by Ali Parker
I thought the tide was turning, and rushed forward to kick the gun away from the one he’d punched.
“Don’t move,” a thick voice said from behind Jack. One of the men he’d been struggling with, the one that wasn’t hurt too badly to move, had managed to position himself at Jack’s rear and currently had a gun held to the back of his head.
“Drop the fucking gun or I blow his brains out,” he said.
My hands were shaking so bad, I thought I would drop the gun without the asshole’s command. I heard him cock his weapon, and it was a sound from a nightmare. “No!” I shouted, my entire being focused on the danger of losing Jack.
It was enough of a distraction for the one who’d grabbed me to approach. He brought his arm down on my hands, hard enough to knock the gun from my grip. I let out a cry, but it was quickly silenced. The man grabbed me by my throat, pushing me back against the desk and holding me down there.
I heard a sound of animal rage and it shook me before I realized it was coming from Jack. I managed to look over my captor’s shoulder to see Jack pivot around, so fast he was nearly a blur. The man behind him fired his weapon and I screamed, but it was too late. Jack was out of the way of the blast and had spun around so that he was now positioned behind the man.
Jack’s muscular arm encircled the man’s throat and he yanked, hard. Using his other hand, he knocked the gun out of his grip. While he held the man in a chokehold, I watched as the guy’s face turned red, and then purple.
“Jack!” I tried to scream, “Behind you!” The third man had pulled himself off the floor and had recovered his weapon. He was raising it to point it at Jack. Without a moment’s hesitation, Jack spun, still gripping the man around the throat. He dashed forward, ramming his head into the other’s man’s face.
The guy in front of him dropped, instantly unconscious. Then Jack released the man he was holding, who had finally succumbed to the choke hold and passed out. Calmly, Jack bends to pick up the two weapons they’d dropped.
He strode forward, and my heart was hammering against my ribcage. The look on his face was savage. Dark.
The man holding me down had been struggling to reach my gun on the floor while still holding me in place. He hadn’t yet realized that Jack was about to rain vengeance down upon him.
“You might want to give up,” I rasped at him, my voice rough because of the pressure he was keeping on my throat. The man stiffened when he felt the guns hit his back.
“Let her go,” Jack snarled, pushing harder with the weapons.
The man gave up his quest for a gun and let go of my throat, putting his hands into the air. I shoved my way off the desk, heaving to catch my breath.
I could see the look on Jack’s face and it frightened the hell out of me. He looked to be one second away from killing the man. Although the intruder might have deserved it, I couldn’t let it happen. Jack didn’t need another soul on his conscience.
It happened so fast, I didn’t realize what he’d done until it was over. With a quick flick of the wrist, Jack brought the gun down on the back of the third guy’s head. The man dropped to his knees, then keeled over, joining his companions in unconsciousness.
I dashed to my desk and grabbed the phone, calling 9-1-1. Giving the dispatcher the information she asked for, I silently prayed for the police to hurry up. I was afraid if they took too long, Jack would take matters into his own hands.
The look on his face was haunted. It caused a coldness to enter my chest. Jack was so brave, so strong, he should be reveling in his victory.
Jack had been outnumbered and outgunned, but he’d still managed to take out all three intruders and to get the upper hand. So why was he looking at me like he was a moment away from collapsing in grief?
“Please hurry,” I murmured to the dispatcher, but I could already hear the sirens in the distance. I put the phone back on the hook and started to walk slowly towards Jack, but he shook his head, instructing me without words to keep my distance.
We stood there, staring at each other, waiting for the cops to come.
Chapter 17
Jack
I made sure to put the weapons down before the police entered the office. I held my hands in front of my chest and was relieved when I saw Emma mirror my motions.
The police wasted little time entering, guns drawn. They ordered us to hold still as they proceeded to pick up the weapons scattered around the office. I risked a glance at the woman beside me and could see that she was spooked. Her eyes were wide, her normally tan face pale and drawn.
I was furious at what had happened. It was evident to me that someone had caught Emma following them and had returned the favor. They’d pursued her back to the office and had come charging in to do God knew what.
The cops divided us to take our statements. I started from the beginning, informing them of our contract with Dexter Jansen, and of the suspicions I’d had. I told him about the photos, showed them to the cops, and then ran them through the events at the movie theater earlier.
The officer I was speaking to seemed to agree with my assessment: Emma had been followed back to the office. He said they were familiar with two of the men who were now handcuffed in the back of squad cars. They were hired goons of a notorious crime family who’d recently increased their operations in Savannah.
He requested I email the photos to his captain, then informed me that they’d already been investigating Councilman Drake for his role in some recent no-bid contracts. When I showed him the photo of the ledger, he asked me to send that as well, saying they would share their findings with the FBI.
The office door opened and Smith and his son strode in. The officer stationed at the door tried to stop them from entering the crime scene, but Smith was having none of it and finally the cop backed down.
Smith headed straight for his daughter, who was being interviewed by two officers a few desks away. He pulled his little girl into his arms and started barking out questions. Matt wasn’t far behind, putting an arm around Emma’s shoulders.
