Page 12

11

Jenny flipped on the television for the fourth time in as many minutes, then turned it off again. The idea of watching a sitcom, the news, or a reality TV show held no appeal. She looked down at her cell phone and grimaced. Peter Meyer had gotten her a new one that had her number, contacts, and everything else downloaded from her cloud. The last time she’d turned it on, her voicemail had been full of messages from people from her company, but mostly calls from reporters.

“Dammit!”

She got off the couch, went over to the window, and looked outside. Still raining. Why was it that, after leaving a monsoon, she came home to rain? At least she was feeling better. The week in the hospital made a difference. She was still wearing a bandage around her ribs and coughing a lot, but she was beginning to feel human.

Maybe that was part of the problem. She felt better, but here she was hiding out near the Norfolk airport, going stir-crazy.

I need to get a plan together .

She went over to the hotel phone and picked up the notepad with Brax and Peter’s numbers written down on it. The final two days she’d been in the hospital, Brax had come to visit. He’d mumbled something about not being able to come sooner because of debriefings and red tape. It had scared her how grateful she’d been to see him. It wasn’t like her. Since her mom’s death she prided herself on not relying on anyone.

For the nineteen days she’d been cooped up here at beige central, which was how she’d come to think of her small hotel suite, his morning and evening calls were the highlight of her days. It was crazy. She didn’t even really know the man.

“Try pulling your other leg, Rivers. Now you know a lot about the man, and he knows a lot about you.”

At least he doesn’t know I talk to myself.

Besides the phone, Peter got her a tablet with all the bells and whistles. So far, she’d only used it to run searches on the internet about herself. She needed to stop it. Talk about something that was freaking her out. Why would people care so much about her? She was a nobody, and she liked it that way.

I need to get out of here. I need to do something!

She plopped back down on the sofa and hissed as the jerky movement sliced pain up her side. Apparently, her two ribs would take a few more weeks to heal.

She didn’t need to look at the paper when she picked up the hotel phone to call Brax; she’d memorized his number.

“Jenny?”

She looked at the receiver, stunned he’d picked up on the first ring.

“Uhm, hi.”

“Hi. Are you all right?”

She couldn’t believe the concern in his voice. It was weird.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m sorry to bother you. I know you’ll call tonight. I just should have waited. Ignore me. I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”

“Wait! Don’t hang up. Jenny, it’s not a problem. I told you to call anytime. What’s going on?”

She snorted out a laugh. “What could possibly be going on inside these beige walls? It’s so boring, I actually watched part of a golf game.”

Brax let out a laugh. Had she ever really heard him laugh before? She couldn’t remember.

“Golf, huh? That’s pretty bored.”

“Tell me about it. Why is it that CNN still has me on one of their new stories? It’s been almost three weeks since I’ve been home. It’s ridiculous. I turned on my phone yesterday and considered clearing out my messages, but then my phone rang. It was a reporter. Brax, I’d only had my phone on for three minutes. What are the odds?”

“It’s because you haven’t given an interview, and the public is really pissed at Cyber Tech for hanging you out to dry. You’ve read that part, haven’t you?”

Jenny couldn’t stop the evil smile that crept across her face. “Yeah. Serves them right. I bet Roy is about to have a heart attack.”

“Who’s Roy?”

“He’s the Vice President in charge of Public Relations for all of New Era Cyber Tech. It’s his job to make sure the company’s reputation is always pristine. I don’t know how he’s going to clean up this steaming pile.”

“Of dog shit?” Brax asked. “Yeah, I don’t think he can.”

“I feel like I’ll never be able to leave this hotel room, and I’m sick of club sandwiches. I need fresh air.”

“Why don’t I come and rescue you?”

“Aren’t you sick of rescuing me?”

“I shouldn’t have used that phrase. Jenny, I would love to spend some time with you when you’re feeling well. I’ll even bring over some stuff so you won’t be recognized.”

Huh?

“Okaaay.”

“Trust me?”

Now that was an easy answer. “Always.”

When Brax slipped his phone into his back pocket, he realized his palms were actually damp. What the hell?

Oh yeah. Jenny.

He’d thought about her every day since she’d been released from the hospital, and the morning and evening phone calls weren’t enough to soothe his need to see her. But the idea of doing anything more than checking up on her via telephone had been a bridge too far. Getting involved with someone who was still recovering from being a captive wasn’t the best idea.

He jogged to his bedroom and Faith followed him. He pulled on his boots while his dog planted her ass down in front of him. He could see her excitement.

“Nope, I’m not taking you out, girl. We’ve already gone out twice today. This time I’m going out by myself.”

Woof.

He shook his head. “Not this time.”

Woof. Woof.

“If you understand me this well, why in the hell don’t you obey me when I say fetch?”

Faith just stared at him.

“Yep, you’re a female all right.”

Woof.

Shit . Brax knew when he had been reprimanded for a sexist comment.

He got up, went to his coat closet, and pulled out a U of V Cavaliers hoodie that CiCi had left a couple of months ago, along with one of his good, broken-in ball caps. Then he grabbed his keys from the dusty fruit bowl on his kitchen counter and headed out to his truck.

