Coming In Hot (Jupiter Point Book 6)

by Jennifer Bernard

  "I told you, I'm easy. Anything you put together, I'll eat." He put his hand on his belly, hard and flat as a country highway.

  "Roast beef and peanut butter? With bananas?"

  "You're a lot meaner than you look, you know that?"

  She gave him an evil grin. "Fine, I'll make you what I originally had in mind—roast beef and horseradish. No complaints."

  "Sounds perfect. Can I help?"

  She startled. Even after ten years away from the Light Keepers, it sometimes seemed strange for a man to offer help with anything domestic. At the compound, women did all the housework.

  "There's nothing much to do. Maybe grab some plates for us?"

  She indicated the cabinet where the professor kept his dishes. He retrieved two plates, then examined them closely. "I'll tell you one thing I am picky about—dishes," he explained. "I don't believe in automatic dishwashers. They don't do as good a job as a human being can. I got rid of the dishwasher at my brother's place. Do you mind?"

  "Go for it." She rarely even used the dishes here. Her guilty pleasure snack didn't need them, and she usually ate on campus.

  She finished making the sandwiches as he took down all the dinner plates and carefully washed them by hand. She seared the image into her brain. A studly man doing her dishes and painting her door. This was fantasyland stuff.

  "So you live with your brother? Is that Ben or Will?"

  He looked sharply over his shoulder at her. "You know Will?"

  Oops. She'd left out that piece of information in the chaos of yesterday. "I know of him. Merry Warren is one of my best friends back in Jupiter Point."

  He stared at her with bemusement. "No shit. Small world."

  "I only figured out last night that Aiden, my student, was related to Merry's fiancé. I supposed I should have put it together before but names are not my forte."

  He turned back and put the dish he'd just washed on the rack to dry. "Well, now I really feel like an ass, showing up here at Evergreen. Coming in hot with my accusations and attitude. Merry will probably rip me a new one when I see her next."

  Carolyn smiled at the thought of her friend reading Tobias the riot act. If there was anyone who could pull that off, it would be Merry.

  "From what Merry said, you guys didn't know exactly who you were looking for, is that right?"

  "Yes. Aiden wouldn't say. He still won't come out and say it."

  "Maybe it's not me."

  He set the last plate on the rack and turned to face her. "I asked him what made him sign up for your class and his face went bright red. It's pretty obvious that it's you. But he doesn't want to talk to his big brother about it. I can't say I blame him. I did all kinds of shit at his age that I never told anyone. Especially my big brother."

  "Like what? Can you share any juicy details?"

  He shut that down with a firm shake of his head. "I'm going to take the fifth on that. Suffice it to say I learned all my lessons at an early age. Now I'm a model citizen."

  Maybe that smile was supposed to look innocent, but to Carolyn it suggested all kinds of naughtiness. She blocked it out and slid a roast beef sandwich toward him, then took a stool on the other side of the kitchen island. She felt a little safer with it between them.

  He waited politely until she picked up her sandwich.

  "Please." She waved him ahead. "You're a hard-working man, you must be hungry."

  "I am. Thanks." Something in the way he looked at her as he said it made the hairs on her arm rise. He surveyed the sandwich, which she'd loaded up with extras—tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, mustard, mayo and horseradish. "When you make a sandwich, you don't mess around."

  "I like food. All kinds of food. When I first left—" She broke off, stunned that she'd almost mentioned the compound in such a casual way. She never did that. Clearing her throat, she tried again. "When I first left home, I wanted to try everything. Every ethnic food I could find. To me it was like traveling without the airfare."

  He pretended not to notice her near-gaffe, although most certainly he had. Those deep blue eyes didn't seem to miss much. He bit into his sandwich, eyes half-closing as he consumed the layers of her masterpiece. It dawned on her that making food for someone, then watching them enjoy it, was a very sensual experience. She'd thought carefully about what to make for him, she'd spent time creating it, and now he was wrapping his mouth around it in obvious pleasure.

  Oh boy. She was in deep, embarrassing trouble if she couldn't watch this man eat a sandwich without lusting over him.

