“Doing well, Felix. You?”
Felix kicked a broken lamp toward a stone wall. “I’ve been better.”
Cade laughed. “I’ll make it up to you for your trouble.”
Felix stared at Bailey and Jane. “Pay’s good?”
“I’ve had worse paying jobs,” Cade acknowledged. “But I’ve had easier ones, too.”
“Too much to handle?”
“One’s a chore, two’s a bitch.” Jane had a feeling of which one he thought was the bitch.
Felix laughed. “You two hungry?”
“Yes,” Jane admitted.
“How can you be hungry at a time like this?” Bailey turned an aggravated glance at her.
“Why shouldn’t I be hungry? I wasn’t the one who had to run away in the middle of the night from a husband who kidnaps and rapes women.”
“See what I mean?” Cade broke into the budding argument.
“Si, Amigo. I will feed them then find some whiskey for us.”
“I’d appreciate any help I can get.”
Jane almost snapped at him, but then decided not to confirm that she was the bitch. Instead, she found a broom in the kitchen and began sweeping up as Felix fixed the food.
“You don’t have to do that,” Felix protested.
“I don’t mind. I like keeping busy.” Jane straightened the room as best she could, piling the smaller, broken pieces into the trashcan and making a pile of the larger pieces in the corner. Then she threw the destroyed couch cushions down on the floor for them to sit on.
Once Felix handed her and Bailey a plate with a sandwich and chips, both women sank to the cushions to eat their meal. Jane watched as Cade fixed his own sandwich, standing at the window to eat as he kept watch on the outside.
“I can’t believe you stuck your nose in my business,” Bailey complained in a low whisper. “You never could mind your own business, Fat Louise.”
“Your mother is worried sick, and so is Dad. I couldn’t watch them worry about you.”
“Always eager to help. When are you going to learn that, unlike those loser friends of yours, I don’t need your help?”
“My friends are not losers,” Jane denied heatedly.
“Why don’t you two shut the fuck up? Your big mouths are going to drive me nuts.” Cade dropped a couple of blankets down next to where they were sitting before sitting on one. “Get some rest. We’ll leave in a couple of hours. I want to get to our next stop before it gets dark again.”
“A couple of hours?” Bailey asked, shocked.
“I don’t want to take a chance on them coming back.”
Bailey snapped her mouth closed, picking up a blanket for herself as she lay down. Jane curled her arms around her knees, leaning her forehead on them.
If Killyama were here, Bailey would be too afraid to mistreat me, Jane thought. And Cade would be nicer to me. He would see I’m really not that bad.
She missed her friends yet dreaded seeing them again. They were going to be furious with her for not telling them what she had planned.
She tried unsuccessfully to keep from sniffling, but Cade must have heard. He lowered the glass of whiskey Felix had given him.
“Come here.”
Jane shuffled to his side, and Cade scooted over, giving her enough room to lie down.
“It’s going to be all right,” he said in a low voice.
“No, it’s not. Javier or Carlos’s men are going to catch us and kill us, my sister hates me for making her leave her husband, and if I do survive, my friends are going to kill me for doing this without telling them.”
“We can make it to the border. This isn’t the first time I’ve done this. And your sister is a bitch.”
A loud snort came from Bailey at his words.
“And your friends will understand.”
“If you think I’m a bitch, wait until you meet her friends,” Bailey said snidely, rolling over to give them her back.
“Ignore her. Lie down and get some sleep.”
Jane took his advice, lying down next to him. The night was chilly, and she shivered before moving closer to Cade. He gave an aggravated sigh and rolled to his side, pulling her toward him then placing an arm around her waist. Jane relaxed against him and closed her eyes. It was the first time she had felt safe since she left Jamestown.
Cade stared down at Jane in the morning light, fighting back the surge of protectiveness he felt for the woman. She wasn’t what he had expected. He had anticipated a spoiled daddy’s girl; instead, he had found there wasn’t anything spoiled about her. She had been willing to sacrifice herself for those women being held captive, even giving them the only food they had. With no money, it hadn’t been a smart move on her part. She hadn’t known he planned to stop at Felix’s for supplies, but she had kept the candy bars for herself. He thought about that with a wry smile. He had noticed when they had been stuck in the hotel for two days that she had a sweet tooth.