He held out his hand for her, helping her from the floor before tackling her to the bed. She laughed as he slung and arm across her stomach and nestled his face into the crook of her neck.
“That was amazing,” he mumbled. “Thank you,” he added, placing a soft kiss on her shoulder.
“You’re welcome,” Janie said, smiling.
The doorbell rang from the entryway, and Janie shoved him off of her and sat up.
“Don’t go,” he whined playfully, trying to pull her back down.
“That’s probably our food,” Janie said, slapping his hands away. “I have to go pay for it.”
“No, no. I’ll get it,” he said, propping himself up on an elbow.
“Looking like that? I don’t think so,” she laughed. “I’ll be right back.”
“Hurry,” he replied giving her a wolfish grin. A shiver went up her spine and she bit her lip as she slipped out the door and made her way down the stairs.
Janie grabbed her wallet off the entryway table and opened the door, expecting to see an awkward teenager carrying pizza and wings. She wasn’t prepared for what greeted her instead.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Nancy?” Janie asked, confused.
“Where is my daughter?” Nancy asked, shoving past her.
“Mom?” Makenna, who was still curled up on the living room couch, sat up, her eyes wide.
“What are you doing here?” Janie asked, closing the front door.
“Get your things. We’re leaving in the morning and you’re coming with us.”
“No, mom,” Makenna replied. She was visibly panicked, but to her credit she kept her tone firm and her voice barely shook.
“You should have called, Nancy,” Janie said, trying to put herself between them.
“I’m not speaking to you,” Nancy spat. “You’ve done enough. I’m taking my daughter home. Don’t try to stop me.”
“Makenna is an adult. She doesn’t have to go with you if she doesn’t want to, and clearly she doesn’t. You need to go.”
“Shut up!” Nancy screamed. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Of course you do, you’ve been doing it your whole life!”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Janie asked. “You sound insane right now.”
“Don’t act like you don’t know,” Nancy yelled, taking a step toward her. “You’ve been coming between your father and I since day one. No matter what I did, no matter how hard I tried to keep his attention, it was always you.”
“You’re crazy,” Janie spat.
“I’m crazy? If I am crazy it’s because of you. It was hard enough trying to compete with your sainted mother.” Her voice dripped sarcasm and Janie’s vision went red.
“Don’t you dare talk about her,” Janie shouted, stepping forward.
“See? It was always her in the beginning. Eva this, and Eva that. Nothing I did seemed to measure up to her. And then it was Janie this and Janie that. I’ve lost count of how many times he’s droned on and on about how much you reminded him of her. How beautiful she was. How smart, how funny, how clever. He thought she was perfect, and there was no way I could compete with that.”
“You really are insane, aren’t you?” Janie whispered to herself.
“I tried replacing you, but even that didn’t work,” Nancy mumbled. She seemed to be talking more to herself than Janie at this point and Janie was genuinely concerned that Nancy was in the middle of an honest-to-God psychotic break.
She’d known that Nancy was a terrible person for years, but she’d never thought of her as really dangerous. Until now.
“And then we had to come here, of all places. And he just had to call you. He couldn’t just leave it be.”
“Kenna,” Janie said softly, hoping Nancy was too distracted to notice and motioning behind her back for her to go.
“He just couldn’t pass up the chance to see you. And your boyfriend had to stick his nose in where it didn’t belong and now your father is acting as if he actually cares about anything other than his dead wife.”
“I don’t understand anything you’re saying, Nancy,” Janie said, keeping her tone even and calm.
“Let me clear things up for you then,” Nancy spat, sticking a finger in her face. “Your father has been pining for your mother since the day she died and no matter what I do, he doesn’t care about anything but her. The only reason he cares about you is because you’re like her. Things have been so much better since you’ve been gone. But you just couldn’t leave us alone and now he wants to leave me.”
Janie’s head snapped back as if Nancy had slapped her. Her father was leaving Nancy? After all this time? Why? What had happened to make him finally pay attention? And what did it have to do with her or Jackson?
