Bad Attitude (B.A.D. Agency #1)(25)
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

The assassin’s helper went limp.

“Jack!” Syd said, placing herself between him and his victim. “What did you do?”

“That bastard shot at my dog!” He moved her out of his way as he went for the dead man.

“Jack! Steele needs attention.”

Jack was about to stomp the body when her words finally penetrated his anger. He turned to look at Steele, who was still lying on the ground.

Syd felt her heart sink as she saw the bleeding wound on Steele’s arm. She ran toward him and fell down by his side. She felt terrible about his newest injury.

“See what happens when you don’t kill them,” Steele said, his dark eyes accusing her.

“All right, you win. Next time, kill the bastards.”

Those dark eyes of his narrowed accusingly. “You’re not funny.”

“I know,” she said honestly.

Jack helped him to his feet. “We need to get that taken care of.” He indicated Steele’s wound with a tilt of his head.

Then he looked at the hired killer, who was still lying motionless. By the glint in his eye it was obvious he wanted to kill the assassin too.

Syd sighed. “We need to secure the killer first.”

“You take Steele, and I’ll handle him.”

She gave Jack a suspicious look. “Can you handle him, or will he have an unfortunate accident too?”

Jack grumbled under his breath. “I’ll hog-tie him without any more harm. Unless he wakes up and tries to escape. Then what I do to him while trying to reapprehend him isn’t my fault.”

Syd let out an exasperated breath. But there was nothing she could really do with Jack. He was a man with his own mind. The best she could do was get Steele to safety and hope that Jack didn’t play too rough with their captive.

As she looked at Steele and saw the heavy stain of red seeping through his sweatshirt, all thoughts of the assassin fled. “Oh, my God, are you okay?”

“You ever nick yourself while shaving?”

Completely confused by his question, she nodded. “Yeah.”

“You know the burn you get that hurts like hell?”

“Yeah.”

“This is nothing like that. It’s a lot worse.”

She rolled her eyes at his misbegotten humor.

“I’m just a little lightheaded,” Steele said as he stumbled. “You can help Jack. I can make it back to—”

“No. It sounds like you’re one step away from passing out from blood loss.”

“I don’t pass out.”

She had to smile at his bravado. “It’s okay not to be Superman, Steele. Here’s the thing. I know you’re human, and I like you that way.”

His face softened as he placed his arm around her shoulders. “Good, ’cause I feel like shit, and all I really want to do is sit down and find some serious pain meds. You still got the bottle the doctor gave you?”

“Yes.”

“Then find me a bed and let me sleep.”

His voice reminded her of a little boy. And those words more than anything else told her just how badly he was hurt. “Okay. You got it.”

She wrapped her arm around his waist and held his hand, which was still draped over her shoulders. It wasn’t a lover’s embrace, and yet it made her strangely hot. She really did like this man, for all his sarcasm and venom.

And she hated that about herself. Syd prided herself on being above the shortcomings of an “emotional” woman. She could be just as detached and businesslike as any man. Her mother had been a very gentle and sweet woman who had given up a great career in the business world to marry her father and raise them.

It was an unfortunate curse that two people couldn’t pursue two high-profile jobs simultaneously and raise a family. Someone had to give, and she didn’t want it to be her. She wanted to be the successful professional her mother hadn’t been able to be. Not to mention, she had a calling.

She’d sworn on Chad’s grave that she would never allow another child to die so needlessly if she could help it.

But Steele made it easy to forget that harder side of herself. Something inside her felt giddy around him. Soft.

And Syd Vicious was anything but soft.

She didn’t speak as she helped him back into the mine shaft and led him to Jack’s command center. Steele had just sat down on the couch when Cletus came running into the room after them.

The dog launched himself at Steele, who sucked his breath in sharply.

“Easy, old fellow.”

The dog licked his chin before bounding off again.

Syd went to her bag, only to remember that in the confusion of leaving the hotel, she’d left his meds after all.

