“You okay?” he asked through the piercing whine in his ears.
“I think you crushed my spine,” she wheezed. “Otherwise, I’m all good.”
He chuckled weakly. “Sorry. Thought it was the real deal.”
“Liar. You just wanted an excuse to be on top for once.”
They both lay there, injured, bleeding, and laughing hysterically until the cops came.
“How did I manage to get two facial injuries the same day?” Jack moaned, his voice slightly nasal now that his nose was packed with cotton balls and taped. It wasn’t broken, but it had been bleeding profusely for the past hour. What had started as a slight bruising around his left temple had now progressed to full-blown purplish-blue bruises surrounding both eyes. Jack thought Rocky Balboa looked better at the end of every title match than he did right now.
“Apparently you’re Action Jackson,” Faye said, dropping a couple cubes of ice into the whiskey glasses on the counter in front of her. “Comes with the territory, I guess.”
“I’m a scientist. We’re supposed to have boring labs and read books, not get shot at by assassins or yakuza. Am I just a trouble magnet?”
“No, but you’ve got the luck of a Kennedy,” Faye replied, pouring a healthy amount of Johnnie Walker into each tumbler and handing one to him. “Here. See how that treats you.”
Jack took a large sip and then held the cool glass to his temple. “Thanks. Feeling better already. Though I probably shouldn’t have booze while I’m on painkillers.”
“Cheer up. At least we lived. Plus, Kamala’s on the way and she’ll be so glad you’re okay that she’ll let you have whatever you want. Maybe you can finally talk her into being Princess Leia for your birthday.”
Jack choked. “She told you that?”
Faye’s eyes twinkled as she stared at him over the rim of the glass. “I’m her best friend. She tells me everything.”
“Goddammit,” he sighed. “How long have you been waiting to rub that in my face?”
“About two weeks. I’m classy like that.”
“In my defense, I asked for regular Leia, not slave Leia.”
Faye smirked. “I’ll pretend like that makes a difference.”
“Thank you.”
They sipped the whiskey together, smiling faintly, and purposefully ignoring the elephant in the room. Faye refilled their glasses. Neither had changed out of their clothes yet, having just gotten home from the police station. Her bun had loosened into a messy knot and her beautiful dress had little scuff marks and tears in it. The necklace had broken off somewhere, but the diamond earrings were still intact. She looked like a battle-worn queen of some kind whereas Jack was pretty sure he just looked like a bruised banana with legs.
“You handled yourself pretty well,” Faye said finally, leaning against the counter opposite him. “I knew you could fight, but you didn’t panic. Not once.”
“To be fair, I had a really rough time in Tokyo. Now I just react to things without thinking. Besides, you’re one to talk.”
She lifted an eyebrow in question. “You shielded me during that drive-by,” he elaborated. “I’m five inches taller than you and yet you shielded me. Where do you think that came from?”
She opened her mouth, then closed it, frowning. “Touché. I don’t know. Never been in a fist-fight, let alone a firefight.”
“Well, either way, thanks. You saved my ass. Didn’t know you cared.”
Faye rolled her eyes. “Don’t read too much into it, beanpole.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say someone’s carrying a torch for me,” Jack said in a playful lilt.
“A torch that I will use to light you on fire,” she said flatly.
“Yep, because you think I’m so…wait for it…hot.” He waggled his eyebrows.
“I should have just let him shoot you.”
“Probably.”
She drained her glass a second time. “Is this what people always do after life threatening situations? Make terrible jokes and avoid the obvious?”
“As far as I know, yeah. Not really good at feels, in case you haven’t noticed.”
She placed the tumbler in the sink and settled next to him. “Me neither, to be honest.”
He nudged her shoulder with his, making her look at him. “If you want to talk about it, I’ll listen. I won’t know what to say, but I promise I’ll listen. No jokes.”
She crossed her arms under her chest. “I don’t even know if I actually have anything to say. Glad we’re not dead. Glad we got lucky. What else is there?”
“It doesn’t always hit you right away,” he admitted. “It took a while for me after Tokyo. I did some…very unsavory things to survive and it made getting to sleep difficult for a while. If that happens, I can refer you to a great psychiatrist I know. She got me back on track and as mentally stable as I’m probably ever going to get.”
“I might take you up on that,” she whispered. “Because I’m not scared of what happened. They didn’t catch that guy. What if he comes after you again? After us? I don’t know if I’m brave enough to deal with that a second time.”
