Shadow Form (Dark Impulse Book 2)

by Edmund Hughes

  “No, I’m just here to find Katie,” said Jack, forcing the words out. “Unfortunately. Is she teaching right now?”

  “She is.” Synda folded her arms, seeming to pout without pouting. “I can grab her for you. But you’ll owe me one.”

  Jack grinned at her and bowed slightly. “Consider me in your debt.”

  She smiled mischievously at him as she walked away, doing a good job of letting her hips sway from side to side in that exaggerated, feminine way. It felt strange for him to feel so calm and collected to the point of casually flirting with a pretty girl. He’d killed a man a little over an hour ago. Did it even matter?

  Katie did not look happy when she appeared from the fitness room’s doorway. She shot a look that could have melted ice at Jack as she made her way over. Her brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she had on a sleeveless red top and black yoga pants.

  “You did something stupid,” said Katie.

  Jack winced.

  “Yeah.”

  He explained as much to her as he could without incriminating himself, and they headed out to her car.

  CHAPTER 18

  The ride back to the mansion was tense. Katie hadn’t even bothered to change out of her yoga clothes, and for the first few minutes, she didn’t say a word to him.

  “This isn’t a fucking game, Jack,” she finally said. “You can’t keep treating it like one.”

  He’d omitted the part about him killing the guard at the storage yard. Part of him was scared of what Katie might say or do if she knew that he’d taken a life. All of him was scared of it. And she might find out anyway, given that her fiancé was the town’s sheriff’s deputy, and she was smart enough to connect the dots on even just a wisp of information.

  “The girls were slaves, Katie,” said Jack. “If you’d seen the conditions they were in… Damn it. It was disgusting.”

  “They weren’t your responsibility!” snapped Katie. “You could have gone to the sheriff! Or even just told me so I could tell Bruce. Human traffickers aren’t a supernatural opponent. They can be taken down by the regular authorities.”

  “Was Ryoko one of them?” asked Jack. The question had been on the tip of his tongue from the moment he’d seen the way she reacted to the sight of the women. “Was she in a situation like that? Was my grandfather the one who saved her?”

  Katie seemed a little taken aback by the question.

  “Did she say something to you?” asked Katie. “About her past?”

  “No,” said Jack.

  “Then it isn’t for me to tell you,” said Katie. “You should just leave it be.”

  Her cryptic words didn’t exactly douse Jack’s curiosity, but there wasn’t anything else to be said, if she wasn’t willing to budge.

  Katie brought the car through the mansion’s front gate and into the garage. Jack let out a relieved sigh as he made his way inside, feeling as though he’d earned a long rest after his dreary day. The entire first floor smelled of food, and Jack could hear quiet conversation in a language he couldn’t understand emanating from the living room.

  “I’m going to change,” said Jack. “And take a shower. Don’t be mean to any of the girls, okay?”

  Katie scoffed and then glared at him with her hands on her hips.

  “I’m not going to be mean to them!” she said. “Why would you even say that?”

  “You can be kind of mean sometimes,” said Jack. “Ask anyone. It’s true.”

  “It is not true!”

  “I’m not saying it’s your fault,” said Jack. “Just that… it’s something you need to be aware of.”

  Katie held her glare even as Jack started up the stairway. He was tempted to blow her a parting kiss, just to really get under her skin, but managed to resist the urge.

  Ryoko had already anticipated his needs. She’d laid out a comfortable set of clothing on his bed, along with a fresh towel and bathrobe. Jack took the latter two into the bathroom and turned on the shower, slowly stripping off his waterlogged garments and enjoying the sensation of the room filling with warm steam.

  He’d only just climbed into the shower when the bathroom door opened. Jack scowled and peered out through the edge of the curtain, expecting Ryoko, or possibly an irritated Katie. Instead, Kia stood in front of the bathroom door.

  She had on some of Ryoko’s clothing, though the fit was obviously off, given how much taller Kia was than the petite maid. Without the dirt caking her face and matting her hair, Jack could see her for who she really was. She had tan, almost brown skin, Asiatic eyes, and a large, expressive mouth.

