The Game Has Changed (10 page)

Jaime sat huddled against the far wall, away
from the fighting. She squealed with anguish when she saw Evan's
head jerk back from the force of the punch. She admired Evan's
prowess. He shoved his knee into the boy's stomach with such force
that he flew backwards to crash into his friend. Through it all,
Jaime felt overwhelmed by what Evan had just done for
her.

It wasn’t long before two policemen arrived on
the scene. They grabbed hold of Evan's arms to keep him from
further attacking the boy. Evan struggled against their hold, fury
still evident within every inch of his body.

***

Anguish overcame her as Jaime became aware of
her surroundings. Evan was being held aside by the two policemen.
If they noticed the gun under his jacket . . . if they recognized
him from an APB, she realized it was the end of the line for him.
It would also be the end of her time with him. Truth be told, she
didn't want that to happen. Her heart pounded and her sobs
increased. Those on the scene assumed it was because of her
ordeal.

“It was those four boys!” the shopkeeper cried
in Evan’s defense. “You know them, Officers. They've tried this
many times!”

One of the officers nodded at her as they
continued to subdue a heavy breathing and angry Evan. “Settle down
now,” he ordered.

Evan took a deep, nervous breath. He made eye
contact with Jaime as she pressed herself against the wall. She
told him with her eyes how scared she was for him. His own told her
not to worry. Soon enough, the policemen let him go.

She sighed with relief. Evan didn’t waste any
more time and hurried to her side. She was so enamored of him and
thankful that she didn’t notice that some of her clothes were
missing. Nor did she care that he saw her in the state she was in.
She slid into his tight, comforting embrace. He held her against
him as if he never wanted to let her go ever again. This ended up
being her undoing and she cried with utter happiness.

“He was just protecting his woman,” they heard
the shopkeeper say in response to the questions the policeman put
past her when he inquired about the couple on the floor. The woman
was defending Evan's violent actions against the boys.

“Okay, Mrs. Wright,” another officer assured
her. “I know we've had lots of complaints against these kids. We'll
take these two in.” He directed his attention toward Jaime and Evan
as they sat upon the floor comforting each other. He took note of
the fact that Evan’s head was buried against Jaime’s chest and that
she was gently caressing his hair. He cleared his throat in order
to gain their attention. “You'll have to come into the station,
too, Ma'am, Sir. You'll need to file a report to press charges and
have the lady checked for any injuries.”

Evan lifted his head and gently whispered into
Jaime’s ear. “Did he?”

She shivered and understood. At that moment,
she felt so incredibly and spiritually close to him that she
thought she would burst. It was absolutely the best feeling she had
ever experienced. She shook her head. “He didn't,” she whispered.
“You saved me!”

He nodded and she could see his tender smile of
relief. “Where are your clothes, Luv?” he asked, looking
around.

“He ripped them,” she breathed, shuddering at
the memory of what had happened not too long ago.

Jaime saw him prepare to remove his leather
jacket in order to cover her up with it. He was about to sacrifice
his freedom once again in order to protect her. That she could not
allow.

“No,” she whispered, her hand sliding
underneath his jacket to rest against his gun to remind him that
they couldn't see it. She wouldn't let him leave her now and
refused to let him be taken away because of such a small act of
chivalry on his part.

“But Jaime . . .” he moaned.

She shook her head. “The car's not that far. I
won't let you leave me,” she added desperately and he knew she
meant that she wouldn't let him be taken away by the policemen
hovering nearby.

“Sir?” the officer repeated, drawing Evan's
attention.

“Um . . .” Evan replied in a shaky voice. “We .
. . we won't press charges. She said he didn't get that
far.”

“Well, you should still take her to a hospital
to be checked out, none-the-less,” the other policeman suggested.
“Would you like us to drive you?”

“No, I can find it. Thank you so much, Sir,”
Evan said politely.

To Jaime's complete surprise and elation, Evan
lifted her up into his arms. Holding her tightly to him, she
wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her out of the
restroom. He hurried down the alleyway toward the car that was
still sitting at the gas pump.

A group of onlookers had gathered and were now
wondering as to why a police car was sitting in the parking lot
with its lights flashing. They gasped with surprise and whispered
amongst themselves when they caught sight of Evan as he carried a
half-naked Jaime over to the waiting Acura.

He opened the car’s back door and gently set
her down inside. Closing the door, he rushed around to the driver's
side. He hopped into the driver’s seat and peeled out of the gas
station, causing several people to jump out of his way as he
recklessly drove away.

Jaime gathered her wits about herself and
hastily pulled several items out of the Wal-Mart bags. She had
picked up another pair of blue jeans and a few shirts, but soon
realized that she no longer had any shoes. Changing into her new
clothes, she climbed back into the front passenger seat. Her heart
raced as she noticed how fast Evan was driving. If she didn’t know
any better, he was driving over seventy miles-an-hour.

Her eyes widened with horror as she took note
of the blood that was gushing down Evan's face. She had heard the
cracking of his nose when the boy had hit him, but hadn’t realized,
at the time, that it most likely meant that his nose had been
broken.

“Evan!” she squealed. “You're bleeding
badly!”

While it was certain that he already knew, he
seemed oblivious to her presence at that given moment. He was
driving like a maniac and he appeared to be incredibly focused on
the task at hand.

“Please! Pull over now!” He ignored her plea as
the speedometer hovered close to eighty.

“Evan, please!” she beseeched him. “Pull over
so that I can stop the bleeding for you!”

“I'm not pulling over!” he shouted with
reckless determination.

“Then let me drive for a while so that you can
put pressure on it.”

“I'm okay!”

