a Sunday night dinner.
“Got more pain meds coming on board, Seb. You should start to feel better in a minute.” Sacha stood next to his bed, checking the IV line feeding into his arm. Even as she’d said the words, the bone-deep ache was starting to fade away. “How are you otherwise?”
“Wishing I’d managed to jump faster when that bastard starting shooting at me.”
“I see your sense of humor wasn’t damaged, then.” Sacha sent him a quick smile, then focusing on the datapad in her hand. But he could see the shadows in her expression, probably because she knew more than anyone how close he’d come to his career and life as he knew it being over. But also because, knowing her, he doubted she’d been home or slept since the surgery.
“Was that a possibility? I didn’t realize a person’s sense of humor was located in their shoulder.”
“Ha ha,” she muttered, not bothering to look up from her notes.
“Seriously, though, you look like you could use some rest. You know I’m fine, so go home and get some sleep. If not for yourself, then for baby Yang. Can’t imagine the commander would be happy if he knew you were working yourself into exhaustion now that I’m in recovery.”
Finally she looked up, but only to glare and point a finger at him. “Don’t you pull the pregnancy card on me, Rayne. Since I’m in charge of your pain meds, pissing me off is not a good idea.”
“Yes, ma’am. Sorry, ma’am.” He couldn’t quite keep the grin off his face, and she rolled her eyes.
“You’re going to be the bane of some poor woman’s existence one day.” Sacha shot a glance at Jenna and his heart skipped a beat. “My advice is get out while you still can.”
Jenna smiled, no doubt entirely for the old-family-friend cover. “Oh, the thought has crossed my mind, believe me. But after last night, I think I’m stuck with him, at least for the time being.”
Sacha patted Jenna’s arm as she passed on her way out of the room. “Good luck with that. You’ll need it when it comes to this cowboy.”
He pushed up in the bed, barely feeling any pull in his shoulder, thanks to the pain meds. “You know, I think I’m beginning to detect a hint of sarcasm whenever someone calls me a cowboy these days.”
Jenna drew the blanket off her lap and roughly folded it. “What, you don’t think they appreciate your constant near-death antics?”
“Actually, until you came along, I was doing a pretty good job at avoiding death, even on the dangerous missions. Think you’ve messed with my mojo.”
“Believe me, I didn’t have any intention of getting involved in your mojo.” Her expression was straying into the territory of exasperated. And why did he get the feeling they weren’t talking about his prowess as a fighter pilot any longer?
“Did you really sleep in that chair last night?” He kicked off the sheets and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.
She glanced down at the chair in question and then looked back at him. “Of course. I told you, I’m not letting you out of my sight until I find out who in CI is trying to kill you. Although, if you’re going to be in here a few more nights, I might have to ask Sacha about getting a cot or something—”
“Speaking of which, we should have a conversation about that. About this crazy idea of wanting to protect me twenty-four seven.”
She crossed her arms, features settling into a defensive, stubborn mask. “Oh yes? And which aspect of our new arrangement would you like to discuss?”
“Let’s begin with the fact that I’m a grown-ass man who’s quite capable of looking after himself.”
One of her eyebrows hiked up. “Really? And what’s that on your shoulder? A hickey?”
“I wish,” he muttered.
A second eyebrow joined the first, leaving her clearly unimpressed.
“I’m trying to be practical, here. You can’t work out who ordered your death and why if you’re spending all your time babysitting me. And I can’t exactly help you, since stealth and subterfuge are totally not my thing.”
“On that we can agree,” she replied, a little too enthusiastically.
“Not helpful.”
“Sorry.” The shrug she added to the word told him she wasn’t actually that sorry at all.
“Anyway. My point is, yes, I was caught off guard last night. But now I have a very clear, concise picture of how much the person behind this wants me dead. I’ll be on guard and next time, I’ll be ready to defend myself. With deadly force, if necessary.”
“But that’s just it. Whoever is behind this knows they failed, and knows that now you’ll be expecting another assault. They’ll change their tactics and find a way to attack when you least expect it—when you’re sleeping, or in the company of other people, when you think you’re somewhere safe, somewhere they won’t make an attempt. They won’t let anything get in their way, and they’ll take your friends as collateral if necessary.”
