Jake: The Sinner Saints #3 (3 page)

Jake didn’t turn toward her, but his muscles tightened under her touch. It was all she could do to keep breathing through the tension.

Eventually, Jake nodded.

Thank God.
She might get out of this place alive after all.

Verity held tight to his arm as she started toward the door. She kept her head down, doing her best to ignore all the stares.

“Have fun, buddy,” the man called out when they were a few steps away. “Just be sure to bring the whore back for the rest of us, once you’re done with her.”

Verity felt Jake tense just before he stopped. She tugged on his arm harder, but he didn’t budge.

“Come on,” she whispered. “I don’t care what he calls me. I swear.”

“But I do,” Jake said.

He pulled away from her easily as he turned around. It only took him a couple of long steps to stride back to the stranger.

Verity knew she should look away, but for some reason, she couldn’t. She was just as transfixed as the rest of the crowd.

She flinched as the guy threw a punch at Jake’s face. It never connected. Jake caught the fist in his left hand and held tight.

Faster than Verity could blink, Jake landed a hard hit to the man’s midsection, then another across his jaw.

It was brutal and efficient…and over in a second.

The man went limp and crumpled to the floor. Jake let him fall, then turned to glance around the bar, as if daring anyone else to say a word.

The crowd went silent.

Verity’s mouth hung open as he strode back toward her.

This time he wrapped his arm around her waist and shuttled her toward the door. She couldn’t turn her face away from his as they walked. She didn’t think she managed a full breath until they were outside on the porch.

“T-that was amazing.” Verity had a feeling that it wasn’t the sort of skill that someone should be impressed with but she couldn’t seem to help it. There was a certain grace to the way he moved that was undeniably awe-inspiring. “I’ve never seen a bar fight before.”

“You still haven’t.”

“Fair enough,” she said. “Still, I’ve never seen anyone fight like that.”

“I’m guessing you don’t get too many brawls at the University.”

“You’ve obviously never been to a faculty meeting.”

She spied a hint of a smile play at the corners of his lips as he hurried her down the stairs and into the parking lot.

“Where’s your car?” he asked.

“In the far corner,” Verity said, pointing to the silver compact.

“I should’ve guessed.”

She pulled out her keys and opened the driver’s side door. When she turned around Jake was right behind her, his body blocking her in. There was something about his closeness that was distracting, made it hard to focus on anything other than her physical reaction to him.

Especially now that she knew what he was capable of.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“
I
am going back inside,” he said, “and you’re headed to the airport.”

Verity lifted her chin, even as disappointment washed over her. “So, you don’t want to help me?”

“You want my help? Then take my advice. Forget about Roman’s bogus treasure hunt,” he said. A kind, honest quality had snuck into his voice, even though none of the firmness had faded. “Go back to your nice little life in Ann Arbor.”

If only she could.

Jake fixed her with a look. Her heart began to pound. She tried to blame it on fear again, but the strange truth was she didn’t feel threatened—and she hadn’t since the moment she’d sat down at his table and
really
started talking to him.

The truth was, she felt strangely safe with him. Now, more than ever, she was convinced that Roman was right. Jake
was
the only one who could keep her out of harm’s way.

No, her speeding pulse had more to do with being so close to those warm brown eyes and soft lips—those few features that were at total odds with the rest of his rough exterior and reminded her that he was
just
a man, after all.

Somehow, that made what she had to do next even harder.

Verity lifted her head and slowly nodded.

“Okay,” she said.

His eyes narrowed. “Okay?”

He obviously wasn’t expecting her to give up so easily. He should have listened to that instinct.

“Thank you for what you did for me in there,” Verity said.

Before he could say anything in response, she slipped her arms around his waist and gave him a hug. He was every bit as surprised by the affectionate display as she’d hoped. His arms went out to the side…giving her access to that motel key that she’d spied inside.

As delicately as she could, Verity pinched the top of the hard plastic card and slid it out of his back pocket.

“Yeah,” he said, giving her back a quick, awkward pat. “Take care of yourself.”

“You bet,” Verity said, palming the key as she took a step back.

She didn’t waste any time slipping into the car. She didn’t even look his way as she started the engine and pulled out of the Crossroads parking lot.

There wasn’t any need.

She’d be seeing Jake Thorne soon enough.

Verity waited until she was almost a mile down the road before she pulled over to the shoulder and looked down at the key card still clinched in her hand. Just like she’d hoped, the name of the place was printed on the front.

The Blue Sky Motel.

Next, Verity pulled her phone out of her bag and went straight to her texts. Her fingers flew over the keyboard.

Remember when I said I was making the biggest mistake of my life? I lied.
I’m about to make it now.

Because if there was one thing that fight inside the bar had proved to her, it was that Jake Thorne was wrong.

He was the
only
man she wanted to protect her.

Chapter Two

Jake was damned tired by the time he pulled his truck into the parking lot of the Blue Sky Motel at a little after two in the morning. Between the brief tussle with the loudmouth at the Crossroads and his encounter with Roman Green’s dark-eyed sister, it had been a hell of a night. But deep down, Jake knew that the weariness clawing at the edge of his consciousness wouldn’t be enough to pull him under.