None of this made any sense. While she was puzzling over it, trying to make some sense out of Nancy’s rambling, she’d completely missed the fact that Nancy had picked up the vase from the end table.
“You don’t know how many times I wished you’d died in that car with your mother,” Nancy said, shaking her head.
Janie frantically tried to figure out what to do. Nancy was between them and the door and she was armed with a vase and raving like a loon. Jackson was upstairs, oblivious to what was happening.
If she didn’t come back he’d eventually come looking for her, right? He’d know how to handle Nancy. She just needed to keep her talking until Jackson could rescue them.
She absolutely wanted to kick herself for not taking that self-defense course Alexandra had recommended. Or going with Alexandra for kickboxing lessons or whatever it was she did on Saturdays after their workouts.
“Nancy,” Janie said calmly. “I don’t know what happened, but I can guarantee you that I have never tried to come between you and my father. My father has never showed any interest in me. You know that. He barely even noticed any of us were alive. We all deserved better.”
Nancy narrowed her eyes at Janie, and it was then Janie realized that Nancy truly hated her.
“As far as I’m concerned, you can have him. I gave up trying to matter to him when I left home,” Janie said bitterly.
“It doesn’t matter that you’ve given up because he hasn’t. I swear to God, you’re all he talks about. He gets off the phone with you and I have to hear all about it. It makes me sick.”
Janie couldn't believe what she was hearing. There was no way that her indifferent father would spend all of his time talking about her when he barely spent any time talking to her.
"I don't care what problems you have with my father you need to take that up with him," Janie said. "And as far as Makenna is concerned, there's nothing more to discuss. You need to go."
Nancy sneered at her and Janie was afraid that Nancy was losing her last tether to sanity.
“No, Janice,” Nancy hissed. “I think maybe you should go.” Nancy lurched forward, lifting the vase over her head. Makenna screamed and Janie tried to shield her face with her arms, knowing there was little she could do to avoid the blow.
Janie heard a crash, a scream and a grunt of pain. She opened her eyes, peering out from between her arms and saw Jackson on the floor, pinning Nancy in place where she lay on the floor beside the broken vase.
“Oh, thank god,” Janie sighed with relief. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Are you two okay?” Jackson asked, looking her over from hairline to toes.
“Not a scratch,” Janie assured him.
“Good.” Jackson nodded, his body relaxing a bit. “Now what do you want to do with this… woman?” he asked, gritting his teeth.
Before Janie could answer, there was another knock on the door.
Jesus, what now?
Janie walked to the door and peered through the window. She once again assumed it was the pizza guy, and again, she was wrong. Her father stood on the stoop looking nervous.
“Dad?” Janie asked, opening the door. She stepped aside and gestured him into the living room. “If you’re look
ing for your wife, she’s in there.”
“Nancy is here?” he asked.
“Isn’t that why you came?” Janie sighed, moving past him to sit beside Makenna on the sofa.
“No, I-“ He stopped short when he noticed precisely where Nancy was - sitting awkwardly on the carpet, rubbing her wrists and glaring at Jackson who stood over her with a vicious scowl.
“What the hell happened here?” he asked.
“Your wife just attempted to assault your daughter,” Jackson said, coldly. “Depending on how aggressive the DA wanted to be, it’s possible she just attempted murder.”
“Jesus Christ, Nancy,” her father shouted. “What in hell is wrong with you?”
Nancy hesitated. As soon as the words “attempted murder” left Jackson’s mouth, her face had gone gray.
“James-“ Nancy began, but Janie’s father cut her off with an impatient wave of his hand.
“Enough. Enough, Nancy,” he said sternly. Janie was shocked. She’d never heard her father raise his voice to anyone, especially Nancy.
“Are you going to call the police?” he asked, turning to Janie. Janie looked at Jackson and he tilted his head and shrugged a shoulder. The meaning was clear, it was her call.