I let out a breath. “Are we about done here?”
The officer nodded. “I bet these assholes rue the day they ever got mixed up with Delta Force.”
“Ex-Delta Force,” I corrected, pulling on my jacket.
“I’ll likely be calling you in for more questions before this thing goes to trial.”
I nodded, heading towards the door. With one last glance at Emma over my shoulder, I pushed my way out of the office and into the parking lot.
The light had faded, afternoon becoming evening when I was wasn’t looking. The rain still came down, but it was back to a chilly drizzle. The drive home was uneventful, and I tried to find my center, tried to push down the adrenalin that was still making my hands shake.
I’d been so terrified during the fight. Those bastards had followed Emma. What if I hadn’t been there? What if she’d gone home, or somewhere else, instead of the office? They would have done God knows what with her, and I wouldn’t have been able to do a goddamn thing to stop them.
I entered my condo and didn’t bother to turn on the lights. Instead of hitting the shower, I went directly to the bedroom and my shitty floor mattress. I collapsed onto it, my face pressed to the pillow. My heart was still beating a mile a minute, and none of the training I’d had on meditation could make it calm down.
When I finally drifted off to sleep, the nightmare attacked me. It was the same, over and over. The quiet town square. The woman in black who smiles at me. The explosion. The carnage. The end of my sanity.
It was before dawn when I finally gave up on sleep. A hot shower did little to chase away the ghosts of the night before. I was sitting at my kitchen table, the one that had only one chair, nursing a lukewarm cup of coffee, when I heard a knock at my door.
I opened the door, squinting into the newly risen sun. Emma stood there, bundled up in a thick coat. Her eyes were puffy, her face wan.
I couldn’t think of anything else to say, so I said,
“What are you doing here?”
“We need to talk. Can I come in?”
I stood aside, letting her enter. As she walked into the living room, I felt a sudden burst of shame. Here I was, in the middle of my empty condo, a reflection of the empty life I was leading.
I expected her to comment on the sad state of my place, but instead she ignored her surroundings. “What happened last night?”
I wasn’t sure how to respond. It took me a minute, to gather my thoughts and find a place of calm. “I stopped the bad guys from hurting you.” It sounded lame when I said it.
She nodded, though, and I felt a little better. “And I appreciate that. Truly I do. But I’m talking about after that.” Emma crossed her arms over her chest. “You freaked out on those guys, and I could tell you wanted to hurt them, even after they were down.”
I remained still. I couldn’t deny her words. I had wanted to stomp each of them to pieces for even considering harming my precious Emma. They’d gotten off easy, every one of them.
“And...” she said, her voice turning small, making my insides ache. “After, you just...left.”
I moved closer, her words knocking lose something inside me. She looked up at me, her golden eyes shining with the makings of tears. “Talk to me, Jack,” she whispered. “Tell me what’s going on.”
I had held the memory inside for so long, I didn’t think it could ever be released from its prison. But when she held those eyes on me, when she was close enough to feel my warmth, suddenly the words were beating a path to my mouth.
“On my last assignment, we’d been stationed in a small desert town, one that had been threatened repeatedly by insurgents. It was a simple town of no real importance, other than it sat at the convergence point of several forces, ours and the enemy’s.”
I ran a hand through my hair, feeling myself transported back to that hot day in the desert sun. “Our unit was the only thing keeping the bad guys from overrunning the town, taking the women and either killing the men or forcing them to join the enemy.”
Every day I’d taken my turn in the central square, watching for signs of danger. “One day, I’d been in position near the middle of town, like almost every other day, and was watching the comings and goings of the locals.”
One local in particular always had attracted my attention. She was the village leader’s wife, a nice older woman with a kind smile. Her smile was just about the only thing of hers I could see, since she was covered nearly head to toe in black fabric.
“I’d just nodded to the village leader’s wife, who came to the square every day to buy fresh fruits from a stall there, when I heard a sound that was out of the ordinary. Before I could identify its origins, a car parked next to the fruit stall exploded.”
I hated to continue, but now that I’d gone this far, I couldn’t stop the words that came out of me. “It was...horrible. A ball of fire rolled upwards into the sky, and shrapnel from the exploding car flew at bullet speed around the square. Several locals were injured.”
“And the village leader’s wife?” Emma’s voice was soft as she asked.
“Dead.”
She’d been the only death that day, luckily. Even the fruit seller had lived, as had those who had caught pieces of shrapnel. The only person to lose her life had been the woman whose eyes had showed a kindness he’d seldom seen.
Eyes like Emma’s. Full of compassion and warmth.
“The village leader had blamed our troops for the explosion, saying our presence there was making things worse. Despite our best arguments, he insisted that our unit leave. Our ranking officer had finally gotten tired of fighting it and we pulled out.”
I closed my eyes at the memory. “The town was overrun a week later.”
When I opened my eyes, Emma was staring up at me. She approached, laying a soft hand on my shoulder. The understanding in her eyes floored me, and I almost broke down, almost fell to my knees and buried my face in her midsection.
