“You’ve spent too long with the wrong people, Freaky Man. You do that with no one challenging you and you begin to believe your own hype. That’s a dangerous practice.”
She had such a smart mouth. He couldn’t wait for his eyes to clear. She was right, though. He couldn’t fault her for being right. Rene most likely would go behind his back and conduct a search on her. It would be better to give him something and forestall a deep search.
“See why I need you? You’ll keep me on my toes.”
She was silent again for a few seconds, rubbing her thigh. He couldn’t take it. He reached over the small table, removed her hand and laid his palm over her thigh. Her leg was very slender, but he could feel the muscles running beneath her frame. He began a slow massage.
“What happened here? And don’t tell me nothing happened. You’re hurt.”
Meiling sighed. “It’s nothing. You have that infection in your leg, and it was really bad when I put you in the car. Your fever was high, the leg very swollen. You couldn’t see. I told Etienne to have his men take extra care with you. I told them you were my brother. That asshole dragged you out of the car deliberately because he was high as a kite and wanted to prove to Etienne that he could control the situation. I’ve had run-ins with him before.”
Alarm bells went off. “Meiling, are you saying this man knew you? He knows your name and you’ve had problems with him?”
“He didn’t know you. He didn’t even get a good look at you, Gedeon. Your eyes were covered, most of your face was. I was the one fighting them deliberately. I kept their attention centered on me.”
“You deliberately brought the heat down on yourself knowing you have a hit on you.” He swore, once again reaching for the bandages on his eyes, needing to tear them off.
She caught his hand. “You won’t be able to see even if you take those off. Wait for the new doctor’s assessment. In any case, you already know the light is going to be harmful to you.”
“You shouldn’t have brought attention to yourself like that.”
Soft laughter greeted his rebuke.
He wanted to shake her. Instead, he laid his palm over her thigh. “Is this bruised?” He would hear if she lied.
“His name is Jules and he has a brother. Jules dragged you out of the car and I went berserk, calling him out. His brother, Louis, smashed the butt of his gun on my thigh as I turned in the front seat to cover Jules with my gun. It hurt like hell and my automatic reaction was to retaliate. I might have hit Louis just a little too hard. He dropped to the ground, and I got out of the car and managed to get around the hood before anyone else decided to take me on. I think I scared them all.”
She was fierce. She didn’t know him and yet she had put her life on the line to save him. In his mind, there was no question who she was and where she came from. He would bet his last penny on it. But she’d fucked up royally by drawing attention to herself when she had enemies. Jules and his brother, Louis, wouldn’t forget the woman who had shown them up.
“Is Etienne going to be angry enough with those two men that he’d take them out? They went against his orders, and one laid his hands on you. He hurt you.”
She shifted a little under his hand, but she didn’t push it away. “Louis and Jules are related to him in some way. His nephews, I think. He wouldn’t do that. At least I don’t think he would. In any case, they wouldn’t go against Etienne. No one does.”
“Lotus Blossom.” He said his pet name for her as gently as possible. He wanted to lean into her and inhale her feminine fragrance. She smelled a little like he thought the gateway to heaven might. “You accused me of being arrogant and you were right. Think about what you just said. These men already went against Etienne’s orders. If they have a grudge against you, it’s going to eat away at them. If they can find a way to get back at you, they’re going to.”
“Fortunately, they don’t know where I am or who I am,” she said. “I made the commitment to get you out free and clear, Gedeon. I keep my word. You were my client at that point. My responsibility. You were vulnerable and easily targeted. Your face is recognizable. I covered you up as best I could, but if Jules actually took the time to look at you, he might have been able to identify you. That was unacceptable.”