I turned to face Jacob, wiping a streak of jam off my cheek. It was obvious he still didn’t trust me, but at least he didn’t reprimand me for calling him “ridiculous”. I would do my best to win him over somehow over the next few days, show him I wasn’t a threat to his daughter. Or him.
“Really? You’ve never heard her laugh?” Our gazes locked again. Awareness sliced between us, making heat settle deep into my core. Damn, it would be all too easy to get lost in the man’s gorgeous eyes. His gaze roamed over my face, pausing on my mouth.
My heart stopped.
Holy crap! Was he staring at my lips?
I gulped and jerked away, turning back to Hazel.
Breathe, Anna. Act like you didn’t notice that.
Trying to hide my awareness of the dangerous, yet sexy-as-hell man sitting next to me, I forced myself to become a hungry sandwich monster again. Hazel giggled, then played along, attacking her own sandwich with gusto. She was the most adorable sandwich monster I’d ever seen.
Jacob continued to sit silently beside me without speaking. But I was so aware of him that I felt the tension slowly ease out of his body as he relaxed. It made me relax in turn, and as we finished our monster game and devoured the last of our sandwiches, I detected a faint chuckle coming from Jacob.
Dying to see if it was real or imagined, I swung to face him.
Our gazes collided. And yes, there was laughter in those striking eyes of his. Entranced, I couldn’t look away.
“You’re funny,” he murmured. “I don’t remember the last time I laughed a real laugh.”
My curiosity about him grew. Why hadn’t he laughed much before?
He lifted a hand and motioned to his lip. “You’ve got jam on top of your lip.” Then he smirked and pointed at his chin. “And on your chin.”
Heat washed into my face. After my silly sandwich monster game, I probably had jam and peanut butter smeared everywhere. I turned away, wiping at my face with my napkin.
I made it my goal in that moment to win him over. I was going to find out who he really was. I was going to earn his trust.
And I was going to make him laugh again.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Jacob
Anna put Hazel down for a nap after lunch. Her soft voice floated down the hallway from Hazel’s room as she read my daughter a story. I changed into my workout shorts and went to the family room area at the opposite end of the house where I’d set up my workout room. I’d had various exercise equipment brought in after signing the lease on this place. Keeping in shape had been ingrained in my head for as long as I could remember. Working out daily was as important to me as breathing.
Anna didn’t know that I was a dreg. She didn’t know that my dreg name was The Fighter or that I was a lethal machine my dreg brothers had nicknamed “Phantom of Death”. I had earned that name over and over again. The tattoo on my arm was a constant reminder of who and what I was. A reminder of what I’d endured, what I’d survived. Fighting was an art, a skill that came naturally to me. I’d been called things like “graceful”, “ruthless”, “stunning to watch”, and “deadly”. I was all of those things and more. But Anna didn’t need to know that. All she needed to know was that I was a single father who needed a nanny to help care for my kid.
Violence had been a part of my life ever since The Company had recruited me at age thirteen. It was just a part of me now and probably always would be. Which was another reason why I needed a nanny to care for Hazel. I wanted someone else around in case I accidentally snapped one day and tried to hurt my daughter. The very idea of accidentally hurting my child gave me cold chills. I think the only reason I hadn’t yet was because Hazel never approached me on her own. She was too scared of me. I was always the one who approached her. Being an outcast these past few weeks had left me more alone than I’d been since Ralph’s death, and a part of me had gone a little wild, becoming more beast than human without my dreg brothers helping to keep me in check. It was Hazel’s presence now that kept me clinging to what was left of my humanity.
I was just finishing up a grueling rep, bending to set the forty-pound barbells onto the floor, sweating and breathing heavily, my blood pounding in my ears, when I sensed a sudden presence behind me. My instincts kicked in before I could stop them. I jerked around, pulling my knife free from the small sheath at my ankle, and settled into a fighting stance.
Anna gasped and stumbled back, her eyes wide with fright. “I—oh!”
