“Have you talked to Taylor?” Jasper asked suddenly.
“Not since yesterday morning,” I said with a shrug.
“Shit. Her name and address are on the list that Sam has. I was so worried about making sure you were safe I forgot to have you check on her.” His eyes were wide and frantic as he apologized for not looking out for my best friend.
“Calm down, J. I'll call her right now.”
Taylor answered on the first ring. She’d stayed at Jarren’s last night, just as I'd assumed. I didn't want to scare her, so I chose not to tell her about the potential danger she was in. She agreed to come to the guest house for lunch. I'd fill her in then, after I knew she was safe.
“She'll be here by noon,” I told Jasper as I ended the call. He nodded but didn't look any less wary.
I took a quick shower and got dressed in the bathroom that was right down the hall from our room. I stopped just outside of our bedroom and listened. Jasper was talking to someone. I assumed he was on the phone because the only voice I heard was his.
“What do you mean she didn’t come home? So she’s helping them? You realize how fucking insane this shit is, right? You can’t honestly want to deal with this kind of shit for the rest of your life. You know that if it comes down to saving her or Macie, I’ll choose Macie. Every. Damn. Time.”
He didn’t say anything else for several seconds, so I opened the door slowly. Jasper was sitting on the edge of the bed with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.
“You okay?” I asked as I sat down beside him.
He shook his head. I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head against his shoulder.
“Sam said Blaire didn’t come back home last night after she spoke to Brooke. He called to ask me to keep her safe if shit hits the fan. She’s his fiancé. My best fucking friend’s fiancé, and I can’t promise him that I’ll protect her.” He looked up at me and I could see the pain in his eyes. “I won’t let them hurt you, Macie. If I have to kill her, or anyone else, in order to keep you safe, then I’ll do it. You need to know that going into this.” His jaw ticked as he stared into my eyes, and I knew that he was completely serious. If I had seen the look on his face on anyone other than him I would have been frightened, but I knew I could never be scared of Jasper. He would never hurt me or anyone I cared about; I was certain of that.
“Jasper, we are going to be fine. All of us. We will just hang out here until Shi comes up with a plan or until Brooke finds a new fling to obsess over. Don’t stress yourself out over this. It’ll all be over soon,” I told him as I rubbed his back. He studied me for a moment. It felt like he was looking for reassurance.
I assumed he’d found it because he suddenly crashed his lips to mine. He kissed me hard, pushing me down onto the bed in the process. I welcomed the feel of his body weight on top of me. His kiss started to slow and I wrapped my legs around him to let him know that I didn’t want him to stop. The groan he let out as I pulled him tighter against my body gave me goosebumps. I broke the kiss just long enough to tug his t-shirt up over his head. When I tried to catch his lips again, he moved out of reach and smirked.
“I want to see you, too,” he said in a husky voice.
Without hesitation I yanked my shirt off and tossed it across the room. Jasper made quick work of removing my bra and his mouth was on me before I’d even settled back onto the bed. I gripped his hair and arched into him, relishing the feeling of his tongue against my overly sensitive skin.
“Mace! Taylor’s here!” Shiloh yelled from downstairs.
“Fuck,” Jasper groaned.
“We have to go, but we can finish this tonight,” I promised as I kissed his nose.
“I’m holding you to that,” he said as he got off of me and adjusted himself inside his jeans. I grinned as I watched him.
“Get out of here before I change my mind,” he said with one cocked brow.
I laughed as I put my clothes back on quickly and made my way downstairs.
“What the hell is going on, Macie?” Taylor whispered as she grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the kitchen. “How did you talk Bennett into letting Jasper come here?”
“Well…” I started.
“We’ve got a problem,” Bennett said as he stomped into the kitchen. “Shiloh! Nat!” he yelled.
Jasper, Shiloh, and Nat all walked into the kitchen together. Jasper came to stand beside me while Shi and Nat took a seat at the table.
