by Lola Drake
Juliet wouldn’t budge from her spot at the edge of the park. At least cars drove down Rose Avenue
on their way to work. She refused to give up the illusion of some safety in numbers. Eventually the guys realized she wouldn’t approach them, so they started walking toward her. Juliet felt frozen, wishing she had taken the risk and called someone. Surely they’d discovered her absence by now, or Jake had checked email, or something. They had to be on their way.
The two guys stopped directly in front of her, not saying a word.
“Where’s Carly?”
“We’ll take you to her.”
“That wasn’t the deal.”
“She’s in a car in the lot over there. You can see a couple kids on that playground if you’re scared of being alone with us.”
Biting her lip, Juliet wondered what to do. What if they didn’t even have Carly? What if this whole thing had been an elaborate trap? Shuffling her feet, she started heading toward the parking lot as slowly as possible. The two men walked on either side of her.
****
Jake slammed on the brakes and stopped the car, racing up the street to the park on foot. Sticking close to the trees, he wished he could move faster without risking being seen. His palms began to sweat as he tightened his grasp on his gun. The second he spotted Juliet he began to breathe for what felt like the first time since Harris had called. What the hell was she doing with those two gangsters? They all seemed absorbed in something around one of the cars, so he chanced moving closer, slipping behind a car within earshot of them. One of the gangsters opened the door to the backseat and dragged out a woman who looked vaguely familiar. She had a gag in her mouth and her arms bound behind her back. Wasn’t that the girl who had visited Juliet in the hospital? Her leaving the house finally began to make sense to him.
****
Juliet hugged her friend in relief. Thank God she’d decided to come. They did truly have Carly. Her eyes traveled across Carly’s body, but she didn’t see any obvious injures.
“See, we told you we’d keep your pretty little friend safe.”
The contempt in his voice made her nervous, but she straightened her shoulders in a show of strength. “So can we go? There’s no way I could make it to the hearing now.”
“Well, see, here’s the thing,” the younger one piped up. He sounded even more menacing than the first, in spite of the higher pitch of his voice. She recognized it as the one on the phone. “My brother thinks after this morning you’ll be scared shitless, and that will keep you from testifying. He told me for extra insurance to tell you we know about your brother, and that pregnant wife of his, too. Do you know how easy it is to snatch a baby?”
Juliet felt her knees start to shake. How could anyone be so evil? He seemed to enjoy taunting her like this.
“But, see, I think the only thing that guarantees you won’t rat out my brother is if you can’t.”
Juliet froze as he pulled a gun from his waistband and started to lift it to her face.
Before he could get it all the way up a shot rang out and blood burst out of the kid’s shoulder. Realizing she hadn’t been hit, Juliet grabbed Carly and dove to the ground.
Jake sprang up from behind the car and shot him again, straight in the center of his chest. He then turned his weapon on the other guy.
“Dude, don’t shoot!” He dropped his gun and lifted his hands over his head.
Jake pulled the radio from his waist. “Come on in, Harris.”
He kept his gun steady and his eyes focused as two cars sped into the parking lot, followed by an ambulance. Two uniformed cops hurried over to relieve Jake of his prisoner, cuffing him and reading him his rights as they led him away. One paramedic knelt to feel the pulse of the guy on the ground while the other tended to Carly.
Jake at last turned to look at Juliet. She leaned heavily against the car, not trusting her legs to support her.
“Is he still alive?”
“Who the fuck cares? What the hell were you thinking coming out here like this? Do you know what would have happened if I’d gotten here five minutes later?”
“They said they wouldn’t hurt us if I came to get Carly and promised not to testify. And I knew you’d track the GPS on the phone. And I sent you an email. They said they could monitor my calls, so I didn’t want to risk Carly…” She trailed off at the blazing fury on his face.
“Again,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “What if I’d arrived five minutes later?”
Carly wandered back towards them. Juliet hadn’t even been aware of her walking away or someone cutting her hands free from their bindings.