Fuck. It was just the nanny. And I’d scared the shit out of her.
I quickly returned the knife to its sheath. “Sorry,” I mumbled. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
The sound of her racing heart easily reached my ears. She swallowed hard, nodding slowly. She glanced down at the knife attached to my leg, then back to my face. “Okay. Um, Hazel’s asleep now.” She continued to eye me warily. “Is this a good time to talk?”
I snatched the hand towel off the weight bench and wiped the sweat from my brow. I don’t know how I hadn’t heard her approach. That wasn’t like me. It must have been the intense physical exertion that had temporarily dulled my senses. I moved toward her, watching her face closely as I approached. She stepped back as I reached her, her heartbeat kicking up again, her pupils dilating with fear. She was afraid of me, but I didn’t blame her. I’d nearly attacked her a moment ago. I needed to chill out a little—the woman was harmless—but I wasn’t all human, and the warrior instincts in me were strong. The animal DNA that had been injected into me, mixed with the rigorous training I’d received, had left me with heightened senses and a wild-animal-like wariness. It was that wariness and heightened senses, along with my supernatural talent, that had turned me into the perfect killing machine. Those were things I couldn’t just turn off. They were a part of me now.
Naturally, trust had to be earned, by both of us. Except I wasn’t sure if I could ever honestly earn her trust, because I planned to do everything in my power to keep my true identity a secret from her. The less she knew about me, the better. If she was smart, she would never trust me. But I needed to be able to trust her if I was going to let her stay here and take care of Hazel.
“You want to talk wages now?” I asked.
She hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah, I guess we can. But I wanted to talk about other things, too.”
So did I. “Let’s go into the kitchen. I need a drink.”
She stepped back—way back—then followed me down the hallway and into the kitchen. I pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge and uncapped it. Guzzling down several swallows, I set it on the countertop. Her gaze traveled down my naked, sweaty chest, then jerked to my face.
“Do you…work out a lot?” she asked, her face filling with color.
I nodded. “Every day.”
She swallowed hard and whispered under her breath, “Holy hotness, he’s serious.”
A smile tugged at my lips. She was funny. If she had any idea my acute senses had easily picked up her words, she would probably faint from embarrassment. I had a sudden, wicked desire to see her squirm. “Holy hotness?” I asked as innocently as possible.
Her face blossomed a deep crimson. “You heard that?”
The chuckle burst out of me before I could stop it. “Yep.”
She cleared her throat loudly. “Could you pretend you didn’t? I mean, that would be totally inappropriate for me to notice your, um, well…never mind.” She jerked her head away to look out the kitchen window, her face still bright red.
I choked back another laugh. “Sure, I can pretend I didn’t hear that. But just so you know, I see, hear, and smell everything.”
She pulled her gaze back to mine, her eyes widening with shock and horror. “You’re joking!”
I quirked a brow. “I don’t joke. And I noticed your, um, well…never mind, too.”
Her mouth dropped open. She searched my eyes, then gulped and turned away. “Okay, then,” she almost shouted. “This is awkward. Ah hum! Well, I was wondering what
expectations you had of me and what I can expect from you.” She slowly turned back to me as her face returned to its normal light-tan color. “What hours am I supposed to work? Do I get weekends off? Evenings off? If you expect me to work 24/7, then we’re going to have a problem because I need time for myself, too.”
I took another swig from the water bottle, my lips twitching. The woman was entertaining, to say the least, and she certainly wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. “You can have weekends off, but if you’re planning on going out and partying and then stumbling in drunk in the wee hours of the morning, you’d better look for a job elsewhere. I don’t drink, and I don’t allow alcohol in my house. Anyone who lives here has to be sober at all times.” My tone stated loud and clear how serious I was about that.
Her eyes widened briefly before she nodded. “That’s fine. But the reason I wanted weekends off is because I volunteer at the homeless shelter in Augusta. I don’t want to give that up. Those people need someone who cares. I like helping them. I used to go several times a week, but now that won’t be possible, so I’d like to go on the weekends at least.”