“Uh-oh.”

“What?”

She gave him a sheepish look. “I didn’t get them. Sorry.”

Disappointment flashed across his face, but he quickly recovered. “It’s okay.”

“Maybe Jack has some.” But Syd felt awful as she went back to him and held a makeshift bandage to his savaged arm. She could feel the well-developed muscles flexing under her hand. “You need to hold still.”

Steele leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes. She watched him with a foreign tenderness in her breast while he rested.

It amazed her that he trusted her enough to close his eyes and let his vulnerability show. This man didn’t trust many people, and she was now one of the small handful that he did.

A smile of satisfaction hovered at the edges of her lips.

At least, until she heard Jack returning. Sobering, she turned her head to see him dragging the unconscious assassin inside. He really had hog-tied the man. Jack shoved him roughly against the wall.

Then, he moved to a small Army locker under the center table.

Frowning, she watched Jack rummage in it a few minutes before he brought what appeared to be an Army ammunition box to her. He flipped it open to show her bandages, alcohol, salve, and medical tape.

“If you root around in there, I have some Tylox too. That should help with the pain.”

“Is it safe?”

Jack nodded. “We’re about the same size. It was given to me six months ago when I had a tooth pulled. It should ease him some.”

“Thanks, Jack,” Steele said gratefully.

“No problem.” Jack motioned for Syd to get up. “I have a guest room you might want to put him in.”

Both of Steele’s eyes flew open. “You’re a god, Jack.”

“I know. Now get your lazy ass up before you bleed on my sofa.”

“I’ll bleed on you, you old coot.” Steele pushed himself up with a grimace.

As soon as Steele was on his feet, Jack led them to what Syd had thought was a wall. He pulled what
appeared to be a stalactite in the ceiling. Two seconds later, the wall shifted to reveal a hidden hallway.

“I never sleep out in the open,” Jack said with a wink. “You never know who might drop in on you.”

She shook her head at him as he walked inside, then flipped a wall switch. Lights came on to illuminate the narrow hallway. “It’s the second door on the left. The bathroom is right across from it. You get him situated, and I’ll go see about making sure no one can find us.”

“Thanks, Jack.”

He inclined his head before he left them.

Holding the medical supplies, Syd led the way down to the bedroom, which was surprisingly hospitable. It had a queen-sized sleigh bed along with a dresser and nightstand. Like the rest of the place, there were no windows, but the lights were bright enough that she didn’t really need one.

Steele headed straight for the bed while she set her supplies down on the nightstand.

She moved to help Steele take his shirt off, and cringed at the sight of his bleeding shoulder. “That looks painful.”

“For once looks aren’t deceiving. It hurts like hell.”

She could just imagine. As soon as he was lying down, she set about cleaning and bandaging his injuries. The one in his shoulder looked incredibly angry. It was red and puffy, probably already infected. “You really need to rest this.”

“That’s what I wanted to do, but someone”—he glared meaningfully at her—“made me get up and go assassin hunting.”

“Okay, I’m sorry. Happy now?”

“Not really.”

Shaking her head at him, she left him long enough to go to the bathroom. Just as she’d hoped, she found a small stack of Dixie Cups. She grabbed one and filled it up before she returned to Steele. She handed him the cup, then dug out the meds from the Army container.

“Bless you,” Steele said as he reached for it.

As soon as he washed it down with the water, she took the cup back and set it on the nightstand. She tucked him into bed, then brushed the hair back from his damp brow. He had a slight fever already.

“Don’t get ill on me, Steele.” She grabbed the box and dug out the supplies she needed to tend to his slashed forearm.

He opened one eye to pin her with piercing look. “Don’t worry. I’ll be well enough to go confront your assassin leader tomorrow.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“No?”

She shook her head. “No. You’re a good guy, Steele. I would hate to see you taken out over this.”

