“I suppose that last speaks well of you,” Susan said dryly, getting a nod of agreement from her brother.
“Why?” Noel asked. “Why did you decide to become a criminal?”
“Out of necessity, at first,” Jax replied. “Then, I was bored. It happens when you live as long as I have.”
“We’ve been around for a while,” Noel said. “Neither of us has turned to crime to…to entertain ourselves.”
“How long?” Jax asked.
“Never ask a lady her age,” Susan replied with a wink. “I was born seventy years ago. Noel’s a year younger than me. This is our second go around in reinventing ourselves because, well, you know.”
Jax nodded. “When you don’t seem to age, people begin to wonder.”
“How many times have you done that?”
“Too many, although I have an advantage over shifters. I can make it appear as if I’m getting older, up to a point. Then, like you, I have to move on.”
Noel frowned. “You’re a shifter, too, in the general definition of the word.”
“True, and every time I become someone new and then return to my true self it keeps me from visibly aging. My problem is, I do that more often than animal sifters.” Jax chuckled. “I should thank my lucky stars I don’t get younger with each morphing. I’d look like I was an adolescent, not in my early thirties.”
Susan studied him. “How long have you been alive?”
“Well over three-hundred years.”
“Damn,” Noel whispered.
“Does that make me too old for you?” Jax asked sourly.
“We’re just friends, so why would it,” Noel replied defiantly.
“I see. So tonight, before Keegan decided to interrupt, would have been two friends fucking and nothing more.” Jax glanced at Susan. “Sorry for the language.”
“I’ve heard worse,” she replied at the same time that Noel said, “You know it was. It’s hard for it to be anything else under the circumstances and we both knew it. Know it.”
“We do.” Jax eased to the edge of the bed, put his feet on the floor and carefully stood. He grimaced when his injured leg protested, but ignored the pain as he got his shirt and put it on. “If you need help getting rid of this—” He gestured to the blanket and the body underneath.
“Susan and I are quite capable of dealing with it,” Noel replied tightly. “Go pack, or…whatever. Have a good trip home.”
“Noel…” Jax took a step toward him.
“Leave. Get out of here. Please,” Noel said, turning away.
Jax nodded. When Andre came to him, he said, “Stay! Your home is here.” Then, ignoring the dog’s mournful look, he left the room.
* * * *
Jax informed Donovan on Tuesday morning over breakfast that he would be leaving. When Donovan asked why, Jax replied, “I’ve decided my staying will indeed put you and the others in danger. It’s not fair to any of you.” He couldn’t tell Donovan the truth about what had happened the previous night. It would reveal things neither he nor Noel and Susan wanted Donovan to know.
“You’re hoping the man will follow you home and try something there?” Donovan said.
“Yes. I came up with an idea which I think will work. If it does, he’ll be back in prison again, for attempted murder this time.”
Donovan lifted his eyebrows. “Let’s hope for your sake it’s only attempted murder.”
Jax chuckled. “That would be the preferred outcome.”
“Stay in touch? I’d like to know you survived. I’m sure Noel would, too.” He gave Jax a knowing look.
“I will,” Jax promised. “As far as Noel’s concerned, despite your hopes to the contrary, we’re friends and nothing more.” Because it can’t be anything more…can it? He knew it couldn’t and much to his surprise, it hurt.
“Too bad,” Donovan replied, looking as if he meant it. “Are you taking Andre with you?”
“No. As I told you a while ago, I travel too much as part of my business to have a pet. It wouldn’t be fair to him.”
“We’ll take good care of him, in case you change your mind.”
“Or find him a loving home. It’s what he needs.”
“I know you’re right,” Donovan replied. “Although Andre might not agree at the moment.”
Jax almost reconsidered his decision until common sense took over. He would miss not having the dog around to keep him company, but it was for the best, for both of them. They will find him a good home. It’s what they do.
After breakfast, Jax packed everything he’d brought with him, putting the bags in the trunk of the car. In the process he wondered if Noel would show up to say goodbye. He decided it wouldn’t happen. What we had, or might have had, ended last night. I guess you got your revenge, Keegan. Not the way you planned, but you did.
Chapter 10
Jax wasn’t one to dwell on lost opportunities. Given how long he’d been around, he’d have had little chance to think about anything else if he did. Still, in the days that followed his return home, he often wondered what could have happened if he’d stayed a while longer at Donovan’s estate. It would have been easy enough to keep busy doing more repairs on his extensive book collection.
As if it would have mattered if I had stayed. Noel would have avoided me like the plague because he knew that in the end I’d still leave. I have a business that requires my attention. My leaving might not have bothered him anyway. He wasn’t exactly thrilled when he found out I’m not an upstanding, law-abiding citizen.
Why do I even care? He’s just another man. God only knows I’ve had more than my fair share in my life.
But he did care, which bothered him. He had never allowed himself to become attached to a man. Given what he was, that had never been an option—until now. Noel was more than human, too, and due to what had happened each of them knew the other was. Could we make it work, if we wanted to? It was a question for which he had no answer. In time, he might try to find out. But first he had other things to attend to.