I let out a snort. “Those people aren’t going to die just because you stop volunteering. Hardships and suffering make people stronger.” I should know. If I told her about all the suffering I’d experienced, she’d probably be shocked and horrified. “You’d be amazed what the human spirit can tolerate if forced to endure difficult situations. And how do you propose to get past the military barricade, so you can enter and exit the city?”
She hesitated, then lifted her gaze back to mine. “You got through. You must be somebody important. Maybe you can get me through.”
“No.” I lifted the water bottle and guzzled the rest of it. The only reason I’d gotten through was because I was a dreg, and the military were afraid of me. And one of the sergeants owed me, since I’d saved his life a few weeks ago. “Absolutely not. That city is overrun with violence. Only a fool would willingly venture inside.”
She was silent a moment, considering that.
“What you do on the weekends on your personal time is your business, as long as you don’t bring your friends or your business back here. But I’d rather you stay out of that city, because if you go get yourself killed, then Hazel will have no one to watch her. If you accept this job, then Hazel is your number one priority. I’m not saying you can’t have a social life, but you need to put my daughter first.”
She took a deep breath, then puffed it back out. Finally, she nodded. But she didn’t look too happy about it. “Okay,” she said at last. “Do you know if Eatonton has a homeless shelter I can volunteer at? Or maybe a handicap place or an unemployment office or disabled veterans center or something that needs volunteers?”
I shook my head. “I have no idea. You’ll have to ask someone else.” Why was she so interested in helping others? I’d never met anyone who was so selfless before.
“Okay. I will. Thanks.”
I nodded. Good. “Now, for the house rules.”
Her gaze jerked back to mine.
“School starts next week. Hazel will be in kindergarten. I don’t want her attending a public school, so I want you to home school her using the online program. I already ordered all the books and things. The courses come with instructions, so you’ll have everything you need to teach her.”
She nodded slowly. “That’s not a problem. I always wanted to be a schoolteacher.”
She did? Well, that was good. Hazel could be her first student.
“I read your letter of recommendation. It sounds like the Blythes really liked you.”
“Yes. And I loved working for them. I know I’m going to love working here, too. Hazel is a sweet girl.”
That was true. But I couldn’t take the credit for that. That was all Celia.
“Next,” I said. “You’re not to take Hazel anywhere without my prior consent. There’s a park two blocks down that I will allow you to take her to when the weather is nice, but you’re not to go anywhere else with her. Your job is to stay here and keep her entertained. If you need more things to entertain her with, just let me know and I’ll have Marg pick them up for you.”
Her mouth dropped open again, and her eyes filled with disbelief. “So I’m to be a prisoner here?”
I cleared my throat. “Not exactly. On the weekends, you can go wherever you want and do whatever you want, but when you’re watching my daughter, I want you to stay here with her.” Where it’s safe.
Her gaze bored into mine. “How often do we get to go to the park?”
I picked up the empty water bottle and crushed it in my hand. “A few times a week should be enough, don’t you think?”
She glanced at the smashed water bottle in my hand. “Who are you?” she whispered, her gaze coming back to mine. “Why do you carry a knife? Why don’t you want us to go anywhere? What do you think is going to happen?”
I strode to the garbage can next to the fridge and stepped down on the foot lever. The lid popped up and I tossed the crushed water bottle into the can. I turned back to her. “Hazel’s safety is my biggest priority. If I can’t trust you to stay here and keep her safe, then you’re going to have to move on. I’ll find someone else to watch her.”
Our gazes locked. Finally, Anna let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine. Keep your damn secrets. Then I want evenings off, too. I’ll work until Hazel’s bedtime, then I’m doing whatever I want, wherever I want. I’m not staying locked in here like a prisoner in a cell.”
