"Charlie come," she shouted, glancing nervously back toward Bricker. He was moving faster than she would have thought humanly possible.
"Get in," Nicholas roared, and Jo threw herself in the back of the van, grabbing at the still-closed door to stay inside when Nicholas immediately hit the gas sending the van jerking forward.
"Charlie come!" Jo shrieked, holding the other door open for him as the van moved forward and he came into view. The German shepherd was still standing, growling, but turned at her call and launched himself toward the van. Charlie ran up behind the vehicle and was about to launch himself through the open door when Bricker was suddenly there, catching him in mid-jump.
"Get out of there, Jo!" Bricker shouted, holding on to her dog. "Get out of there!"
Jo stared at him silently, watching Charlie struggle to get out of his arms. Bricker wasn't hurting the German shepherd, but he wasn't letting him go either. Grinding her teeth together, she pulled the door closed as Bricker yelled, "Dammit, Jo, he's a rogue. Get the hell out of there!"
The door slammed shut, and Jo leaned her head briefly against it, her eyes closing. She knew Charlie would be safe with Bricker. He'd probably take him back to the house and Sam would look after him, but she felt like she was abandoning a child. She was also suddenly questioning her decision to stay with Nicholas. She'd been following her instincts, but Bricker's words were ringing in her ears making her wonder if she should have. Jo, he's a rogue. Get the hell out of there ! The worry and upset on Bricker's face as he'd yelled that had given the words more weight than she liked and she was suddenly having doubts where previously there had been none.
"Hold on to something, Jo," Nicholas ordered, and she glanced around briefly and then simply threw herself to the floor as the van suddenly shot around a corner. Jo slid with the boxes in the back of the van, slamming up against a tire well. She tried to grab it and hold on, but it was smooth with nothing to grasp, and in the next moment she was rolling away and sliding down to hit the back doors as the van straightened out and careened up the street.
"Are you all right?" Nicholas called with concern.
Jo grimaced, but glanced up to see him peering back worriedly.
"Watch the road," she muttered, and crawled to her hands and knees to make her way to the front of the van. Doubts or not, she was there now. Besides, despite everything, she for some reason trusted the man.
"Charlie will be all right. They'll take care of him," Nicholas said quietly as she climbed past the pizza box and into the passenger seat.
"I know," Jo said wearily, pulling out the seat belt and buckling herself in. She closed her eyes briefly and sank back into her seat. "Bricker said you were a rogue."
"Yes."
She opened her eyes and peered at him, but his face was as expressionless as his voice had been. "What does that mean exactly?"
Nicholas hesitated and then sighed. "Maybe I should take you to the enforcer house. You'll be with Charlie and they can explain everything."
"Do you honestly think they'll tell me anything? From all I've learned, they're more likely to wipe my memory, right?"
Nicholas was silent for a minute and then sighed and said, "Maybe that's for the best."
"What?" she asked with amazement, and then growing angry asked, "Is this the immortal version of wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am? Show me the best sex ever and then dump me off with your buddies so that they can erase it all from my memory?"
"They aren't my buddies… anymore," he added wearily. "And I never should have—" Nicholas cut himself off, swallowed, and said, "I have nothing to offer you but a life on the run, Jo. I can't even rent a cheap motel room tonight. I used up the last of the cash I had on hand for the hotel and chicken. I have nowhere to take you and I can't—"
"I have somewhere we can go," Jo interrupted quietly. "Sam's place."
When he glanced at her sharply, she shrugged and said, "It's her old apartment. Sam moved in with Mortimer, but couldn't break her lease. It's fully furnished and I keep telling Sam she should sublet, but she hasn't got around to it yet… which works nicely for us. I have a key. It's free and we have pizza," Jo pointed out. "We can stay there tonight and talk. You can explain what a rogue is and why you're one and then I'll decide whether to let you dump me at the enforcer house or not."
Nicholas was silent for a moment, considering the suggestion, and then asked, "What's the address?"
CHAPTER 12
"I thought you said you had a key?" Nicholas asked grimly, his wary gaze sliding over the closed apartment doors in the hall outside Sam's apartment. "I do." Jo didn't even glance up from the lock she knelt before. "At home. The only thing I had in my pocket when we left so precipitously was my wallet. Don't worry, though, I've got this."