“Honestly, she’s not worth the trouble,” Janie said, resigned. She just wanted it to be over. She wanted Nancy to go away and to never have to see her again. She turned to her father and fixed him with a hard stare.
“Take her back to the hotel, put her on the plane tomorrow morning and make sure she stays in Mississippi where she belongs.” Janie turned to Nancy, who sat, chastened, on the living room floor.
“Don’t call, don’t text, don’t write. If and when Makenna wants to speak to you, she’ll call. Understood?”
Nancy looked at her, resentment still clear in her eyes, but she nodded. She seemed to finally realize that things were the way they were and she wasn’t going to get what she wanted. Janie had been after her father’s love and attention since she was a child, and she’d never gotten what she wanted either.
“Janie, I came here to talk to you,” her father said, looking between her and his wife.
Janie bit her lip. All she’d ever wanted was for her father to talk to her, really talk to her and really listen to her. But she was beyond exhausted, the adrenaline rush wearing off quickly.
“I can’t do this right now,” she said, shaking her head sadly. “Get her out of here and maybe we can talk later,” Janie sighed, knowing that for her father out of sight was out of mind. He’d get home, go back to his hardware store and fly tying and she probably wouldn’t hear from him again for weeks.
But she was done. Done with chasing his attention, done with trying to figure out why she wasn’t enough. All she wanted now was to retreat inside herself and lick her wounds until she could put her brave face back on and return to the world she now lived in.
“Alright,” her father replied, sounding defeated. He helped Nancy to her feet and escorted her out the door, Jackson following close behind to make sure they left.
“You alright?” Janie asked, turning to Makenna. Her sister was sitting, frozen in place on the couch, silent tears streaming down her face.
“I… She’s insane,” Makenna whispered, shaking her head.
“It’s okay, Kenna. You’re okay,” Janie soothed.
“How could she say those things? How could she… do that?” Makenna said, more to herself than anyone else.
“Kenna, it’s okay. You’re okay,” Janie repeated, hugging her.
“I’m sorry, Janie,” Makenna sobbed.
“It’s not your fault, honey,” Janie assured her, stroking her head from her perch on the arm of the couch.
As miserable as Nancy had made her, and as much as she felt Nancy deserved to spend the rest of her life in a padded cell where she belonged, she was Makenna’s mother. Makenna might have had a slightly easier time of it growing up, but Nancy’s outburst must have been much harder for Makenna to witness.
“Maybe Dad can convince her to get some help when they get home. Counseling or something,” Janie offered, trying to comfort her sister.
“Maybe,” Makenna said weakly, knowing just as well as Janie how unlikely that was. Makenna stood on shaking legs. “I… I think I’m going to go shower and go to bed.”
“You sure you’re okay?” Janie asked, noticing how pale Makenna looked. She was afraid she might faint.
“Yeah, just a lot to process,” Makenna said, offering her a weak smile.
“Okay. Just call if you need anything.” Janie returned her smile and watched her head for the stairs. Jackson returned, glancing at Makenna as he passed her.
“She alright?” he asked, scooping Janie up in a hug and placing her on his lap as he sat down on the couch.
“I don’t know. Watching your mom go ballistic has to be hard,” Janie replied thoughtfully, burrowing into Jackson’s chest, relishing the warmth and comfort.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly, stroking her hair the same way she had with Makenna.
“I don’t know that either,” Janie replied with a sigh.
✽✽✽
Jackson was surprised that Janie couldn’t hear the way his heart was pounding like a jackhammer. He’d been raised to never hit a woman, but that woman… it had been a struggle to restrain her without doing any damage. He was distrubed by how badly he’d wanted to shake her, slap her - something to knock some sense into her.
“It’s a lot to take in, I’m sure,” he said, giving her a quick squeeze, as much to assure himself she was there and unhurt as it was to comfort her.