An involuntary flinch zinged through me, followed by a trickle of guilt. I’d been a prisoner for most of my life, locked in a cell, treated like an animal, subjected to horrendous torture. The last thing I wanted to do was inflict the same on someone else. But I couldn’t have Anna taking Hazel out in public. It was too dangerous. Maybe I was being paranoid. But paranoia was better than death.
“I work nights,” I reminded. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. I didn’t “work” anywhere, at least not for pay. I had a couple million dollars stashed away, so I didn’t need to work for money.
There was a guy who owned a local MMA fight gym in Eatonton whom I’d become friends with not long after the dregs had escaped from The Company. Three or four times a week I went to his gym at night to fight with him and some of his buddies. I needed the sparring, the physical release, to help me deal with my issues. The fighting was my release and helped me to keep my sanity. Without it, I don’t know where I’d be right now. Probably locked away in a loony bin.
“And I sleep days,” I stressed. “I need you here at night to watch Hazel.”
Since I did venture out at night, and sometimes I was gone for several hours, I needed Anna to stay here and keep an eye on Hazel while I was gone.
“Then I want some time off during the day if you won’t let me have time off during the night.” Her demand brought me out of my thoughts. I pulled my gaze back to hers. That was doable. As long as no one associated Anna with me, she would be relatively safe out of the house during the day.
“That’s fine,” I conceded. “We can work out a schedule if you’d like. I generally leave for work at eleven or twelve at night, and I’m always back before daylight. I don’t usually go to bed until after I’ve unwound a bit, so usually not until seven or eight in the morning. I don’t generally sleep all day, just five or six hours, so I’m usually up by one or two in the afternoon. So, if you want to take off from say, one or two, until dinnertime, that works for me.”
Anna nodded slowly. “Am I supposed to fix dinner for Hazel? If so, I think I should get extra.”
My lips twitched. Anna wasn’t a pushover. I liked that she was negotiating with me. Not only was she beautiful, but smart and sassy and funny.
Shit. Why was I even noticing those things? She was the damn nanny. We needed to keep our relationship professional.
I cleared my throat. “It would be helpful if you cooked. Three meals a day for Hazel. Just dinner for me. Name your price and we’ll add ‘cook’ to
your job duties.”
She hesitated, her gaze searching mine. “My last job I was making $15 an hour, plus room and board. I think if you add another $5 an hour for the cooking portion, then I’ll be happy with that. But I should warn you, I’m no fancy chef. Kids are pretty easy to cook for. Mac and cheese. Peanut butter and jam. Spaghetti. Tacos. Tuna fish sandwiches. Steamed vegetables. Fruit bowls. Adults are more particular. If you want a nice meal, then I’m not the one to prepare it.”
I shrugged. “I’m easy. Food’s food. And twenty bucks an hour sounds fair. But I don’t want to have to worry about you running off to a better offer, so I’ll give you $30 an hour if you promise to stay. There may be times I need you to work after hours, times when Hazel needs you more than she needs me. I will give you bonuses whenever you have to give up personal time to come take care of her. I’ll make it worth your while if you agree to these terms. Does that sound fair?”
Her eyes widened. She blinked several times. “Yes. That’s more than generous. Thank you.”
I nodded. Good. “Make a list of things you need, and I’ll call Marg and have her go pick them up for you today.” I paused. “There’s one other thing. I want to teach you some self-defense moves so I know you can take care of yourself, if necessary.”
Her eyes went big again. “Why would I need to learn self-defense?”
Did she really have to ask that after I’d almost attacked her earlier?
“Every woman should learn self-defense.”
She lifted her chin. “I have a pocket knife.”
I snorted. “That little knife you pointed at me last night wouldn’t have saved you from anyone who wanted to harm you. I could have disarmed and hurt you before you realized my intent. Easily.”
She flushed. The thumping of her wildly pounding heart easily reached my ears. She would need to learn to be alert and wary if staying with me. For her own safety.
“Okay,” she said at last. “If you think I need to learn self-defense, then I will.”
I nodded. “We can start your first lesson later, after Hazel is in bed. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to finish my workout.”
The Fighter Page 5