She started begging to the captors through her tears. “No! Don’t put me in there!” Her body contorted into the fetal position, and her arms went up in the air. “No! Please! I’m afraid! I’m afraid!”
Her fists started pounding at the air above her head. “No!” She pleaded one last time before losing consciousness.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jared remained on the floor cradling Jody, who still hadn’t regained consciousness. His worst fear had just been realized, leaving him terrified she wouldn’t come back to him. Everyone except Nathan had quickly vacated their home. Like the jackals they were, they’d all felt the need to move on the information was more important than dealing with the disaster left behind in their wake. Information they’d come by at far too great of a personal cost for both him and Jody.
Nathan was the only person to remain behind. When he reached out to gently stroke Jody’s hair, Jared possessively jerked her away. He felt the rage at her so called best friend boiling within for putting Jody in such grave danger.
After several tense moments, Jared finally spoke, but it was through clenched teeth and barely louder than a whisper. “Get out of our home.”
“J.D., please understand that I love Jody. What I witnessed today scared the shit out of me too. I just need to know she’s okay. I need her to know that I love her. I’m proud of her for stepping in and hopefully saving that little girl. I…”
Jared cut him off. “Enough! If you don’t leave now, I’ll fucking kill you.”
Nathan backed away as Jared bent to kiss Jody’s forehead tenderly. “It’s all right, Monkey. They won’t bother you again. You’re safe now.”
****
The phone had been ringing off the hook all day, but with Jody in trouble, Jared refused to answer. It had taken over six, tense hours for her to regain consciousness and come back to him. He wasn’t ready to see or hear from Nathan just yet.
Through the anxious wait, as a distraction, Jared ran different scenarios through his mind on the perfect and most painful death in which he could personally inflict on Nathan. He would see to it that the jerk-off’s demise would be one of epic proportions. Since he hadn’t narrowed the choices down yet, he wasn’t prepared to see or talk to him.
When Jody’s eyelids started to flutter, Jared had never been more relieved. After Nathan had so carelessly brought evil to their doorstep, she’d been forced to fight for her life. The only tools in his arsenal were his voice, touch, and love. He could only hope those would be enough to bring her back to him. His voice had all but disappeared as he prayed she wouldn’t be lost to him forever. Finally, his prayers had been answered.
When she’d snapped out of it, he made sure his face was the first thing she saw. Wanting to be certain all of her came back to him, he stared deep into her eyes. He also needed to assure himself that no spirit lurked within her. Thankfully, there had been no sign that a greedy phantom had decided to take up residence as she’d fought so hard to come back to him.
When he saw her own unique sparkle of life return to her eyes, he felt as though he could finally breathe easy again. The moment she recognized him, her beautiful green eyes shone with love. Too overwhelmed to speak, he nuzzled her neck, smelling her scent and feeling her life force in her heartbeat with his lips. Unable to contain himself any longer, sobs violently racked his body as they laid there and held each other.
“I thought you were going to…” he couldn’t say the word aloud, out of fear she still might breathe her last breath right here in his arms. “I had started to believe that I had lost you.”
Their past experience with Fiona had made him fully aware that it would take some time for her to claw her way through the dark sludge which permeated her mind. She’d remain in a darkened state, making it difficult to speak or even think. When she reached up and ran her hand through his silky hair, he knew it was to comfort not only him but herself as well.
“I don’t think I can do this again, Monkey. I’ve never been so afraid in my life,” he murmured into her neck, praying as he spoke she would agree with him. But he knew deep down inside she had no choice in the matter. That distinction didn’t stop him from selfishly hoping this would be last time she’d ever put herself in this position again. Realistically, he knew her abilities weren’t something she could return like a bad Christmas present. Nor could she turn them on and off at will. There’d be many more times like this in their lives together, but he just couldn’t grasp that fact right now. The only important thing right this minute was his overwhelming need to hold onto her and never let go.
“Sh-h-h,” she whispered trying to soothe him. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.”
Her still weak voice frightened him. How long will it take her to recover from this? Will she ever recuperate completely? After what he’d witnessed today, he wasn’t sure she’d ever be the same again.
Trying to regain her equilibrium, Jody held him close. Her sluggish mind left her feeling more hungover than sleep deprived. She still wasn’t able to arrange her thoughts and determine what was real and what wasn’t. Mentally and physically exhausted, she tried with all her might to piece together what had happened.
Cocooned and safe beneath Jared’s large frame, she stiffened as bits and pieces of the previous hours started to come back to her. He rose up on his elbows as some of the terrifying memories came crashing back. Panicked, she grabbed Jared’s arms to steady herself. “The little girl? Jared, is the little girl all right? Did they find her?”
To help make her more comfortable, he stacked pillows behind her so she could sit up. Jared’s mannerisms, while gentle, belied the anger she sensed just below the surface. She allowed him to tend lovingly to her without pushing for an answer because it helped him calm down and put things in perspective. Several tense minutes had passed before Jared responded. “I don’t know, Monkey. I couldn’t leave you lying here all by yourself to find out.”
