Page 107 of The Reluctant Siren
Jensen was looking up at her with agony in his eyes. Hemanaged to reach a shaking hand up. “Har…har…low…”
The impulse was right there. To take his hand and comforthim and stay with him when he went to the hospital. She wanted to smooth thingsover for him. And he would take it all. He would take everything she had togive him and then next time he decided something was “better” for her than hewas, Jensen would leave. It was what he did.
She took a step back. “Make sure he tells you where the datais. I don’t want the feds to get it first. I want a copy made before we turn itover.” She turned to Landon. “Here, I’ll fill Ian in. I’m sure Jack’s busy.”
“Harlow,” Niall called out as she started to step outsidewith the phone. “He needs you.”
But Jensen didn’t, and he’d proved it over and over again.
“He’ll live and he has you,” she said quietly. “I’ll makesure the ambulance knows where to pick him up.” She put the phone to her ear.“Hey, Ian, Landon did a great job, but Jack has some real problems.”
She walked out, letting professionalism hold back the stormof emotion that threatened.
She wasn’t going to give him one more second of her tears.
* * * *
Niall sat in the small room in the emergencydepartment, staring down at his cell. Still nothing.
“She’s not calling you back, man. You should go after her.”Jensen looked beyond tired, but then he’d had like thousands of volts ofelectricity run through his system or something. He’d been hooked up to EKGsand had his blood taken and reflexes tested. He’d also talked to the DallasPolice and a man who introduced himself as Jack’s boss.
They had been here for hours, and not one word from Harlow.
Was she done with him, too?
“I’m not sending you home in an Uber.” He was pissed atJensen, but he couldn’t abandon him. Though now he worried Harlow would thinkhe was choosing Jensen over her.
His gut was in knots, but he wasn’t sure what he should do.
“I can call someone.” Jensen looked past tired. He’d aged inthe hours since he’d gotten out of their bed and made the choice to leave them.
“Who?” Niall was unaware he’d made a bunch of friends whilehe was seeking his revenge on the man who’d killed his brother.
Who was dead now because Harlow put a bullet in him.
Would Jensen hold that against her?
Why was he even thinking that way? She’d made herself plain.If he had a shot with her—and that felt like a big if all of the sudden—hewould have to give up Jensen.
His only family.
Jensen sat back, moving his hand like the IV there buggedhim. “Well, I guess I would call an Uber.”
“And where would you go?” His friend wasn’t thinkingstraight. “Your place? It’s being combed over by the police and the FBI. Do youhonestly want to go back there?”
Jensen’s last act before the ambulance had shown up had beento crawl to his kitchen, to find the place behind his refrigerator where he’dslipped the drive. It was covered with wallpaper and had taken him a moment tolocate since his hand had still been shaking, but he’d passed it off to Landonto take to Harlow.
“It’s all I have,” Jensen admitted. “I can’t even sleep inmy car. It’s still impounded. I’ll figure out how to get that out.”
“I already got it out for you.”
Niall turned, and one of the Dawson brothers stood in thedoorway.
Well, his luck was holding, since that was Chase Dawson cometo tell them to stay the fuck away from his daughter. Behind him was Ben. Hecould tell the difference because Chase’s expression was utterly impassive, andBen looked sympathetic.
Chase stepped inside. He wore a button-down and slacks withloafers that likely cost more than Niall made in a month. “I had your vehiclebrought down here. It’s waiting when you’re ready to leave. You should knowthat Ian has smoothed everything over with the police and the FBI… Well, we’renot sure what they’re doing at this point, but they don’t want anything else todo with you. They’re satisfied they can take down the rest of theorganization.”
Yes, that was a man who looked like he’d gotten everythinghe wanted.
