FlakJacket

by Nichols, A

  But, what a night! She had never felt like this before, and she hugged the memory close capturing it while she could; she suspected it would be fleeting. She washed herself carefully, her whole body somewhat sore from their raucous joining; Jordan was an overwhelming lover. She emerged from the bathroom to find him watching her intently, sitting up in their shared bed, the sheet now placed low on his body for decency. “Good morning.” His Witch was bright-eyed. “I would have joined you if you had awakened me.”

  “I might have had something to say about that,” she replied, her eyebrows up.

  He laughed. “You would have welcomed me, and you know it.” He had to talk with her.

  “I have to get ready for my interviews right now,” she said as she walked out of his room au natural and towards the steps to go upstairs.

  “You really should put something on, you know,” he called after her.

  “Back at you Jordan.” He smiled at her comeback. He shrugged and got up, pulling the sheets off the bed and stuffing them in the washer; he touched the blood spot one more time before adding powder and turning it on. Then he went into his bath to shower.

  Madison skipped down the stairs, her hand once again on her stomach, dressed in a cool violet sundress and heels. It had happened—she carried a child.

  She smelled bacon from the kitchen, so she headed that way. Her place was already set beside his with juice and hot coffee. Jordan was cooking; he flipped a pancake unaware that she was standing behind him. “Wow. I didn’t know that you could do that.” He turned with a welcoming grin on his face.

  “I can do many things that you don’t know about. Pull up a stool.” He watched as she gingerly climbed on it; she must be sore. He had used her body well.

  He put three strips of bacon on her plate and served up two pancakes to her. He did the same with his own only with twice as much food and sat down beside her to eat; they ate in companionable silence. Then they sat drinking their coffee, Jordan’s hand rubbing absently on her bare thigh remembering the highlights of last night.

  “Michael will accompany you this morning to your two interviews. I have other things that I must attend to, but he will take good care of you. I have others who will be watching you.”

  “All right.”

  “Do not stay beyond your interview. I want you home to rest; you have another event for tonight. I couldn’t cancel it, or I would have. You seem to be in great demand, but I’ve cleared your schedule for the next few days. I want you to rest, Madison.”

  “My refugee issue is in great demand. I really should be back in Jordan helping and not here.” He pursed his lips.

  “We’ll talk all that out. For now, just be careful.” He leaned over to touch her face. “Everything has changed,” Witch, “and you know it.” He regarded her intently. “I will see you when you get home, and we will talk about last night. I programmed my number into your phone. If you need me, call, and I mean that. You will continue to stay with me, and I don’t want to hear anything about your leaving.” The front door opened, and Michael came in.

  “You ready?” She slid off the stool. Jordan sat still, hating to see her go, his eyes following her. She went through the door, and it closed. Why did he feel like the earth had moved beneath his feet? There was nothing between them but unbridled sex—and he meant to keep it that way.

  When he went into his office, the police report from Chicago was in his inbox. He sat down to read it carefully. Much of it had been redacted, but the gist of it was that Madison had been at a party with two female friends; she was seen on a surveillance camera with three men who were struggling with her; she seemed to be physically fighting with them. A scream was heard, but when it was reported, she was already gone.

  She had been found five hours later along a road, drugged and in distress. The police arrested her, but then released her within the hour. The report indicated that she had been badly hurt and taken to a hospital; the toxicology report had shown a cocktail of drugs in her system, one of them the date rape drug. He sat back. She had not been raped; he knew that to be a fact, and there was no evidence of a rape kit being conducted on her at the time of her hospitalization. Why? He glanced at the photographs that were in the file. The bruises on her face and arms and neck were shocking and two of her ribs were cracked, her wrists marked with what appeared to be cuts from cable ties. She had been struck and kicked repeatedly. He put in a call to her father; he needed to know more about this incident.

  “Hello.”

  “Mr. Kelly. This is Jordan Lassiter. I need to discuss your daughter. The reports I have before me are troubling.”

  “You’re looking at the report from the Chicago arrest, aren’t you? She was abducted from a party by three men, drugged and probably raped. She refused to talk about it, and I didn’t press her. She just closed in on herself. She had cracked ribs, and she didn’t speak for almost a month after the attack because of her damaged windpipe; she had a major concussion as well.” He paused. “She wasn’t supposed to live through it.”

  “Did the police ever find these men?”

  “We have photographs of them, but they couldn’t be found.”

  “I want those photographs. Send them to me by courier, not through the Internet. And before you ask, your daughter is fine.”

  “She’s been through so much. She needs to give all this shit up.” There was a hesitation. “There are rumors racing around that she is gifted with some kind of healing power and insight. There is a prophecy about a woman, a white witch walking among men. Have you seen any evidence of that?”

  Jordan pondered the question. Hell yes, he had.

  “She needs psychological help.” Well—how was that for support? Jordan didn’t reply except to say goodbye as he ended the call. Things had just gone from bad to worse. This woman knew things, and how was he to protect her if she wouldn’t talk to him? She was scarred physically and emotionally, but he knew she was a strong woman and a loving one. Her interactions with people showed her true character. She was a giver. He made a note to research this myth of the white witch. He shook his head in laughter; hell, he might have just slept with her.

