“Really?’
“Yep, and I just happen to know this woman who does the best auto body repair I’ve ever seen.”
“What’s her name? Maybe I’ve heard of her?’
Paul goosed her side, making her jump. “I’m being serious,” he told her.
“I’m game if you are,” she answered immediately, taking him by surprise. His heart soared with triumph, making him want to do a victory dance, but instead all he said was, “You won’t regret it.”
CHAPTER SIX
5 months later
She hadn’t spent another night in her apartment since agreeing to Paul’s offer. They had spent the past week busting their asses, trying to clear out all the jobs they had lined up so they would be free to make a trip to Vegas for Paul’s next big fight. All day, the excitement inside of her had grown until she thought she might explode from it. Her phone alerted her of an incoming message. Glancing down she quickly checked the number then felt a smile touch her lips as she realized Paul was texting her from the opposite side of the room.
U R looking mighty good in those coveralls- P
U R not too bad yourself- J
I think we should c an impersonator while in Vegas- P
Jack sneaked a peek at the engagement ring he had surprised her with two weeks earlier.
I think that’s an excellent plan- J
Love U- P
Love U 2- J
She smiled brightly for the rest of the day, buoyed by the hope that Paul would win his fight, they’d be happily married, and there would be peace for the rest of their lives.
Their flight home from Vegas was delayed several times but they finally made it back by 2 a.m. The rain forced them to make a run for it and by the time they made it inside the house, they were soaking wet and laughing. Paul dumped their bags by the front door and pulled a drenched Jack into his arms “So…Mrs. Jack Re’Vone, are you ready to call it a night?” Paul asked, nuzzling the side of Jack’s neck.
A loud crash sounded, bringing Paul’s head spinning towards the window.
“Someone is out there,” Jack whispered as if they were being overheard.
Paul peered through the blinds, but the combination of darkness and pouring down rain camouflaged any presence.
“Turn off the lights so that I can see better,” he told Jack. Paul continued to stare out the window as she moved to do as he asked. As soon as the room fell dark, he caught sight of a slight movement near the corner of the house. In a flash, Paul was out the door, tracking the shadow. Jack switched on the porch light, flooding the lawn with light. Paul saw the man’s silhouette in just enough time to duck. A baseball bat sailed over his head with enough force to send a whistle through the air. Paul spun, kicking his attacker's feet out from underneath him. The man went down hard and tried to scramble to his feet before Paul launched himself bodily onto him. Grabbing him by the collar, Paul landed two solid punches to his jaw, but the guy was stronger than he looked. He gave back as hard as he was taking it, landing a blow to the side of Paul’s head that had him seeing stars for a second before he recovered. Landing a knee to the guy’s groin, he had his fist raised to strike another blow when Jack’s voice sliced through his rage. “Move away from him, Paul,” she demanded. Something in her voice had him freezing mid-strike, turning his head slightly to bring her into his sight without losing sight of his prey. Jack stood with her feet braced slightly apart to keep herself steady while she held out a small handgun. The gun was pointed directly at the stranger's head and the look in her eyes seized the air in Paul’s lungs.
“I’ve got it, Jack,” he told her steadily, hoping to keep her calm.
Her eyes never left the man’s face. “I said move away from him. You should go back into the house. Mannie and I have an old score to settle.”
At the name, Paul looked closer at the man he held. The darkness, rain, and urgency of the situation had kept him from recognizing him, but now that he really had a chance to look at him, Paul realized it was the same man he had seen in the pictures Parker had included in his background check.
Despite the precarious position he was in, Mannie let out a rusty laugh. “You don’t have it in you, Jacquelyn.”
Tightening the hold on Mannie’s collar, Paul gave him a small shake. “You shut up. You don’t know me at all. If she doesn’t kill you, I just might.” Mannie only laughed again. Jack raised the gun she was holding a fraction of an inch, firing off a round dangerously close to where Paul was keeping Mannie pinned to the ground. Paul jerked at the sound but didn’t loosen his hold.
“We’re going to stand up now,” Paul said, trying to introduce a voice of reason. “We’ll go in the house and decide from there what needs to be done with him.”
Jack was shaking her head before Paul had even finished talking. “He’ll never leave me alone. The police won’t do anything to him, and he’ll just keep coming and coming until one of us dead. I’m ending this tonight.”
“You belong to me, Jacquelyn. You’ll have to kill me, because there is no way I’m going let someone else have you. You are my wife!” Mannie taunted in a reckless disregard for his life.
Paul landed an elbow to the guy’s stomach, causing him to grunt out in pain.
“I’m not your wife,” Jack ground out between clenched teeth. “Not anymore.”
“Jack, dawlin, give me the gun. This is not you. You don’t want to be like him,” Paul pleaded as he eased away from Mannie, making his way towards Jack, while keeping the man in his sights. Slipping up beside her, he gently tugged the weapon from her fingers and Jack seemed to crumble. Keeping the gun trained on Mannie, he wrapped his free arm around her shoulders, hugging her to his body. “Get up,” he ordered Mannie. Rolling up onto his knees, he did as Paul ordered, but as soon as he was on his feet he exploded into action, knocking Paul back out of the way as he threw himself on Jack, tackling her to the ground. Paul didn’t have a clear shot and couldn’t risk hitting Jack. Dropping the gun at his feet, he jumped into the fray, scrambling to pull Jack out the middle of it while landing as many blows as he could to any part of Mannie’s body he could reach. A loud bang made Paul’s ears ring and he stared down unbelieving at the blood that was splattered across his arm. Mannie looked down at the gun in his hand as if he couldn’t understand how it had ended up there. It took Paul a second to realize it wasn’t his blood but Jack’s. She lay unmoving in a heap on the ground, and he rushed to her side falling to his knees, uncaring of the risk to his own life. Rolling her over onto her back, he looked for the wound. When he found it, he breathed, “Dear God.” Her blood was flowing freely from a wound in her upper chest. He could hear the air rattling in her throat as if she were drawing her last breaths. Frantically, Paul dug in the front pocket of his jeans for his cell phone while still trying to keep pressure on her wound. Dialing 911, he chanted, “Don’t die, don’t die.” Catching sight of a slight motion out of the corner of his eye, Paul turned his head just in time to see Mannie raise the gun to his own head, pulling the trigger and ending his own life. His body crumbled to the ground like a rag doll.
