okay. Tell him you’re visiting friends or something but don’t let him know where you are.” He paused a minute, then couldn’t help himself as he asked, “So what’s the deal with you two...? Dating?”
“Are you deaf? I said he was my roommate, not my boyfriend, not that it’s any of your business. James is a good friend. I needed a place to stay when my ex-boyfriend duped me into thinking we were getting a place together and I let my apartment go. Forgive me for not wanting to sleep in my car.”
“And he was your only choice? You didn’t have a girlfriend you could stay with?”
“Unbelievable! You have some nerve. I’m not even going to dignify that question with a response because you have no right to judge how I solved the problem you created. Okay? So butt out.”
Nathan backed down, hating that he’d let himself slip like that. On the surface she was right. He shouldn’t butt his nose into her personal business, but they weren’t your average exes and she’d just have to get used to the idea. “Your safety isn’t something I’m going to mess around with. I am going to need to run a background check on this roommate. What’s his name?”
“He would never hurt me. We’ve been friends for years.”
“What’s his name?” he repeated, not backing down.
“His name is James Cotton.”
Nathan committed the name to memory. He’d have a full background check done on the man. If he had so much as an outstanding library book, Nathan would find out. “I’ll let you know when you can contact him. Until then, don’t bother trying. There’s no phone line installed here.”
She looked ready to say something childish and petulant—Jaci had always been terrible at hiding her thoughts and feelings—but she buttoned her lips and turned on her heel to return to the bedroom, where she promptly slammed the door.
The message was pretty clear. He wasn’t welcome in her space, whether he was saving her damn hide or not.
The knowledge pinched more than a little but he shrugged it off. He wasn’t here to start playing house; he was saving her life.
So why was he still staring at that closed door like a starving man stared at a Thanksgiving feast?
Because inside he felt ravenous and out of control, he answered himself as he squeezed his eyes shut.
Shut it down, Isaacs. Stay cool. Now was not the time to start baring his soul and babbling apologies.
Besides...there wasn’t anything he could say that would forgive what he’d done.
That’d been the plan.
Chapter 4
“I’ll meet you there,” Nathan confirmed, ending the call just as Jaci exited the bedroom. He knew she’d heard him so he started talking first. “I want you to stay here while I meet up with a contact who might be able to help me figure out who’s after you. Promise me you’ll stay put.”
“And why should I do that?”
“Because I’ve already explained that you’re safer here than out in the open.”
“No, you haven’t explained anything. You’ve told me what to do and just expected me to obey. That’s not the same thing.”
Damn redheaded stubborn streak, he wanted to mutter, but instead sent her a hard look, ignoring how his stomach clenched at the sight of her vibrant beauty staring back at him. It didn’t seem to matter that she exuded cold distance rather than sweet love like she used to—his heart still quickened dangerously. Emotion got people killed. Stow that sentimental crap, Isaacs.
“Jaci, just stay put,” he said again, grabbing his gun and tucking it into the back of his waistband beneath his leather jacket. “I won’t be gone long. There’s plenty of food in the pantry and fridge. The television doesn’t work but there should be some books and magazines lying around that might keep you occupied but don’t go outside.”
Jaci’s mutinous expression didn’t bode well. The minute he was a mile down the road she was going to bolt, he’d bet his soul on that. He couldn’t take the chance. Although it was a risk taking her out into the open, it was a bigger risk to leave her alone and vulnerable. She was operating on pissed-off female ire and brokenhearted steam—she couldn’t think clearly to save her life.
“Fine. Get your stuff—you’re coming with me. But—” he fixed her with a hard stare hoping she caught his drift “—if you so much as take one single step away from my side or do one single thing that puts your life in more danger, I swear to God, I will make you regret it. Don’t push me on this. Am I clear?” This was no idle threat. He’d do whatever it took to keep her safe, even if it meant humiliating her. “Am I clear?” he asked, his tone sharp. At her slow nod and quick disappearance into the bedroom he knew he’d gotten his point across. If there was one thing Jaci needed to remember about him it was that he never took unnecessary chances, particularly with the lives of the ones he loved the most.
Jaci reappeared fully dressed and quickly came down the stairs. “Where we going?” she asked. “Or am I not supposed to know?”
“I’ve got a friend on the inside of the organization I work for. We’re going to meet him and see if we can figure out what the hell’s going on.”
Jaci nodded, surprising him with her easy acceptance. Either she was privately formulating an escape plan or she was actually starting to trust him. Ha. Yeah, nothing was that easy. Chances were she was simply pretending to acquiesce when in truth she was going to sprint like a rabbit in a clearing the minute she was able.
Jaci climbed into the big four-wheel-drive truck required to reach this secluded location deep in the mountains and while she may not have said anything, he could see the appreciation for the vehicle in her eyes. “What happened to the Mustang?” she asked, buckling up. “I thought that car was your baby.”
“It is. And that’s why it’s still parked safely in a garage. There’s no way the Mustang would’ve made it up the roads in this area.” He cast her a sideways glance. “Besides, I thought you liked big trucks.”
“I used to like a lot of things.”
He didn’t buy her cool answer but didn’t see the value in pushing. “It gets the job done,” he said, putting the truck into gear and rumbling down the pocked and rutted service road. “Have you noticed anything unusual happening lately?”
“Such as?”
“Have you felt as if someone was watching you, or maybe sensed that you were being followed?” he asked.
“No, of course not.” Jaci gasped as the truck hit a particularly deep rut and sent her bouncing in her seat. She quickly grasped the handle above the door and held on for dear life. “If I’d noticed any of those things I would’ve called the police. I’m not stupid. My life has been normal. I go to work, go to the gym, go to the grocery store and do all of those normal things that normal people do. I don’t know what the hell is going on and why I’m in the middle of it. Of course, you seem to have some inkling as to why this is going on but you won’t tell me so I am left to wonder why my life is imploding for no particular reason.”
“If
