She was wicked. The teasing smile on her face was a clear indicator that Aja knew exactly what she was doing. He surrendered by picking up the fork and cutting into the moist layers of yellow cake, pineapple, meringue, and coconut. When he slid the fork into his mouth, they both knew he’d agreed to her terms. Don’t be an ass to Mat, and you can have as much cake as you want.
Without drawing attention to herself, Aja stood next to him, politely bumping her shoulder into his. It was a simple, playful gesture, but it somehow felt right, like it was supposed to be this way. The two of them in cahoots, banding together, providing strength and comfort to each other, clicked inside him like lock to key.
Jackson didn’t question why it felt so good to be near her, to have her touch him. He simply settled into it. Knowing he would have it for a limited time and that he could only have it in small doses while he was on her ranch, he decided right there to let himself enjoy it. So while they pressed their arms together like teenagers, hiding while still in plain sight, Jackson stared at Mat and spoke. “I’ve worked on farms and ranches since I was old enough to hold a shovel.” It was the truth. And more importantly, it was all Mat needed to know about him.
“I’m glad Aja found qualified people to help get this place on track.” The parole officer gave Jackson what looked like a nervous but friendly smile. “With all the progress Aja’s reported, I’ve no doubt you’ll have the ranch in working condition in no time.”
Jackson gave Mat a polite smile that earned him a “friendly” brush of Aja’s arm against his. Jackson stole a quick glance at her and delighted in the playful smile she was wearing. He was about to take another bite when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He wiped his hand on his napkin and pulled it free.
Colton’s number flashing on the screen made the sweet and tangy taste of the dessert on his lips turn sour. He’d texted both Colton and Storm that he would be in this ridiculous dinner and he wasn’t to be disturbed unless it was an emergency. Neither of them would disobey that order without cause.
“I’m sorry, everyone. I need to take this.” He made his way out of the kitchen, slightly beyond the back porch where he assumed he couldn’t be easily overheard. “Hello.”
“We’ve got a problem on the east bank. Cameras caught an intruder going into the original family homestead.”
“Shit, that’s the next section of the land the security crew is supposed to be working on. We thought the rough terrain and the depth of the creek wouldn’t make it easily passable.”
He rubbed the back of his neck where the muscles were tensing.
“Yeah, we’re fortunate they at least got eyes set up nearby even if it’s not fenced off yet. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have known.”
Jackson was never more grateful that his father was so anal and determined to do a job right. “Where are Seneca and Brooklyn?”
“They’re with Storm. We were all having dinner when I checked the camera footage on my phone. He’s gonna stay with them; me and the security detail are on our way to track whoever this is.”
“Good. They’re safe with Storm.” Jackson took a moment to let the relief settle in his belly. If they were with him, that meant they weren’t a part of this and were safely tucked away from the danger. Both scenarios helped his case and, more importantly, meant Aja wouldn’t be hurt by the outcome.
“I also sent two of the security personnel to the house to keep watch over Aja in case you wanted to back me up.”
Jackson saw one of the security guards coming up the back way and took his cue to leave. “I’ll meet you there.” He suddenly remembered the pride in Aja’s face as she told him the history of her ancestor and the sacrifice of blood, sweat, and tears he put into this land. “Colton, whoever this is, don’t let him destroy that old house. If you need to move in before I get there, don’t fire any weapons if you can help it.”
“Sure thing, Boss.”
“Good,” Jackson replied. “I’m on my way.”
Jackson met one of the security guards halfway down the path. “Don’t leave that back porch unless I tell you to. Tell your partner to do the same at the front.”
A quick “Roger that” was all the confirmation Jackson waited for before he jumped into his truck at the end of the pathway, heading toward where the intruder was last seen. The only thing there would be the original homestead Aja’s ancestor built. But for someone looking to hurt and harass Aja, demolishing the structure would definitely accomplish that.
He called Aja’s cell phone and prayed she picked up. When she did, he didn’t bother with a greeting. He simply said, “Keep everyone in the house. There’s a guard on the front and back porches. Stay there until I get back.”
“Jackson, what’s going on?”
“I don’t have time to explain, Aja. Promise me you won’t leave the house until I return.”
He heard her intake of breath over the phone and prepared himself for the argument to come. “Promise you’ll be careful, Jackson.”
Silence filled the line, and he thought for a moment she might have disconnected the call. But then he heard her call his name again, the last syllable spoken higher, as if she were asking a question, and he realized she was waiting for him to respond.
She’s worried about me. He wasn’t certain what to do with that revelation. Outside of his family, he’d never had that. Not even when he was married.
“I promise, Aja. I’ll be careful.” He disconnected the line and slowed down as he neared the original homestead, cutting the engine and the lights and letting the vehicle coast in neutral until he parked behind a thicket of brush in the back of the house. He pulled a pistol from his glove compartment, checked the amount of ammunition in it, and headed for the gathering group of men kneeling quietly behind the cover of trees.
He made his way over to where Colton leaned against a thick tree trunk. In a hushed tone, he asked, “We have eyes on the subject yet?”
“Yeah. He slipped into the house through an opened side window.”