His friends were in danger as well? Seb dragged a hand through his hair, hating the revelation. How would he ever live with himself if Bren or Alpha, or anyone else got killed or injured because they happened to be with him next time this shadowy figure made a run at him?
“Damn it, every time I turn around, this just gets messier and more complicated.”
Jenna took half a step toward him as if she intended to reach out, but seemed to change her mind and cross her arms. “I’m sorry if you don’t like it, but the safest option is the one where I don’t leave your side until this is all over.”
“But I don’t know how you’re going to fix this if you’re on my six all day long.”
“I’ve still got that program on my datapad decrypting the comm I took off the dead agent, so hopefully that will give us some answers. As for the rest, how about we work that out once Sacha discharges you?”
He shifted his butt to the edge of the mattress. “Fine, we’ll nix the convo until later.”
“Planning on going somewhere?” She ran a critical glance over him, as if doubting his ability to hold himself up on his own two feet.
“To have a shower. So, tell me how this whole bodyguard thing is going to work.” He shot her a saucy grin. “You going to join me? I could take a turn playing lookout while you lather me up. But we really need to make sure I don’t get killed in the shower. That’d be a rather inglorious end to my kick-ass career as a fighter pilot. And he was found buck naked still clutching his soap-on-a-rope, destroying any dignity he might have had left. The end.”
She tried to fight a smile, but lost, transforming her features until she looked younger and a little more carefree. “You are an absolute dork.”
“But I’m your dork, apparently, at least for now.” He stood, gratified when he didn’t feel too dizzy and his legs not too weak. “Hey. Why don’t we use me as bait? That kind of plan always works out so well.”
“Sure, right around the same time I contact CI and tell them I’m still alive. Double bait would have to be more effective.”
“Nah, pretty sure I’m irresistible.” He grabbed the IV stand to take with him, since he was still attached to all kinds of things. “So, shower for two?”
He wasn’t serious…not fully anyway. Humor had always been his defense when it came to dark things lurking in the shadows. But honestly, if she’d misinterpreted his jesting and agreed, he probably wouldn’t tell her he hadn’t meant it. No, more like he’d be stripped down in record time, recent surgery or not.
“Sorry, cowboy, but it’s not your lucky day. I’ll be standing guard out here.”
“Again, with that hint of sarcasm. Its making me reconsider my reputation.”
A conspiratorial smile crossed her features as she went over to the far corner of the room and took the remote from the shelf that portioned off the shower alcove. By the time he’d maneuvered himself and the IV stand over—wearing him out ridiculously fast—she had everything set up for him.
She handed him the remote and then stepped out past the screen, all detached and professional like he imagined an actual bodyguard would be.
Since he’d stopped that heated moment between them the evening before, she’d definitely disconnected from him. And after him almost getting killed, it was like she’d increased that distance. They were stuck together and she was amiable, but he got the sense she’d put barriers up between them that were as effective as an actual wall.
Maybe she had the right of it in separating them, because if they became involved, if they let feelings and emotions come into the equation, then one or both of them might end up distracted at a critical moment. And this wasn’t the time for distractions. Not if they wanted to survive.
But despite the logic, despite knowing their time together was counting down, and Jenna had a fatalistic belief about the outcome for herself, he couldn’t quite kick that warm feeling he’d gotten when he’d woken up from surgery to see her sitting next to his bed. Or the sense that maybe he’d been wrong when he’d assumed she was playing a part and not being herself.
What if he’d been wrong, and this was the real Jenna? The intelligent, humorous, warm down-to-earth girl was the actual person behind the CI agent, and he’d pushed that away? It would make him ten kinds of idiot, and he’d hurt her feelings when he’d said no to her.
But before anything else, he had to make sure that damned coward of a CI agent—who was lurking in the shadows instead of facing him like a man—didn’t succeed in tying him up as a loose end. Or discover Jenna was very much alive. If she was going to protect him, then he was damn well going to return the favor.