Page 48 (1/2)

His eyes popped open and drilled her "Yeah" He bit the word off "I'm fine"

"Good, then how about we all go into the living room and find?"

"No"

Her sentence snapped in half She looked up at him, obviously surprised by his refusal

Their gazes locked across the table He was breathing a little heavier than he'd like, but other than that, Jack

116

thought he looked pretty dae

"We hid all the silverware," she said sly

It was Jack's turn to grin He reached for the chicken and wrenched off a succulent, still hot leg "Then it's a good thing you made chicken"

Surprise flitted through her eyes She studied hilihtly and she turned away

Jack allowed hirin He'd one-upped Aood

It would have felt even better if she hadn't laughed

Chapter Nine

Jack lay on the couch, shivering He thrashed side to side, fighting the nightrip A low, miserable moan escaped hihter to his chin His teeth chattered in staccato bursts of sound

A red haze crept across his closed eyes, turning his world into a twisting quag h his head Gunfire exploded all around him Suddenly he ake