Burned (10 page)

She did, the shaky inhalation painful to hear. Maybe something had happened to one of her lungs when they’d hit the tree?

“Good. A few more. Just slow everything down. You’re okay and I won’t let anything happen to you.”

A few more ragged gasps as she struggled to obey.

The wail of sirens sounded in the distance. Now that the cops were arriving on scene Sean allowed himself to relax his guard just a little. He wrapped a hand around the back of her neck, stroked his thumb over the side. She blinked at him, pupils still way too small, the level of constriction telling him how far in shock she was. “Are you hurt?” he asked again, holding her gaze.

All he got was a slight shake of her head, but it was enough to ease him. He’d begun to worry about a head injury from either when her skull had hit the passenger window during that turn or the coup-countercoup during the actual crash.

“The police are almost here and Hunter’s on his way. Gage’ll be with him, and Ellis too. They’ll make sure we’re covered, okay? I’m gonna stay with you the whole time.”

Her eyes darted up to him for a second then went back to staring through the windshield and still she didn’t respond verbally. He could hear her teeth chattering from the force of the shudders tearing through her. Feeling helpless he squeezed her nape gently, hoping his touch and voice were getting through to her. When she swallowed convulsively and shuddered again Sean smoothed a lock of hair back from her cheek.

He understood that she’d be frightened after what had just happened but what he was seeing went well beyond that. Zahra wasn’t scared, she was fucking terrified. And from the haunted look in her eyes he had a feeling she was seeing something far different than the fractured window before them.

Biting back a curse, he gathered her up in his lap to hold her as the patrol cars roared up.

Chapter Nine

It felt like her heart and lungs were caught in a vise. Eyes closed, Zahra huddled against Sean’s chest and struggled to get herself under control. But against the backs of her lids all she saw was fire and blood and death. Her screams blended with her mother’s as the flames licked over them.

God.
She shuddered, swallowed the bile rising in her throat. The memories were so vivid she couldn’t shake them. Even the approaching sirens reminded her of that terrible night. To live through it a second time…

She buried her face in Sean’s throat and wound her arms around his sturdy neck, needing the feel of him to anchor her in the present. Needing that sensory input to block out the phantom burning sensation in the scars on her back, the long dead nerve endings there suddenly flaming to life.

Sean tightened his arms and set his chin on top of her head. “Okay, baby, you’re all right.”

The quiet, calm tone and the way he held her so protectively broke through the shock like a bullet shattering a pane of glass. She hitched in a breath and squeezed her eyes shut tighter as tears flooded her eyes. Sean made a low sound and murmured soft things against her hair but she didn’t hear the words. In the background she was dimly aware that the police had arrived and that Sean had lowered his window. Car doors opened and shut, people crowded around them and started asking Sean questions. When he loosened his hold to shift her away from him she shook her head and clung, still afraid and wanting to avoid the humiliation of having all these witnesses see her lose it.

“Just give us a few minutes,” Sean said and the men backed off. “I’m just going to take you over to the ambulance so they can check you out, okay?” he told her, then opened his door and lifted her into his arms.

She looped her arms around his neck and kept her eyes closed as he strode for the ambulance, the strobe lights flashing against her closed lids. He sat on something and spoke to the paramedics for a minute, stroking her hair until she forced herself to take a shaky breath and sit up. They were sitting on the vehicle’s rear deck. She blinked against the bright light inside the ambulance and wiped at her eyes, avoiding Sean’s gaze.

“Okay now?”

No. Not even close.
She nodded without looking at him, managed to say, “Mmhmm.” He squeezed her hand once in reassurance as she eased off his lap and pulled the blanket tighter around her body. The paramedics looked her over and she answered their questions with answers consisting of a word or two. The older of the two who seemed to be the more senior one told her she was suffering from shock and a bit of whiplash, both of which she already knew. She cast a glance around and saw Sean standing near the SUV talking to the police. They were going to want to question her as well but right now all she wanted was to be alone with Sean, somewhere safe. But where was safe anymore?