  She shifted her focus to her own simple peanut butter and raspberry jam. They ate in silence for a while. It was more companionable than uncomfortable, although that river of awareness provided a constant backdrop.

  He finished with a sigh. "That was great, thank you. I'd paint this whole house for another sandwich like that."

  "If Joseph Brown gets any ideas about further vandalism, I may take you up on that." As soon as she said his name, she regretted it. It opened a door that he stepped through immediately.

  "I got the impression you knew him, or his family."

  "I knew his parents, but I don't remember him. It was a long time ago. Are you thirsty? I'm not sure what I have to offer, but whatever it is you're welcome to it." She crossed to the fridge, which took her to his side of the island. Again the hairs on her arm lifted. She was just so hyper-aware of him. It was unnerving. The cold air from the fridge's interior cooled her hot cheeks.

  "I'd take an answer over a soda, if you're handing those out." His deep voice curled around her insides like chocolate.

  "I did answer. I knew Joseph's parents."

  "At the Light Keepers Brigade?"

  She took out two San Pellegrinos and closed the refrigerator door with a sigh. "You're persistent, aren't you?"

  "I'm curious. I told you those letters had me worried."

  "But we caught Joseph and it should be over now. I'm not going to get him on the track team." She rolled her eyes. "Students. Life would be so much easier if their good judgement kicked in a few years earlier."

  "Are you so sure it's over? You let him off pretty easy with that track team excuse."

  She froze, still holding the cans of soda. He made a good point. She'd swallowed Joseph's explanation without question, mostly because she wanted to. She didn't want to believe anything more threatening was going on. This campus—her life as a teacher in general—was her safe haven.

  But no place was immune from bad behavior. There was nowhere you could hide away completely.

  She handed him one of the sodas, then cracked open her own. The sound broke the silence like a firecracker.

  And it occurred to her that it was too quiet. Usually there was some kind of doggy sound every few minutes—snuffling, toenails clicking, something. She looked over at the corner Dragon usually occupied, but no sprawling black Newfie peered back. "Where's Dragon? My dog? I mean, he's not mine, but I'm taking care of him and…Dragon!" she called. "Here, boy!"

  No answer. She dropped her soda can on the island and ran into the living room. The dog bed was empty. No little puddles of drool glistened on the floor. Tobias was right behind her.

  "I remember seeing him when I came in. He came to the door the way he usually does. But I don't remember what happened after that. Did you see him while you were cleaning off the door?"

  Tobias shook his head with a frown. "No, I don't think so. I do remember seeing him inside. I didn't notice him come out, but I wasn't really paying attention to him."

  The subtext being that he was paying attention to her instead. Which would have been flattering if she weren't suddenly terrified. "One of us would have noticed if he went outside, right?"

  He screwed up his face. "I'm going to be honest. I was mostly looking at you and the door. Not much beyond that."

  Her face burned, but at the same time she felt sick with guilt. From the moment she'd walked in the door, she'd been one hundred percent laser-focused on thoughts of Tobias. She couldn'
t even remember if Dragon had followed her to the kitchen. She needed a freaking brain replacement!

  "I'm going to look upstairs. He doesn't usually like the stairs, but maybe he got scared because a stranger was in the house." She ran for the flight of stairs that led up to the guest room level.

  "I'll check outside." Tobias strode toward the front door.

  Cursing her easily distracted self, she flew upstairs, calling for Dragon as she went. But a quick check of all the guest bedrooms revealed no sign of the big dog. Then a shout from outside sent her heart pounding into overdrive.

  8

  She flew downstairs and flung open the door. Across the lawn, a black shape sprawled like a spreading ink stain. Dragon. Tobias crouched over him.

  She stumbled down the steps of the front stoop and launched herself toward the two of them. "Oh my God, poor Dragon, poor baby, what happened?" She dropped to her knees next to the two of them. A weird whining cough came from the dog's chest, as if he was trying to cough something out.

  "Something's stuck in his throat. We have to get it out or he'll suffocate."

  Tobias manhandled him onto his side. His furry limbs sprawled awkwardly and scrabbled against Tobias’s arms, leaving long scratches.

