Jackson

by Jackson (retail) (epub)

  She focused on every syllable, matching every step he took until she was clear of Colton and Seneca. Jackson pulled her in to his side. He cradled her in his arm, and the tremors she was sure would knock something loose inside her began to subside.

  She watched Colton place two fingers at the base of Seneca’s neck and held her breath as she prayed her friend’s heart was still beating.

  “She’s got a pulse but it’s thready and weak and her breathing seems labored. Get an ambulance now.”

  Everything slowed down as Aja watched Jackson pull his phone from his pocket and call for an ambulance. Her mind was racing, but everything around her seemed to be happening at a snail’s pace. She shook her head, trying to focus on what Jackson was saying. Even though she could see his lips moving, she couldn’t hear any of the words coming from his mouth. The only thing she could hear was the loud thud of her heart. It was beating in time with her panicked thoughts and fears for her still unresponsive friend.

  What can I do? What can I do?

  Aja closed her eyes, trying to pull herself together. She was useless to Seneca this way. And then, breaking through the silence, she could hear the voice of her late mother repeating something she’d always said when young Aja was worried about her dad being on active duty.

  “Good thoughts and a little prayer go a long way, Aja girl.”

  So Aja did just that. She prayed.

  She asked God for all sorts of things, bargaining everything from her wealth to her own eternal soul if help could arrive in time, if Seneca could be well again. But by the time the ambulance arrived and Seneca’s reddish-brown complexion had turned to an almost ghostly gray, Aja was terrified her prayers had gone unheard or, worse, ignored.

  Chapter 38

  Jackson sat with Colton in the waiting area. The man was tense, his eyes darting back to the open door that led into a busy corridor. “You okay?”

  “Are you?”

  Jackson let the flippant reply slide. Colton’s inner asshole made way more appearances than it should, but somehow Jackson knew this wasn’t his usually charming self. No, this was panic. It was clear in the way he couldn’t seem to keep still. Even when he was seated, some part of his body was moving in a semifrantic way. Like now: they were in uncomfortable plastic chairs that didn’t bend or mold to the human body, and Colton’s leg bounced up and down like a jackrabbit.

  “What’s going on, Colton?”

  “You know as much as I do. Why hasn’t Aja or Brooklyn or the doctors or someone come back here and let us know anything about how she’s doing?”

  “They’ve only been gone a few minutes. I’m sure Aja will let us know as soon as she knows anything.”

  Jackson placed a firm hand on Colton’s shoulder, hoping to offer the man some comfort. It didn’t matter how many years you worked in the military or law enforcement; seeing someone literally fall in your arms never got easy. “You did all you could, Colt. If you hadn’t been with her, God knows what could’ve happened. Because you were there, she got the help she needed immediately.”

  Colton bounced his leg up and down again, but the far-off look in his eyes didn’t give Jackson much hope that the man had heard anything he’d said. Colton was too focused on Seneca to care about Jackson.

  Concerned about the friend who sat next to him and the young woman who’d collapsed in his arms, Jackson stood and walked to the information desk. He found a young woman sitting there tapping away on computer keys. “Excuse me, I need to find out some information on a patient. Her name is Seneca Daniels. She was brought in unconscious this evening.”

  “Are you family or next of kin?”

  Jackson expected that. “No, ma’am. I’m a friend.”

  The woman gave him a sympathetic glance. “Sorry, sir, the only thing I can tell you is that the medical team is tending to her and she’s stable. Any other information you’ll have to get from her or her family.”

  Jackson tapped the counter and gave her a respectful thank-you before pulling his phone out of his pocket and texting Aja to try to find out more. He’d tried not to bother her while she was in the back with Seneca, but Colton’s anxiousness was worrying him. She responded she’d call down to the information desk for him.

  Aja called immediately, and the young woman administered visitors’ passes. Jackson motioned for Colton to follow him, and within moments, they were walking through the door.

  “You used your badge to get in?”