He opened his other eye. “What? Are you actually softening up?”

“Just a little, but don’t tell anyone. This is just between you and me, okay?”

One corner of his mouth quirked up. He reached his uninjured arm out to her so that he could cup her cheek in his hand. His rough palm scraped her skin. He lightly stroked her lips with his thumb. “It’s our secret. Promise.”

It took all her self-restraint not to turn her face in his palm and kiss his hand. It’d been way too long since she’d had such an intimate moment, and she had to say that she cherished the novelty of it.

She could hear Jack down the hallway.

Steele let his hand fall away as he closed his eyes again. The absence of his warmth brought an ache to her chest.

Good grief, Syd. What is wrong with you?

But then she knew. She was lonely. No matter how much she wanted to stand on her own two feet and have no emotional attachments, the truth was that she was human. And all humans wanted someone they could depend on. Someone they could call their own.

She’d never really had a man like that. One who openly acknowledged her. For some reason, she only seemed to pick guys who were afraid that by being open, they would lose some kind of respect or prestige. Guys who didn’t believe in any kind of public displays of affection.

But she’d been raised on movies likeCasablanca andGone with the Wind. Movies of a woman being swept off her feet by a guy who didn’t care what other people thought of him.

Oh, what a stupid thought!

She had much more important things to think about than long-buried high school fantasies.

She fought the urge to reach out and stroke Steele as she got up. He was delectable, lying there at her mercy. But she had an assassin to interrogate and a lunatic out there who might maim or kill him just for looking askance at his dog.

Syd hastened her steps as she went back to the command center. True to her fears, Jack had the assassin tied so tightly that his limbs were turning blue.

“Jack?”

Grumbling, he immediately set about loosening the ropes. “You know, that’s the whole problem with this country. Too many bleeding hearts. What about my bleeding heart? They could have killed Cletus.”

He tightened the rope again.

“Jack! If he hurts Cletus, then I’ll let you kill him. As it was, all he did wastry to hurt him.”

“Trying is as good as doing in my book.” Even so, he loosened the ropes so that the assassin’s limbs began turning back to their original color.

“Thank you.”

Jack made a rude noise as he ambled away. Shaking her head, Syd double-checked to make sure the assassin was still alive and secure, but not in danger.

“How long will he be out?”

She swore she heard him mumble, “I hope for eternity.” In a louder tone he said, “I don’t know. A couple of hours, probably.”

Syd grimaced at that. So much for interrogation tonight. Damn.

Jack gave her a sympathetic look. “You hungry, angel?”

Syd nodded as she remembered the fact that it was dinnertime, and she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. “Starving actually.”

“So what appeals to you? And please don’t tell old Jack that you’re one of those cabbage eaters.”

Smiling, Syd shook her head. “I like cabbage. You know, roughage is good for you.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t got none of it here.”

“And I like corned beef too.”

He actually looked relieved. “I got steaks and potatoes.”

“That sounds great. You want me to help?”

“Nah, that’s all right. You keep an eye on our friend, and I’ll go fire up the grill.”

She widened her eyes at that thought. “You’ve got a grill down here?”

“No, that’d be stupid. There’s a difference between crazy and stupid, woman. And I’m the former, not the latter.”

Syd held her hands up in surrender. Steele had been right, Jack-Logic was unique. Far be it from her to question it. “Do you mind if I tinker with your computer while you’re gone?”

He scratched his chest as he thought it over. “You can use Roberta. I don’t think there’s anything you can screw up on her.”

“Gee, thanks.”

He winked at her as he went over to the computer next to the one he’d used to track their hired gun. He moved the mouse to bring it out of sleep mode. He turned toward her and handed her another earpiece. “You need anything, just holler.”

“Will do. Thanks.”

He inclined his head to her before he took off.

As soon as she was alone, Syd sat down and pulled up information about the Uhbukistanis. The president wasn’t here yet, but the clock was ticking.