Long Road Home - Maya Banks Page 0,3
two things she was unworthy of, reflected in their depths.
He left her side and poured water from the pitcher by the sink into a plastic cup. Returning, he held the cup to her lips. She sipped gratefully at the cool liquid, a soothing balm to her raw throat.
When she was finished, he set the cup aside and pulled a chair up to the bed. He settled down and curled his warm hand around her limp one. Heat spread comfortingly up her arm.
He picked up her hand and kissed it. “Thank God you’re alive.”
She choked as a sob mounted. She breathed frantically, willing her iron control not to desert her. It was too much. Her lips slipped open, and a raw sound of agony burst from her chest.
Her breaths came jerkily and tears burned a fiery trail down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry.”
“What are you sorry for, baby?” His worried gaze swept over her.
She took in a huge breath. “Mom, Pop.”
Pain contorted his brow. He glanced briefly away as if to compose himself. When he looked back at her, only his eyes held a shadow of sadness. “Try not to think about that now,” he murmured. “You need to rest and get better so I can take you home.”
Home. The word sent shards of pain racing through her. She no longer had a home. No longer had a family. Manny was all she had left, and he would die just like the Trehans.
His hand cupped her cheek, soothing the hurt away with gentle fingers. What she wouldn’t give to let him solve all her problems, just like she had done so many times in her youth. He had always been there when she had fallen, her protector. Only now, she had to be the one to protect him.
She inhaled deeply, allowing his spicy scent to curl over her. It provided her comfort, if only for a few moments. He leaned forward, pressing his lips to her forehead as his hand stroked her hair. “Do you hurt? Do I need to call the nurse?”
She hurt all over, but even the strongest narcotic wasn’t going to take away her pain. And she couldn’t allow her mind to be dulled. She was a sitting duck in this hospital, both she and Manny targets.
Slowly, she shook her head. “I’m okay.”
Manuel watched the battle play out over her face, his gut clenching at her obvious pain. Her injuries weren’t life-threatening, thank God, but her ribs had taken a hell of a beating.
He had to work to keep his hands off her. He needed to touch her, hold her. Convince himself that she was lying here in front of him, very much alive. In his darkest hours, he’d allowed himself a brief moment to believe that she really might be dead. Might never come back. Yet here she was. Changed. Very different from the starry-eyed girl who had left for France three years ago. But still, it was her. What horrors had she endured?
He tamped down the surge of impatience. His questions could be answered later. For now he would rejoice in the fact that she had come back to him, and he would see to her safety. He stood up and squeezed her hand. “Get some rest. I’ll be close by.”
Her eyelids were already fluttering closed as he stepped into the hall. He pulled out his phone and punched in Tony’s number.
“How is she?” Tony asked immediately as he answered.
Manuel sighed. How to answer that question? She was alive, but beyond that he wasn’t sure how she was at all. “She’s okay, I think.”
“I’ve arranged her transfer to a military hospital in Bethesda. The paperwork is materializing as we speak. She’ll be transported to the airport by ambulance. An army helicopter will fly her to the base in Colorado Springs. From there, she’ll be flown to Maryland.”
“Thanks, Tony. I owe you.”
“Not a problem. Even the army won’t have a clue who she is.” Tony chuckled.
“You find anything else out?” Manuel asked after a moment’s hesitation.
“Not yet, but I’m on it.”
Manuel hung up the phone. Tony would come through. There wasn’t much he couldn’t find out. Being a computer geek for the CIA had its perks.
He re-entered Jules’s room but stood quietly back, watching her sleep. Her pale face held such an air of vulnerability. A wave of possessiveness rolled over him, startling him with its ferocity. Though her adopted parents had played an important role in his life, his feelings for her were not those of