“Well, I knew she was bonkers, I just can’t believe it was all because she was jealous of how much my father loved me and my mom, especially since I had no idea he loved either of us half as much as she seems to think he does.”
“You had no idea?” Jackson asked, seething that her father could have failed her so completely that she didn’t even know that he loved her. His own daughter didn’t know that her father loved her. How fucked up was that?
“I mean, I guess I assumed he loved me a little. I mean, he didn’t hand me over to the state or give me up for adoption. But I certainly wouldn’t have thought in a million years that he talked about me so much. And my mother!” she shouted, sitting up and looking at him. “He never talked about her. Even when I asked, he wouldn’t tell me anything about her.”
“That must have been really hard for you,” he replied, lifting his hand to brush away a stray curl that had fallen into her eyes. Janie grabbed his hand and turned it over in hers.
“You’re bleeding!” she gasped. Honestly, he hadn’t even noticed. He’d felt the impact when Nancy had smashed the vase down on his arm, but he hadn’t noticed the cut.
“It’s nothing,” he replied, shrugging. “Didn’t even feel it.”
“Well, whether or not you felt it doesn’t mean it won’t get infected or bleed all over the place.” She stood up and, grabbing his uninjured wrist, dragged him to the kitchen.
She turned the tap on and pushed his injured wrist under the cool running water.
“My kit isn’t as impressive as Angel’s, but it’s better than nothing.” She rummaged in the cabinet and pulled out a small plastic box with a red cross on the cover. She opened a sterile package of gauze and turned off the tap, placing the gauze on his wrist as she led him over to the table.
He sat down and she took the seat next to him this time. One corner of his mouth quirked up, thinking of the last time they’d been alone in this kitchen. She must have been thinking something similar because she smiled at him.
“Why is it you always seem to hurt yourself when I’m around?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “I must be bad luck or something.”
“Nah, I just seem to have a habit of making an ass of myself around beautiful women,” Jackson replied.
She removed the gauze and they both got a good look at the jagged gash on the outside of his wrist, next to his watch.
Jackson looked at his watch and saw that the face was smashed, small cracks radiating out from the center.
“Oh, God, Jackson. I’m so sorry.” Janie said softly. “It’s the one your mom gave you.”
“It’s alright,” Jackson replied.
“No, it’s not alright. I’m so sorry,” she sobbed.
“Look at me, Janie,” he said. She looked up at him, her green eyes bright with tears. “It’s just a watch. I’d much rather she crack my watch than your skull. Got it?”
She laughed weakly, swiping at the tears that had fallen and nodded.
God I love her.
The thought didn’t surprise him. He’d been falling for her since the first time they met. How could he not? But now wasn’t the time to admit it to her. She’d been through the emotional ringer as it was. In a few days, maybe.
They sat in silence while she made sure the bleeding had stopped and applied antibiotic ointment before carefully applying a fresh piece of gauze and securing it with tape. She was focused hard, lip between her teeth, brow wrinkled. She was so damn cute it was all he could do not to lean over and kiss her.
“All done,” she finally said, picking up the debris and walking it over to the garbage can.
“Thank you,” he said, removing his watch and slipping it into his pocket.
“Hey, Jackson?” Janie said, turning to him with a frown.
“Yeah?” he replied, dread filling his gut with lead.
“What was Nancy talking about when she said you’d been sticking your nose where it didn’t belong?”
Jackson stood there, stunned. He must have missed that part of the conversation. He’d gotten dressed and come looking for Janie to see what was taking so long. He’d arrived just in time to see Nancy holding that vase and screaming nonsense. He hadn’t paid attention to anything she’d said. He’d been too preoccupied with the best way to take her down before she could get to Janie.
“What did she say?” Jackson asked.
“She said I’d been trying to come between them and implied that you said, or did something,” she said slowly as if trying to remember the conversation. “And because of that my father was upset with her,” she finished uncertainly.
Her Defender (MacLachlan Security Group Book 2) Page 19