No, tonight would end just like all the others, with him stretched out on his mattress, staring up at the ceiling and counting the long hours until the sun rose.

It was the same routine, night after night. The memories found him the moment he closed his eyes—the burning pain of bullets ripping through his chest, the sight of the ground rushing toward him, the terrible rage that had swept through him when he’d caught a glimpse of Charlie in the same state.

Nothing seemed to stop the constant loop of regret and anger. Not solitude. Not drinking. Not fighting.

The only thing he hadn’t tried was sex. God knew, it was the last thing he deserved. He hadn’t even looked at a woman that way since the day he’d woken up in the hospital. It was as if the guilt had robbed him of desire.

At least, he’d thought it had, until Verity Green had slipped into his booth tonight.

Maybe it was the striking combination of her loose black curls and her pale skin, or those full red lips. Maybe it was the tempting pull of all those lush curves. There was no denying that the woman had the kind of body that a man could get lost in.

Still, Jake had crossed paths with dozens of beautiful women during his time down here, and none of them had drawn him in the way Roman’s sister had tonight.

Of course, none of them had been as intriguing as Verity.

Everything she’d done had surprised him—coming over to his table when it was clear how much she wanted to run away, staying after he’d tried to frighten her off, continuing to argue her case even when he’d made it clear she was never going to win.

It seemed the woman had a reserve of courage that even she wasn’t aware of.

But more than that, there didn’t seem to be even a drop of deceit in her. She was everything that her brother wasn’t—honest, innocent, decent. Apparently, Jake hadn’t been prepared for how refreshing and attractive he’d found that combination of traits.

Just like he hadn’t been ready for the way his body had reacted to the feel of her skin. Urges he hadn’t felt in months roared back to life at the simple touch of her hand against his arm.

It had taken everything he had to wrangle his desires back under control. Sure, Verity might be the most desirable woman he’d crossed paths with in a long time, but she was hardly the kind he could take hard and fast up against the back side of a country bar.

And that was just as well, Jake thought as he threw his truck into park and killed the engine. He’d come out here, to the middle of nowhere, for penance not pleasure.

He went to pull the key out of his back pocket as he stepped out onto the pavement.

It wasn’t there.

It must have fallen out on the seat. He was just turning around to check when he noticed the light coming through the drapes in his room.

Jake stopped cold.

He hadn’t left the lights on.

He leaned over and pulled out his 9mm from the glove compartment. Slowly, he made his way over to the room. He tried the knob, but it didn’t budge. He slipped a credit card from his wallet and made quick work of the old lock. Neither the chain nor the deadbolt were set, so the door swung open easily.

If someone was inside they either weren’t very good…or they were ready for him.

Jake held his gun at the ready as he stepped inside the motel room.

And lowered it the instant he spotted Verity Green laying on top of his bed.

She was asleep, and by the looks of it had been for a while. She was fully clothed, curled up into a ball on top of the covers. Her dark curls splayed in a wild halo around her head. She must have fallen asleep while waiting for him.

Jake caught sight of his motel room key on the nightstand next to her. So that’s what that hug had been about. He let out a long breath and let his shoulder fall against the doorjamb.

He’d been played by an art history professor.

So much for absence of guile.

He thought for a second about wrenching her off the mattress and tossing her out into the street, but he quickly rejected the idea. The decision had nothing to do with the pull Jake felt at the sight of her tempting body on his bed, and everything to do with the realization that if she was desperate to pull this trick, she wasn’t likely to leave just because her ass hit the pavement. Hell, he’d probably just find her tucked up tight in the bed of his truck tomorrow morning.

Verity Green might be scared and way out of her depth, but apparently she wasn’t the type to give up easy.

Or at all.

Jake cursed under his breath. What he needed was some advice.

He put his weapon down on the table by the window and stepped back out into the parking lot. He tilted his head up, looking for divine guidance from the night sky.

Not surprisingly, none came his way.

Instead, he did the next best thing. He pulled his phone from his pocket. He noticed a couple of missed calls from his boss, Carter Macmillan, but he ignored them and dialed his best friend instead.

Rhys Vaughn answered on the second ring.

“Jake.” Even at two thirty in the morning Rhys’ voice was crystal clear.

“I’m sorry to bug you man,” Jake said, knowing full well no one wanted to get a phone call in the middle of the night.

There was a slight pause on Rhys’ end. Jake heard a mattress creaking followed by the sound of Rhys’ girlfriend, Tessa, asking in a sleepy voice where he was going.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m glad to hear from you,” Rhys said a moment later. “Everything okay?”

“Roman Green’s sister is in my bed,” Jake answered.

“Well, that was fast.”

“Not like that,” Jake said, moving back to his open door and checking inside. She was still sleeping peacefully. “Wait. You knew she was coming?”

“She came by the office today, looking for you,” Rhys answered.

“And you didn’t think to warn me?”

“Would it have done any good? You haven’t answered your phone in weeks.”

Jake leaned against the wall, propping his boot behind him and letting his head fall back against the stucco facade. What could he say? He’d come out here to disappear. To put a little distance between him and his demons. Turned out they knew how to follow him.

