Jade (The Kings of Guardian Book 9)

by Kris Michaels

  "Hmmm… yeah. I had some issues in my past, and I needed to get my head on straight. Now my sessions are more of a security blanket than anything else, but yeah, I see a therapist in D.C. about once a month or so. Sometimes more if the stresses of the world get to me. She does video chats with me when I can't physically get there." Justin dumped the egg concoction into the sauté pan and stirred the mixture.

  Jade cocked her head and really examined her brother. "What issues?"

  "I thought we were talking about your sorrows."

  "Did it have to do with Dad's death?" Jade knew many of her own issues centered on that event. The murder had fractured a close family and left deep fissures in each of them. Fissures that they didn't talk about or discuss. The damage had affected each of her siblings in different ways. The events manifested by the loss of their father irrevocably changed each one of them. She was smart enough to recognize that fact.

  "Yes and no. I lost my way and started getting involved in some situations that would have inevitably led to jail time. I had started doing some extreme things to hit an adrenaline high. A person I barely knew called me on it. He put me in touch with this therapist and helped me to find an appropriate outlet for my… adrenaline addiction."

  "What was the outlet?"

  "Hmmm? Oh, typical adrenaline junkie things, like skydiving. I'm also a part owner of an Indy race car team, and I take hot laps in the car every now and then. It is all controlled and safe, but it still gives me the thrill I need to feel… alive."

  Jade stared at her brother and blinked, hoping to reboot her brain. Her image of her overworked brother just shattered into about a gazillion pieces. "That's… really?"

  Justin laughed and slid a plate of scrambled eggs and sliced tomatoes, decorated with some green curly leaf thingy, plus another biscuit, in front of her. "Really."

  "Damn, Justin, and here I thought you were a fuddy-duddy ole' businessman."

  He shrugged and cracked an egg into the pan for his breakfast. "I think we all have sides of our personality that we hide from each other. I enjoy building my businesses because they allow me to seek out the type of thrills that are beyond the means of others."

  Jade nodded. She got that. She worked the job at Guardian because she was addicted to the adrenaline that pulsed through her every time one of her primaries was in danger. She trained relentlessly to hone her skills, walked a razor's edge and put herself in harm's way to protect those that Guardian assigned her to watch. She loved every single second of the unknown. It was her adrenaline addiction, and she owned it. Well, that and sex. Jade poked at the scrambled eggs while she watched her brother move around his high-tech, monster-sized kitchen.

  Nah, sex wasn't an addiction for her. She'd gone a year without it. Jade pushed her eggs around her plate and thought of that night with Nic. Holy fuck, the sex had been amazing. Sure, any sex after a year would have been amazing, but Nic had made her feel… valued? She stabbed at her eggs at that thought. No, he was a player, just like her. He had the moves and knew the words to make a woman feel like she was the only one. She stopped moving her food around when she remembered her drunken epiphany last night. Yes! That! That was what had happened. Jade was a fool for thinking that his words had meant anything else. She'd figured it out last night… after the fourth or fifth shot of tequila. The technique she used to reach that conclusion wasn't necessarily recommended, but her logic was sound. She was such a putz for letting his words get into her head. She could have stayed that night and had two or three more orgasms, but no… she'd actually let his words mean something when there was absolutely no way they meant a damn thing.

  "Are you going to murder the eggs or eat them?" Justin sat down across from her as he spoke.

  "Huh?" Jade peered down at the once fluffy plate of whipped eggs and released a small laugh. She'd obliterated the damn things with her fork while she'd been lost in thought. Jade broke open the biscuit, forked it full of egg and covered it with the top.

  "Remember, Jared wants you to call in…" Justin read the digital clock on the double oven. "…five minutes."

  Jade bit down on her makeshift sandwich and nodded. She had no idea what Jared wanted. She was on vacation, and unless the earth, moon, and stars were in jeopardy of falling out of orbit, she was going to use every freaking day owed to her.