  “Uh…” Jack frowned, unsure of how to react. “I’m in the shower.”

  “Yes,” said Kia. “I noticed.”

  Jack scowled, and was in the middle of mulling over his response as Kia pulled her shirt up over her head. She slipped out of her sweatpants and into the shower before he could find words to object.

  He felt his eyes drinking in her naked body, even as his brain objected. Kia’s breasts were generously sized for her lean frame, with big, brown nipples that seemed to beg to be touched. She was looking at him with an expression of adoration, bordering on worship.

  “Whoa,” said Jack. “Hold on a second. I think you’ve got the—”

  She cut him off with a kiss. Jack’s first impulse wasn’t to push her away, or to kiss her back. It was to bite her, and the act of suppressing it took so much effort that he couldn’t focus on deescalating the situation and keeping Kia from doing what she was doing.

  And she was doing a lot. Her hand had found something to play with, and Jack could barely think through how good it felt. She gave his shaft a soft squeeze and slowly began to stroke, pulling her palm back and forth, and letting her thumb glide in gentle, coaxing circles.

  Jack reached his hands up toward her shoulders in a polite attempt to push her away. Kia intercepted his wrists midway, redirecting his touch to her breasts, instead. He tried, in desperation, to think of what she’d been through. And the horrific result the human trafficking operation she’d been a victim of would have led to.

  Kia pumped her hand back and forth, and just like that, the only thought on Jack’s mind was of a young, beautiful girl of a similar age of him, naked and in his shower. He kissed her, feeling his arousal overruling his pity and guilt.

  She was an extremely good kisser. Kia pressed forward, all but pinning him against the wall of the shower. She pressed her body against his and lifted herself up and down, sliding her breasts along and down the length of his abdomen.

  She fell to her knees in front of him, and before Jack could come back to his senses, she engulfed his shaft in her mouth. Her lips made a perfect, wet, pulling seal, and she dipped her head in a circular arc as she began to move back and forth.

  No good deed goes unpunished. Jack felt his jaw fall open as the pleasure of Kia’s tongue, lips, and inner cheeks hit him in a blunt wave. He set one of his hands on the top of her head, as much to steady himself as to urge her on.

  She took the encouragement to heart. Jack felt his entire body tingling as Kia tilted forward, taking his entire length further into her mouth than he expected to be possible. She held the position for a beat and then pulled back, planting a kiss on the tip and giving him another caress with her hand as she took a breath.

  Jack caught a glimpse of her expression as she glanced up at him. She was smirking, and she had a mischievous, lewd gleam in her eyes that made him feel like he was about to blush.

  Kia took him back into her mouth slowly, letting her lips glide across the length of his shaft. She pressed and prodded with her tongue, and then began bobbing her head again. Once, twice. Over and over. Jack was breathing faster, and had to grab onto the shower curtain bar with one hand to keep from buckling at the knees. He gasped as he reached his limit, and Kia kept going even as the wild pleasure ebbed and flowed through him.

  “You… didn’t need to do that,” said Jack. He shook his head, coming back down to earth and realizi
ng the full extent of the situation.

  “I know,” said Kia. “But I must thank you. I can be wife for you, if you like.”

  “No!” Jack said, quickly. “Really, that’s fine. You’ve already done more than enough.”

  “You helped so much,” said Kia. “Is there nothing else?”

  Jack licked his lips. He tried to get back into his normal wash routine without being too affected by the girl’s presence.

  “I need information,” said Jack. “Anything you can tell me about the people who brought you to Lestaron Island would be useful. Do you know about a woman named Martine? Or two men by the names of Khumar or Monty?”

  Kia shook her head.

  “I was promised marriage,” she said, looking down at her feet. “A woman said she find husband for me in America. Gave me photos. Letters from him. Lied to me.”

  Jack scrubbed at his hair and scalp, brushing a few forgotten remnants of shampoo off his forehead.