“You're not okay!” she argued. “The blood is
pouring out of you!”

“I'll stop when we're far away from
here.”

“And bleed to death in the meantime? Evan, it
looks really bad. Please, let me help you!”

“I don't want them to suddenly remember they
have a warrant on me!” he blurted out fearfully.

“They don't know anything!” Jaime moaned.
“Please, please, let me help!”

Evan sighed with frustration. “All right,” he
whispered and haphazardly veered onto the first country road that
crossed the two-lane highway.

CHAPTER 11

As he tore down a dirt road into the middle of
nowhere, Jaime reached into the bag of supplies sitting on the back
seat to find something that she could use to put pressure on his
nose with. The only things she found within the bag were several
items of clothing and some snacks. She had no other choice but to
take one of the brand new tee shirts that she had bought for
herself.

Once Evan pulled the car onto the side of the
road and killed the engine, she scrunched up the tee shirt and
tenderly pressed it against his bleeding nose, carefully tilting
his head back at the same time. She grasped the back of his neck
with her other hand to help keep his head steady as she applied
gentle force.

It was quiet for a long time as silence fell
between them, interspersed with the sound of deep gasping and mouth
breathing that came from Evan as she tenderly squeezed his nose. It
was obvious that he was in dire pain and was having difficulty
breathing. She gazed at him with both longing and pity, something
he took no notice of as he had his eyes closed and submitted to her
care.

He took a deep breath, every once in a while.
It frightened her every time he did so and could not help but to
feel sorry for him. She felt indebted to him, too, for what he had
done and what he now endured for her honor and safety.

After a moment of contemplation, an idea formed
within Jaime's mind. She cradled his head between her hands as she
became a tad overwhelmed. Allowing the sudden impulse to claim her,
she very gently kissed his forehead. His eyes opened wide with
surprise as he felt her lips press against his flesh. He jerked
into a sitting position, causing her to pull her hands away and
drop the blood-soaked tee shirt.

Embarrassment filled her as she acknowledged
her impetuous act of affection. The look he gave her caused the
embarrassment to dissipate as several chills coursed through her
entire body. His eyes were saying so much to her. She wanted so
badly to tell him how much she loved him. Tenderness, appreciation,
gentleness – all of these emotions were written across his face. It
was almost as if he doted on her. Yet she found that she couldn't
say the words. At least, not yet.

Instead, she dismissed her impulsiveness by
giving him a shy smile. “It's slowed down now. How do you feel?”
she asked lovingly.

“To hell with me,” he said softly, sounding
nasally because of his injury. “How are you doing?”

“I wasn't really hurt,” she murmured with
consideration. “You were hurt very badly. I'm so sorry for that.”
She paused a second to take a deep, courageous breath. “Thank you.
For doing that . . . for me.” Several grateful tears streamed down
her red cheeks.

Evan silently regarded her. “You're welcome,”
he whispered and reached to wipe the tears from her cheeks. His
action only caused the tears to fall even more. Yet she felt
comforted by his presence.

“I'm getting my blood all over you,” he said
with a sad laugh. “I'm sorry.”

She offered him a watery smile. “It's
okay.”

Startled, Jaime noticed Evan’s beautiful brown
eyes glaze over. Tears rolled down his bloodied cheeks. Her pity
overwhelmed her. “Evan?” she cried softly.

He shook his head, dismissing his tears and
rubbing his cheeks dry with the edge of his jacket’s sleeve. She
sensed that his masculine pride wouldn’t tolerate her dwelling on
his momentary lapse of emotion. So, for his sake, she pulled back
from him slightly and stared at his swollen, bruised
nose.

She smiled and gently touched his injured nose.
“The bleeding's stopped now,” she announced. “It must really
hurt.”

“Hurt's like hell,” he groaned, lightly
touching it. “It is swollen?”

“Oh, yeah. And all purple in color. Looks like
it could be broken, even.”

He examined his face in the rear-view mirror.
“Oh, bollocks,” he mumbled.

His face was a complete mess because of his new
injury and the nasty scar he sported across his forehead. He hadn't
really thought about it before, but soon realized that the damage
to his handsome features would put his job in serious jeopardy. Of
course, it all depended on whether he would be able to keep his job
and not be thrown in jail for the rest of his life. Being a stunt
double required him to maintain his good looks and physique. This
recent damage to his face was certainly threatening his
livelihood.

Jaime watched him intently as he stared at his
own face in the mirror. In her eyes, he was still the most handsome
man she had ever seen. He’d saved her life and had been hurt in the
process. While it hurt to see him in such pain, she was grateful
for what he’d done for her.

She felt a little embarrassed as he caught her
staring at him and quickly looked away. Yet, just as quickly, their
eyes clashed as she looked back at him. There was no hesitation on
her part as she gently suggested, “Why don't we just stop early
somewhere tonight? We'll get some ice for your nose and you can get
some rest. You could use some sleep, I think.”

He nodded in agreement and smiled sweetly. “I
think we should drive to the next town and find a shop again. I
could really use another shirt,” he commented, pointing to the
blood-stained tee shirt he wore.

She giggled. “And I need some shoes,” she said,
lifting up one of her bare feet in his direction.

“Blimey,” he laughed. “We’re quite the pair,
huh?”

“Oh, yeah,” she agreed as he pulled the car
back onto the two-lane highway and sped off toward their next
destination at a reasonable speed.

***

Silence fell between them for the better part
of the journey. Evan glanced at Jaime and noticed that her head was
pressed against the window as she gazed out of it with an air of
melancholy surrounding her. He heard her sigh once in a while as if
she were a little uncomfortable about something.