Blowback Read Free Page B

numbing her to the injury. “What did you say?”
    She pulled herself to her elbows and turned to look at him over her shoulder. “I said, ‘You said you’d come for me.’”
    “What?” He grabbed his first aid kit out of his bag and lightly pushed her back down. Grabbing a pair of forceps and gauze, he set about removing the glass.
    She just groaned. Good job too. He’d heard what she said, and it bit him to his core. When he’d last seen her at the airport in Iraq, he’d told her that he’d come for her. They’d had such an intense connection, albeit totally platonic, that he’d been sure that he would be looking her up as soon as he got stateside. But his sober, in-recovery head had prevailed. He’d struggled when he got back stateside. He was hauled over the coals by the Feds and then became instrumental in bringing down the black-ops company he’d worked for.
    He’d left the dark side, and maybe he should have found Molly, but something had held him back. He’d realized that she was better off without his fucked-up self hanging around. Now she was here, he couldn’t imagine how he’d convinced himself of that. How he’d stayed away for so long. She was still…perfect. Well, bleeding, obviously, but perfect nonetheless. He had to keep his head in the game. The original plan: stay away from her. He didn’t deserve her, and she definitely didn’t deserve a broken, ex-military guy with no foreseeable future. Especially since he’d just effectively deserted his post.
    No. He had to keep her at arm’s length. The level of his attraction to her in Iraq had shocked him, rattled him to his core. But he’d been involved with such shady activities, he’d barely spoken to her. Barely spoken to anyone. Now, for sure, he was better. But the darkness still lurked. The memories of the deaths of friends, the nightmares, and cold sweats that came from nowhere. She’d never understand what he’d done. No one could.
    He barely could.
    The last of the glass was out, and he sprayed an antibiotic ointment over the little cuts, and fixed a makeshift bandage with gauze and tape. “There. Good as new. Kind of.”
    She sat up. Shit, her face was so white.
    “Are you going to pass out?” he asked, concerned.
    He shoved her head between her legs and held her down with his hand between her shoulder blades. She relaxed beneath his hand, and he found himself stroking her shoulders.
    Her head popped up. Followed by the rest of her. She was at the door before he had time to react. “Dr. Doubrov. I have to find him. It’s important.”

CHAPTER TWO
    M olly felt for her pocket. The envelopes were still there, thank God. She opened the door, but David slammed it shut.
    “I’ll just be a few minutes. I just have to see Dr. Doubrov. It’s important.”
    “Is that the guy you were holding hands with? He was shot, sweetheart.” He frowned at her.
    Molly took a moment. Yes. He’d fallen down. He’d been shot? “Who shot him?”
    David was silent for a moment, and her gaze rested on his face.
    David. Here.
    Hell, he looked good. All these months waiting for him, and he was just here.
    When she had first really laid eyes on him, she was peeking at him through a window as he took an impossible shot into a trailer and saved them. He’d been drunk, and impossible. And she’d wanted him so much. Wanted to save him, to make him feel better. To stomp on whatever demons were keeping him from participating in reality. To run her fingers through his short dark hair. His eyes had been so sad, and he’d seemed resigned. Like he’d already given up on life. In that second he’d broken her heart as he’d saved her life.
    It hadn’t hurt that he was tall, and built in the way only a career combat military guy could be. Broad shouldered, with hard arms that she just wanted to be wrapped in. When his dark eyes had rested on hers, the hard lines on his face faded, and although his lips remained pressed into a hard line, his eyes had