  “So you never had direct contact with anyone you think was important?” asked Jack.

  “They put me on plane,” said Kia. “With others. A few downstairs right now. Then pointed guns at us. Pushed us in container box.”

  “Fucking bastards,” said Jack. “I’m just glad I found you all in time.”

  He was glad, even as he considered the full extent of what he’d done. There was no lingering guilt over the guard he’d killed. Though that fact did make him feel a little ashamed, oddly enough. Ashamed at the fact that he wasn’t ashamed.

  “So…” said the girl. “Thank you. You sure you not need wife?”

  She draped her arms over Jack’s shoulders, and he almost felt himself considering it as an option. A pretty young wife, with a fantastic body and a mouth that could give an incredible… smile.

  “No,” he said, chuckling. “Which isn’t to say I’m not flattered. I just have a… complicated life. You should head downstairs and relax for now. Or ask Ryoko to show you to one of the empty bedrooms if you’re feeling tired.”

  Kia gave him a somewhat reluctant nod and slipped out of the shower. She had a smirk on her face as she left, and Jack felt an odd flush of heat in his cheeks. He was surprised by her confidence, given what she’d been through.

  He finished up and dried off. The clothes Ryoko had picked for him were simple, a white T-shirt and a pair of comfy slacks. He dressed and headed downstairs, feeling his hunger pique in multiple forms as he smelled both the food Ryoko had prepared and the delightful mixture of scents from all the women mingling in the lounge.

  Katie looked surprisingly comfortable with the situation, despite how angry she’d been before. She was sitting on the couch and watching a movie with a few of the women. She’d figured out what their native language was and turned on the subtitles for them, allowing them all to enjoy the plot of the romcom she’d picked out.

  Jack headed past her and into the dining room. Kia and another one of the girls, who looked to be no older than her early teens, were enjoying large bowls of soup with slabs of crusty bread on the side. Ryoko was serving the role of the dutiful maid, offering them seconds and clearing the dirty dishes from the table.

  It felt a little odd watching her act the part of a servant for women who’d been intended for the same role, and it made Jack feel a little concerned. He ignored his own hunger and followed her back into the kitchen as she brought a few dirty bowls to the dishwasher.

  “Hey,” he said. “Thanks.”

  Ryoko bowed to him.

  “Of course, Mr. Masterson,” she said. “This is my job.”

  “That’s not what I mean,” he said. “Seriously, can you just call me Jack for now? I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate this. And appreciate you.”

  Ryoko glanced away from him, clasping her hands against her lap in front of her. Jack felt a strong temptation to ask her about her past. To pry into her history and see if she remembered anything. He forced it down, knowing that it wasn’t the time.

  “Jack,” said Ryoko. She smiled a little and wiggled her head from side to side, like she’d just broken an unwritten rule. “I don’t mind. I like this kind of thing. Helping other people.”

  “I like it too,” he said, sharing in her smile. “Even when it’s complicated.”

  “Do you have a plan for what you’re going to do next?” asked Ryoko. “You can’t keep them here forever.”

  “I’m not sure,” said Jack. “I was kind of hoping that Katie would know what to do.”

  Ryoko’s smile widened, and she shook her head a little.

  “Ms. White… er, Katherine, won’t always be available to clean up your messes, you know,” said Ryoko.

  “Of course not,” said Jack. “Good thing I have you around, too.”

  He grinned and prodded a finger into Ryoko’s ribs. She playfully slapped his hand away. Jack felt a sudden urge to hug her tight. He could see her pain underneath her smile, and he wished he could do something about it.

  “I’m glad for this,” she said. “It’s helped me… center myself. Seeing what these girls have been through puts my own issues into perspective.”

  Did it, though? Jack wondered if he’d done her a favor by dropping the women into Ryoko’s lap, like stray kittens in need of care. Or if he’d only put off her grieving process for a while longer.

  “You’re strong, Ryoko,” said Jack. “It’s part of the reason why I’m so glad to have you in my life.”