“What’s going on?” Shi asked Bennett.
“Someone followed Taylor,” he snapped.
“What?” Taylor asked as she looked behind her, confused.
“I’m going to assume you didn’t slash your own tires when you arrived?” Bennett said, sarcastically.
“My tires are — “
“Flat!” Bennett snapped.
“It won’t be long before they come back, and I assume they’ll have help,” Shiloh said calmly as he looked to Jasper for his input. Jasper replied by giving him one sharp nod.
“Everyone keep your pills in your pocket. Be prepared to take them when they arrive,” Shiloh instructed.
“Why wouldn’t we take them now?” Bennett asked.
“We need to be able to feel everything in case they accidentally let us know they’re here,” Shi explained.
Bennett nodded in understanding and walked out of the kitchen without saying another word.
“Girls, go upstairs and bring Taylor up to speed on what’s going on.”
Jasper grabbed my hand and squeezed it once before releasing it. I followed Nat and Taylor upstairs quietly. My stomach was turning, but I did my best to hide my worry.
“Spill it. Now,” Taylor demanded the second we shut the door to the bedroom Jasper and I were sharing.
“Brooke is really a crazy ex-girlfriend,” I sighed.
“That bitch slashed my tires?”
“Most likely,” I shrugged. “It gets worse, though. She’s dangerous. She has a hit list. And our names are on it.”
“A what?!” Taylor shrieked.
“That’s why we’re staying here, Taylor. So we can come up with a plan before they are able to catch us off guard,” Nat tried to explain.
Taylor looked from me to Nat and back to me again. “Is this real?” she whispered.
We both nodded.
“And I led them here,” she gasped as she covered her mouth with one hand.
“Don’t you dare,” I snapped. “They were going to find us anyways. Brooke has been hanging out with the guy that Jasper beat up at the bar that night. He’s a Raider, too. He and his friend both are. They can transfer just like Jas—,” I stopped talking just as a thought occurred to me.
“Shit,” I muttered as I ran out the door and back downstairs.
I ran into the kitchen and saw Jasper and Shiloh sitting at the table. Jasper had his back to me, but Shiloh saw me walk in. He raised his hand up like he was telling me to stop, but I ignored him.
“Guys, they’re Raiders. Jon and Daniel are Raiders. They can transfer and we won’t be able to see them. For all we know, they could be here right now,” I said in a rush.
Shiloh nodded his head like he already knew everything I had just said, but Jasper didn’t respond. He didn’t even budge. I slowly walked around the table so I could face him, but he wasn’t there. Not really, anyways. His body was still and stiff. His chest was rising and falling and his eyes were blinking slowly. They weren’t really his eyes, though. The color was dull and they looked hard. I waved my hand in front of his face quickly and still got no response.
“He’s not in there,” Shiloh said quietly.
“He transferred?”
He nodded. “He went to check on his friend Sam and to see if he can figure out where Brooke is currently. He's confident that Jon and Daniel aren't capable of transferring this great of a distance. Don't worry about it, Macie.”
“I’ve never seen him like this,” I said as I stared at Jasper’s lifeless looking face.<
br />
“He said it takes a lot of energy out of him. He’ll need to rest when he comes back.”
I nodded in agreement. “I can see him when he transfers,” I blurted out.
Shi looked at me with wide eyes.
“That’s how we met,” I whispered.
“You love him,” Nat said as she walked into the kitchen. I took my eyes off of Jasper and gawked at her.
“I remember when I fell in love with your brother. Things with him have always been different compared to anyone else. Love changes things, Macie. It makes them extraordinary.”
I tore my gaze from hers and started to stare at Jasper again. If I could already see Jasper before I knew I loved him, what did that mean? I wasn’t sure, but I really didn’t have time to think about that now. What I did know for sure was I loved him now, but I wasn’t ready for the world to know that. Hell, he didn’t even know.