  Chapter Eleven

  Jade left the treadmill after a short, low-speed jog. She'd worn a brace on her knee, but there hadn't been so much as a twinge during her cardio warm up. Well, not from the knee. She'd swear her sweat turned to pure tequila around the half mile mark, but she was feeling much better tonight; hence the workout at Guardian's New York facilities. Jared had given her an update on the fallout from her undercover work. It seemed she'd found the loose thread and the organization was unraveling almost faster than Guardian, and the associated agencies working with them, could pull the string. Jade listened to the multitude of investigations that her undercover operation had spawned. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't impressed with herself. The explosion she and her DEA partner had detonated across the sphere of the Fathers' influence made the yearlong effort well worth the sacrifices.

  Jade headed for the locker room to tape her hands. She had an appointment with the heavy bag and then hopefully she could get someone to spar with her. Working undercover didn't give her any time to work out or even perform her kata to keep her mind and skills sharp. Muscle memory, pride and a stupid amount of luck had gotten her through the fights the night Guardian infiltrated the compound. She wasn't a fool. She needed to get back into fighting shape, and that meant cardio, weights and sparring against opponents who were bigger, faster, meaner and better at the skills she was trying to hone. The process wasn't fun, but Jade fucking loved the challenge and competition.

  She pulled the last wrap tight and taped it into place. The heavy bag was calling her name. She skirted around the weight room and rolled her eyes at a couple of guys who tried to catch her attention. The gym was the only place where she wouldn't troll for a piece of man meat. Here she was working and as much shit as she talked; she'd never jeopardize her training with a distraction.

  Jade threw a couple light punches at the bag and rolled into a routine she'd been doing for years. She upped the torque and speed of her attack. Her knee held up when she moved into rapid succession punches. She ducked and bobbed while thinking about her last opponent, the one who'd taken out her knee. The bastard shouldn't have had the upper hand during any of that exchange. Jade attacked the leather with a flurry of uppercuts. Someone grabbed the swaying bag and held it firm against her assault. Jade shifted her attention from her assault of the bag. Fuck. She stopped her workout. Her lungs burned from the effort she'd expended, and she could feel the sweat sheeting down her body. But none of that mattered because Nic Fucking Demarco stood two feet in front of her, stabilizing the heavy bag.

  "Don't let me stop you." Nic braced against the bag as if he expected her to pick up where she'd left off.

  "Normally I wouldn't. But you do have a tendency to stop things right when they are getting fun." Jade grabbed her water bottle.

  "Ouch." Nic stepped away from the bag and motioned toward the sparring rings. Two were vacant. "How about you take your pound of flesh out of me while we are in the ring."

  "You don't want to fight me." Jade chugged some water while keeping her eyes on Nic. Which wasn't hard because the man filled out his shorts. Jade's eyes traveled up from his prominent package to his tight abs and wide chest. She lifted an eyebrow at him when she noticed his smirk.

  "Like what you see?" Nic crossed his arms, which flexed his biceps enticingly. Damn, the man was a freaking carnival ride of muscles. Too bad, because

  she was never going to go back for seconds on that thrill ride. "I never denied I liked the wrapping. It was the gooey inside that bothered me." Jade finished her water while t
aking in Nic's reaction. To her surprise, he laughed.

  Nic lifted his arms, pulling his t-shirt up and leaving an amazing view of his happy trail that disappeared inside his workout shorts. "I have news for you, women love this soft center. Leave it to me to find the one who didn't. No offense, doll, but you got the same line everyone else has heard. It was a line. Get over yourself." He dropped his arms before he grabbed his water bottle and ring kit.

  Well, shit… that was unexpected. Get over myself? Hell, she hadn't heard that correctly. Couldn't have. Nope. But just in case. "Say what, now?"

  "You marched out of my house like I'd proposed marriage, six kids, and a mortgage." Nic walked toward the sparring ring, and Jade grabbed her kit before she fell into step with him.

  Well, she kinda had done that, but she wasn't going to admit it. "Whatever. Don't flatter yourself, DeMarco."

  "I don't have to flatter myself. I'm fucking phenomenal. Ask anyone in my collection of little black books." Nic vaulted to the elevated ring and hopped over the top rope.