Jack found himself at a loss for words. He’d only heard actual emotions come out of Faye Worthington once, and it had been over the phone when he was still in Japan. What was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to say to that frightening thought? He could always lie and say that the police would catch the culprit and they’d be safe. He could tell her the truth, that there was always a chance the man would try again, and all they could do was stay vigilant. Neither option was all that comforting.
He decided to forgo saying anything and instead wrapped his arms around her. She didn’t resist. She didn’t make a stupid double entendre. She didn’t cry. She just stayed there for a long while, her face buried in his neck, breathing softly, quietly. That seemed to be good enough.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” she said, in a voice so small he nearly missed it.
“Thanks. You too.”
She drew back, gave him a wobbly smile, and a peck on the cheek.
Then another small one on the lips.
Then a longer, slower one. Her lips parted. They were soft. Sweet, but sharp with the taste of the alcohol they’d shared. He could taste the bit of honey she’d stirred into her glass on her tongue as it grazed his lower lip and slipped into his mouth. She shivered a little against him and that was when he realized he’d been running his hands down her naked spine, over the smooth skin exposed by the backless dress. Everywhere he touched her burned like fire, and it was getting hotter every second they kissed.
Wait.
They were kissing?
Jack jerked his mouth away, completely shocked as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice chips down his back. Faye stared up at him, her eyes wide as the spell broke, both of them breathing heavily with the exact same look of “What the hell just happened?” on their faces.
Then the front door to the apartment opened.
Faye leapt across the kitchen to the other side as Kamala hurried inside, her keys still stuck in the door, her voice frantic as she called for them. “Jack? Faye?”
Jack reflexively wiped his lips and said, “We’re in here.”
“Gods,” she breathed, rushing forward to hug him. “I’m so glad you’re alright.”
“So am I.”
She let go and hugged Faye next. “Are you okay, saheli?”
“I’m fine,” Faye said, slapping on a cocky grin. “It’ll take more than some punk ass assassin to get my goat. Are the cops still outside?”
“Yes. They said they’ll stay with us until we leave for the airport and then keep an eye on you for twenty-four hours just to be safe.”
“I’ll sleep easier that way. Love a man in uniform. So what happened to you?”
“I was packing when I realized I’d run out of some travel-sized items, so I went to the supermarket to get them. On the way back, I realized someone was following me, so instead of coming back to the
apartment, I drove straight to the police station. Needless to say, they didn’t follow me in. I waited in the lobby for a while and told Deputy Burns what happened. I was on my way back here with the police escort when you called.”
“It pains me how much smarter you are than me,” Jack said.
She patted his cheek. “We’re both smart. I’m just more observant.”
“Potato, po-tato. I’ll go get changed. We need to head out soon. I’m glad you’re safe, angel.” He kissed her forehead and disappeared into her bedroom. He undressed, hopped in the shower, and beat his head against the dripping wet tiles, muttering, “I’m going straight to hell.”
Back in the kitchen, Kamala had taken Faye’s hands in her own and gently asked her, “How are you really doing?”
“The booze is helping me deal, honestly.”
Kamala winced. “I suppose that’s not the worst, but I don’t want you to try to drown your sorrows. What happened to you was unforgivable. Inexcusable. I am so sorry our ambitions put you in harm’s way, saheli.”
“Kam, come on. You had no idea something like this would ever happen. No need to apologize. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I’ll be okay.”
“Do you want me to stay?”
Faye froze. “You mean stay here and just let Jack go to Japan?”
“Yes.”
“I…” She swallowed hard. “You’d do that for me?”
Kamala gave her a confused look. “Of course I would.”
Faye didn’t quite flinch, but she felt like someone had driven a stake straight into her chest and out through her back. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and told herself that she had to be honest with Kamala about what had just transpired. It was the right thing to do. She couldn’t call herself her best friend if she lied about it.
“I…I, uh…I don’t think you need to stay,” she mumbled finally, defeated. “The cops have got my back. Jack needs you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I’m a big girl. I can handle myself.”
Kamala let go of her hands and dug through her purse, pulling out the Taser. “Keep this with you until I get back. Aim low, towards the midsection. Keep squeezing the trigger until they’re on the ground. Don’t let up until you know they’re down for the count. Understand?”
Faye closed her fingers around the device. “Yes. Thanks, Kam.”