  He began to compile a list. First there were her assailants, three men who were obviously sent by someone else to teach her a very painful lesson. It was meant to look like a rape, to besmirch her reputation as a woman, but it was far more than that. They wanted her scared, and they had almost gone too far.

  Then there was Thomas Hull; his attraction to her as a woman remained from what Jordan had seen. That man still wanted her, and while he had covered for his friend, Jordan felt that someone had ordered the earlier premeditated attack. There was also the hired assassin that he had stopped who said she had a price on her head; if that were true, there could be more attempts on her life. Did everyone want her dead or taken, or would badly injured do? It was a roulette wheel—and it was spinning.

  He had made her HIS—that had not been a brilliant move on his part, and he couldn’t really blame it on the alcohol. He knew what he was doing when his hands first touched her. He ran those very hands through his hair when another thought silently crept in—she could be carrying his child.

  Jordan looked over the seating arrangement for the dinner tonight; she would be with him. He had a thought; he ran upstairs to her room and rifled through her backpack. There was a small journal in it filled with her handwriting. It would be a gross invasion of her privacy on his behalf; it might mean the difference between her life and her death, however, and it was in his hands now. He tapped it over and over against his other hand, and then he reluctantly put it back without opening the cover. As he turned to leave the room, he found Madison watching him from the doorway, her eyes wide.

  He paused before he said, “You’re home.”

  “I am.” She challenged him. “Did you read it?”

  “No. I found I couldn’t betray you like that, even if it meant I was putting your life in danger.” He met her eyes fearlessly, handing
her the journal. She knew he wasn’t lying to her, thank God. She walked to him, reaching out to take it as she murmured softly, “Thank you.”

  She tried to move away from him, but his hand caught her. “I wanted to. I told you I’m no saint,” Witch—his witch.

  “I know you have questions.”

  “Let’s start with the marks on your lower back and ass.” He became the interrogator. “You were whipped. Those white scars say that your skin was cut over and over.”

  He must have seen them when she was in the bath. She swallowed the memory and debated how much to say. “You’re very observant. I was whipped in Jordan for being a witch, but the man who was meting out the punishment was scared to death of me. You see, I didn’t cry, not one tear even though the pain was excruciating. If I were a mere woman, he said, I would have cried. He called me the white witch from a myth of his people.” She closed her eyes for a few seconds, remembering that awful time, but opened them again in disgust. “He had thrown his daughter out on the street because she had been with a man. I championed her and offered myself for her punishment. She was only sixteen. He couldn’t complete my punishment because he was frozen in fear. He dropped the whip, and no other man in the village would pick it up. That’s how I got my name—the white witch.”

  “I see.” Jordan knew that the punishments of his land would look barbaric to the Western world.

  “No man has touched me, Jordan—until you.” She threw the gauntlet down. “You know I’m telling you the truth.

  “And the three men who abducted you and drugged you?”

  “I don’t really know what happened that night. I was with my friends; three men came up to me that I didn’t know, and they pulled me out of the party. I fought with them, but I could do little. I think someone had put something in my drink because everything became a blur. If they had wanted to rape me, they could have, but they didn’t. I never understood why they didn’t or what they wanted with me.” Jordan thought again that her abduction had more to do with stripping her of her aura and letting people think that she had been raped—tainting her reputation. A second thought came to him.

  “They might have been taking you to someone, Madison, a person who had paid them to abduct you. They were unable to make the trade with this person, and they dumped you. That is a mystery that I will solve, but I am thankful that they were unable to complete the transaction.” He hesitated to ask his next questions. Why are all these people coming after you? Can you think of anything?”

  I know the future, she thought, and I will have a child of great power.

  Her brows puckered, she dropped her eyes, and Jordan knew she was hiding something from him. “I sometimes see things.”

  “Sometimes?” He straightened, remembering her when he first saved her. “You knew me when I saved you in Jordan, didn’t you?” It was said with some wonder in his voice.

  “I did. I could never forget your face, but my vision didn’t say you would save me, just that you would enter my life. It made me very afraid; I thought you might be my future killer. You’re very intimidating, Jordan.” She wanted to tell him she would bear his child soon, but she didn’t know how he would react, so she said nothing. Perhaps he was just to be the seed. She didn’t know.

  “Have you seen other parts of my life?” he asked. She hesitated to answer, but finally nodded, and he stepped back from her.

  Her chin came up. “Are you afraid of me now, Jordan, because I see things?”

  He smiled his funny little smile. “No. But I will curb your recklessness and bring you to heel. You will struggle with that, so make sure that you really want my protection. If I take your body again, I won’t settle for less than all of you—and that will include your obedience. Think about that.” He had no idea from where that had come. He put his lips on her forehead, pulling away as he said, “Enough of this—we have an event for which to prepare. But then we WILL talk, about everything.” He turned her and pushed her towards his room.

  “My room is upstairs.”

