The Return of the Rebel

uneasy feeling inched down her spine. Was this the man Jax was avoiding? If so, she fully understood why Jax wouldn’t want anything to do with him. Her mouth grew dry. The guy looked as though he could bench-press a car. And the menacing look in his eyes gave her the creeps.

Something definitely wasn’t right here. Her palms grew moist. Standing alone with this man was not a good idea. It was time to get moving.

“I really need to be going. I have people waiting for me.” She started walking, but instead of taking the private path back to the casino, she veered toward the pool, hoping there might still be some stragglers hanging out.

“Don’t walk away from me. This is important. Just tell me where to find him and there won’t be any trouble.”

She didn’t need to hear any more. She walked faster. The man easily kept pace.

The hairs on the back of her neck lifted. When she reached the pool area, luckily some young people were still milling about. Not that they were paying her any attention. Still, whatever this man meant by his threat, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to try something with so many witnesses... Would he?

She got as far as the first line of lounge chairs when his meaty fingers reached out and clamped around her upper arm, halting her progress. She jerked her arm, but his grip was like a vice. Her heart jumped, lodging in her throat.

He pulled her to him. Her back pressed to his chest and he wrapped his hand over her mouth. “I want you to give Jax a message—”

Cleo bit down on the man’s finger.

A curse thundered in her ears. He yanked his hand away. Never taking her eyes off him, she backed up. He lunged for her. In the ensuing struggle, her foot got caught in a lounge chair. She lost her balance and fell backward, hitting the concrete.

CHAPTER SIX

“OPEN YOUR EYES.”

Jax stared down at Cleo’s pale, lifeless form on a stretcher in the back of an ambulance. His chest tightened as he said a silent prayer to the big guy upstairs. She just had to be all right. She had to be.

His thumb stroked the soft skin of her limp hand. He had no idea what had happened. When he’d heard there was a commotion out by the pool and Cleo hadn’t returned, he’d gone looking for her. He never expected to find Cleo in a crumpled heap on the ground.

There hadn’t been time to stop and ask questions. All he could think about was her opening her beautiful green eyes again. But one thing he knew in that moment was that the girl who’d given him a peck all those years ago still meant the world to him. He reached into his pocket. His fingers traced over the pocket watch—his good-luck charm. He was about to pull it out and press it into her limp hand when he noticed her fingers move.

“Jax? Where am I?”

Cleo’s voice was weak but clear. He’d never heard anything so wonderful in his whole life. He longed to pull her into his arms and hold her close.

“You fell, but don’t worry, you’re going to be fine now.” She tried to sit up, but the straps on the gurney held her down. “Not so fast, they still have to check you out. You got quite a bump on your head.”

She glanced over, noticing the paramedic reading off her stats to the hospital.

“My leg hurts and I can’t move it.”

“They immobilized it. Looks like you banged it up pretty good.”

She closed her eyes and he worried that she had slipped into unconsciousness, but she quickly opened them again. “I’m sorry to be such a bother.”

He held her hand between both of his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “You could never be a bother. Right now all you have to do is concentrate on getting better.”

He wanted to ask her what happened, but now wasn’t the time to get into it. Still, Cleo wasn’t a clumsy person. When you lived on a ranch, you learned to be fast on your toes. So what exactly had happened to her?

He was still holding her hand as they backed up to the emergency room entrance. Her fingers were cold as she kept a firm grip on him. When he tried to pull away, she wouldn’t let go.

“It’s okay. They’ll take good care of you.” He stared straight into her eyes, noting the worry reflected in them. He lifted her hand and pressed his lips to her delicate skin. “You’re safe now. I promise.”

“Will...will you stay?”

“You bet. They couldn’t drag me out of here if they tried.”

“Thank you.”

The fact that she wanted him with her, that he was able to provide some sort of comfort, stirred a strange sensation in his chest. It wasn’t the protective feeling of a big brother watching over a little sister. No, this was something different—something much deeper. Much more powerful.