When he got to the Hyatt near the Norfolk Airport, he took the ticket to park his car, then walked past reception and hit the bank of elevators. He knew which room Jenny was in. He’d made it his business. She answered the door with a bright smile, but he frowned.

“Did you look through the peephole?”

“Of course I did. After Bangladesh, I’m big-time security conscious.”

He looked around the room and saw that one of the stuffed chairs that should be close to the sofa, was next to the door.

Damn.

“What’s that?” She tilted her head toward the hoodie and ball cap in his hand.

“This is your disguise.” He handed it over to her.

“A Cav hoodie? No way. I’m Tar Heels all the way. I can’t wear that.”

He laughed. “So sorry. Tar Heels weren’t allowed in my household. How’d you become a Duke fan? I thought you went to school in Colorado, not North Carolina.”

“I did. But my roommate’s brother went to Duke and played wide receiver. It was mandatory I become a fan.”

“Even when you lived in Virginia for the last six years?”

“I’ve only actually lived here for about a year total. Other than that, I took assignments all over the country and the world.”

“Well, you’re going to have to wear the hoodie and the ball cap if you want to escape for a bit.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. But I’m doing this under protest.”

“So noted.” He tried not to laugh at her sass. He knew she was trying to make him think that she had moved past her captivity, but from her daily phone calls, he knew she hadn’t. But he was going to let her take the lead…for now.

He watched as she started walking back to her bedroom. “Dress warm. It’s cold outside,” he called after her.

“Gotcha.” She waved over her shoulder at him.

As soon as the door was closed, he pushed at the chair. It was heavier than it looked, and she still looked like a strong wind would blow her over. It told him just how scared she still was. The woman was a good actress. He needed to remember that.

She came out of the bedroom smiling, and he took a good look at her. Skinny jeans, sneakers, the hoodie and the ballcap.

“Do you have a jacket?”

She shook her head.

“I’d say a shopping trip is in order.”

Jenny’s smile changed to a grimace. “Peter got me my ID, but I’m having trouble with my bank. They want to send my debit and credit cards to my old address, which I moved out of a year and a half ago.”

“How did you do your banking while you were in Bangladesh?”

“All paperless.”

“Makes sense. And I take it they won’t send your replacement cards here? To a hotel, I mean.”

“Nope.”

“After we get you a jacket, then we can go to your bank. Hopefully, somebody high enough will understand your circumstances. After all, you’ve made national news.”

“Yay me, something positive about having so many reporters crawling up my butt. As for the jacket, we need to do that after I get my money.”

“Just let me spot you some upfront.”

“Uh-uh. What happens if we can’t untangle it today? I don’t want to owe you.” Her mutinous expression reminded him of a cute four-year-old girl who didn’t want to eat her Brussels sprouts. She was adorable. But he knew he would be handed his ass if he told her that. He tried for humor. “Jenny, you already owe me for keeping you alive, what’s the problem with owing me money for a week or two?”

Her lips twitched. “Yeah, I really do. I tell you what, the next time you get kidnapped I’ll insist on coming along with your team and help rescue you, how about that?”

Brax gave a mock shudder. “How about you promise not to go along? That would be a real favor. I would like to live.”

“Picky little princess, aren’t you?”

Her smile brought sunshine into the beige room and Brax couldn’t help but laugh. “Now you know my baby sister’s nickname for me, PLP.”

“Baby sister? What’s her name? What’s she like?”

“Let’s get out of here and get on the road, and I’ll tell you about CiCi. You two would really get along.”

“Do you think so?”

Brax caught a bit of longing in her voice. It was funny that she’d never mentioned any visitors since staying at the hotel. He knew she was steering clear of NECT employees, but where were her other friends? He knew her parents were dead, and she’d been an only child, but still, didn’t she have friends? He’d have to dig a little.

“I know you and CiCi would hit it off. I’d bring her along to shop, but with her along, we’d never make it to the bank before it closes.”

“She’s a shopper?”

“If she could make a career out of it, she would.” He hit the button for the elevator, and soon they were on the way to his truck. When he got the passenger door open, she stared up at the seat. She was a tiny little thing. “Do you need help getting in?”

“If you could explain how I’m supposed to get in without a step ladder, I’d sure appreciate it.”

“Step up on the running board, then grab this handle up here, and then you can step into the wheel well and swing onto the seat.”

He watched with appreciation as she gracefully entered his truck, then looked down at him. “Was it really necessary to buy such a large truck?”

“Absolutely. The bigger, the better.” He closed her door, then ran around to get into the driver’s side and start his baby up. He looked over at her, he could see that she was favoring her ribs a little. No matter how graceful she wanted to be, he’d help her up next time.

“At least you haven’t got those enormous tires and that huge rack of lights on the top. If you did, I might have had to cancel the shopping trip.”

“Just the shopping trip?”

She gave him a quick sideways glance. “I’d suck it up for the bank trip.”

Brax laughed at her put-upon voice.

“What’s your bank? We can do that on the way to the mall.”

She told him the national bank, and where the branch was.

“Great. Then we’re a go.”