But now was not the time to expose my pain fully. She’d asked me what was going on, and I’d told her. Now that she knew about my failure, my inability to keep the woman in the desert safe, she’d have to realize how little control I had over circumstances.
I’d almost lost her, just like the woman I’d been sworn to protect. And the fear her being hurt or worse had been so enormous that I’d nearly lost my mind. I’d wanted to kill, to maim, to make sure that no one ever considered harming her again.
“You should go,” I croaked. “Back to your father and brother. They can keep you safe.” I shook my head, shrugging out from under the hand on my shoulder. “I can’t say the same.”
Chapter 18
Emma
I’d listened carefully to his story, the evidence of his pain causing an answering hurt inside me. Jack had put his life into protecting people, only to find out that he couldn’t save them all. It was a huge burden to carry around, and it went a long way towards explaining his behavior.
He turned away, suggesting I leave. But I couldn’t, not now. “You did keep me safe,” I insisted, following him and pulling on his arm until he turned back to face me. “You beat back three men with guns who could have killed you and me.”
Jack stared down at me, indecision on his face. “It shouldn’t have happened in the first place. I shouldn’t have let you get involved.”
I frowned. “I understand wanting to keep me safe. My father and brother have pulled this crap all my life. I made the choice to get involved, and you couldn’t have stopped me if you wanted to. It was my fault the men showed up. I’m the one that put us both in danger.”
She regretted it now, playing detective as he’d said before. She would have never wanted any harm to come to Jack, and clearly the events of yesterday had dredged up memories he was working hard to forget. “I’m sorry. I should have been more careful, should have listened to you.”
He nodded, then grabbed her arms. “Yes. I couldn’t bear to see you hurt. I don’t think I could survive it.”
His words shot through me like an electric shock. “I’m fine,” I whispered. “I’m not hurt.”
His finger traced the bruises on my throat as if to call me a liar. I brushed his hand away. “Just a couple of bruises,” I said. “No lasting damage.”
His eyes were full of an emotion I couldn’t name. I could see the doubt on his face, and could only try to reassure him.
“You can’t protect me from everyone, Jack.”
Suddenly I was pulled tight into his arms. “You’re wrong.” His voice was hoarse, and it sent a shiver through me. “I can protect you from everyone. Everyone but myself.”
His lips hit mine and it was like an explosion of passion. I was instantly overwhelmed. His kiss was more powerful than anything I’d experienced, and my knees gave out. Jack caught me, holding me close against his hard body.
When I finally came up for air, I responded. “I don’t want to be protected from you,” I breathed. “You’re everything I’ve always wanted.”
He groaned in response, swinging me up into his arms and carrying me out of the living room. Setting me back on my feet in the bedroom, he went to his knees on the mattress settled on the floor and pulled me down beside him.
Enfolding me in his strong arms, he kissed my neck. “Oh, Emma,” he whispered. “What did I do to deserve you?”
I smiled, but before I could reply, he’d captured my lips again. The kiss was barely on this side of savage, and I responded, unable to help myself. My hands clutched his broad shoulders, my nails digging into his back.
He covered me with his body and I wrapped my legs around him, trying to get closer. He growled, annoyed at the clothes that were keeping us apart. I pulled the shirt over his head, and he returned the favor, then barely managed to get my bra off before he ripped it to shreds.
Our pants followed, and soon we were blessedly naked with each other. The look in his eye sent shivers through me. I’d never been this desired, never been on the verge of being
consumed.
I wanted him to take me, to take all of me, and to give me all of himself.
I licked his lips and it made him grin, then his mouth descended on mine. When he’d kissed me breathless, he worked his way down, stopping to torture my breasts with his divine mouth. I was soon mewling beneath him, begging him to give me more.
His smile was wicked and I felt a rush of moisture to my core. While he sucked a nipple, his hand crept lower until I felt a finger tracing my slit. It slid inside and I let out a sigh of pure joy and relief.
But that finger only served to tease me more. It was joined by another that moved deep inside me until I was crying out for release. When his fingers found my clit, I started to shake, knowing I was already on the verge.
He swallowed my moan and kissed me, his tongue probing my mouth, licking and teasing me until I bit his bottom lip in frustration.
Jack laughed, then went back to kissing my body, moving lower, exploring my curves until his mouth was inches from my aching core. He blew a breath against me, then held me open to his gaze.
“You’re so perfect,” he breathed, and I felt as if I were glowing beneath him. Then his mouth descended to lick me there and my eyes rolled back in my head.
“Yes,” I cried, pushing up to meet him. He tasted me, letting me know how delicious he found me, then proceeded to tease me until I was almost in tears.
His mouth around my sensitive nub, he sucked until I was bucking off the bed. He buried two fingers deep inside me and began moving them in time to his sucking, until I was about to pass out from pleasure.
Then his tongue started circling the nub and his fingers picked up their pace. In seconds, I was exploding into his mouth, almost screaming from the power of my climax. He encouraged me, holding tight to my hips, licking up every drop of my sweetness.