With Keegan no longer in the picture, Jax had decided it was time to open his own shop, rather than working out of his condo. It didn’t take him long to find the perfect place—in an area consisting of used-book stores and small antique shops. A month later—after spending a sizable amount of money to redecorate and set it up the way he wanted—he was taking on new clients who had books, and occasional artwork, that needed his restoration skills. It was a relief to be able to work in a much larger space than he’d had at his condo, or at the home of a client halfway across the country as he’d done for Donovan.
Of course, being who he was, Jax also did his bit for humanity, and himself, by ridding the world of two burglars he’d learned about through one of his contacts. They worked several hundred miles from where Jax lived, breaking into homes in a wealthy area of the city. Jax’s contact told him about a high-class club they frequented while searching for new victims. He also gave Jax the names of a couple of men who were acquainted with one of the burglars, Paul Sommers. Jax did his research, chose one, and with his usual caution took a flight to his destination as someone other than himself or the man he would become—Alex James—who at the moment was the guest of the state, having been sent to prison on several counts of breaking and entering. He checked into a motel, unpacked, and then became Alex James before heading to the club to see if he could find his targets.
It took two days, but in the end it was worth it. The men were seated at the bar when he entered late in the evening. He waited until someone vacated the seat next to them and took it. After ordering a drink, he turned to Sommers, saying quietly, “It’s been a while, Paul.”
Sommers looked at him in surprise, shaking his head. “When the hell did you get out, Alex?”
“A week ago. I was a perfect angel, so they let me out early. Good behavior.” Jax winked, getting a grin in reply.
“It’s good to see you,” Sommers said. “This is John.” He nodded toward his partner in crime. �
�How long are you sticking around, Alex?”
Jax shrugged. “Good question. Depends on whether I can find a job that needs my particular skills.”
Sommers smiled slowly. “Is that a hint?”
“Nope. A request, I guess you could say. I’m short of funds and need to make some money, so of course the first person I thought of was you.”
John scowled. “What makes you think we’d hook up with someone dumb enough to end up in prison?”
Ignoring him, Sommers asked, “You still got your tools?”
“Yep. I stashed them with a friend. The first thing I did when I was back on the streets was get them. The second was asking a guy I know if you were still in business,” Jax replied. “You are, and here I am.”
Despite John’s initial reluctance, Jax ended up working with them on their next job. As he had on previous occasions where he was the security expert for a robbery or burglary, he disarmed everything except for one camera which would catch the faces of the men involved.
They left the mansion with a tidy haul. Jax relieved Sommers and John of it on their way back to the city, leaving them bound and gagged on the ground beside the highway before driving away. He dumped the car, returned to the motel, and got a good night’s sleep. The next morning he took a cab to the airport—as the same man who had flown into the city a few days previously—carrying a large suitcase which he checked, and his carry-on bag.
Twelve hours later, he’d paid a visit to his fence, walking away with sizable amount of cash as well as a large deposit to his offshore bank account. As was his habit, he stashed half of the cash in the safe in his bedroom when he got home. For a brief moment he considered sending the other half to Donovan’s shelter before deciding his friend didn’t really need the money. So as always, he couriered it to the shelter he supported in the city.
Thinking of Donovan and the shelter made Jax wonder how things were going, there. Has Noel found a good home for Andre? Have they rescued a dozen more dogs since I left? That idea both amused and appalled him, considering how small the shelter was. Does Noel ever think of me? If he did, Jax decided, it was probably as someone he was very glad was now out of his life.
* * * *
“Damn it, Noel,” Susan said, walking into the shelter’s office.
“What?” Noel asked, looking up from what he was doing to frown at her.
“Did you get here at the crack of dawn again?” As it was barely seven in the morning, it was a logical question.
He shrugged. “It’s not like I’ve got anything better to do, right, dog?” He leaned down to pat Andre’s head since he was lying on the floor beside him.
“You could try getting a life,” Susan replied acerbically, resting one hip on the edge of his desk. “It’s been more than two months since he left. It’s time to move on.”
“I have a life.” He flung his arm around. “Here, taking care of animals that need me.”
“You’re using that as an excuse, Noel, and you know it.” She sighed. “Face it. He’s not coming back.”
“I don’t want him to,” Noel protested. “Why would I?”
She looked knowingly at him. “Because you were attracted to him, and I think he felt the same about you. Hell, from what you told me, after all the drama was over, the two of you were about to spend some quality time exploring that attraction in a very basic way, before the bastard showed up.”
Noel shook his head in denial. “We were going to screw, that’s it. It didn’t mean anything other than the fact we were two horny guys who wanted to relieve an itch. He planned on leaving as soon as he could, once he’d dealt with Keegan.” He looked away, adding, “He has his own life and it doesn’t include me. We both knew that. Hell, he hasn’t even called to say ‘How are you? What’s new?’”
“Have you called him?”
