can’t let her out there alone.”
“She’s not alone. Maggie’s with Jesse Storm.”
Jake growled. “He’s not me!” He slammed his head back on the pillow and moaned. If the pain would stop he could find his Maggie, his love, and protect her. Right now she doesn’t have anyone to turn to. “She’s got to be scared out of her mind.”
“More like ready to take on the world!” Josh Eden said as he strolled in the room. Josh and Jon shook hands.
Jake tried to lift his head. He supposed Jon put something in his IV to calm him down. Jon kept messing with the tubing while they talked. “What are you talking about Eden?” Jake stuttered, his mouth not quite moving in the direction he liked.
“Listen.” Josh bent over him with a small device he held in his hand. It looked like a watch. As he pushed a button, Jake heard Jesse Storm’s voice first. “Did you say that was Jake Hatfield we left in the dust back on the ramp at Parsons crossing?”
Then a crackle and his love’s voice was crystal clear. “Yes I did. The Jake Hatfield, the man will leave no stones unturned to find me. You’ll be sorry you messed with my love.”
“Baby,” Jake mumbled right before he closed his eyes again, back to oblivion.
<><>
The headache disappeared. Jake felt like a new man. The nurse came in and began to take out the IV. “You look good as new,” she said, a smile pasted to her face. She batted her eyes and leaned in a bit too close. Not that Jake didn’t mind checking out a beautiful woman, but his mind was on Maggie and where she was at right now. He worried she was scared and alone even if she sounded pretty confident on the recorded message.
He sat up, ready to leave the hospital. He hated hospitals and the only way they got him here was because they had to knock him out first. “How long have I been out?”
“A few hours. We need this bed, so if you’re ready to go, I think as long as you take it easy, the doc will release you.”
“I’ll release myself, I’m out of here.” He let her finish and got dressed. Jake wobbled a bit from all the medication they gave him as he walked out into the waiting room of the ER. Jon was still here, talking with a few of the other staff members. He looked up when Jake walked out.
Jon excused himself and helped Jake outside. “I’ve got the car over here,” Jon told him. “I want you to take it easy the rest of the day and I’ll fill you in on what’s going on.”
“Take it easy? You’re kidding me, right? I’ve been in that hospital taking it easy for the last few hours. It’s time to find Maggie.”
Jon got in and started up the engine. “Jake, you’re a stubborn man. Listen to me because I know where they are, but I can’t let you ride in there like John Wayne and rescue the damsel in distress. Everything is in place to capture these guys and we can’t ruin things for them. You know how it works?”
Jake remembered how Jon and Abby had to go undercover at the camp ground the other month. It was quite an event, one he found exhillerating at the time. Except when he assumed Maggie was at home writing her book and in reality was watching from the parking lot in the camp ground. He had been in a trailer watching the chaos going on all around and she stood there, in the open, in danger, fascinated. When he realized she wasn’t going to get out of the way, he charged through the chaos to keep her safe. All she wanted was more research for her writing.
Thinking of her put a grin on his face. She was brave and curious and didn’t back away from anything, not even danger. That’s what scared him the most.
“Jake, you listening?”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Jon grinned. “In a few hours, Jesse Storm and this other guy are meeting with one of the biggest drug smugglers in the Keys. The reason they kidnapped Maggie is for the man on the yacht. The guy
“She’s not alone. Maggie’s with Jesse Storm.”
Jake growled. “He’s not me!” He slammed his head back on the pillow and moaned. If the pain would stop he could find his Maggie, his love, and protect her. Right now she doesn’t have anyone to turn to. “She’s got to be scared out of her mind.”
“More like ready to take on the world!” Josh Eden said as he strolled in the room. Josh and Jon shook hands.
Jake tried to lift his head. He supposed Jon put something in his IV to calm him down. Jon kept messing with the tubing while they talked. “What are you talking about Eden?” Jake stuttered, his mouth not quite moving in the direction he liked.
“Listen.” Josh bent over him with a small device he held in his hand. It looked like a watch. As he pushed a button, Jake heard Jesse Storm’s voice first. “Did you say that was Jake Hatfield we left in the dust back on the ramp at Parsons crossing?”
Then a crackle and his love’s voice was crystal clear. “Yes I did. The Jake Hatfield, the man will leave no stones unturned to find me. You’ll be sorry you messed with my love.”
“Baby,” Jake mumbled right before he closed his eyes again, back to oblivion.
<><>
The headache disappeared. Jake felt like a new man. The nurse came in and began to take out the IV. “You look good as new,” she said, a smile pasted to her face. She batted her eyes and leaned in a bit too close. Not that Jake didn’t mind checking out a beautiful woman, but his mind was on Maggie and where she was at right now. He worried she was scared and alone even if she sounded pretty confident on the recorded message.
He sat up, ready to leave the hospital. He hated hospitals and the only way they got him here was because they had to knock him out first. “How long have I been out?”
“A few hours. We need this bed, so if you’re ready to go, I think as long as you take it easy, the doc will release you.”
“I’ll release myself, I’m out of here.” He let her finish and got dressed. Jake wobbled a bit from all the medication they gave him as he walked out into the waiting room of the ER. Jon was still here, talking with a few of the other staff members. He looked up when Jake walked out.
Jon excused himself and helped Jake outside. “I’ve got the car over here,” Jon told him. “I want you to take it easy the rest of the day and I’ll fill you in on what’s going on.”
“Take it easy? You’re kidding me, right? I’ve been in that hospital taking it easy for the last few hours. It’s time to find Maggie.”
Jon got in and started up the engine. “Jake, you’re a stubborn man. Listen to me because I know where they are, but I can’t let you ride in there like John Wayne and rescue the damsel in distress. Everything is in place to capture these guys and we can’t ruin things for them. You know how it works?”
Jake remembered how Jon and Abby had to go undercover at the camp ground the other month. It was quite an event, one he found exhillerating at the time. Except when he assumed Maggie was at home writing her book and in reality was watching from the parking lot in the camp ground. He had been in a trailer watching the chaos going on all around and she stood there, in the open, in danger, fascinated. When he realized she wasn’t going to get out of the way, he charged through the chaos to keep her safe. All she wanted was more research for her writing.
Thinking of her put a grin on his face. She was brave and curious and didn’t back away from anything, not even danger. That’s what scared him the most.
“Jake, you listening?”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Jon grinned. “In a few hours, Jesse Storm and this other guy are meeting with one of the biggest drug smugglers in the Keys. The reason they kidnapped Maggie is for the man on the yacht. The guy
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