Page 34 of Fighting for Lucy

Unresolved anger aside, Lucy … felt something for this man. Always had. And while she had no idea if there would ever be a time when they could explore it, at the very least, she wanted to know that he was alive and living his best life, whatever that looked like for him.

“I need you,” she added, uttering the words aloud that she hated down to her very soul. After spending an entire lifetime adamantly denying that she needed anyone, in this moment, she had no choice but to admit that she was vulnerable.

Like those words flipped a magic switch, he froze mid-strike. With his fist still in the air he looked over his shoulder at her. There was confusion on his face as he stared at her. “You … need … me?” he asked like the words were foreign.

Inching closer, she swept her hand up his back to his shoulder, allowing her fingers to betray her shaky emotional footing by curling into his T-shirt. “Yes. I need you. Please stop. He’s dead, you saved me. I just want to get out of here.”

There were still hours to go before they were going to make their escape, and with blood all over his clothes and dotted on his skin, plus his torn knuckles, she had no idea how Zander was going to maintain his role. But the thing was despite everything, she trusted this man. Yes, he lied, but she was sure if she knew the whole story she would understand why, this undercover job was taking a massive toll on him, and deep down he was a good man. A trustworthy man. One you could rely on.

“We should leave now.” His hand moved to grab hers, pulling her to her feet along with him.

“We can't. It’s not midnight.” Midnight was the plan. Once the guys passed out drunk, he was going to sneak her out and into some tunnels that supposedly ran from the house out into the jungle.

“Don’t care. Not having you hang around here a second longer. I won't risk that happening again,” he said fiercely. It was clear by the expression on his face that Zander had switched into warrior mode and was running scenarios in his head.

“I can handle it,” she said, although she had to swallow a lump of fear to get the words out. If it meant them both surviving, she would handle anything she had to.

Eyes softening, Zander pulled her closer, snuggling her against his hard chest as one of his hands cupped the back of her neck and the other arm wrapped around her waist. “I'm not going to let you get raped just to buy us a few more hours, baby.As soon as I get you out of here this role is blown and the op is over. A couple of hours earlier isn’t going to change much.”

Lifting her hands to place them on his pecs, she shook her head as she looked up at him. “I can't let you ruin your mission for me. I'm just one person, whatever you're doing here is more important.” It sucked to say the words, but they were true. What was her life in comparison to the hundreds or thousands that would be saved if Zander’s op was successful?

Darkness flared in his eyes and then the next thing she knew, his mouth was branding hers in a fiery kiss. “Don’t say that again, Lucy.” There was a warning note in his tone that confused her. She’d always sensed that the attraction she felt wasn’t one-sided, but she’d never thought there was more to it than that.

But the way he said that made it sound like there was more.

Something that ran deeper than chemistry.

“But—”

“I’ve been doing this for almost a year. I have enough intel gathered to lead us to the men we were looking for, the group that killed my team. I was hanging around because I wanted to be part of the takedown. But … vengeance isn’t more important than your life.”

Emotion swelled in her chest. That was so sweet of him to say, however, she couldn’t help but feel that this vengeance was something he needed. “Zander, that’s so sweet, and I appreciate it, but I understand …”

“You don’t. Because I don’t even understand it. For eighteen months all I’ve been able to think about was getting my revenge on the men who tortured and killed my brothers. I would have sworn it was all I needed, only now I know there’s something I need more than that. I need to know you're safe.”

Without giving her time to process any of that, Zander started moving, pulling her along with him as he reclaimed his grip on her hand.

They headed away from the house, out into the dark jungle. Zander moved purposefully, confidently, like he knew exactly where he was going and what he was doing. Since she had nothing of value to offer, she just followed.

As he led her down into a tunnel, Lucy was suddenly swamped by a sick feeling she was unfortunately well acquainted with. It was hard to explain, kind of like you were riding a rollercoaster, only the rollercoaster was huge, going right up to the stars, and the sickening feeling in her stomach matched it. A headache creeped into the back of her skull as well, and combined there was no way she could ignore the warning signs. Despite this being the absolute worst timing possible, there was no denying the inevitability of it.

Some time within the next twenty-four hours she was going to have a seizure.

January 24th

9:02 P.M.

Barely an hour had passedsince he killed the man assaulting Lucy and fled with her.

The more distance they put between them and Raul’s house, the safer he should feel, but for Zander, it seemed like the opposite.

Something was wrong with Lucy. That much he was sure of. There was a lethargy about her that had him on edge.

Of course, after the ordeal she’d been through it was normal that she have an adrenalin crash. Hopped up on the arousal drug as she’d been for the last thirty-six hours or so, he doubted shehad gotten any meaningful sleep, and before that she’d been in a plane crash and hiked, injured, through the jungle.

Totally normal that she would be exhausted and lethargic.

Should be nothing to worry about other than the basics of dealing with the fallout of shock.

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