Hearing the sharp, angry tone in Jared’s voice and seeing the pain in his eyes made her heart break. She realized how hard this experience must’ve been on him. The guilt she felt for being the person responsible for his pain was unbearable. Reaching out, she touched his cheek to offer him some peace of mind about her wellbeing. “Jared, it was you who brought me back. Your voice. Your touch. You seemed miles away, but I kept hearing your voice and moving toward it. I never felt alone because you were always talking to me. I’m here because of you. Your love kept me safe.”
He wrapped his arms around her and held on for dear life. “Oh, Monkey, I didn’t think you were going to come back to me. You being lost somewhere out there in God only knows where left me feeling so damn helpless.”
She ran her hand up and down his back to console him. “I’m here, Jared. You brought me back. I love you, sweetheart. There are no words I can string together to convey how sorry I am that I scared you.”
“I love you too, Monkey.”
The chime of the doorbell had him cursing under his breath. He pulled himself from her embrace, wiped the tears from his face first and then dried hers. “I’ll get rid of whoever that is. You need your rest.”
Overtaken by exhaustion, it took all of her strength to reach out for him. “Jared, please find out about the little girl. I need to know.”
She hated the pleading tone of her voice, but Jared had to understand she wouldn’t be able to rest and put this behind her until she knew the outcome. He bent to kiss her outstretched hand and nodded his head as he left the room.
As he’d expected, he opened the door to find Nathan and Terry. The unbridled affectation of pain and raw fury Jared openly displayed had them both taking a guarded step back.
Only having part of the story, Terry’s concern for Nathan grew as his friend looked down at the ground. His shoulders slumped as if already defeated. He had come along because he knew this problem with J.D. had to be resolved. Maybe because he hadn’t been there, but Terry could see both sides. And
it would take someone who although might not be unbiased, when it came to Jody, to be able to try and get J.D. to see Nathan’s side also.
“You’ve got a hell of a nerve showing your face here after invading our home and putting Jody in danger. You must have cojones the size of watermelons.”
Knowing that making the first non-aggressive move might be a big mistake, Terry took a moment to gather his courage. He stepped forward, reaching out for Jared’s arm. As expected, the big man angrily pulled away while making a sound which could only compare to a rabid creature. Terry’s heart skipped a beat at the wholly ferocious display.
Uncomfortable in situations such as this, he allowed his finer, more sharply honed senses to take over. His artist’s eye allowed him, not for the first time, to see the deadly predator within this man. This time, however, that dark and angry creature lurked dangerously close to the surface ready to shred him and Nathan to pieces if they made one wrong move.
Before he got mangled, Terry’s hands went up in the air in a show of surrender. “How is she?” He spoke in low, dulcet tones trying to tame the beast in front of him.
Jared moved his steely gaze from Nathan to Terry. “How would you expect her to be? She’s been lost somewhere within herself all day, and she’s just come back to me. She’s exhausted. I’m exhausted. And I’m not ready to deal with either of you yet.”
“Thank God she came out of it,” Nathan said under his breath.
Jared’s attention snapped back to Nathan. “Yes. You certainly didn’t do anything to help.”
Terry appreciated Jared’s mindset, but his anger was skewing reality. Since Nathan was in danger of being pulverized, he’d have to be the one to try to make Jared see reason. “That’s not fair, Jared, and you know it.” Knowing full well he was taking a chance of getting a broken arm, he placed his hand on Jared’s shoulder and clamped down so it couldn’t be shaken off. He summoned all of the inner courage he could muster to hold his ground.
“We love Jody like a sister. She’s our family. Neither one of us would ever do anything to intentionally put her in harm’s way. You’ve got to know that.”
Terry waited for an answer, but Jared was so intent on staring Nathan down one never came.
“Look,” Terry finally said, taking another tentative step closer to Jared. “If you want to kick his ass”—he nodded toward Nathan as he threw him under the bus—“I’m good with that. I’m going inside. When I find our girl, I’m going to give her a hug and tell her I love her.” Before Jared’s wrath could bludgeon him, Terry pushed his way past him and rushed out of reach so quickly there wasn’t a chance in hell of catching him.
Jared’s inflexible stare never faltered. His eyes bored into Nathan wanting nothing more than to see him disintegrate where he stood. He would watch Nathan carefully as he groveled for forgiveness, but he wouldn’t give the fucker an inch. He’d let him plead his case, but he didn’t have a chance in hell to redeem himself. To his way of thinking, nothing the asswipe said or did could get him in to see Jody. On the contrary, Jared felt sure she needed protection from the likes of him.
“J.D.—Jared, I’m sorry. I really am. I would never have intentionally jeopardized Jody. There was a little girl’s life at stake. Those women had already killed one of our best men. I couldn’t leave her in their hands. Please, try to understand. She was just a scared little girl.”
When Nathan mentioned the little girl, Jared’s facial features relaxed just a bit. While unintentional, he was aware he’d just offered a small bit of encouragement in Nathan’s battle for forgiveness. Yet, he remained silent.
“Look, I don’t blame you for being angry. It will be a cold day in hell before I forgive myself for putting Jody through that nightmare.”
