As Jordan and Sam went down behind the large desk, the gun went off, the loud boom making Penny’s ears ring. The guard beside her dropped to the floor, his hand on his now bloody shoulder.
She ran for Jordan but stopped when the gun went off again. The bullet whizzed by her, ricocheting off the metal enclosures of the computers in the room. When she hesitated to get near again, fingers wrapped around her ankle and yanked her right off her feet.
She dropped face first to the hard floor, the wind whooshing out of her. Her entire body was pulled across the floor by that single hold on her ankle. She flipped over, much like she had when she’d fought Alcott and slammed her bare foot into his bleeding shoulder.
The guy howled, releasing her, just as a gun slid by her on the floor, settling underneath one of the desks. She crawled her way to it, reaching as far as she could to grab it. She managed to wrap her fingers around the handle when someone roughly grabbed her by her hair and yanked her up to her knees.
Alcott gripped her hair as he used his other hand to rip the gun from her hand. It was a millisecond before the cold metal barrel pressed against her temple. In front of her, Jordan knelt on one knee, holding one side of his rib cage. Blood leaked from his nose, a cut on his cheek. As he registered where she was, he stood, favoring his hurt leg. He wasn’t wearing his brace, but he limped as he shifted his weight.
“I told you not to point that thing at her,” Jordan said, his Irish accent thick as his fury.
Sam the Asshole chuckled behind her. The more he pulled on her hair, the more she winced, but she couldn’t move with him in control of her head like that. He pulled her up to her feet, the gun sliding along her cheek bone.
“She and I are going to have so much fun, Levi. Ah, don’t you move from that spot,” Sam growled as Jordan started to step forward. “You know, her skin is smooth as silk. So golden and pure. I can’t wait to cut into it.”
The gun slid along her hairline to her neck. He pushed up her chin with the barrel and laughed when Jordan growled. “Who knew Levi had caveman tendencies? Isn’t that right, sweet little Penny?” He pulled her head back until her throat was exposed, caressing the exposed skin with the barrel of the gun. She held her breath, because she didn’t know what else to do. Fear iced her veins, stopped her heart.
Images of that guard flashed through her eyes. All the blood, the smell of bile and sweat… she shuddered.
Jordan looked so helpless, and in that moment, she knew he couldn’t save her. She shifted her gaze to Sam. “Leave him alone. Please. I’ll do whatever you want.”
Both men stared at her, Jordan with devastation in his eyes and Sam with anticipation. Sam laughed. “You hear that, Levi? Such a good little woman, isn’t she?”
“Let her go.”
“Or what? You’ll kill me?” Sam barked a harsh laugh. “You don’t kill, Levi. You don’t think we did our homework on you? You don’t carry guns. You don’t kill. You’re nothing but a common thief who cons women out of their fortunes.” He pulled her back, closer to him, so he could murmur into her ear. “Did you know that, sweet Penny? He fucks women out of their money, and then he moves on to the next target. Don’t you, Levi?”
Jordan didn’t move, didn’t say a word.
“He fucked you because you were convenient, because you had something he wanted,” Sam growled into her ear. “How does that make you feel, sitting here with a gun to your head because of him? Knowing that he did what he’d intended to do? Knowing you were just a means to an end?” His voice dipped to a husky whisper so only she could hear. “Knowing he doesn’t want that kid inside you?”
Her tremble rushed all through her body.
His lips touched her ear, and she shivered. “To be fair, if I were in his position, I’d have fucked you too. I love a good dirty talker myself.”
Anger supplanted the fear inside her as he licked her ear lobe. She relaxed her body, and then slammed her bare foot down on the top of his loafer, right into that point at the edge of the arch and before the toes. As he released her out of reflex, she slammed her elbow into his gut.
As she saw Jordan barreling toward them, she flattened herself on the floor and rolled to the side as their big bodies collided, fighting for the gun. Penny took cover behind the desk as the gun went off and ricocheted all over the room. Then the sounds of the fight stopped.
