head. “I’ll help. I’ll get them what they need, but I won’t leave. I won’t go into hiding while the criminals get to roam free. That’s my choice. If they want my help that’s the deal they’ll have to take.” She wasn’t going to hide. She didn’t care how much Alex and Jet protested her decision she wasn’t going to give in.
Alex stood abruptly and started pacing the floor. Jet just shook his head. “You do realize the danger you’ll be in?”
She wasn’t making this decision blindly. She knew the consequences. “Yes,” she admitted freely. “Look they can put a cop on my door, a Fed in the house across the street from me, but I’m not going into hiding. I have a life and as long as I’m breathing I’m going to live it.” The voice she found within her sounded a lot like her mother; she had that same strong, fierce way of not cowering in fear. Carissa remembered a little more about the argument her mother had with her father that day and she remembered how adamant she had been about her father listening to her. “Come as soon as you can,” she remembered her mother saying as she applied the burn cream to her leg. She had clearly blocked most of that night out and she couldn’t understand why; in bits and pieces some of that night was coming back. She still didn’t understand everything and maybe she never would, but she did know that she was not going to run and hide. This had to end. One way or the other it had to end.
“Fine,” Alex shoved his hand through his hair. “Jet will contact Preston and he’ll see what he can do.”
“There’s nothing to see about. It is what it’s going to be; I won’t change my mind.”
“You are the most exasperating woman!”
She shrugged.
“Do you understand how big this thing is?”
She nodded. She understood very well how big this thing was; she still wasn’t going into hiding.
“Stubborn,” he mumbled, along with several other words she couldn’t make out and then she started laughing hysterically. That just seemed to anger him.
“Alex, as if you would just go run and hide.”
“That’s different.”
“Why, because you’re a man? Last I checked men die too.”
“You’re…you…”
“Look, let me make it easy for you here. We had sex; it was great, but that doesn’t mean you own me. You’ve warned me of the consequences; I’m not making this decision blindly, so you can feel completely absolved of any guilt should something bad happen to me because of it.” She stood from the comfortable couch. “Now, if you want what I have we have to get back to Texas. We’re going to need a boat, and we’re going to have to go do a little digging.”
“Don’t,” he bit out the words. “Don’t lump what we did into the just sex category,” he nearly barked.
“I’m going to give you two a few minutes alone,” Jet cautiously excused himself from the room and went toward the back of the house. She realized, much like he probably did, that this wasn’t going to be a rose of a discussion. Alex was pissed.
“Alex…”
“No,” he turned to face her and she could see the rage in his eyes.
“What do you think we did? It wasn’t making love. You don’t love me. I care about you, but let’s face it; we hardly know each other. Do you have any sisters or brothers? What do you do for fun? What do you do when you’re not rescuing people? Those are things we don’t know about each other. Don’t you have to know a little more about each other before you can declare love?”
She was right and he knew it; she could tell by the look in his eyes.
“Maybe we can’t say we love each other, but I do care what happens to you.”
“And I care what happens to you, but I don’t think that means love. I don’t know. I’ve never been in love, but I don’t think I’m ready to declare it now.”
“I know,” he sighed. “That
Alex stood abruptly and started pacing the floor. Jet just shook his head. “You do realize the danger you’ll be in?”
She wasn’t making this decision blindly. She knew the consequences. “Yes,” she admitted freely. “Look they can put a cop on my door, a Fed in the house across the street from me, but I’m not going into hiding. I have a life and as long as I’m breathing I’m going to live it.” The voice she found within her sounded a lot like her mother; she had that same strong, fierce way of not cowering in fear. Carissa remembered a little more about the argument her mother had with her father that day and she remembered how adamant she had been about her father listening to her. “Come as soon as you can,” she remembered her mother saying as she applied the burn cream to her leg. She had clearly blocked most of that night out and she couldn’t understand why; in bits and pieces some of that night was coming back. She still didn’t understand everything and maybe she never would, but she did know that she was not going to run and hide. This had to end. One way or the other it had to end.
“Fine,” Alex shoved his hand through his hair. “Jet will contact Preston and he’ll see what he can do.”
“There’s nothing to see about. It is what it’s going to be; I won’t change my mind.”
“You are the most exasperating woman!”
She shrugged.
“Do you understand how big this thing is?”
She nodded. She understood very well how big this thing was; she still wasn’t going into hiding.
“Stubborn,” he mumbled, along with several other words she couldn’t make out and then she started laughing hysterically. That just seemed to anger him.
“Alex, as if you would just go run and hide.”
“That’s different.”
“Why, because you’re a man? Last I checked men die too.”
“You’re…you…”
“Look, let me make it easy for you here. We had sex; it was great, but that doesn’t mean you own me. You’ve warned me of the consequences; I’m not making this decision blindly, so you can feel completely absolved of any guilt should something bad happen to me because of it.” She stood from the comfortable couch. “Now, if you want what I have we have to get back to Texas. We’re going to need a boat, and we’re going to have to go do a little digging.”
“Don’t,” he bit out the words. “Don’t lump what we did into the just sex category,” he nearly barked.
“I’m going to give you two a few minutes alone,” Jet cautiously excused himself from the room and went toward the back of the house. She realized, much like he probably did, that this wasn’t going to be a rose of a discussion. Alex was pissed.
“Alex…”
“No,” he turned to face her and she could see the rage in his eyes.
“What do you think we did? It wasn’t making love. You don’t love me. I care about you, but let’s face it; we hardly know each other. Do you have any sisters or brothers? What do you do for fun? What do you do when you’re not rescuing people? Those are things we don’t know about each other. Don’t you have to know a little more about each other before you can declare love?”
She was right and he knew it; she could tell by the look in his eyes.
“Maybe we can’t say we love each other, but I do care what happens to you.”
“And I care what happens to you, but I don’t think that means love. I don’t know. I’ve never been in love, but I don’t think I’m ready to declare it now.”
“I know,” he sighed. “That
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