“Good. Let’s flush him out. I want him alive, and I want as little damage done to that property as possible. It’s important to Aja and her family. You have any tear gas on you?”
“I’m not SWAT—why would I have that on me?”
Jackson lifted a suspicious brow, and Colton rolled his eyes before reaching into the black duffel next to him and handing Jackson a metal canister.
“I hope you have a plan to explain why you’re walking around with this in your report.”
“Sure do: my superior asked me for it.”
Jackson shook his head as he pulled a small flashlight from his back pocket and shone its light on the canister. It was a smoke grenade, not tear gas, and Jackson was happy about that. Neither they nor the security detail helping them had gas masks, and Jackson wasn’t looking forward to his face and eyes burning.
He handed the canister back to Colton. “Get closer and toss it; your throwing arm is better than mine.”
“My everything is better than yours, Dean.”
“Including your ability to court trouble.” He slapped Colton on the back and used hand signals to communicate to the men who were too far away to hear their whispered plan.
When everyone nodded, they all inched closer to the rickety structure. Jackson gave Colton the signal, and he ran toward the side of the house, throwing the lit smoke grenade inside and then returning to the safety of cover in the tree line.
Billows of smoke seeped from the opened window. Soon they saw the back door open, and through the cloud of smoke, a figure covered in black clothing emerged. The masked person fell through the opened door as he tried to get away from the smoke.
Jackson gave the go-ahead, and Colton and the rest of the men surrounded the intruder, pointing guns and flashlights at him and yelling for him to get on the ground.
The suspect raised his hands in
surrender and carefully walked down the creaking back porch stairs, then fell to the ground on his knees. Jackson holstered his weapon and removed a set of zip-tie cuffs from his pocket. He shoved the suspect to the ground, pulled his arms behind his back, and secured them with the ties. Finally, he yanked the man to his feet, grabbing the ski mask covering his face.
Jackson stared into the face of a young white man, no more than twenty years old, closely scrutinizing his face and drawing a complete blank. “Now, who the fuck are you?”
Chapter 27
Aja paced back and forth in her kitchen, clutching her cell phone in her hand, waiting for it to ring. Nearly forty-five minutes had passed since Jackson called with his cryptic message. He’d been direct and abrupt, two things that weren’t necessarily unusual about the Ranger. However, the sense of urgency in his message and his tone still made Aja tremble with unspoken fear.
Something was wrong, terribly wrong. She didn’t need to read minds to know that. Something was happening on her land that was more than likely dangerous, and her instinct to protect those around her was reaching near-panic levels.
“If you don’t stop pacing like that, you will wear a hole in the floor. Not to mention, you’re making your aunt and uncle worry.”
Aja looked up to see Mat standing in the kitchen doorway, leaning against the doorjamb. “I don’t mean to, but I’m worried.” She’d left her three guests in the great room to prevent them from seeing how concerned she was for Jackson’s safety.
“Didn’t you tell me you stress baked? I’m sure whatever’s going on out there will be over by the time you whip up something fabulous in your oven.”
“Not this time,” she answered. Not with Jackson out in the darkness, possibly facing the person who’d attacked her.
Mat moved farther into the kitchen, sitting at the counter and sharing a friendly smile with her. “You really care about him, don’t you?”
Mat’s question was a reasonable one. She cared about Jackson. He’d come here to help her—that alone warranted her gratitude and concern. But as Mat’s eyes darted back and forth as if he were trying to read her answer in the lines of her face and her body language, she knew her feelings for Jackson were more than mere gratitude.
You don’t sleep with someone because you’re grateful, Aja. No, she hadn’t shared her body with Jackson because she was grateful to him. She’d crossed that line with him because she’d wanted him, because she’d connected to something inside him that bound her to him in indescribable ways.
“He’s my employee. You know how I am about my people. Messing with them is like messing with me. This situation is dangerous. I don’t want him to get hurt because of me.”
“I know,” he replied. “Your loyalty to the folks who work for you is legend around these parts. It’s one of the reasons Brooklyn loves working here so much.” Aja saw a far-off look fall across his face and she ached for him. She didn’t think she’d be able to see Jackson as much as Mat saw Brooklyn and deny her attraction to him.
“When did she tell you that?”
“The last time I was here to see her and Seneca.” His mouth bent into a sweet smile. It was something he did whenever he mentioned Brooklyn. “She said she hopes you let her stay beyond her parole. I think she’s beginning to finally settle into her life here.”
Aja was about to respond to Mat when the sound of the back door opening and closing pulled her attention from him. At the sight of Jackson filling the room—bold, strong, and unharmed beyond initial detection—she pulled away from Mat and headed directly for the subject of her thoughts.
“Jackson, you’re all right.” She didn’t give Jackson a chance to answer. Instead, she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his middle, clinging to him with all the might she could muster, demanding a full-body hug in the middle of her kitchen floor without thought or concern for who could witness her actions.
She didn’t care. Jackson was safe, and she wouldn’t have to bear another mark on her conscience.