“Juliet, I don’t know how to thank you. You saved my life.” She gave her friend a fierce hug, tears filling her eyes.
“You wouldn’t have been in any danger in the first place if not for me.”
“Yeah, that’s just like you, screwing things up for everyone by deliberately witnessing a gang murder like that,” she teased, taking one of Juliet’s hands in both of hers. “You risked your own life to come here and get me. I can’t even begin to tell you…” Carly shook her head, at a loss for words. “I’ll give you two some privacy before Jake decides to kill me himself.”
With one last hug, she looked at Jake over Juliet’s shoulder. “Be nice.”
Harris approached as Carly walked away, and Jake nearly growled.
“Uh, sorry to interrupt, but the hearing is about to start. Juliet, if by any chance you’re still willing to testify, we need to get you over there.”
Jake took her shoulders before she could reply and turned her toward him. “Juliet, you do not have to do this.”
With a sigh, she looked at the dead boy on the ground. “Yes I do.”
Juliet started to walk towards Harris, but Jake caught her hand and pulled her back, fusing his mouth to hers. Moving forward, he forced her to walk back until she bumped into the car. He still didn’t stop, pressing her harder against it, imprisoning her completely in his embrace. His tongue caressed her lips. His hands gripped her hips, wrenching them more tightly against his until she could feel the bulge in his pants nestled between her legs. When, after several minutes, he broke away, Juliet was left gasping.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered.
“I should make you miss me more often.”
“Never.”
Harris cleared his throat, reminding them of the impending hearing.
Jake took her hand and kissed it. “I’ll drive you.”
Chapter Six
Never Too Late
Jake entered Wetherby’s office with a soft knock. Juliet sat fidgeting, which made him smile.
“Relax. Your testimony was perfect.”
It really had been. Martinez had been shocked to see her, which he could tell in a twisted way made Juliet really happy. Other gang members had sat in the courtroom, staring her down and trying to intimidate her. One even jumped up and shouted, “Estás muerto” before the judge threw him out. Any time she got nervous, however, she just looked over at him. He’d sat behind Wetherby, never taking his eyes off of her, trying to lend her whatever support he could throughout Wetherby’s questions and the other lawyer’s cross-examination.
The second she’d finished, Jake and a few police officers ushered her to the elevator and up to the DA’s office several floors above the courtroom. Wetherby, of course, remained down at the hearing presenting other pieces of evidence. The moment Jake got her seated in the office, he closed the door. Then, without a word, he sank to his knees in front of her chair, taking her hands.
“Juliet, I am so sorry. I should never have left you. If I’d gone to the safe house with you none of this would have happened.”
“They could still have kidnapped Carly even if you hadn’t left my side.”
“Yeah, but then at least I would have been with you when you got the call and kept both of you safe.”
“Jake…” she touched his face, brushing back his mussed hair. “You did keep us safe.�
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He shook his head, refusing to allow her to let him off the hook.
“But Jake, you did, and I’m so grateful for it.”
“Damn it, Juliet, I don’t want gratitude.” He got to his feet, completely unsure how to continue. “Look, I’m no good at this, but this past week I haven’t been able to get you out of my head. You mean something to me. I don’t want you to disappear into witness protection.”She rose to her feet, her eyes twinkling. “Oh, so you’ll keep me safe for the next year and then say goodbye?”
“You know what I’m trying to say.”
“No, no, I’m not sure I do,” she teased.
“You’re going to make me say this? Fine. I… well, I think I’m falling in love with you. I know I don’t want to live through the next year without you.”
“You think you’re falling in love?”
He winced, realizing how lame that sounded when she said it back. “I don’t know if I’m the right guy for you, or if I’ll make you happy, but if you’ll give me the chance I’ll spend every day trying to see if I can.”
“What are you saying? You’ll go into witness protection with me?”
“Actually, I had a better idea. The DC office has been after me to transfer there for years. What if I take that job and you come with me? You should be safe three thousand miles away, and you’ll be living with your very own FBI agent, so that’s extra protection right there. I’ll even brave Aaron’s wrath when we tell him about all this.”
