Surrender the Dark Read Online Free PDF

door frame and loosely crossed her arms. “You’re on my turf now, McCullough. I come and go as I please.”
    Jarrett noticed she kept her gaze trained on his face without seeming to flinch. It occurred to him then that she
had
in fact been looking at one banged-up naked man on a daily basis: himself. And she didn’t appear all that impressed by the sight.
    That he’d even considered this jerked his attention back to the matter at hand.
    “Fine.” Without another glance, he braced himself and moved another foot toward the bathroom.
    She remained silent as he struggled, never making a move to help. It took all of his strength not to grunt or groan as he shuffled along, but he’d be damned if he’d give her any more of a show than was absolutely necessary. Jarrett didn’t doubt that the sight of him in his current disabled condition gave her a measure of satisfaction. God knows she deserved to feel all that and more. Still, it didn’t mean he had to like it.
    He had to stop, braced in the doorway, and take a few shallow breaths. Sweat had beaded across his upper lip and forehead, and what little strength he’d had was gone. But he wasn’t about to quit now.
    “I’m not enjoying any of this, McCullough,” she said to his back. “I didn’t spend three days patching you up for kicks. But I’m not going anywhere until I make sure’ you don’t undo all my work because you’re too damn hardheaded to ask for help.”
    Jarrett let his head drop forward as he braced himselffor the last few steps. Every time she spoke, he felt the tension inside him jack up another notch. He reminded himself again that the only thing that mattered was the Bhajul mission. Though he now faced the nasty task of convincing Rae to become involved, that didn’t mean he had to get ensnared in the tangled web of their past. At least not any more than absolutely necessary.
    He straightened his shoulders and edged his way into the bathroom. The dizziness was returning. “Give me a few minutes,” he said without turning. “Then I’d appreciate an assist back to the bed.” He didn’t wait for her to answer, but bumped the door shut with his elbow.
    Mouth hanging open, Rae stared at the door for a full minute, half expecting—hoping—to hear a loud thud. It had been tougher than she’d imagined to keep her post by the bedroom door. McCullough’s skin had been pasty white and beaded with perspiration. She’d told the truth about not taking any satisfaction in his suffering, but she had expected to feel at least a small sense of vengeance at watching him struggle.
    Lord knew she’d wished far worse on him during the interminably long months she’d sat chained in that cell. She’d certainly had plenty of time to conjure up fantasy vendettas. This was a hollow victory, though. In fact, it was no victory at all.
    She knew McCullough was going to do as he damn well pleased. His reappearance in her life told her better than anything that there truly was no escape from her past. A welcome surge of resentment had her pushing away from the door frame, and she stalked to the hall to grab some clean linens.
    She had yet to come to terms with the thoroughness of his destruction of her sanctuary. That was the other reason she’d left him alone. The harder he pushed himself to get well, the faster he’d leave her.
    Yanking the sheets from the bed, she made quick work of changing linens. She worked just as swiftly on shoring up her defenses. Defenses McCullough seemed to be chipping at steadily with nothing more than a battered body and an occasional touch.
    A week, she decided as she rolled up the dirty sheets. Ten days max. Then he’d be gone. This calculation made it easier for her to focus. She took a deep breath and headed for the hall, feeling stronger and more in control of the situation than she had since the moment she’d stepped inside that cave.
    She barely made it to the door when a grunt sounded from behind the bathroom door.