“You know you’re being stubborn, and if he doesn’t kick your ass, I will. He’s doing what he has to do.”
“Harris. Since when did you know me as the stay-at-home type? Would you really push me to stay with someone who isn't going to treat me with the respect I deserve?”
“Elliott. You have no idea how much that man respects you. Just don’t count him out till this mission is over. He’ll be back and you two can talk about your issues. You had to know it would be a difficult relationship when you got together.”
“Seriously, Jade. Don’t let a man treat you any other way than you deserve.” Mallory sits up and turns to look at me.
“Mal. He’s protecting her. I promise you would approve.”
“What exactly are you being protected from, Jade? Should I be worried about you? All of these trips to the middle of nowhere… I’m just concerned.” And I know just how she feels now. Being on the outside of the information sucks, and just like I know I can’t tell her, she knows that too.
“This sucks.” She flops back in her seat and rolls down her window, letting the cool air hit us both.
“I know it does, but it’s just the way it is.” Harris adds his insight that neither of us wants to hear for our own reasons. We all remain quiet for the remainder of the drive, only making one more stop along the way.
He pulls up to the ranch, and we all quietly make our way through the front door.
“I'm going to bed. I'll see you both in the morning.” Even though I've been sleeping most of the day, I'm just not in the mood for small talk or pretending to be anything I don't want to be.
With my clothes still on, I slide into the same bed Kaleb and I shared the last time we were here. His pillow smells only faintly like his cologne, and I consider how twisted I am that I'm pulling it close to me to cuddle. I'm literally torturing myself here, but this doesn't even come close to cuddling with him. To feel his warm body holding me, knowing he’s safe, would be the perfect scenario. I felt safe and comforted with him, and now all I feel is worry. This is something I’ll have to get used to.
I hear my phone vibrate on the bedside table, where seconds ago I placed it, and reach for it quickly. It's a text from him.
Kaleb: I love you, Jade.
I contemplate my response while my tears swell in my eyes. Damn it. I've cried more in the past few weeks than I have in my life. My mind starts flashing through the first time I met Kaleb Maverick all the way to today. His powerful being consumed me from his first touch and never released me. I'm just so confused about all of this, and I'm not sure what I want to do with the rest of my life when it comes to him. One minute, I want to give him up; the next, I want to track his ass down. I hate feeling like I’m tangled up in a hundred different ropes, trying to loop one over the other to try to get free.
Hell, I have no idea if he's even in Mexico, Missouri, Florida, or deep in a desert in Afghanistan.
I want to reply, because I do love him. I want to be the woman he needs me to be, but I can't. Leaving me out of major plans is not an option. I'd rather be single than fear every moment of the unknown that would come with being with Kaleb. I type the four words, then erase them three times before I set my phone back on the table. He's safe. Or he wouldn't be texting. That's all I need to know.
I hug his pillow tighter and let the tears fall freely as I try to make sense of what I'm going to do tomorrow. “I love you too, Kaleb.”
I cry myself to sleep and say a silent prayer that all of the guys are safe tonight.
******
I wake to a hand covering my face and try to scream past the rag. A hand is firmly pressed against my mouth, and another one grips my throat. I panic because I’m struggling to breathe. My quick response only makes it worse, because now, this fucker is in bed with me. I feel a hard erection press into my back and fight to free myself from his hold, but my body won't move fast enough.
Shit, my eyes go wide. I’m gliding, falling. I've been drugged.
KALEB
I had to text her. I know she was still up because Harris had just sent the text saying they had arrived at the ranch. His reply that she's already in bed only tells me she's depressed as fuck, and that frustrates me. I'm not pissed at her, I'm mad at this whole situation. Jade and I have never had an easy day in our relationship. We’ve had a lot to deal with, but I know it'll all work out. It has to. She's the perfect person for me.
I watch my phone for ten minutes, hoping she’ll reply, but she doesn't. She saw it. I know she did. I know I pissed her off with this mission, but I originally thought we were going to Mexico. Now, we’re stuck at the compound, playing a waiting game, and I could've had her in my arms tonight, but instead she's alone. Fuck, Jade. Reply to me.