Paul rode in the ambulance only because none of the paramedics had been able to stop him from doing so, but at the hospital, he’d been forced to wait as Jack was wheeled back to surgery and he was left answering the police’s questions. After learning about the background of abuse, none of the cops was surprised and the questions didn’t take very long, which was a blessing for Paul since he couldn’t concentrate on anything they were saying. He prowled around the room, making all the other people in the waiting room nervous, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was the fact that he was about to watch a woman he loved die for the second time in his life. She couldn’t die, God couldn’t possibly be that cruel to do this to him again. At least he hoped not. He paced and prayed. He hadn’t prayed since Kim had died and he’d felt as if God had stopped listening to him, but he was willing to try again if it could save Jack’s life. By the time the doctor came out to tal
k to him, he felt as if he had aged twenty years.
“She survived the surgery, now if she lives through the night then I give her a good chance of recovering. It’s always the first twenty four hours that’s the worst. The bullet collapsed her lung and that will be a hard recovery, but she’s young and strong. Those things are in her favor. She’s listed in critical condition, so when she comes out of recovery, you’ll only be able to see her for a few minutes at a time.”
Paul nodded his understanding while shaking the doctor’s hand and thanking him profusely. Falling back into a chair, he dropped his head between his knees, covering his face openly crying and unable to stop it.
Paul felt a light touch on his shoulder and he lifted his eyes to the sight of Alyssa stooped down before him. He didn’t understand how she had come to be there, but he was so grateful to see her that he didn’t care. He allowed her to wrap her arms around him as he buried his face in her shoulder. “That paramedic you threatened to rip the balls off of is one of Walt’s new recruits. He called to let us know what was happening, and we came as quick as we could” Paul lifted his head, looking around noticing the rest of the group for the first time. Bryant, Parker, Walt, Ace, and Lucy all stood huddled together waiting for Alyssa to finish comforting him. Paul felt a fresh wave of tears threatening the backs of his eyes. All the years he had felt as if he were alone, he’d had them all and he didn’t even realize it.
Stepping forward, Bryant was the first to speak. “I think that we should say a prayer.” Heads nodded in agreement and they each clasped hands, forming a circle. Bowing their heads, Bryant took charge while Paul stood in a shocked silence.
She was running again. Only this time the feeling wasn’t as pleasant as it usually was. Her skin felt cold and her chest burned with the effort it took to draw in a breath. She shook with the effort of trying to stay upright until Paul’s soothing voice brushed over her skin warming her. “Hold on baby. I’ve got you,” and she knew she didn’t have to run anymore.
It took Paul a minute to realize Jack was awake and watching him. “You look like shit,” she croaked out past cracked lips.
“You’ve never looked more beautiful to me,” he told her honestly.
“Don’t cry, baby. I wouldn’t leave you behind,” she told him softly before drifting back off to sleep. It was only then that he felt the tears.
EPILOGUE
Jack snapped the picture with her camera phone.
Now notice how my belly button has almost completely popped out.
Does that mean that like a turkey, I’m almost done cooking? OR- are your son’s
abnormally large feet kicking it out? - Jack
She listened closely for Paul’s cell phone to chirp, alerting him to his incoming text message. It only took a second, then she heard the rumble of his laughter from the next room. In no time at all, he peeked his head around the corner. “Are you bored in here all alone?”
“So bored,” she whined.
“Well, since you showed me yours, I guess I’m honored bound to show you mine,” he told her as he removed his shirt, moving to join her on the bed just like she knew he would.
The End.
AUTHOR BOOKSHELF
A Secure Heart
A Splash of Hope
Ace
Being his Favorite
Blue Cheesecake
Bryant
Danger Undercover
Double the Sin
Lust & Longing
Of Ghosts and Dreams
Paul
Sarah’s Dirty Secret
The-Adonis
The Agent
The Assassin
The Assignment
The Danger with Sinners
The Informant
The Society of Sinners
Undefeated
Walt
Wicked Sinners
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Charity Parkerson was born in Tennessee, where she still lives with her husband and two sons. She is the author of several books including six Amazon bestsellers. You can like her at Facebook.com/authorCharityParkerson. Be sure to visit her at www.charityparkerson.com and you can read her blog at http://charity-thesinners.blogspot.com
Her “Sinners series” was voted one of the top ten best books by an Indie author in 2011- Paranormal Romance Reads
She is a member of The Paranormal Romance Guild, is a Goodreads moderator, a member of Coffee Time Romance, a member of Long and Short Romance Reviews, and is a Library Thing author.
She won author of the week in August of 2011, and is a two-time winner of The Mistress of the Darkpath writing contest.
You can follow her on Twitter @CharityParkerso
Undefeated (Undefeated Series Books 1-4) Page 19