Before she could stop herself, tears flowed and her shoulders shook. Maybe it really was her relief he was all right. Maybe it was everything she’d endured since the sabotage and her attack finally crashing down around her. Whatever it was, she held on to him as tight as she could, pressing herself into his hard frame, rejoicing because he was still with her.
His arms encircled her in a warm cocoon. His hand stroking her head as he held her to chest, his heartbeat a strong and delightfully loud rhythm in her ear, he bent down and whispered, “It’s over, darlin’.”
Those words made her hold him tighter. Through her tears and the melodious tune of his heart beating, Aja heard Jackson ask Mat to give them a minute.
For a brief second, she felt bad. She’d forgotten about the poor man as soon as Jackson stepped in the room. But that didn’t last long. She couldn’t do anything but focus on Jackson being back in her arms.
She assumed Mat had left because Jackson’s lips brushed the top of her head, pouring his heat into her to dispel the cold chill of fear. “You don’t have to worry anymore, Aja. We got him.”
Her river of tears slowed enough to allow her an attempt at coherent speech. She pulled far enough out of his embrace to look up at him. “I wasn’t concerned about it being over. I was worried about you. I knew something bad had happened, but I didn’t know what. After what he did to me upstairs, I was so worried that he’d do worse to you.”
He pressed a sweet kiss to her lips and stroked the side of her face with his thumb in slow, soothing movements. “I’m fine, really. This was probably the least dangerous takedown I’ve ever experienced. No one was hurt.”
She dropped her shoulders and used the backs of her hands to wipe away the tearstains on her wet cheeks as she moved out of his embrace. “So it’s really over?”
He smiled in response. He looked around the room again and curled a finger at her, silently asking her to step outside on the back porch with him. When the door closed behind them, he turned to her, speaking in hushed tones. “The danger is over. We’ve apprehended him, we’ll take him in, and the courts will handle the rest. But first, I need you to follow me to Austin. You’re gonna need to pick him out of a lineup and fill out some paperwork. I know it’s a trek and it’s already evening, but are you up for that?”
“Yeah,” she answered. “Let me tell my aunt, uncle, and Mat we’re headed out, and they can head on home.”
She stepped closer to him and gave him another tight hug. When she was satisfied, she moved out of his embrace, walking toward the back door, but stopped halfway there. She turned around, heading back into his embrace, and squeezed him with all her might one more time as she whispered, “Thank you,” into his chest.
* * *
Jackson watched as Aja walked through the back door and headed into the house. The band of swirling emotions pulled taut around his chest, restricting the flow of much-needed air.
The takedown had been simple. Not much drama or heightened danger. Whoever it was in their custody had no weapons on him. If Jackson wasn’t aware of all the menacing things the suspect had pulled on Aja’s land, he probably would’ve characterized the young man as a harmless prankster. But even knowing that, seeing Aja’s reaction, the way she clung to him for reaffirmation he was safe, made his insides tingle.
Something meaningful had happened in that moment, and he was both shocked and grateful to be experiencing it.
How he’d gone forty years without ever knowing what it felt like to be treasured, needed by another person, he didn’t know. But in that moment, he understood Aja’s concern was born out of something special, even if he couldn’t put his finger on exactly what that was.
As Aja returned to the back porch, grabbing her keys and her handbag from a nearby table, he knew beyond any doubt that everything he wanted came in the glorious package of this intelligent, compassionate woman wi
th the killer curves and a body made to satisfy him, who was smiling at him, asking, “Are you ready, Jackson?”
For the first time in what seemed like forever, he thought he might be.
Chapter 28
“How much longer before this lineup begins, Jackson?”
His heavy gaze fastened on Aja as she planted herself in front of the one-way mirror with her arms crossed and her fingers tapping on her forearm. He recognized this pose was a combination of frustration mixed with apprehension.
“The prosecutor just arrived. After your ID, he’ll take your statement.”
She gave him a hefty dose of side-eye before turning back to the one-way mirror. “I’m a lawyer, Jackson. I know how this works. What I’m asking is why is the process taking so long? It’s been hours since we arrived. The prosecutor should’ve been en route when you first called this in. I’d like to get home before the cock crows.”
“This ain’t New York, darlin’. Things don’t move that fast below the Mason-Dixon.”
She dropped her hands to her hips and raised a sharp eyebrow. “Stop it. This is Austin, not some rural, one-pony town. I’m sure you all have videoconferencing capabilities. My property has been vandalized, I’ve been attacked, and two people I care about have been implicated in all this mess. I want it over now.”
Her shoulders were pulled back into a sharp line. Even though she was speaking barely above a whisper, her chest was heaving, and Jackson could see the clear signs of anxiety taking control of her.
Aja didn’t do scared; she did angry. And she was about ready to blow. He placed a careful hand on her shoulder. It was the most he could offer in this setting, surrounded by his colleagues and the constant reminder he was here to do a job, not involve himself with her. “It’s gonna be all right. I promise.”
“Don’t patronize me. Don’t treat me like I’m some hysterical woman.”
“I wouldn’t dare. You have a right to be angry, scared, and frustrated. This joker has been doing his best to harm you and people you care about. Frankly, I’d be worse if it were me and mine.”
Jackson Page 19