I transferred to Sam’s apartment first. He was there and I was shocked to see that Blaire was with him. They were arguing about Brooke. Blaire seemed to think that she was just having a hard time and that none of the nonsense she’d been saying was real. I could tell by the look on Sam’s face that he was losing his patience with her. When he grabbed his coat and walked out without telling her where he was going, I knew he was going to make the right choice. I felt sorry for him, but I was glad to see that he was doing what was best for him.
After I left Sam’s, I went to Jon’s house. I knew I wasn’t going to be worth a shit after traveling so far, but I had to. I had to see when they were coming and what they were planning to do when they did.
“She’s a nice lay, but damn that bitch is crazy,” Jon said to Daniel. They were sitting in front of the TV smoking cigarettes.
“You really going to go toe to toe with Jasper again? Just for a nice piece of ass?” Daniel asked him.
“There will be no toe to toe. He’ll be so distraught about me having my way with his little bitch of a girlfriend that he won’t see you and Brooke coming. He won’t even have a chance to fight back,” he said with a smirk before taking a long drag.
“What’s Brooke going to think about you messing with another chick?”
“Who gives a shit what she thinks,” Jon answered, rolling his eyes.
“When are we heading out?” Daniel asked him.
“The twins will be here by midnight.”
“I’ll be glad when this shit is over,” Daniel said as he shook his head.
“Don’t be a pussy, man. You know you hate him just as much as I do,” Jon snapped.
Daniel nodded as he put out his half-smoked cigarette and reached for his bottle of beer.
***
I was shaking with anger when I came back to my body. Macie was standing in front of me with a worried expression on her face. I felt myself relax a little when I saw that she was safe.
“Are you in there?” she whispered.
I nodded and forced a grin.
She came over to sit on my lap. She kissed my cheek as she wrapped her arms around me.
“I missed you,” she said quietly.
I held her tight as my insides churned. Two of the worst Raiders I knew were coming to try to take her away from me in a few short hours.
“They’ll be heading this way by midnight,” I said to Shiloh. “I want Macie out of here by then.”
Macie attempted to pull away from me, but I held her tight against me. “This isn’t up for discussion,” I muttered into her ear.
“I’ll book the first flight to Seattle for all of the girls. How do you want to get them to the airport?” Shiloh asked.
“Sam will take them.”
He nodded and left us alone in the kitchen. I could hear Nat and Taylor insisting that they stay and help. “Please don’t argue and please don’t be mad,” I said to Macie.
“What if something happens to you?”
I released her enough that she could pick her head up off of my chest. When she looked at me I could see the tears welling in her eyes.
“Nothing is going to happen to any of us, Macie,” I said sternly.
“I want to stay with you,” she whispered as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
I gently pushed her off of my lap. “Let’s go get your things together. I’ve got to get some sleep before midnight.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and stomped up the stairs. I chuckled at her attitude and earned myself a well-practiced death stare.
“I’ll be flying out to be with you first thing tomorrow morning,” I promised her.
She started shoving things into her backpack and didn’t bother giving me any sort of response. I sent Sam a quick text asking him to give the girls a ride. When he agreed, I gave him directions to the house and shoved my phone back into my pocket.
Macie was zipping up her bag when I walked up behind her. I slid my arms around her waist and pressed my lips to the side of her neck.
“Stop it. I’m trying to be mad at you,” she huffed.
I stuck the tip of my tongue out and slid it up her neck where I’d just kissed. I smiled when I felt her shiver. She spun around in my arms and pressed her lips to mine in a chaste kiss.
“I want you to pick me up for dinner and a movie tomorrow night. Seven o’clock. Don’t be late.” The tears were back in her eyes, but she forced a small smile as she spoke.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I said before pressing my lips to her forehead.
Sam arrived an hour later and the girls left without too much of a fuss. I forced myself to get a couple hours of sleep even though I was wired beyond belief.