Heart pounding, Penny peeked over the desk and let out a sob of relief. Jordan was on his feet, though she barely recognized him. Fury had replaced the man she knew, the one that had held her hand to comfort her. He was bleeding, limping, but that hand on that gun was rock fucking steady.
He fired once and Sam screamed. Penny shot up to a standing position and glanced over where Jordan stood. Sam was holding a bloody hand to his chest, but the wound didn’t appear to be in his chest. No, his hand appeared to have a hole in it. Then she jumped as Jordan fired again. Sam screamed, his other hand going to a new wound on his leg.
“Just because I don’t use guns, doesn’t mean I don’t know how to use them,” Jordan said.
He emptied the last round from the chamber and tossed the gun away, pocketing the bullet. Sam continued to groan and hold his hand. His leg poured out blood. Penny stared at it, remembering the guard he’d cut apart in front of her and shuddered hard.
Jordan’s gaze drifted to her and relief entered his expression. He started toward her, limping, bleeding. He stopped two feet away, not nearly close enough, like he was afraid to be near her. “Are you okay? Hurt?”
Her breath shuddered out of her. “I’m not even a little okay.”
“At least you’re honest about that.” When he reached for her hand—hesitantly—it seemed perfectly natural to take it and squeeze it tightly. He pulled her closer and searched her face. “Are you hurt anywhere?”
She shook her head. “Not even a papercut.” Actually, her whole body hurt. Her head was pounding, her backside tight and sore from where she’d been dragged across the warehouse floor. She needed a week in a hot shower to clean the dirt and the blood off her.
He nodded, but she wasn’t sure if he accepted what she’d said, or he’d found his own answer. His eyes still roamed over her like he couldn’t get his fill of it. Of her.
She squeezed his hand, bringing his attention back to her. “Can we go home now?”
His gaze softened and he pulled her to him, wrapping those strong arms around her like she craved. “Yes, my love. Our ride is on the way.”
What the hell did that mean? He reached over and touched some button on the computer. “Sierra, copy the files and shut down the system.”
The feminine computer voice took her by surprise. “Shut down in progress, Agent Levi. Such a quaint little system. It simply could not handle me.”
As Penny blinked up at him, he winced. “I’ll explain that, too. I promise. I’ll answer it all for you.”
~*~*~
Less than a minute later, movement at the door caught his eye. Jordan pulled Penny behind him, aware that he had no gun to defend her with. Maybe throwing that one he’d taken from Alcott wasn’t the best plan in the heart of enemy territory.
When that familiar shotgun appeared, he groaned. “You scared the shit out of me, Bea.”
Bea scowled at him as she lowered the weapon and surveilled the room. “Had to have all the fun yourself? You look like shit, by the way.”
Behind her, Jack came in, his gun in his hand. He glanced down at Sam the Fucker, who had thankfully stayed put while they’d waited for his team to come through. Alcott cradled his hand and favored his leg on the ground. Jack’s dark midnight eyes cased over him. “That the bad guy?”
“One of them,” Jordan said with a sneer. Penny was trembling again. He pulled her to him, holding her close. His ribs were killing him, his leg aching, his nose throbbing so much his eyes watered. And yet, having her with him… it warmed him.
Jack pointed a 9mm at the man. “Can I shoot him?”
Sam growled something unintelligible. It was obviously the wrong thing to do because Jack stepped on his bleeding leg. Sam screamed.
“Easy, Jack,” Bea said, as she hauled up her new prize, the newly handcuffed guard with the bleeding shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll get to talk with these guys later.” She glanced at Penny for a brief second then to Jordan. “Car’s outside for you. Can you make it?”
“I’ll help him,” Penny interjected.
He glanced down at her, her face tucked against his chest. After all this, she still wanted to help him. By all rights, she should have hated him. She’d been through hell. He brushed her messy hair out of her face. “You don’t have to.”
