Part 37 (1/2)

Eden saw it, too, and she gasped, ”Thank you, Lord, thank you!” and ”Are they running away? North?” At Izzy's confused look she clarified, ”Are the men with the guns heading north?”

He peeked over the back of the rental, where, sure enough, the bald man and his buddy were nowhere to be seen. They'd deserted the truck and lit out on foot and the only way they could have gone-without Izzy having spotted or been killed by them-was indeed north.

So he nodded, and she must've somehow known he was wondering why the h.e.l.l it mattered so much to her that they'd gone in that direction, because she told him, ”Neesha-they're after her. She was here. I saw her! And she ran south!”

And as Izzy looked at Eden, as he looked into her beautiful eyes, into her face that was as drenched with sweat as his was and now smeared with grime from the dirty street, he realized that she'd put herself in mortal peril. She'd f.u.c.king driven f.u.c.king toward toward a man that she d.a.m.n well knew had a f.u.c.king weapon, all for the sake of some girl she'd met once. a man that she d.a.m.n well knew had a f.u.c.king weapon, all for the sake of some girl she'd met once.

One time. time.

Jesus H. Christ, for all they knew Neesha was a criminal, a liar, a thief, a con artist.

And Izzy's head d.a.m.n near exploded-he was so angry. At Neesha, at Eden, and at himself for being stupid enough to leave the keys in the car.

And his anger mixed badly with the intestine-freezing fear he'd felt over the past few endlessly long minutes as he'd stood there impotently and watched Eden fling herself into danger.

”G.o.d d.a.m.n you,” he growled now. ”Don't you ever think before you do any anything?”

She flinched as surely as if he'd struck her. And that p.i.s.sed him off even more-the fact that she should look at him like that, as if he'd somehow wounded her, when mere moments ago she was unflinching as she'd gunned the gas, b.a.l.l.s to the wall, as if she were freaking bulletproof and invincible.

She looked as if she were going to say something, but then the police shouted for them both to get down, facedown in the street, hands on their heads-because for all the cops knew they'd they'd been the ones who'd fired the shots. been the ones who'd fired the shots.

And realization dawned and Izzy could tell from the expression on Eden's face that she hadn't hadn't thought about the consequences of her actions. thought about the consequences of her actions.

He pushed her down into the perp position, as he a.s.sumed it himself, purposely turning his head away from her as he did so. Not only did he not want to hear whatever it was Eden was going to say, but he knew d.a.m.n well that anything else that came out of his mouth right now was sure to be something he'd regret.

He just closed his eyes and waited for the impending joy of a body search and an ensuing police investigation.

All of which would be endured without coffee.

Although, truth be told? Jangling the way he was with adrenaline and anger, adding caffeine to his system at this point would've been overkill.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE.

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2009.

6:49 P.M.

Danny was silent as Jenn drove the car they'd rented just that afternoon over to the police station to pick up Eden and Izzy.

Well, they'd pick them up, a.s.suming everything went as smoothly as possible and Eden wasn't going to be held for whatever various crimes she'd committed.

”It's really funny how we can't seem to hold on to more than one rental car at a time,” Jennilyn said, glancing over at him as she braked for a red light.

”Yeah.” Dan looked back at her, his smile wry. ”That's the really funny part of all this.”

”Sorry,” she apologized. ”I was just trying to talk about something other than-”

”The fact that we're going to bail my screw-up of a sister out of jail?” he finished for her.

”She's not a screw-up,” Jenn told him. ”She's actually really brave. I don't know if I would've done what she did. I mean, yes, I would've done it without hesitation to protect you or Ben or my brother's kids...But for someone I barely know? I mean, I would've tried to help, sure, but...”

”What do you call it, though,” Danny asked her, ”when those so-called courageous actions put someone else in danger? Yeah, Eden saved Neesha from whatever it was those men wanted from her-a.s.suming it really was Neesha that she saw and not some other weird little Asian hooker-girl. But, okay. Let's agree it was her. And great. By getting herself arrested, Eden put Ben back in danger from crazy Greg and Ivette. Do you honestly think anyone at CPS is going to want to let Ben anywhere near Eden now? It is is called Child called Child Protective Protective Services.” Services.”