When the paramedics finished their exam they waved at a policeman standing nearby. He came over and began interviewing her about what had happened. Her answers were short, her words slurred by the way her jaw kept trembling. She was still cold all over, could hardly answer all these things without the memories crashing over her in a suffocating tide.

Apparently satisfied with her cooperation, the cop left to talk with his fellow officers. Zahra glanced over and found the other Titanium guys had arrived. Hunter, Gage and Ellis stood with Sean at the ruined vehicle as he talked. Taking a bracing breath, Zahra held the blanket closed against her chest with one hand and set her palm on the ambulance floor to ease off the rear deck. The muscles in her right hip screamed in protest the moment she set her weight down on her leg. She gritted her teeth as the painful spasms gripped her limb, becoming aware of the aches and twinges in the muscles across her neck and shoulders. They’d hit that tree so hard, it was a wonder she hadn’t blacked out.

Struggling to keep her balance, she walked unsteadily toward the men. Sean was having an intense discussion with Hunter, his back to her. Gage saw her out of the corner of his eye and headed straight for her before anyone else noticed her. Embarrassed by what the others would no doubt see as weakness, she was nonetheless grateful when he came over and wrapped a thick arm around her waist.

“You look a little shaken up still, darlin’,” he said as he let her lean her weight on him and helped her toward the others.

“A little, yeah,” she answered, glad he’d let her walk instead of carrying her.

Sean met them halfway, his eyes full of concern as they tracked over her face. “You hurt your hip again?”

She nodded, bit back a grimace as the muscles grabbed again. “Hit it against the door, I think. It’s not too bad.” Not as bad as the terror gripping her.

“C’mere,” he said, taking her from Gage’s hold. The moment he touched her and she got a whiff of his familiar masculine scent, tears pricked her eyes again. She blinked and focused on keeping her steps small as they went over to join the others.

“Can we go home now?” she whispered.

“We’ll get you out of here ASAP, but I’m not sure we can let you go back to your place now. Gage has offered to let us go to his place instead. Would you like to see Claire right now?”

“Yes. Just get me out of here.” She couldn’t look at the SUV a moment longer without wanting to retch. The sight of those bullet holes and the memory of the crash brought too many nightmares back.

“Guys, let’s get moving,” he called out.

Hunter walked up and put a hand on the side of her face to get her attention. Startled, she blinked up into his light brown eyes, taken aback by the mixture of intensity and concern she saw there. In that moment she glimpsed another side of him she’d never seen before and understood what his girlfriend, Khalia, must see inside this hardened soldier.

He studied her for a long moment, those eyes searching hers. Then he nodded in satisfaction. “Thatta girl. You hang tough and we’ll take care of everything else.”

Blinking, Zahra could only nod at him in reply. He dropped his hand and headed for one of the two Titanium vehicles parked along the shoulder. Sean helped her toward it, keeping his strides small to match hers. Ellis opened the rear passenger door for them when they got there. He set a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently then stepped back. Sean boosted her onto the leather seat and slid in beside her. “Normally we’d have to go down to the station and file an official report but Alex managed to pull some strings for us so we can skip all that,” he told her.

“I’ll have to remember to thank him for that later,” she said.

Hunter got behind the wheel and started the engine. Assuming Gage and Ellis were in the other vehicle, Zahra reached for her seatbelt but Sean pulled her right into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. She relaxed against him and closed her eyes with a sigh, absorbing his strength and the heat his body emitted.

“I’ve already contacted Alex,” Hunter said from up front. “He knows we’re going to Gage and Claire’s. We’ll figure out what to do next once we get there. The cops and FBI already have teams out looking for the driver. Shouldn’t be long before we know something.”

Surrounded by quiet, Zahra was lulled by Sean’s warmth and the gentle stroke of his hand over her hair. Suddenly her head snapped up to look at him. “Did you get my plaque and my purse?”

His lips quirked. “Now I know you’re feeling better. Ellis has ‘em, and your shoes.”

She leaned back and rested her head against his sturdy shoulder, not in the least embarrassed about the public display of affection in front of Hunter. Sean seemed to like holding her as much as she loved being in his arms, especially right now.