“How? I don’t have his number.”
“Donovan does.”
“Yeah, well…”
“Think about it.” She gave him a hug. “Right now, though, we have dogs to feed and exercise, and kennels to clean. So move it, boy.”
Noel rolled his eyes. “I may be a bit younger than you but I’m far from being a boy. I haven’t been in more time than I want to think about.”
She laughed, and they left the office to take care of the morning chores.
* * * *
Jax had gone out of town to talk to a client who wanted him to restore an old bible the man had inherited from his father. As often happened in such cases, the bible had been well-used and needed some major repairs as well as several minor ones. With the man’s permission, Jax had brought it home with him to work on in his shop where he had what he needed on hand.
He spent what turned out to be a long day cleaning the bible’s pages, which had suffered normal damage from frequent handling. Repairing two major tears and rehinging the pages would take at least another week.
He wasn’t in the mood to cook when he got home, so he changed clothes and his appearance, and set off for dinner at a nearby restaurant. He knew he didn’t have to become someone other than himself anymore, but old habits died hard. Besides which, he had a reputation to maintain and visiting a club afterward to find a companion for the night…Well, I’d rather not run into someone who knows me as the very respectable and rather uptight Jackson Martin.
He had returned to his car after an excellent meal, and was contemplating which club to visit, when his phone rang. He recognized the name that came up on the caller ID and considered not answering, but curiosity got the better of him.
“Jackson, umm, Jax?” Noel asked tentatively.
“Yes. It’s been a while,” Jax replied, a smile touching his lips momentarily.
“I…It has.” There was a moment of silence and then Noel said, “This was a bad idea. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t hang up,” Jax said quickly.
“I shouldn’t have called.”
“Why did you?”
“I wanted to know how you’re doing, I guess.”
“Not too badly,” Jax replied. “Keeping busy. And you?”
“The same.”
Again there was a long silence and Jax wondered if Noel really was going to hang up this time, so he asked, hoping he wouldn’t, “Did you find a good home for Andre?”
Noel chuckled. “If you consider my place a good home, then I did.”
“I’m glad you kept him. I mean it. He couldn’t have a better owner.”
“He had a great one for a while, until he abandoned him.”
“I didn’t abandon him!” Jax took a deep breath. “You know it wouldn’t have been fair for me to keep him. I travel too much.”
“For business and pleasure, if you can call being a thief a pleasure,” Noel responded sourly. “Sorry, that was uncalled for.”
“You were only telling me how you feel. There’s nothing wrong with a friend doing that.”
Noel’s response was a long time coming. When he did, he said, “Are we friends?”
“Yes, as far as I’m concerned.”
“Then why haven’t you called? Donovan would have given you my number if you asked. He gave me yours. Of course he thinks you’re still in hiding. You might want to set him straight on that sometime. He’s worried about you.”
Jax knew Noel was right; he should have at least let Donovan know he was still alive. And told him the man who was supposedly after me had been arrested for whatever. Stalking, breaking his parole, attempted murder, something. “I’ll call him in the morning.”
“You could come back and tell him in person.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Why? Because I’m here and we might run into each other? I can make myself scarce if you don’t want to see me.”
“Noel,” Jax replied quietly. “If I did come out there it would be because of you. What I have to tell Donovan can be accomplished with one phone call.”
“But you won’t. Come out, I mean.”
“Perhap
s I will. I’m in the middle of a job. A legitimate one, by the way. When it’s finished I have nothing planned that can’t be put on hold for a few days.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, Noel, I am. We have, well, I hate to call it unfinished business because it’s more than that. We had something going on between us—an attraction we both admitted to. I think it’s time to find out if it was real.”
“Would it matter if it is? You’ll visit, we might take the next step, and then you’ll leave again.”
“I would,” Jax replied. “I’d have to. I have a business to run. It doesn’t mean I won’t come back as often as possible. Not the best arrangement, I’ll admit, but if we decide there’s more to what we felt than…wishful thinking, I guess…it would be better than nothing.”
Noel puffed out a breath before replying, “I suppose it would be.”
“We’ll find out in…Give me a week, all right?”
“Yes. If you change your mind, let me know.”
“That’s not happening. I will be there a week from today, I promise.”
“I’ll see you then.” For the first time since they’d begun the conversation, Jax heard a note of happiness in Noel’s voice and he felt the same.
For better or for worse, this has to happen.
When they’d hung up, he went home. He no longer had any desire to visit a club. If he did, and hooked up with someone, it would be for meaningless sex and nothing more. If what he hoped would happen did when he saw Noel again, then perhaps he’d have a new life with a man who would finally give him a reason to believe love was possible for him.
Love? He smiled. Am I jumping the gun? Yes. But who knows. I guess I’ll find out in a week.
* * * *
“You live, and you’re in one piece,” Donovan said after opening the front door to let Jax come in. “I know you managed to escape that man’s clutches, thanks to Noel. He told me he’d heard from you.”
A Man of Many Parts Page 10