  “No. I called Aja. I’m surprised you didn’t use yours, though. Especially with how antsy you’ve been since they brought Seneca in.”

  “It’s in the blazer I left inside my truck at the ranch. I didn’t think to get it as I hopped in the ambulance with her.”

  “No worries, brother. You’ll be able to see her soon.”

  They stopped in front of her room, and Jackson knocked on the door and opened it slowly. Seneca was sleeping in her hospital bed. Almost every time he could remember seeing her, she was smiling or laughing or making everyone around her smile and laugh. But tonight, Aja and Brooklyn hovered over her from opposite sides of the bed, their faces long with sorrow and fear.

  As Colton pulled up the rear, Brooklyn stood and walked to the door. “I need some coffee. Anyone else want one?” They all shook their heads. Brooklyn left, closing the door behind her, while Colton took her place on the opposite side of Seneca’s bed.

  Jackson stood next to Aja, wrapping a comforting arm around her. “How’s she doing? Do they know what caused this?”

  Aja glanced at the sleeping Seneca before lifting her eyes to him. They were sunken and red from all the crying she’d done since Seneca collapsed, and the sight made every muscle in his body tense with the need to take this pain away from her.

  “She was drugged. Someone gave her Rohypnol.”

  “What?” Colton’s voice cut through the quiet hospital room like a sharp knife. “How? She drank soft drinks from sealed cans most of the night, and I don’t remember her leaving any of them unattended.”

  Jackson shook his head. “No, she didn’t. I poured a drink for Aja from a thermos in the fridge. Seneca took it and drank it instead.”

  “But no one knew about that thermos of Long Island iced tea I made but you, me, and Seneca. I never mentioned it to anyone else until I sent you to get it.”

  Cold fear tightened Jackson’s muscles as he made eye contact with Colton across the room, and they both came to the same conclusion. Jackson pulled his phone from his pocket and waited for Jennings to pick up on the other end. “Yeah, Boss.”

  “I need you and Gleason and anyone else you can round up at Fresh Springs Medical now. I also need you to dispatch a forensics team to Restoration Ranch. You’re looking for a silverish chrome-colored forty-ounce camping thermos. It should be on the second shelf from the top inside the fridge. Someone tried to poison Aja Everett tonight.”

  He ended the call and met Aja’s confused expression. “How do you know it wasn’t meant for Seneca?”

  Jackson shook his head. “Because the thermos had your name on it.”

  * * *

  Why were hospitals so cold?

  It was a near-constant thought as Aja sat rubbing her arms in the waiting area. Seneca’s nurse had put them all out of her room so “the patient” could rest. She was more than a patient—she was Aja’s friend, and keeping an eye on her was the only thing that helped Aja keep it together.

  The waiting area was a few feet away from Seneca’s room, but it didn’t matter. Aja’s guilt fed off her anxiety, and not being able to see Seneca ramped her anxiety up to almost unbearable levels.

  “You cold?”

  Aja looked up at Jackson. He was sitting next to her, plastered to her as if they were somehow conjoined. From the moment he’d realized someone spiked her drink, he’d refused to leave her side except for when Gleason and Jennings showed
up to take their statements.

  “This is my fault.”

  Jackson wrapped his arm around her, hugging her as tightly as the armrests between them would allow. “The only person at fault is the person who laced your thermos with roofies.”

  Yeah, they were at fault, too, but Aja was the reason Seneca had been endangered. It wasn’t the first time she’d been responsible for harm befalling someone close to her. It seemed this was her destiny, to bring pain and hardship to the ones she cared about, even when she was trying her damnedest to help.

  “I thought this was over. Eli Bennett is in prison.”

  “We both know a man like Eli has the means to still pull strings on the outside while he’s locked up. We’ll sort this out, Aja. I’m not leaving your side until you’re safe for good.”

  She pulled out of his embrace and walked near the window. The dark Texas sky met her like a mirror to her soul—ink black and cold, consuming all the surrounding light. The absence of light sparked fear of the monsters that lurked under its cover. She couldn’t see who was coming after her, and as long as she didn’t know who Eli’s henchman was, she and everyone close to her were in danger.

