Page 86 of Protecting Bree
“I think that was also a joke. Lord, Smiley, what’s gotten into you?” Bree asked.
“You. You make me want to be a better man. Not so grumpy all the time.”
She put her hand on his cheek and caressed him with her thumb. “I love you exactly how you are. Be grumpy, Smiley. Be an asshole. Because I don’t ever want you to change who you are for me.”
“You had a question?” he asked a little hoarsely. He was overwhelmed by this woman. Here she was, in a foreign country, filthy, hungry, thirsty, hurting, and yet she was the one reassuringhim. He didn’t deserve her, but he was going to do everything in his power to try to keep the look of love in her eyes that he saw right that moment. The belief in her gaze that said she trusted him to take care of her. To get them out of this fucked-up position they were in.
“Are we lost?”
Smiley blinked. That wasn’t what he thought she was going to ask. He felt his cheeks heat with embarrassment. He hated to admit his shortcomings to this woman, but he wasn’t about to lie to her. Not now, after everything she’d suffered.
He shrugged. “I’m not the best at directions. I’m an expert marksman, I can swim for miles without tiring, can outrun all of my teammates. But I suck at figuring out which way to go.”
To his surprise, Bree smiled. “So I guess I’m going to have to be our navigator when we go on road trips, huh?”
The thought of the two of them sitting in a cartogether, with her telling him which way to turn, sent a shaft of pleasure shooting through his system. “Yeah, sweetheart. You are.”
“So what’s the plan? Did you figure out where we are when you looked over the edge of the roof?”
His woman didn’t miss much. “Just that we’re headed in the wrong direction,” he admitted a little sheepishly. “We want to head backtowardthe water, not away from it.”
“But isn’t that where Mateo’s men will be looking for us?” she asked, her brow furrowing.
“You saw the fliers. They’re looking for us everywhere. But my team and I were at a motel near the water, the port. I’m sure they’ve fanned out, trying to find us, but the closer we can get to my team’s perimeter, the better.”
“What about your computer friend, Tex? Can’t he tell them where we are?”
“He should be able to. But if he had, they’d have found us by now. I have a tracker on me, but it must be malfunctioning.”
“Oh. I have a feeling Tex isn’t going to be happy about that.”
“You have no idea,” Smiley agreed, thinking about what the computer genius was doing right that second. Having a temper tantrum to end all tantrums, probably. He wasn’t exactly thrilled himself. If ever he’d needed an assist, it was now.
“Maybe ifIgot the lay of the land, I could help,” Bree suggested.
Smiley’s first reaction was to say no, she needed to rest. But he reconsidered. He was obviously useless when it came to navigation. She couldn’t be worse than he was.
“In a while. For now, we need to rest. When the sun sets, we’ll set out again.”
“In the dark?” Bree questioned.
“We’re too conspicuous. The bounty on your head is too much for the people in this part of the city to ignore. It would be like someone offering two million dollars for the return of their runaway dog back home. Everyone would be on the lookout and wouldn’t hesitate to make a call for that kind of money if they spotted the animal.”
“I don’t understand why he wants me so badly,” Bree mused.
“I’m not saying this to be a dick, but I don’t think it’s you, per se,” Smiley said. He’d been thinking about this. “I think it’s more the principle at this point. He paid a good chunk of money for you, and as time went on, stubbornness set in and he became more and more determined to get you.”
“So it’s a pride thing?” Bree asked with a frown.
“Something like that.”
“That’s stupid,” she said with a huff.
“It is,” Smiley agreed.
“So…what happens when we find your team and get the hell out of here? What then? Is he going to come back to California? Send more people after me? Will I have to hide out for the rest of my life because of his stupid pride?”
“No!” Smiley exclaimed. Again, too loud.
