There was still a whole hell of a lot more to come her way, and he’d be the one dishing it out.
His timepiece beeped then, and with a start he realized he needed to get the hell out of Winterhaven. Within the next few hours the sniper he’d killed would be missed. And a secondary team would be sent to find him.
It would be a logical assumption that they’d start here. It was the first place he would look.
He needed to leave immediately.
His black eyes swept the bedroom, looking for anything he might need to bring along.
But even here he saw nothing. He searched the drawers in the rickety dresser, pulling out a few pieces of clothing and shoving it in a bag that lay on the floor near the window. Everything was in rough shape. In fact he’d hazard a guess that all of the clothes she owned were used. From what he could see, most were too large and well worn.
He glanced back at Libby, a frown sliding across his lips. She had been an incredibly beautiful, strong, and assertive woman. When she entered a room, she wanted every single eye to be drawn to her. And they usually were, both male and female.
It used to drive him fucking crazy.
She moaned softly, her limbs twitching as she shifted position. The flash of pain that gripped her features had him crossing to her quickly, and his hand automatically went to smooth the thick mess of hair from her face.
“Don’t you dare lay a finger on her.”
Jaxon froze, his eyes slowly rising until they met the intense blue ones of Pete.
The old man was now brandishing a gun, and at the moment it was aimed straight at his heart.
“You have some explaining to do. Starting with, who the hell are you, and how did you know Libby’s name? She can barely stand to talk to a customer, let alone have a heart-to-heart with a total stranger.”
Jaxon kept his composure. Pete might be old, and from the way he held the gun, not much of a hunter, but a gun was dangerous no matter who held it. “Put your weapon down, Pete. I’m not the enemy here. I came to save Libby.”
The lie slipped easily from his tongue, but left a bitter taste nonetheless. “This was no random shooting,” he went on. “Most definitely there was a gun for hire out there. He was a professional, I’d say military caliber, and there will be another to take his place before this night is done.”
The older gentleman held his own, refusing to lower the gun. He moved closer to Libby, and Jaxon felt his patience slipping. Time was running out. He needed to leave. But he remained calm and kept his anger in check. Now wouldn’t be a good time to rattle the old man. He was much too close to Libby.
“Who are you?” Pete asked. “And how do you know Libby?”
“My name’s not important, but I can tell you I used to work with her, a long time ago. I haven’t seen her in almost three years.”
Pete held Jaxon’s gaze, his eyes narrowing. Clearly, the old man didn’t trust him. “You’re gonna have to do better than that. I’m thinking that it’s no coincidence you show up and my place gets shot up.”
Jaxon felt his anger begin to build, and it was getting harder for him to contain it. He kept his eyes on the old man and calmly walked toward the side of the window. He could see out, but hopefully no one would be able to see him.
He clenched his teeth as he observed a tall man, deep in shadow. The newcomer was nondescript, and was leaning against a van parked not far from the cordoned-off area in front of the diner. He co
uld have been a curious citizen, but it was his very normalcy that shouted “Operative” to Jaxon.
He turned back to Pete and spoke with deadly calm. “Look, I know this is difficult for you to understand, and I don’t have time for a lengthy explanation.” He nodded toward the window. “There’s another operative out there waiting for a chance to take Libby out. I need to get her to safety.”
Pete hesitated, and Jaxon could see he was wavering. “Who are these people and what do they want with Libby?”
Jaxon’s voice was clipped as he answered, “That, I can’t say, but you can bet your ass my team will find out.”
His patience was running out and he didn’t want to hurt the older gentleman, but the stakes were getting higher by the second. He knew that if he didn’t get his ass out of Winterhaven soon, things were going to get ugly.
Jaxon crossed to the bed and ignored the cocked gun that was still pointed at his head.
“I said don’t touch her.” Pete’s voice was wavering, and Jaxon’s temper began to boil.
“I am her only chance to survive this night,” he said, his voice hard and his deadly intent clear. “So I suggest you put the fucking gun down.”
Bending over the mattress, he carefully gathered Libby into his arms. Her form seemed to melt into his hard frame, and he felt his body quiver, flush with emotion and need.