Even standing there, he could feel the tremble of her body. She was running on pure adrenaline at this point. She was due for a crash very soon.
“Yes, I do,” she whispered.
Jordan wrapped both his arms around her, needing to feel her body. He couldn’t believe she was unhurt after that mess, but he was thankful. She responded by wrapping her arms around his waist. He hissed as she brushed against his ribs.
“Sorry,” she whispered. But as she tried to pull away, he pulled her back against him, tighter.
“No, stay where you are,” he whispered. He couldn’t believe how strong she was, how even though there were dark circles of exhaustion under her eyes, even though her body had numerous scrapes and bruises, she still seemed… truly okay. He kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms tighter around her small body, holding her as close as he could without sending shards of pain through him.
Sam howled as Jack hauled him to his feet, making Jordan remember where they were. Jack’s grin was almost comic book villain. “Come on, fucker. Let’s go have a chat,” Jack said in his signature growl.
Bea scowled at him. “The car, Levi. Nathan is waiting for a report.”
Right. Back to the real world. He glanced down at Penny. He was going to tell her the whole truth. He was going to tell her everything and then… then he’d do as she’d asked him, and he’d get out of her life. He’d caused her so much pain already.
“I don’t want to leave you,” he whispered to her. “Not now.” Not ever, he added in his head. But he didn’t want her anywhere near Nathan, even if it was a phone call. “But I have to go.”
“There will be time to talk later, right?” Penny asked softly as she extracted herself from him.
He nodded, but he wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth or not.
“Go, then. I’ll be okay.”
Fuck. She always surprised him. Even though she was shaking, she jutted that chin out like she was the strongest person in the world. He cupped her face and brought her to his lips. It was just a quick kiss, a soft one to let her know that he was a dumb sap and still completely in love with her.
He glanced at Bea as they stepped out of the room. “Will you—”
“Axel is on his way down now. He’s going to take her home,” Bea said. “We thought a familiar face in all this mess would help her.”
Jordan nodded. “Okay.”
And less than a minute later, Axel appeared. He gave Bea a quick kiss and asked, “Where’s Penny?”
“In there,” Bea jerked her head toward the room, because Jordan was having trouble processing what he’d asked.
“Got it.” He glanced at Jordan. “I’ll take care of her and get her home, safe and sound.” Then he was gone, inside the room with the woman that Jordan loved.
“You lied to me,” she said as she urged Jordan forward. As they walked through the hall, down to where he’d been brought in. “You told me you didn’t love her.”
“Yeah, I’m a fucking sap, I guess.” He had a lot to make up for. Not just for Penny, but for his team. He’d been willing to sacrifice everything for her safety, including them.
“Go get fixed up,” she said in that quiet, demanding way she had. “You really do look like shit.”
“Flesh wounds,” he drawled as he walked into the warehouse. There was a car on the main floor, which looked like it had been brought in through that door on the far side of the place. When he got in, he was half surprised to not see anyone else and Bea didn’t get in either. He glanced up at her. “If this is supposed to be our goodbye…”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t get dramatic.”
“Penny?”
“Axel will get her home. I promise.”
Jordan nodded. Maybe she didn’t know, but Jordan’s dead man walking routine had just gotten an upgrade. He’d saved Penny. She’d go back to her life and Nathan promised that she’d be well taken care of. Of all the things that Nathan might be, a liar wasn’t really one of them. No, that was more Jordan’s area of expertise.
The car eased out, and Jordan let himself relax against the back seat. Knowing Penny was safe, that was all he needed. He’d take whatever punishment Nathan wanted to give him. He deserved it all.
~*~*~
They’d taken a car to an airfield, flown in a super swanky plane, and now they were in another car with some silent guy driving on the way back to Jubilee. The partition had been up, and the windows were tinted too dark to see anything outside of the vehicle.