  “You should go.” She remained positioned in front of the window like a sentinel waiting for the day to bring reinforcements and aid.

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “People around me get hurt, Jackson. You signed up for fun, not to be my permanent bodyguard.”

  He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her against him. Any other day, the comfort he offered would have been received with gratitude. And although she was grateful he cared enough to want to comfort her, she couldn’t allow herself to be weak enough to accept it. Not when being near her was becoming a prescription for trouble.

  “That is the literal thing I signed on to be when I first landed on your doorstep.”

  “My case is over.”

  “Apparently not. Even if it were, I’d still be with you. I’d hoped you’d figured this out when I asked you to let me be the man in your life.”

  She turned around in his embrace to face him, needing to see the truth of his words in his eyes, because her ears did not want to believe the steady, sure cadence of his voice. “I also remembered telling you how busy my life was. If you thought Pathways was gonna put a crimp in our alone time, I’m sure an attempted poisoning might be a tad too much for even you.”

  His eyes searched hers, and she had to fight to hold back the unshed tears stinging her eyes. Jackson Dean would be the proverbial cherry on top of the new happiness she’d found for herself on Restoration Ranch. But more and more, especially with Seneca lying in a hospital bed now, Aja had to wonder if she were ever meant to experience any lasting joy.

  “If you’re asking me if I’m too chickenshit to stand by you, you’re wrong. For as long as you’ll have me, regardless of how difficult and messy the situation, I want to be the man by your side.”

  She stepped back, needing to put some distance between them. The light, spicy scent of his cologne coupled with the heat his nearness brought were enveloping her. She was overwhelmed, and being this close to him made it hard for her to think.

  “You wouldn’t want to be with me if you knew the real me.” She was certain of that. A man like him who subscribed to the ideals of truth and justice could never tolerate someone with Aja’s particular flaws. “Jackson, I—”

  He stepped closer to her and placed a finger of her lips. “Aja, if you’re gonna try to push me away, save your breath. You are everything I’ve ever wanted, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you safe. There’s nothing I wouldn’t work like hell to see you through. I’m here because there’s no place in the world I’d rather be.”

  She lost her battle with her tears; they spilled from her eyes and slid down her face like fat raindrops on the smooth glass of a window. He pulled her into his arms, cradling her head against his heart, making her need to purge herself of her fear and guilt even more profound.

  She plastered herself against him, wrapping her arms around his waist and holding on for everything she was worth. In such a short time, he’d become her anchor, the thing that kept her from drifting off into the sea.

  When her shoulders stopped shaking from the sobs that racked her body and her tears stopped flowing, he whispered in her ear, “I’m yours, baby girl. I’m not going anywhere.” And just like that, Aja’s soul opened, and her heart danced in her chest. Jackson may have been the one to make the offer, to say the words, but her heart was filled to bursting with the invisible link that tethered them.

  She should’ve walked away. People like her—guilt-ridden and condemned in their own minds—didn’t get the refuge Jackson was offering her. Once you screwed up, life rarely let you get do-overs. But standing here in this big, beautiful man’s arms, Aja knew one thing. Coming to Restoration Ranch may have been the first step on her road to redemption, but Jackson Dean was the last mile. He was living proof she could not only restore herself but rebuild, make herself a new thing.

  Doubt tried to crop up, to snuff the small glimmer of hope burning inside her. But Jackson squeezed her tighter, and Aja decided whether she deserved it or not, she would take this opportunity to reach for everything she wanted. And right now, that was Jackson Dean. As far as she was concerned, no matter what this phantom stalker had in mind, she would fight for her people but also herself and enjoy this repose for however long it lasted.

  Chapter 39

  Aja smacked the pillow in her hand to fluff it.

  “You keep abusing my pillows like that, and I will call the law.”

  Aja stopped midfluff and smiled at Seneca looking at her from the en-suite bathroom door. “I want to make sure you’re comfortable. A few days ago, you were passed out in a hospital bed because of me. The least I can do is fluff your pillows now that you’re back home.”