“She’s out here trying to clean up one of her brother’s messes. Roman has convinced her I’m the only one who can protect her.”

“For once that bastard is right about something,” Rhys said.

“You, of all people, should know that isn’t true,” Jake said, shaking his head. “I let Tessa get taken. She could have died…or worse because of me.”

“You’re the only one that thinks that,” Rhys said, his voice calm and even. “You were ambushed, badly wounded.”

Jake kicked the wall behind him. But he knew better. He was the one with all the training. He should have seen the attack coming. He should have known.

“Do you know what Roman wants from her?” Rhys asked when the silence had stretched on too long.

“Help moving smuggled war spoils on the black market,” Jake said. “Seems his team got sticky fingers while clearing out a hidden stockpile outside Kabul. But his sister has…
other plans
.”

“And you agreed to help her?” The skepticism in Rhys’ voice was loud and clear.

“Hell, no,” Jake said. “I tried to send her packing the moment she found me.”

“But…”

“But she found me again.”

If it wasn’t Rhys on the other end of the line, Jake would have sworn he heard a slight chuckle.

“Well, if I were you, I would get back in that motel room and try to make nice with Miss Green,” Rhys said.

“Why’s that?” Jake asked.

“Because if you check your messages you’ll find a few from Carter telling you that Macmillan Security has agreed to take on her case. And that, effective immediately, he’s pulling you off leave and assigning you as her personal security detail.”

Jake gritted his teeth. He knew something like this would happen eventually. He’d been out for over two months. His body had healed. He couldn’t hide from life forever.

So why did it feel like Fate was making him her bitch?

***

“Rise and shine, Goldilocks.”

Verity’s eyes popped open as something small and hard thumped down next to her hand. For a moment, the bright sunlight pouring in through the windows blinded her and she blinked several times, trying to get her bearings. Eventually, her gaze focused on the sight of her phone lying next to her hand on the motel bed.

The motel.

Oh, crap. That meant…

Verity shot up and kicked out her legs, scooting across the bed until her back was flat against the headboard. She gripped the pillow that had been underneath her head and held it in front of her like a shield.

She must have fallen asleep sometime during the night while waiting for Jake to return.

Well, he was back now, and by the look of it, he wasn’t any kind of happy to see her.

He stood at the foot of the bed, glaring down at her. His lips were fixed in a flat, tight line. His dark brows hung heavy over his eyes.

Shit.
She’d really screwed up this time. She prayed that she could talk her way out of this trouble and walk out of this room alive.

“I-I can explain,” she stuttered.

“Good,” he said. “You can start by explaining to your friend Cheryl. She’s threatening to call the cops if she doesn’t hear from you soon.”

“What?” Verity’s brows pulled together. How the hell did he know about Cheryl?

Jake gave a pointed look to the object he’d tossed down on the bed.

Her phone. Of course.

Verity snatched it up and scrolled through half a dozen panicked messages. Damn it. She quickly shot off a text.

I’m alive…for now. I’ll let you know if that changes in the next couple of minutes.

Verity didn’t want to look up once she was done. Jake had every right to be furious with her. It hadn’t been her intention to fall asleep on his bed. It was just that, between all the travel and stress, she’d been exhausted.

She’d tried to stay awake. That’s why she’d been texting Cheryl so much. Joking back and forth with her friend had kept her both awake and distracted. The messages about Jake had been particularly amusing.

Verity’s eyes widened as she stared down at the screen.

Oh God.

She glanced up. He was still there, of course. A sick feeling settled in the pit of Verity’s belly.

“You looked through my phone, didn’t you?” she asked.

“Yep,” he said, his voice hard.

Verity felt her throat start to close. She knew she should leave well enough alone, but, somehow, she just couldn’t.

“Even the texts?”

“Which ones? The one where you talk about my
caveman allure
, or the one where you call me the scariest son of a bitch you’ve ever met?”

Verity swallowed down hard. “Like I said, I can explain.”

Jake crossed his arms in front of his chest, waiting for her answer. Despite her best intentions, Verity’s eyes were drawn to the sight of his inked-up biceps bulging from his sleeves.

Damn. She didn’t have a good explanation. The terrible truth was she
did
think all those things about him. The man was hot as hell, and just as terrifying.

“Those messages were supposed to be private,” she tried weakly.

“So was my bed,” he shot back.

“And I’m so sorry about all this.” Verity inched forward on her knees, putting her hands up in front of her. “I know it was wrong to break in to your room. I would be furious if someone did it to me.”

He cocked a brow at her admission. “But?”

“But I didn’t know what else to do. I came all this way and you barely even listened to me. You literally pushed me out the door. I was—”

“Desperate,” he finished for her. “I get it.”

Verity narrowed her eyes. He might get it, but he didn’t sound any less upset.

“You do?” she asked.

“How did you know which room was mine?” he said, ignoring her question.

“I didn’t,” Verity said. “I just tried the key in every door until I found the one that opened.”

Jake looked her up and down for a long second, but whatever conclusions he came to he kept to himself. After a long second, he turned his back to her and went to the table next to the door. He pulled Roman’s letter out of the top of her bag.