When I came back downstairs, Bennett and Shiloh were watching TV.
“You look a hundred times better,” Shiloh said when I sat down in the recliner.
“Yeah, transferring long distances takes a lot out of me,” I said with a shrug.
“So, the other Raiders can’t see you when you transfer, but Macie can?”
“She told you that?” I asked, shocked that he knew.
“I don’t think she meant to say it, but she did. Is there anything else unique between the two of you?”
I fidgeted in my seat and cleared my throat awkwardly.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said and Bennett chuckled at my uncomfortableness.
“When Macie gets hurt, I can feel it.”
Bennett’s jaw dropped and Shiloh’s eyes were wider than I’d ever seen them. They both stared at me for a moment before looking at each other only to stare at me once again.
“All right, enough of the staring,” I said as I shook my head. “It’s weird, but it’s not that big of a deal.”
“Does she know that you love her?” Bennett asked me. Now it was my turn to open mouth stare at him.
“You do love her. Don’t you?” Shiloh asked.
“Yes. Yes I do. But it’s too soon to be saying things like that.”
“Do yourself a favor, Jasper. Tell her as soon as you see her. If it’s not too soon to feel it, then it can’t be too soon to say it,” Bennett said. I couldn’t help but notice the look of sorrow that passed over his face before he was able to control his expression. I nodded as I silently promised him and myself that I’d be up front with Macie when I saw her tomorrow.
“Sh! Did you feel that?” Shiloh asked Bennett.
“Yeah. They’re here.”
I watched as they both dug their tiny red and black pills out of their pockets and swallowed them without a drink like Macie had.
“Jasper, there are guns on the kitchen table. We prefer to use them as a last resort, but if you need it, use it,” Shiloh informed me.
We all stood and walked out the front door.
Brooke was standing the closest to the house with Blaire close behind her. Jon and Daniel were several feet away with baseball bats in their hands. I wasn’t stupid enough to believe that those were the only weapons they’d brought.
“Where’s your new fling?” Brooke snarled.
“She’s n
ot here,” I shrugged.
“Why are you doing this, J? We had a good thing going.”
I inwardly cringed at the sound of her calling me “J.” I took several steps closer to her and looked into her eyes. They were glazed over, blood-shot, and couldn’t focus on my face for more than half a second. She was on something, which I guess explained why she had gone completely nuts.
“Why are you doing this, Brooke? Aren’t you with Jon, now? Why does it matter that I’m with Macie?”
“Because I—I love you. And I know you love me, too,” she stammered.
I was positive that I’d never given her any reason to assume that I was anywhere close to being in love with her. Shit, half the time I didn’t even act like I liked her. But this wasn’t the real Brooke, not the Brooke I knew.
“Brooke, I have never loved you and I never will. Nothing you do or say will make me change my mind,” I said softly as I took a step toward her. I expected to see sadness on her face and tears welling in her eyes, but there was only anger. No, it was more like rage. She stared into my eyes for several seconds before she shook her head and looked down at her feet.
I glanced back at Shiloh and Bennett, who were standing about five feet behind me with their arms crossed over their chests. I shrugged because I had no idea what to do or say, but I did know that they weren’t going to leave that easily.
When I turned back to Brooke, she was crying. Blaire was standing beside her with a hand on her shoulder. I watched as Brooke reached behind her back and pulled a pistol out of her waistband.
“I won’t sit back and watch you love someone else,” she said between sobs as she lifted the gun and aimed it at my chest with trembling hands.
“Jasper,” Shiloh said in a warning tone. I started taking steps backwards in effort to put some distance between myself and the gun.
I was almost back to where Shiloh and Bennett were standing when I felt a sharp pain in my left side. The pain was so intense that it took the breath right out of me and caused me to collapse on the grass.
I was gasping for air when Shiloh rushed to my side. I heard laughter coming from Jon and possibly even Daniel.
Change Me (The Protector Series Book 2) Page 10