  Seneca walked over to the bed, her gait still slow as her body took its time to recover from the drug she’d ingested. She sat on the edge of the mattress and patted the space next to her, showing Aja she wanted her to sit too. “You didn’t do this. This wasn’t your fault.”

  “It was meant for me.”

  Seneca shifted on the bed, trying to make herself more comfortable. “Yeah, it was meant for you, but it was my fast ass that swiped the drink from Jackson’s hand. I put myself in harm’s way. Stop blaming yourself.”

  “You ended up in the hospital.”

  Seneca shrugged, the pallor of sickness giving way to her usual bright smile. “Yeah, where people waited on me hand and foot and let me sleep all day. Some people would call that a vacation.”

  An unexpected giggle threatened to bubble up in Aja’s chest. She shook her head, scolding herself for succumbing to Seneca’s antics. “This isn’t funny, Seneca. The amount of Rohypnol you had in your system could’ve been deadly if people hadn’t been around when you collapsed. How can you laugh about this?”

  The smile dropped slightly from Seneca’s face as she settled her eyes on the floor. “The one thing prison taught me is that sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying if you want to keep your sanity. Being locked away in a metal box for all those years wasn’t fun, Aja. But finding a reason to smile, to laugh even, kept me from doing something drastic like slitting my own wrists. Getting drugged, collapsing, and spending a few days in the hospital isn’t exactly how I would’ve planned to spend my time. But it could’ve been worse.”

  She let her hand rest on top of Aja’s, its contact bringing the gentle warmth of comfort Aja’s raw soul craved. “Instead of me sitting here laughing at my own misfortune, I could be dead. Then who would be here to make you laugh? Brooklyn?” Seneca waved a dismissive hand through the air. “We both know that girl wouldn’t know a sense of humor if it bit her on the ass. So I gotta stick around a little longer to keep things light around here.”

  Aja
could feel the tears slipping from her eyes as she thought of losing Seneca. But just as quickly, the painful thought was replaced by genuine laughter. “You’re so wrong for that.”

  “Tell me I’m lying.” Seneca waited with a raised brow, staring at Aja, waiting for an answer.

  “I can’t,” Aja replied. “But Brooklyn’s strength is a more than admirable substitute.” Seneca bumped her shoulder and shared a broad smile. The sight of it lifted Aja’s spirits, but it wouldn’t erase the guilt layering itself all over her soul. “Seneca, I’m supposed to take care of you and Brooklyn.”

  Seneca shook her head, placing a caring hand on Aja’s knee. “You’re supposed to provide us with fair employment. You’re supposed to pay us a fair wage for our labor. You’re supposed to make sure you report any illegal activity you are aware we’re involved in. You are not, however, responsible for us. We’re grown women, Aja. We have to be responsible for ourselves.”

  Aja let Seneca’s words settle over her. She was more than aware that Seneca and Brooklyn were grown women, but she’d be lying if she said she didn’t feel a sense of obligation to them.

  “I promised you a new future. Not imminent danger.”

  Seneca shook her head slowly again. “No, you promised us the opportunity to build something for ourselves. I am so grateful for all your help. But it’s time you let Brooklyn and me take care of ourselves and you focus on taking care of that fine-ass man you should spend more time with. You’ve spent the last few days holed up with me in a hospital room and then signing on to be my nursemaid here at my cabin. When are you making time for him?”

  At night when I’m too exhausted from work and caring for you, I collapse in bed. He makes love to me until I’m boneless and too tired to worry about all the hell breaking loose in my life. “He’s staying at the main house with me. I see him every night.”

  “Good, now go find him. He needs your attention. I don’t.”

  “You sure?”

  Seneca gave Aja her signature full smile that was colored with a light filter of mischief. “I am. Besides, if I get in a bind, Brooklyn is back to being my temporary roommate on the nights that Colton can’t be here. I’ll just bug her.”