  "I need you to hold him while I try to get it out. Come here and take my place."

  Her heart hammering, she slid next to Tobias, feeling his iron thigh against hers. Poor Dragon was thrashing, terrified. She managed to get her arms and legs around the dog, pinning his limbs to minimize the damage he could do. She rested her chin in the scruff of fur at Dragon's neck, where he loved to be stroked.

  "We got you, Dragon. We'll get that thing out. Don't you worry."

  Tobias put his hands on Dragon's jaws, which were slightly ajar, drool dripping in big globs. Wild-eyed, the dog twisted in protest. "Okay, my friend," he muttered to the dog. "I'd really prefer to keep this hand, just so you know."

  Carolyn held Dragon as tight as she could. "I've never seen him bite."

  "Bet you've never seen him with a hand down his throat either." Grimacing, Tobias worked his hand between the dog's jaws. Dragon tried to bite down against the invading hand, scraping his teeth against Tobias’s skin. But Tobias kept going, reaching his fingers toward whatever was in there.

  Tears blurred Carolyn's eyes as she watched, her arms full of tense and struggling dog. Tobias was one brave human to be willing to stick his hand into the slobbery, drooling mouth of a terrified dog.

  "I feel it," Tobias said after a few excruciating seconds. "It's a ball."

  "Probably a tennis ball." Relief flooded through her. With all the strange things that had been happening, she'd been half convinced this was another attack by Joseph. "He likes to chase them."

  Tobias grunted as he worked to dislodge it. Sweat dripped down his face. Dragon's entire body was rigid now—fear? Or was he suffocating?

  "Got it." In a swift move, Tobias dragged the slobber-drenched object from between Dragon's jaws. He sat back on his heels, ball in hand. The dog thrashed his way out of Carolyn's grip and scrambled a few feet away, where he shook himself like an enormous black dust mop.

  Carolyn collapsed onto the grass, her entire body shaking. "Oh my God. Thank you. Thank you. I was so scared. If you hadn't been here, Tobias…" She buried her face in her hands. "I don't even want to think about it."

  "Hey, hey. Don't think like that. He's fine, that's all that matters. Dogs chase things, it happens. But this ball…" She looked up to see Tobias examining the slobbery thing. Dragon's teeth had mauled it into an unidentifiable shredded mystery lump. He sniffed it. "Smells like meat."

  "Maybe that's just the smell of his saliva?"

  "I don't think so." He stared at it some more, turning it this way and that. "I hate to say it, but I think someone wrapped meat around this ball. They wanted Dragon to wolf it down."

  A horrid jolt of fear shook her to her core. Someone had tried to kill Dragon? Who would do such a thing? Everyone in the neighborhood loved Dragon. Everyone at the dog park loved him, everyone on campus loved him. He was one big lovable slobbery sweetheart of a dog.

  She looked over at him, making sure he was still alive and well. The sun on his coat made it shine like black shoe polish. He was nibbling at one of his paws, running his big tongue over the nails.

  "What if it was Joseph, the kid from last night?" she said slowly.

  Tobias crouched beside her, wiping his drool-covered hands on his jeans. "I think it's time you tell me more about this situation. Who is Joseph? Why does he mean you harm?"

  Right now, she was so grateful to Tobias that she'd give him anything he wanted, even answers. Besides, he'd earned her trust—and more.

  "I'm not sure why he's doing all this. But I can tell you who he is. I knew his parents from a group called the Light Keepers Brigade. About fifty families live there. My mother died when I was five, and my father got kind of…lost. Eventually he met Lilith, my stepmother, at church, but regular church wasn't enough for her. She wanted something more purist, more old-school. They got involved with the Light Keepers and when I was ten we moved into their compound. It's more or less a cult, though they wouldn't call themselves that. Very traditional, very authoritarian. They do whatever the leader says. It's also a private militia. I spent more time learning how to handle weapons than I did learning math."

  Dragon lumbered to his feet and came over to Tobias and licked his face. Tobias laughed, but even Dragon's big slobbery tongue couldn't distract him from his questions. "So they took you out of school?"