Jenn forced a smile, because here it came. The conversation she'd been waiting for ever since Izzy first called from the police station, an hour ago. ”Of course not,” she told Danny quietly. ”But what if Eden truly believed that those men were going to harm Neesha? She knew she's not the only one capable of protecting Ben. She knew that we have a Plan B.”

The light turned green and she accelerated through the intersection, aware that he was still watching her. She glanced at him again, and he sighed and said, ”Plan B. The plan you hate.”

”I don't...hate it,” she said. ”I just didn't want to do it until we absolutely had to. And with Eden being arrested...” They were pretty dang close to absolutely having to.

He was silent, just watching her.

”Make it nice,” Jenn said, trying to be upbeat and positive in the face of this looming disaster. G.o.d, this was not not what she wanted-to do this out of sheer necessity. To leave her job and move all the way across the country to live with this man that she loved, a man who said he loved her, too, but really-mostly-only needed her. She forced another smile. ”Do it right, and I'll split the cost of a fancy hotel room with you, so we can have some privacy tonight.” what she wanted-to do this out of sheer necessity. To leave her job and move all the way across the country to live with this man that she loved, a man who said he loved her, too, but really-mostly-only needed her. She forced another smile. ”Do it right, and I'll split the cost of a fancy hotel room with you, so we can have some privacy tonight.”

”To do what?” Dan asked. ”Let you give me head? Terrific.”

She had to laugh. ”Oh, wow, and all this time, I thought you liked it.”

He laughed, too, exhaling his exasperation. ”You know I do-and like like is an understatement,” he told her. ”I just want...You know what I want.” is an understatement,” he told her. ”I just want...You know what I want.”

And, G.o.d, when Dan looked at her like that, she did did know. know.

”Three more days,” Jenn reminded him. ”Unless...Well, if you you were a doctor and your patient was a Navy SEAL, wouldn't you pad your recommendation for no strenuous lifting or activity by at least three or four days? Knowing that the SEAL was going to cheat?” were a doctor and your patient was a Navy SEAL, wouldn't you pad your recommendation for no strenuous lifting or activity by at least three or four days? Knowing that the SEAL was going to cheat?”

He looked at her with such transparent delight, she had to laugh.

”You're going to let me cheat?” he asked, then added, ”It's not really cheating. It's more like redefining the rules.”

”Fair enough,” Jenn said as she pulled into the police-station parking lot. It was crowded despite the time of night-or maybe because because of the time of night. ”Like I said, make it nice, Gillman. And yes, I'll help you redefine the rules tonight.” of the time of night. ”Like I said, make it nice, Gillman. And yes, I'll help you redefine the rules tonight.”

”I love you,” he told her as she found a spot down at the end, and she used the excuse of parking to keep from looking at him, for fear he'd realize just how difficult this was going to be for her.

Dan loved her, yes, but in his own way and...Huh. That was funny, that was exactly what he'd said to Ben, about Eden loving Izzy.

”Jenn, really. I've never loved anyone the way I love you. And to think you'd be willing to do this for me is...” His voice was thick with emotion and he had to stop and clear his throat. ”It's the best gift anyone's ever given me.”

And there it was. She didn't want want the fact that she was helping him gain custody of Ben to be the best gift he'd ever received. She wanted her love for him-plain and simple-to hold that coveted status. the fact that she was helping him gain custody of Ben to be the best gift he'd ever received. She wanted her love for him-plain and simple-to hold that coveted status.

But she was living here, in reality, not in some fairy-tale-flavored alternative universe.

”Well, you're lucky,” Jenn said as she put the car in park. ”Ben's such a sweet kid. He makes it easy to say yes-to the question that you haven't exactly asked me yet. Not today, anyway.” She looked around them at the battered car parked next to them, at the sun-bleached and sagging wooden fence that was in dire need of repair that was in front of them, at the starkly blocklike munic.i.p.al building she could see in her rearview mirror. ”Although this isn't quite the romantic epicenter of Las Vegas. But then again, this isn't exactly about the romance, is it?”

”I don't know,” he said, taking her hand. ”I think it's pretty perfect. But I never really needed the soundtrack with the swelling violins, or the glorious sunsets...When it comes to romance, LeMay, all I need is you.”

She smiled at that-how could she not? It was both sweet and poetic. And when he leaned in to kiss her so tenderly, it nearly took her breath away.

G.o.d, he was good. He'd always been good at getting his way.