  "Huh. You don't have self-esteem issues, do you?"

  "When you're good, you're good." He huffed on his fingertips and brushed them against his tight t-shirt all while bouncing on his toes. "Get your ass in here and give me a workout, woman. Your reputation leads me to believe you can give me a run for my money." He stopped moving and winked at her.

  "Yeah? Funny, that was what I heard about your reputation, super stud." Jade watched as he started to bounce on his toes again warming his body. He wasn't wearing a jock. His thick cock was clearly visible through the thin nylon of his workout shorts. She admired his optimism. Stupid, but optimistic. Yep, Nic was definitely a unicorn kinda guy.

  "Which part? That I could give you a run for your money? I think I did. Twice, if I recall. Then you tucked tail and ran away. I thought you were tougher than that."

  "Oh, I'm tough. Are you sure you want me to get into that ring with you? I don't take prisoners."

  "Neither do I, little missy." Nic mimicked Jim Carrey when he spoke. The imitation was perfect down to the stupid facial mannerisms. He ran his fingers through his hair and smiled down at her.

  Jade threw back her head and laughed. "Fuck you and the horse you rode in on."

  "You doing horses now, too?" Nic lifted his fists into fighting position as he spoke.

  Jade lifted herself onto the side of the ring. "Kinda have to; your dick isn't getting any of this."

  Nic laughed as he wedged in his teeth protector. "You mean any more of that." He cracked his neck from side to side and beckoned her closer. "The winner should get a prize. If I win, I get another night. If you win, you get another night. No melty centers."

  Jade assumed her ready stance and shook her head. "What makes you think you can win against me?"

  "Persistence. I've been told all about your fancy fighting techniques, but I can take a beating and get back up. I'll wear you down sooner or later. This cop has mad skills."

  Jade faked a left and dropped, sweeping Nic's legs out from under him. He hit the mat hard. Jade stood with her hands on her hips and waited. Nic rolled to his side and jumped up. "Cop, you may have mad skills, but they won't ever match mine."

  Nic leaned forward and rested his hands on his knees. He nodded and drew a deep breath. Jade cursed and moved a second too late. She landed on her back with Nic on top of her. The bastard had tackled her. She arched, getting space between, them and forced an elbow between his shoulder and her body. The other hand hooked around his back and grabbed the top of his shoulder. She faked a move pulling him away from her, and when he resisted, she moved with his momentum and rolled him onto his back. Her pointed elbow positioned at his throat. She pushed enough to let him know she could kill him. He tapped out, and she lifted away.

  Nic rubbed his throat, hopped up and circled her. She stood her ground, ready for any other sneak attacks. "I'm sensing you don't play fair."

  "Nope." Jade popped her 'p' and swiveled, so she was facing him as he circled her.

  "Did you know you leave yourself open with that stance? You need to lower in your crouch and open your legs another six inches."

  Jade blinked at the precise instruction. Her sensei had always told her that too, but she was comfortable. A flurry of movement came toward her and Jade reacted, blocking every strike. Damn it, Nic had been sandbagging. She fought furiously against his assault. He backed her into the ropes. She blocked, struck, thrust and blocked again in the span of two seconds. Nic's form was unbelievably good. He had to have studied under a phenomenal sensei for years. Jade saw her opening and kicked. The flash of pain in her knee drove her to the matt. Nic was over her in an instant, hovering, concern etched into the furrows of his brow.

  "Are you okay? I forgot about your knee." He carefully ran his hands down her thigh and manipulated her joint. He started to take off the brace.

  "No, leave it on. I'm fine. It wasn't happy taking all my weight and dealing with the torque of the kick." Jade dropped back to the mat. "Fuck, you're good."

  "All the ladies say that."

  "Asshat. How long have you been studying Wing Chun?"

  "Since I was a freshman in high school. Ma made all of us take self-defense classes. I liked the concepts. I had no idea you'd studied it. You threw me with the punching bag routine."

  Jade didn't move for several minutes enjoying her rest on the mat. "Yeah, the art of Chi Sau that Wing Chun teaches is great, but sometimes I just got to beat the shit out of something."