The quiet in the car overwhelmed Penny’s mind. Though considering the bombs he’d dropped, she was sure he was holding back more about it. Jordan was part of this whole secret world. He fought against bad guys like Sam Alcott. It was almost too much to think about.
She had committed what he’d looked like to memory in that room, bleeding and holding his side. He’d come for her. Maybe he’d done it as some kind of weird responsibility angle, since it was his fault, but she also couldn’t stop that warm feeling inside her knowing that he’d come back for her when he didn’t have to. When he could have just cut his losses and split.
Would she see him again? The look on his face when he’d told her he had to go… it was like he didn’t expect to ever see her again.
When Penny stepped out of the car, they were inside some sort of underground garage. Axel took her through a maze of hallways until she was completely and totally turned around. Then into a small medical clinic where a doctor had been waiting for her.
The woman hadn’t mentioned her name, but she had done the job well enough. And she was clean now, thanks to a nice, hot shower, which the doctor had not recommended. Penny understood why once the hot water hit the myriad of scrapes and cuts across her skin. She didn’t even want to think about what had rinsed off of her body in that shower.
Now, she sat in some kind of common room with Axel on the couch next to her. He kept looking at his phone. “So how did you get into this whole thing?”
Axel smiled wryly. “I met Bea. Part of being with her is accepting that she’s part of this world.”
“Is this some sort of secret lair or something?” she asked, looking around at the room. The old worn couch sat before a not-so-old big screen television mounted on the wall. A myriad of DVDs and Blu-Rays sat in shelves along the wall.
“Or something,” Axel said with a chuckle. “I know it’s difficult to know that they have this whole other life. There’s not a minute that goes by that I don’t worry about Bea. I love her.” He sighed. “But they’re really good at what they do.”
“I’m not even sure what they do.”
“They protect us,” he said, smiling tightly. “The world, really. But they aren’t government controlled. They answer only to Nathan.”
From what she understood, Jordan had defied Nathan to come for her. What did that mean for him? She knew he loved her. She saw it in his eyes, in that last kiss before he’d walked out of the room. But was that enough? Obviously, relationships weren’t banned outright, or Axel wouldn’t have Bea. Could she have her Jordan?
The doctor walked into the room; her tanned face grim. Penny glanced up at her as she stopped. “I thought you might like to know, since you were worried about it, that the test was positive.”
Penny felt her lips part of their own accord. Then she forced a nod out of herself. “Thank you.”
The doctor nodded and walked out.
“Test?” Axel asked.
“Pregnancy test,” she confirmed.
“Jordan’s?” Axel asked in surprise.
She nodded. “Couldn’t be anyone else’s.”
“Huh,” he said softly. He glanced away from her. “That’s… interesting.”
“What?”
“They’re supposed to be sterile,” he said, though it took a long pause before that for him to answer. “The procedure they go through to be Reapers is pretty taxing on the body.”
Had that been why Jordan had freaked out so much when she’d told him? Because he hadn’t believed he would be able to have children? Maybe it hadn’t been because he didn’t want them. She missed her sister, suddenly. Tessa had always given her the comfort she’d needed until their break. If she couldn’t have Jordan, would she be able to have her family?
She frowned. “Am I going to be able to go home?” Wasn’t there some code like in the movies that said once you knew things you weren’t supposed to you had to conform or disappear?
Axel nodded. “You will.”
“Even though I know all this stuff?”
“Yes,” Axel said, smiling. “You will. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
She wasn’t so sure. This was a huge secret to keep. If she were them, she wouldn’t have trusted her. She was an unknown. A liability. She put her hand on her stomach. She was a weak link, she realized. Sam Alcott had used her because he knew that she was Jordan’s weak spot. How many other Sam Alcotts were there out in the world? How many would crawl out of the woodwork to threaten her or this child inside her to get to Jordan?
“I’d like to talk to Jordan’s boss,” she heard the words come out of her mouth.
Axel frowned. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I don’t care.” She wasn’t sure exactly what she was going to say but fuck it. She’d have her conversation.