  “Part of the reason?” she asked. She looked at him again, and Jack saw so many different emotions in her beautiful green eyes.

  “Part of it,” he said. He reached over and took her hand into his, giving it a small squeeze.

  Katie picked that moment to clear her throat and announce her presence. Ryoko immediately pulled her hand back from Jack’s. An uncomfortable silence followed as Jack glanced back and forth between the two women. Katie looked suspicious and a little annoyed, arms folded across her breasts. Ryoko kept her gaze downcast, avoiding both Jack and Katie’s eyes.

  “What’s up?” asked Jack.

  “We need to talk about what happens next,” said Katie. “In private.”

  She gave Ryoko a look that Jack wasn’t sure he liked. He nodded anyway, and followed Katie out of the kitchen, through the dining room, and up to the mansion’s second floor. Jack leaned his elbows against the railing, and Katie slid in close next to him.

  “They can’t stay here,” she said. “Not even for a couple of days. It’s going to be a fucking mess if anyone catches wind of this.”

  “I know,” said Jack.

  “Do you?” snapped Katie. “In bringing them here, you’ve opened yourself up to the suspicion of not just Bruce and the sheriff, but the Order of Chaldea. Trust me, they are aware of you at this point. The more noise you make, the more likely they are to come down on you.”

  “I know!” repeated Jack, scowling at her. “Can we jump to the part where you tell me about you think I should do?”

  “You’re assuming I have a plan,” said Katie.

  “You always have a plan,” said Jack.

  “That doesn’t mean I enjoy having to pull your chestnuts out of the fire,” said Katie.

  “That’s such an odd expression,” said Jack. “Who the hell eats chestnuts?”

  Katie did not look amused.

  “Sorry,” said Jack. “I didn’t mean to involve you in this. I acted without thinking, but I did it for good reason. Katie… I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I hadn’t helped these girls out.”

  Was that the line that Jack had drawn in the sand? He’d killed a man. He’d enthralled a woman out of reflex, just to get the information he wanted. But he couldn’t stand by and watch innocent people suffer. What did that say about his morality?

  “I do have a plan,” said Katie. “And it’s a good one. But I’m not sure you’re going to like it.”

  “Let’s hear it, then,” said Jack.

  “I have a friend who operates a luxury travel comp
any,” said Katie. “He has a deal with the Governor to keep his jet at the Lestaron Airport in exchange for promoting the island’s tourism agenda.”

  “Okay,” said Jack. “I’m liking the sound of this.”

  “He could bring the women to New York,” said Katie. “And from there, they could get in touch with their home country’s general consulate. That would let them verify their identities and get home, or at least help them connect with an organization experienced with helping victims of sex trafficking.”

  “This sounds really good,” said Jack. “Can you call him and set it up?”

  “That depends,” said Katie.

  “On what?”

  “On whether you’re willing to pay his fee,” said Katie.

  Jack scratched his head. “Okay. Can you give me like a ballpark estimate of what that would be?”

  “Between ten and twenty thousand dollars,” said Katie. “Probably closer to twenty since they don’t have passports.”

  Jack exhaled through his teeth, feeling his enthusiasm deflate in response to the number.

  “You’ve already committed to this, Jack,” said Katie. “You brought them here. You made the decision to take responsibility for them. Luckily, with your grandfather’s inheritance, you do have the money.”

  “Are you sure you can’t work out some kind of charity deal with the pilot?” asked Jack.

  Katie smiled and shook her head. Jack was annoyed by how much she seemed to be enjoying watching him squirm.

  “I thought it would be like on TV,” said Jack. “Like, I save them and just let them run off and go their own way.”

  “I think you’re in for a lot of disappointment in life if you use fiction as a blueprint for how things should go,” said Katie.

  “Oh, fuck you,” said Jack. “Any chance you’re willing to go halves with me?”

  “I don’t even have that much money in my bank account,” said Katie. “All of my net worth is in the half of the mansion Peter left to me. Why do you think I wanted to sell this place so badly?”