Page 67 of Hurry Up And Wait

“But you put your life on the line for others,” she said, a wrinkle forming on her nose. “How can you be sure they’re worthy?”

“It’s not about whether or not they’re worthy. I’m there to do a job. And if, as you say, I find them unworthy, I could always refuse the job.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know how you do it. I could never do what you do.”

“Not everyone is cut out for it.”

Her eyes flicked up to meet mine and a hint of vulnerability cut through them. “And what about the people you go home to? Do they get any say in your jobs?”

“I don’t have any family,” I said bitterly. “And even if I did, why would they have a say?”

She seemed shocked by my blunt answer and it took her a moment to respond. “Because you could be killed. What if you never came home?”

“That’s the job,” I grunted.

She pursed her lips, but I could tell she wanted to say more. I waited for it, knowing she wouldn’t keep her mouth shut. She didn’t understand me any more than I did her, and that wasn’t likely to change over the course of this fake engagement.

“You have your parents,” she said softly.

“My parents…my father is dead to me. And my mother—” I didn’t like talking about my mother. I hoped after all these years that she would tire of my father’s ambitions, but nothing ever changed.

“Your father wants a relationship with you.”

“The senator wants a pawn.” I swallowed the contents of my glass and slammed it on the table, eliciting a small yelp from her. “I have work to do.”

15

ISLA

My eyes weregritty and barely stayed open, but I couldn’t go back upstairs to the bedroom. Images of shadows haunted me, slinking around every corner when I was least expecting it. I gripped the arm of the chair, trying to push aside the fear, but nothing helped.

IKE had been outside for the last half hour checking the perimeter, as he called it. I wasn’t sure exactly what he meant, but I didn’t like being inside alone. I tucked my knees under me and pulled the shirt over my legs, desperately trying to curl up in a ball as much as possible. I hated feeling vulnerable, and I never got scared, but the explosion had put a chink in my armor.

He tried to kill me.

I couldn’t imagine anyone hating me so much that they would put a bomb in my fridge. Who did that? Where was the man I married? I just couldn’t figure out what had happened that he changed so suddenly, that he would throw away everything we had. And for what?

I shoved my fingers through my hair, wishing Riley were here with me. She’d know what to do. She’d drink with me and laugh away my problems. IKE was the complete opposite of a good time. While I feltsafe and protected, sometimes a person needed a good laugh to get through the hard times.

I stood and paced the room, wrapping my arms around my stomach. My body was stiff and my shoulder was throbbing, but rest was the last thing on my mind. What I needed was to be back home with my own things. I needed the power to come back on, and I needed a stiff drink.

A creak above me had me snapping my head in the direction of the stairs. I tried not to panic. I told myself over and over again that I was just hearing noises. Yet, I couldn’t stop the growing urge to call out for IKE. Another creak had me backing up a step. My hand skimmed over the back of the couch as I maneuvered myself toward the kitchen, getting as close as possible to a weapon. But by the third creak, I was on the verge of losing my shit.

I blocked out everything as I took another step back, preparing to run. But instead of taking off, I hit a hard body that smelled all too familiar. My breath caught in my throat as a large hand landed on my hip, squeezing tightly to hold me in place. His other hand rested just below my ribcage, keeping me pressed to his chest.

Shuddered breaths left my chest as I tried and failed to breathe normally. His scent washed over me—a cologne I had never smelled on anyone besides him, but it was intoxicating. I inhaled way too deeply for any normal person in this situation, but I couldn’t help myself. Being this close to him was messing with my head, making me think for just a second that there was an attraction between us.

“Where are you going?” he murmured in my ear.

I shook my head slightly. “There was a…a noise.” Everything about him was overwhelming me, making it impossible to think clearly.

His fingers squeezed my hip as his other hand slid inside just under my breast, brushing against the buttons on the front of the shirt. I gasped as the tip of his finger slid under the fabric and skimmed my breast. My eyes fell closed as he brushed his finger over my skin, back and forth in a hypnotic rhythm. I didn’t even realize I was breathing in time to his strokes until he grunted behind me, breaking the spell.

“You need to get your shit together.”

My eyes flew open and I spun around, staring at him accusingly in the dark. “Excuse me?”

He cocked his head in question. “Does Kavanaugh know you let other men touch you like that?”