  He glared at her. “Not after last night. Make sure I find you where you belong; you will not like me if I have to come and fetch you. Go and get a bath, and I’ll get your clothing, your backpack, and your laptop and move it.” There was shock in her gaze, but she turned obediently to do his bidding. Why couldn’t she see the future now? What was she going to be to him?

  CHAPTER 10

  The two of them entered the ballroom of the Hyatt Hotel. Madison was dressed in an off the shoulder full skirted gown that skimmed her body and flared gently over her hips. The color was black, offsetting the strawberry red of her hair. She wore it pulled up on the top of her head in an elegant swirl, and dangling earrings completed her look. She chatted amiably with some of the other guests at the affair, shaking hands and smiling sweetly. Underneath that beauty, there were brains. He stood just to her right, making note of anyone who looked her way. His tux complemented him, his presence off-setting to some.

  “Jordan. I didn’t know you would be here this evening.” A beautiful, dark-haired woman caught his hands and kissed his cheek. Madison took note, but said nothing.

  “Myrna. It’s good to see you again. How is David?”

  “He’s good; he’s here looking to speak to this young lady.” Her eyes went to Madison who was standing nearby. “She’s a true beauty, isn’t she?”

  “She is lovely.”

  “You’re her close protection tonight?”

  “That—and other things.”

  Myrna’s eyelids went up. “Are you two a couple, then?”

  Madison waited breathlessly for his reply, but he didn’t address the question. “Let me introduce you.” He pulled on Madison’s arm and turned her. “Myrna, this is Madison Kelly. Madison—this is Myrna Thompson, an old family friend. Her husband and I went to graduate school together.” A tall man approached the three of them and looked Madison up and down, quite frank in his approval.

  “Well done, old man. She’s beautiful. I thought everyone was kidding about her. She doesn’t look like a witch though, does she?” And he laughed.

  Jordan thought of the spell she had put on him. “It depends on what one looks for in a witch, I would say.”

  “Gentlemen, I am standing right here.” Madison said.

  “I’d love to talk with you later, if I may?” She nodded. “Any pronouncements for me? I love fortune tellers.” That was David’s question, and he was teasing.

  A vision flashed before her eyes, unbidden, and she stared at him for a minute or two. Her voice was low when she spoke. “You will be a father before the year is out.” Madison’s eyes twinkled as she watched the expressions flit over his face, one chasing another. The most prominent one was fear.

  He swallowed hard. “Is she often right about things, Jordan?” David looked exceptionally nervous.

  “I would consider what she says if I were you.” David pulled his wife to him, his eyes asking the question he couldn’t seem to put into words. Jordan pulled Madison away with a stern grip. “That was unkind; David doesn’t want children for a long time.”

  “He will be a father by Christmas—a little girl, I believe, and he will love her.”

  Confusion reigned on Jordan’s face. “Madison, are you seeing this?” She nodded; he hesitated to ask but stepped boldly forth. “And what are you seeing for us?”

  She looked directly at him, her eyes serious, debating what to say, finally giving in to the truth. “We will have a son in the spring.”

  “A son. My son?”

  “Well, there was that delivery man, so who knows!” She was amused at his discomfort as to whether he should believe her or not. He did not appear to be upset at the thought of a child of his own, and that pleased her.

  “Oh, that man, right.” He needed to change the subject quickly. “I guess that means you aren’t on birth control, then.”

  “No.”

  “I think we should dance.” He pulled her into his arms and began to waltz with he
r to the music, his mind running in circles with her words. She moved as one with him, and he noted that she often seemed to be inside his head. They had danced around the floor several times when she tensed. “There is danger in this room,” she whispered in this ear. He tightened his hands on her and pulled her away from the ballroom into a side room, shielding her with his body. Her breath was uneven as Jordan drew his gun.

  Seconds later, a man crept into the room, a small gun drawn, but Jordan was ready for him. “Drop the gun.” He stepped in front of him, his own gun in evidence. His low voice echoed in the room. There was some hesitation, but the man dropped the weapon. Keeping Madison behind him, Jordan kicked it away. Another man came into the room, a gun also drawn; he worked for Jordan. The caught man made a sudden lunge and pushed past him and through the open doorway; Jordan’s hand caught his man’s arm before he could fire, and he shook his head. “Too crowded. Try to follow him.”

  Madison stood where he had left her, shaking. He pulled her to him and held her, pushing her head into his shoulder. “You’re fine.” But he knew she wasn’t fine; the look on her face said so.

  “So much fear and hatred when people don’t understand,” she said cryptically.

  Later that evening, Jordan checked the guest list to see if a man had entered alone. There were several to follow up. “Hey, man.” David walked up to him. “You don’t believe all that garbage about kids, do you?”

  “No. She was just pulling your chain, and you fell for it.” Both men laughed. Jordan didn’t see her standing behind him, her face a mask of pain. She had been fooled again; he didn’t believe her. She was just his latest sexual conquest. Many men wanted her for her ability to see into the future, and the one man she wanted denied her gift. It was time to leave; she needed to get to the house and get her laptop and clothes before Jordan became aware she was gone.