  "Oh yes. They don't want outside influences on the kids, but in my case, it was a little too late. I was ten, and I already had my own ideas about things. I didn't like the part where women are subservient to men, or the part where you always do what you're told. Not to mention their beliefs, which never made sense to me. So when I turned eighteen I left."

  "They allowed that? You can just leave?" Tobias scratched Dragon behind the ears, exactly where he liked it. Carolyn felt slightly jealous, to tell the truth.

  "Of course. But you have to sever all ties to the group, including your immediate family members. You become a "pariah." No one is supposed to talk to you or look you in the face if you're a pariah. Did you notice that Joseph never looked directly at me last night? That's why. And that's the reason he left those letters under my door. The idea of communicating with me directly was probably impossible for him."

  He gave her a puzzled frown over the top of Dragon's glossy head. "So why is Joseph out and about? Did he leave the Light Keepers too?"

  "No, he's clearly still a member. Young men are allowed to attend college, as long as they study something useful to the group. Evergreen has a good computer engineering program, that's most likely what he's here for. Once he gets his degree, he'll go back and put it to work for the Light Keepers. He'll get a wife for his trouble and be a daddy in no time."

  "That's how it works, huh?"

  "Oh yeah. Arranged marriages are all the thing. God forbid a woman have a say in any aspect of her life. That's why I left, and I've stayed away, just like I was supposed to. I'm dead to them. So why is this happening?" She gingerly picked up the sopping wet ball, which was nestled in the lawn where Tobias had dropped it.

  "I don't think it's a tennis ball," Tobias said. "Maybe a stress ball? I noticed a symbol on it, but it's hard to read because of all the teeth marks."

  She stared at the disgusting object, recognizing the symbol right away. The Light Keepers logo. She'd seen so many renditions of it that she'd recognize it anywhere, even mauled by a meat-seeking dog. Someone had come here with one of the Light Keeper promotional items, covered it in meat and fed it to her dog behind her back.

  A rush of anger made her surge to her feet. "It was them! I didn't believe it at first. Why would they go after my dog? And Dragon doesn't even belong to me! This is bullshit! I'll get Joseph expelled for this. This is attempted murder. I don't care what they want to do to me, but Dragon is an innocent dog
who has nothing to do with them." Her fury rose as she pictured Tobias wrenching apart the dog's jaws. "You could have lost a hand."

  "But I didn't. We're all fine." Tobias rose to his feet as well, flexing his shoulders to ease the strain of his wrestling match with Dragon. "Let's take a breath here. Let's get Dragon settled in, clean ourselves up. Then we'll figure out how to handle this."

  She glared at him. "You're using that soothing voice. I remember it from yesterday."

  "Oh, so you already know my voices?"

  "Oddly enough, I do. A couple of them, anyway. This is the voice you use when you want someone to calm down so you can make them do what you want."

  He narrowed his eyes at her. "Have you been talking to Aiden?"

  She laughed, then laughed again out of amazement that she could laugh. Dragon had nearly choked to death.

  But now the big Newfie was trotting across the lawn after a grasshopper that kept leaping between his legs. The dog was fine. He probably didn't remember any of it, because he lived in the moment like all dogs. Dragon was fine, thanks to Tobias. She wanted to kiss him for his bravery. Hard and long, deep and hot.

  Stop that.

  But how amazing was this man? He'd put his hand down a dog's throat without flinching. She reached over and lifted the cuff of his shirt. Long scratches ran up his wrist and forearm. "Look at you," she exclaimed. "My God."

  He shrugged his big shoulders. "It's fine."

  "It's not fine. We have to clean these up right away. No arguments." She lightened her tone, added a teasing edge. "Come inside so I can soap you up and douse you with Bactine, baby."

  "Is that your voice to get me to do what you want? Because it's absolutely working."

  9

  Tobias followed Carolyn back inside, the big Newfie trotting alongside them. His hand throbbed from the strain of keeping the dog's teeth from closing around it. But he would do it again, to see that expression on Carolyn's face—pure, awed gratitude.

  It made him feel like a hero.

  But he was no hero, all he could think about was crowding her against that kitchen island and feeling her body against his.