The rest of the drive passed in silence and Zahra looked out the window as they pulled up to a modest two-story house in an unfamiliar suburban neighborhood. The porch light was on and Claire opened the door when Zahra stepped onto the sidewalk out front with Sean’s steadying hand on her waist. At the sight of her friend, Zahra bit her lip and swallowed back tears.

Claire rushed down the front steps and met her in the driveway with a solid hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” Claire whispered, pulling back to search her face. “Come on inside and we’ll get you warmed up.”

There were boxes everywhere in the hallway and kitchen but that wasn’t a surprise since they’d just gotten into town a few days ago. Sean helped her to the sofa in the great room and sank down beside her. Claire appeared with a patchwork quilt to spread over her.

“Want some coffee or anything?”

“Do you have decaf?” Zahra asked. Last thing she needed was a jolt of caffeine to her stressed nervous system.

“I’ve got herbal tea. Sean?”

“Coffee, thanks.”

Claire hurried into the kitchen to make the drinks. Sean rubbed the tops of her shoulders gently. “You’re gonna be sore later. I’ll get Claire to give you some ibuprofen or something. I’ve gotta go talk with the guys for a bit.”

“Sure.” Though she missed the feel of him next to her she understood they needed to plan their next move and she was completely comfortable in Claire’s company. Her friend came back with a steaming mug of tea and two painkillers a few minutes later.

“I laced it with lots of honey, to help counteract the shock, but it’s hot, so be careful.”

Zahra thanked her and curled her legs up beneath her, wincing as her hip seized again.

Claire sat at the opposite end of the couch and pulled her knees up. “If you want to talk about it, I’m here. If you don’t, that’s okay too.”

A knot formed in her throat. She trusted Claire, enough that she almost blurted out everything about the night her mother had died. The words were there, burning a hole inside her, needing an outlet. Something made her hold back. Claire had been through hell these past few weeks and Zahra refused to burden her with more. Besides, she had Sean and she’d tell him everything later when they were alone. At least, she hoped they’d eventually be alone later tonight.

“I was thinking about how much I wished we had nothing more to deal with right now than a good old fashioned girl talk.”

Claire’s eyebrows went up in surprise at the abrupt shift in conversation. “Hey, I’m all over that. Why, you got an update about the no-man-for-six-months-I’m-gonna-be-a-crazy-cat-lady-instead thing?”

She put the pills in her mouth and took a sip of hot tea to wash them down. The sweetness of the honey was pleasant on her tongue. “It’s a bit too early to tell how things are going to go, but yeah, I’ve decided against the cats for the time being.”

Claire smiled, her gray eyes full of understanding. She knew how private Zahra was and that opening up about her personal life wasn’t easy for her, especially if it involved someone they were working with. Claire knew perfectly well Zahra meant Sean. “Well, I’m here if you ever decide you want to talk about that too, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks.” She took another sip of tea and set it on a coaster on the coffee table, her attention catching on the sparkly new ring on Claire’s finger. “Why don’t you distract me for a bit with what you plan to do for your wedding?”

Clearly excited to talk about it, Claire outlined the details until Sean came in and stopped beside the sofa. “We’re definitely not going back to your place tonight, so we can either stay here, at my place with the guys or go someplace else if you have a better suggestion in mind.”

She loved that he said “we”, telling her he had no intention of leaving her for at least tonight. But stay here? She glanced at Claire, who was watching her.

“You’re welcome to stay with us tonight and for as long as you want. If you want,” Claire added.

She appreciated the offer, but considering how Gage had been targeted previously and now Sean and Zahra tonight, it seemed safer to keep them in different locations. She wasn’t sure how the driver had found them tonight, but suspected the mole must have gotten wind of her attending the ceremony. That certainly narrowed down the list of suspects substantially.

Not wanting to think about that any longer, she tried to think of someplace safe and private she could stay with Sean. An idea popped into her head. A place she’d loved spending time in once but hadn’t had the guts to go back to since her mother died. “Does it have to be in the city?” she asked him.