“Nothing I can’t handle.” Luke put down his cup. “Well, my dear, it’s fortunate that you are up early after all. There’s been a change of plans. We’ll need to cancel the flight out of the Houston airport and drive to Dallas.”
“We’re flying out of Dallas?” Jane felt a surge of panic as the memory of a fireball sweeping down the plane aisle crossed her mind. Had Luke found out about someone trying to tamper with the plane they were planning to take? She’d been told to expect this now that she was an official candidate for the next presidential race. She took a deep breath, dabbed the sides of her lips, and placed the napkin next to the cup. “Is there something I should know?”
Luke held out his hands, and she placed her hands into his. “Everything is taken care of. You have nothing to worry about. I’ll never let anything happen to you.” He kissed her hands and smiled. “You are much too precious to me.”
Jane exhaled a long breath. She knew she could count on Luke. In all the years she’d known him, he had never let her down. Although she wanted to know more, she trusted him. “That’s all I need to know. I’ll go pack.”
***
“Lash.” Naomi knelt by his side. She should’ve been freaking out. It was the second time she’d been shot at this week. He needed her help, but she couldn’t give it to him if she gave in to the panic that lay just beneath the thin layer of calm. She placed her hands over his, trying to pry his fingers off his abdomen. “Let me see.” His hands wouldn’t budge.
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s not ‘nothing.’ I see the blood seeping out between your fingers.”
He turned to his side in an attempt to keep her hands away from him. “It’s just a scratch.”
“You’re as pale as a ghost, and there’s blood everywhere.” Naomi searched the back of the trunk and found her cell phone.
“Put that away.”
“Are you crazy? You’re hurt and need help. And what if the shooter comes back? We need to call the cops,” she said as she placed the phone to her ear.
Lash grimaced as he stood up. “I don’t need it. Don’t you listen?” He swatted the phone out of her hand, and it hit the cement.
“What is wrong with you?” She picked it up and tapped on the screen. “You broke my phone.”
“I told you. I’m fine.”
“No you’re not. Get in the car, and stop being so stubborn. I’m driving you to the hospital.”
“I’m stubborn? I’m stubborn?” He laughed and then moaned as he clutched his stomach tighter.
She almost lost it watching him suffer. What if he lost too much blood? He could be dying right in front of her. She took a deep breath. “Lash, I need you to get in the car.”
“The pain will go away soon.”
She marched to the passenger side of the car and opened the door. “Get in.”
Lash scowled. “I’ll prove to you that I’m fine. Do you have something I could use to wipe off this blood?”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Please.” His eyes widened.
Maybe if she played along with him, he’d give in. She went back to the trunk, pulled out a roll of paper towels, and tossed it to him. “I’d feel a lot better if we went to the hospital,” she said as she brushed off dirt from the phone. “It still works, only the screen is broken. You can pay me back to replace the screen you broke, and …”
She lost her train of thought as Lash lifted his shirt, exposing streaks of blood. She couldn’t take her eyes off him as long fingers glided over the muscled abdomen, the movement stirred something inside of her.
“Are you okay? You’re awfully quiet.” Lash gave her a lopsided grin.
“Uh, phone screen … broken … hospital.” Her cheeks grew a bright pink and she ducked her head.
“Look at me.” His fingers lifted her chin. “I’ll show you why I don’t need a hospital.”
Naomi willed herself to come to her senses and focus on the seriousness of the situation. She should be figuring out a way to stop the bleeding rather than gawking at him.
Her eyes locked with his and his cocky expression disappeared. “Don’t freak out.”
He lifted the paper towel and showed her the place where there should have been a bullet hole.
But there wasn’t.
This can’t be real. She blinked, trying to adjust her eyes. She leaned in closer, astonished. She rubbed her eyes again and blinked when all she saw was flawless skin. Without thinking, she reached over, her fingers tracing his abdomen.
Lash moaned at her touch.
She pulled her hand away. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”
“No.” He let out a rush of air.
“There’s nothing there. Not even a scratch. That’s impossible.” She took a step back, her eyes wide.