It took all of Jared’s willpower to stand there and listen to Nathan beg for absolution. The man was still fighting an uphill battle with an unknown outcome.
Nathan continued his plea. “Mikala—the little girl, we found her just where Jody said she was. Those bitches had locked her in a box and put it in a storage unit.” Nathan’s breath hitched in his throat.
“I will see the exact moment Jody channeled the little girl’s fight to stay out of that box for the rest of my life. I’ll never forget when Jody started struggling with unseen perpetrators. My dreams will be tormented by her tortured screams as she begged not to be forced into the box. Seeing Jody kicking and flailing about as the child had done to gain freedom makes my stomach churn. The thought that my best friend willingly submitted to the fear that sweet, little girl had gone through all because of me, batters my psyche more so than anything you could do to me.” He shook his head to clear it and continued to fight his cause. His words were laced with torment. “They were going to leave that child there to die, Jared.”
Nathan’s statement greatly affected Jared. His body twitched from head to toe giving away another tell that forgiveness was within reach. “We found their checklist in the storage room with Mikala. They were never coming back for her. They were never going to make contact with the family again after they had the money.
“I just left little Mikala. She said she would’ve been more scared if it weren’t for her guardian angel. The protective angel talked to her and kept her calm until she could be found. She said she didn’t know how they both fit in that box, but her angel wouldn’t leave her. Instead, the guardian angel patted her head and wiped away her tears. While waiting for help to come, they even made up and sang songs together.”
Emotionally spent, Jared’s body no longer had the strength to keep his muscles taut. Tears pooled and threatened to spill over his already swollen eyes.
“Mikala said her guardian angel’s name is Jody.”
Jared crumbled. Long gone was the man from a few short months ago. No longer emotionally handicapped and indifferent to everyone around him, Jody’s love had broken through his barriers. His hands moved to his face to cover his tears and squelch his sobs—tears which were borne from a fear that would always be present with Jody in his life.
Nathan rushed forward and pulled Jared into an embrace, holding him as a brother would comfort a brother.
“As much as I enjoy hugging you, dude, I need to go in and see my girl.” He spoke a moment or two later.
Jared snorted and nodded. “Yeah. Go on in. I’m going to stay out here for a minute.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Since the event, as she and Jared now called the kidnapping debacle, Jody hadn’t been comfortable leaving the privacy of their home. To maintain her sanity, she had willingly retreated within herself both physically and mentally.
All business duties and responsibilities had been turned over to her capable staff to keep Fur Baby Groomers afloat. Even though Fur Baby was Jody’s only means of support, at this point, she had no other choice but to stay away. These days fear had proven to be her guiding force. Trepidation lived with her and mooched off of her just as an uninvited house guest would. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t get rid of the depression. The idea of going back to her daily routine anytime soon, if at all, was doubtful.
Jody had faith that Cassi and Kim would keep the doors to her precious business open. They would continue to give her furry clientele the best and most caring service possible. As time went by, it became apparent her employees believed she’d had a mental breakdown. When speaking on the phone, the concern in their voices rang through loud and clear. Unfortunately, their assessment wasn’t far from the truth. With each passing day, she removed herself farther and farther from the outside world.
The FBI had informed the Spurls of Jody’s significant involvement in their granddaughter’s recovery from the abduction attempt. Nothing had been withheld. The Spurls wanted to hold a meet and greet to offer their gratitude and express their appreciation for everything she’d been able to do. Although uncomfortable with the attention, she desperately wanted to see little Mikala. It was important for her to make sure the child had come through the event unscathed
. Jody could only remember bits and pieces of those traumatizing hours, believing the intensity of the fear she’d felt had overridden much of her memory.
By her request, Jared reluctantly set up an after-dinner meeting with the Spurls on a Friday evening. They’d made plans to go out of town the same day which offered the perfect excuse not to stay too long.
If Jared had his way, she’d never meet with them. His best case scenario would be to distance her and himself from anything having to do with the event ever again. He feared for Jody and never stopped worrying about something popping up and sparking another freak fest. It wasn’t necessary for him to verbalize how worried he’d been about the potential of her flying off the handle into another crisis. His concern was written all over his face. She loved him all the more for it but started hating herself for putting him through hell.
Stepping up to the front door of the Spurl’s home, Jared’s hand went out to knock. Hesitating, he pivoted and grabbed Jody’s arm. “Are you sure about this? We can always say something came up.”
An intense fear had her leaning toward taking him up on his offer. Before she could back away, the front door flew open and a little girl ran into her arms.
“Jody! Jody! You’re here! You’re really here!” Mikala’s embrace served to soften her heart. The little girl smelled of peaches and cream. If she weren’t mistaken, there was also a hint of chocolate. The sweet child’s scent and enthusiastic greeting helped Jody relax and absorb the loving warmth of the hug. The soul bond they’d developed during the event couldn’t be denied.
Mikala’s chubby hands framed Jody’s face. “I can’t believe you’re really here! Can we sing some of the songs we made up together when you saved me?”
Talking about the event made Jody uneasy. Mikala, on the other hand, seemed to think of it as an ordinary, everyday experience.
Troubled Spirits Page 22