  "Oh, hell, I hear you. Not sure who would have won that bout if your knee hadn't gone out. Guess we'll have to call it a draw. We both win."

  "Is that one or two nights then?" Jade rolled her head and stared at the man sitting next to her. The sheen of sweat accented the definition of his muscles. Not that she noticed. Oh hell, who the fuck was she trying to kid? She noticed, and she fucking loved it.

  "One for each of us." He tossed the answer out after seeming to consider it.

  Jade held up a finger and pointed it at him. "No strings and no gooey centers?" She could really use an orgasm or twenty. Since Nic, she hadn't hooked up with anyone or called one of her acquaintances with benefits in the area. She refused to think about the reasons why.

  "Guaranteed." He crossed his heart and held up three fingers.

  "What is that?"

  "Boy Scout's honor, I think. I promise not even the zombie apocalypse would make me get all mushy again."

  Jade lifted to her elbows and stared at the man-child in front of her. "Hate to tell you this, Nic, but zombies aren't real."

  Nick's eyes popped open, and his mouth dropped. Just as quickly his eyes narrowed, and he glared at her. "You don't know that."

  Jade laughed at the stricken look on his face. "Yeah, I kinda do."

  "Prove it."

  "Prove what?"

  "Prove zombies don't exist."

  "What?"

  "You can't, can you?"

  "No, but that isn't an argument."

  "Sure it is. The air you're breathing, can you see it?"

  Jade blinked at him and shook her head. How the fuck did she get into a conversation about proving or disproving the existence of zombies?

  "See, just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not real. Boom… lawyered." Nic lifted his hands into the air and made a god-awful noise mimicking a crowd cheering.

  "You're broken." Jade dropped back onto the mat.

  "Nope, strategically bent." Nic leaned over and kissed her.

  "Right… whatever. Want to meet up tonight?" Jade sat up and cracked her neck.

  "Tonight? Nah, I have this thing."

  "A thing, huh?"

  "Yep."

  "Okay. Tomorrow night?" She didn't have any solid plans.

  "Ummm…" Nic grimaced.

  "Let me guess, you've got a thing." Jade raised an eyebrow at him.
/>   "Yep. Family thing."

  "Okay, you're given a pass on that one. Families can suck you into shit." Jade knew that for sure.

  "Don't I know it."

  "Saturday?"

  "All yours."

  "Fine. Text me with the deets." Jade stood and reached a hand down to Nic to help him up. He swatted away her hand and hopped up. Guess she was visiting the DeMarco playground at least two more times before she marked it off her 'to-do' list. Because Lord have mercy, she'd do DeMarco again and again. He needed a ball gag so he didn't say stupid shit, but she'd definitely do him.

  "See you then." Nic slapped her on the ass before he spun and headed toward the men's locker room.

  Jade reached around and rubbed the lingering sting of his hand on her butt cheek. A wicked smile spread across her face. Maybe a ball gag wasn't that far of a stretch.

  Chapter Twelve

  Nic waited outside the restaurant where he and Carla had agreed to meet. She was coming from somewhere around the United Nations, and since his mom's house was located on the West Side, they decided to meet in midtown in an up and coming neighborhood near the Garment District. One thing that he could say about this city was it never stopped re-inventing itself, and he loved the vibrancy and life that thrummed through the streets. He was lucky he had connections in the city, also known as his younger brother because reservations at this place weren't easy to get. His brother Mario let him know in no uncertain terms that Nic owed him big time.

  He recognized Carla as soon as she stepped out of the cab. She was a more mature version of the girl he dated. She stood maybe five feet tall and was petite to the point of being tiny. She was wearing her hair shorter than in high school, and her makeup and clothes were, as always, perfect. Nic smiled broadly and walked over to her.

  "Carla, it is wonderful to see you." He bent down to hug his friend.

  "Nico, you look so good! All grown up!" Her dark brown eyes sparkled with laughter.

  "I wish I could say the same about you. Still a squirt, I see." They had a running, teasing dialog going back over the years.