Juliet laughed. “Then you might be the one who needs protection.”
Jake caressed her cheek, brushing his lips against hers. “You’re an amazing woman, Juliet. Please say you’ll give me another chance.”
She kissed him, the best response he could have hoped for. It felt right having her in his arms. Running his hands down her body, memorizing her shape with his touch, he realized he had never felt like this before. He did love her, with all of his heart.
“Maybe you could even use my last name so it’ll be harder for anyone to find you.” Nervously, he kissed her before she could answer, not sure he wanted to hear what she’d say. Juliet leaned back to look up at him, lifting a hand to touch the stubble on his face.
“Are you… do you want to marry me?”
“Are you proposing? It’s a little fast, but I’d say it’s a definite possibility.”
He picked her up and spun her around, making both of them laugh.
Juliet shook her head, trying to glare at him even though she couldn’t stop beaming. “Even now you can’t answer a simple yes or no question. You’re absolutely impossible.”
He set her down, taking both of her hands in his as he grew serious once more. “This morning you showed such bravery, integrity, and loyalty. I also already know you can be incredibly passionate,” he said with a wink. “I don’t think any other woman could compete with that, so we might as well get married.”
“‘We might as well’ isn’t exactly the romantic proposal every girl dreams of.”
“How about I spend the rest of our lives making it up to you?”
He pulled her against him as he kissed her, knowing he would never again let her go.
Epilogue
Eros smirked at his brothers as the three watched the happy couple. “Guess that means I win.” He popped open a few bottles of beer and passed them to the others.
Pothos glanced at it warily, “You must be getting a taste for life down here among the mortals if you’re drinking this swill.”
Himeros accepted his bottle without removing his eyes from Jake and Juliet’s ongoing embrace. “Damn it. Never would’ve believed it.”
Eros slammed his bottle on top of Himeros’s bottle, laughing as the beer fizzed up and spilled over the sides. “Why not?”
Himeros shot him a dirty look, but chugged it down before answering. “You saw her with Brad. The complete lack of passion in that relationship never once seemed to bother her. And Jake…”
“I told you he wanted love. So I think that means I win our bet too.” Pothos chimed in, clinking bottles with Eros.
“You can’t both win.”
“Why not? I don’t think we ever actually bet against each other – we both thought those two could work.”
Eros nodded in agreement, smacking Himeros on the back. “Pothos is right. He told you Juliet and Jake would be good together.”
“Oh, whatever.” Himeros stalked off to the sound of his brothers’ laughter.
Pothos turned back to Eros as he continued to watch his brother’s latest success. “You did good, bro.”
“Yeah, although apparently it’s still not enough if Zeus isn’t here welcoming me home.”
“Give it a little more time. You’ll be back on Olympus soon.”
“I think my idea of soon and Zeus’s are a little bit different. His tends to encompass decades.”
“It’s not so bad down here, except for the shitty food, your ugly body, and the complete lack of nymphs flittering around for entertainment.”
“Oh yeah, it’s just great,” Eros laughed, opening another beer. “I just wish I knew how many more couples it’ll take to get me back.”
“Don’t worry, there’s a lot of desperate people out there searching for love. It won’t be too hard.”
“No, the truly desperate aren’t necessarily looking to give love, they want companionship and to be adored. True love, well, that’s rare. Special. It’s the inexhaustible gift that sees both beauty and flaws, but still continues with unwavering support and loyalty for all time.”
“Wow,” Pothos wiped at a fake tear, pretending to sniffle. “That’s truly beautiful, man.”
“Oh shut up.” Eros punched his brother in the arm, then swiped the rest of his beer. “If you keep up that attitude, I might just make true love happen to you.”
“Could you do that?”
“Just watch me. I have plenty of surprises left in store.” Eros gave Pothos a slow smile, imagining all the havoc he could wreak. Just imagine if he turned his powers on Zeus himself! But to get that chance, he had a little more work on mortal couples to take of first.
The End
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