“Do you want to talk about it yet?”
“Not especially. I think I still need time to process it all.”
Kamala opened her wallet and gave her a business card. “This is the number for the specialist I’ve been using. He’s good. If you can’t reach me while I’m there, give him a call.”
“I will.” Kamala drew her into another hug and then headed towards her bedroom to finish packing. Faye turned, finished what was left of the whiskey in Jack’s glass, and shambled to her own room, muttering, “I’m going to hell.”
After Jack had showered and changed, and after he was 100% sure Kamala was in the shower, he knocked on Faye’s bedroom door and quietly asked to talk to her.
And at first, it had to be one of the most painfully awkward silences Jack had ever endured.
He stood leaning against the counter in the kitchen, staring at his shoes, his heart weakly fluttering around like a fly on its last legs. Faye stood across from him, her arms crossed, looking a bit pale. It was one of the only times he could ever recall an expression on her face that wasn’t sarcasm, disgust, good humor, or self-confident challenge. Faye didn’t do unsure. Everything she did was done with grace and confidence, and her hesitation made him feel even uneasier.
“So,” Jack said, after swallowing hard. “We, uh, we played tonsil hockey.”
“Yep,” Faye mumbled.
“Do you also feel like traitorous scum?”
“God,” she said, shaking her head. “Judas ain’t got nuthin’ on me right now.”
Jack nodded wearily. “What…should we do about this?”
“I don’t know,” she answered. “I know in my heart that we have to tell Kamala, but even then I don’t know where that leaves us. This hasn’t happened before. She and I like completely different kinds of men. And I’ve never kissed someone who was taken before.”
“Me neither. Hell, I went into a downward spiral of depression and rage when I caught my girlfriend in undergrad in mid-coitus with my best friend. I thought it was impossible to understand how she could do that to me. Yet here we are.”
“A kiss isn’t the same as sex, Jack.”
“No, it’s not, but that doesn’t change the fact that I still did it. I still strayed. I still hurt her and you.”
She ventured to glance up at him. “You didn’t hurt me, Jack.”
“I hurt your relationship with her. I hurt your relationship with me.”
“It takes two to tango. Obviously. You’re not alone to blame.” She licked her lips. “The tricky part is understanding why it happened. I know how it happened, not why.”
“Adrenaline rush?” Jack offered.
“No. If that were the case, I’d have kissed you when you were on top of me in the apartment.”
Jack flushed pink as the memory flooded back to him. “Right.”
“I don’t know why I kissed you. Maybe…maybe you’re the only stable relationship I’ve had with a guy before.”
Jack frowned. “Seriously? With as many guys as you date?”
She shrugged. “Dating is a loose term. Even with the ones that have lasted a few months, we’re not going out. It’s mostly indoor activities, if you catch my drift. The second they start to fit me for the girlfriend tag, that’s when I bounce. I don’t think I ever consciously placed you into a category, frenemy or otherwise. You were just sort of hanging out in this weird purgatory in my mind. I guess I didn’t realize you were taking up space in my emotional bedchambers. We’ve been at each other’s throats for the longest time.”
“What about when you propositioned me?”
“I was being sincere. It wasn’t because I liked you all that much. I knew you wouldn’t screw me over or be stupid enough to fall for me. I’d have been able to just enjoy the time we spent together. I didn’t see this coming.”
“Maybe I should have,” Jack admitted. “My therapist warned me.”
Faye blinked. “You talk to your therapist about me?”
Jack winced. “Against my will. She had me outline the relationships in my life. You came up at one point. She told me to be careful, since our interactions were borderline dangerous in her expert opinion. I should have taken the advice more seriously.”
He sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know why I kissed you back. If I did, maybe it would be easier to have this conversation. I want to say I was caught up in the moment, but I don’t think that’s entirely true. I didn’t think I wanted anything from you. I thought we were just sort of orbiting around each other with Kamala in the center like our own little sun.”
Faye almost smiled. “Of course you’d make this a science thing.”
He shrugged. “It’s all I know.”
“When are you going to tell her?”
“I have no fucking idea.”
She exhaled. “Do you want me to do it?”
“No, that’s not fair. I won’t put it off on you.”
Faye bit her bottom lip. “I guess it would be cowardly not to tell her at all.”
“Faye,” he said patiently. “You know good and well your conscience would eat you alive if you did that. So would mine. We have to tell her.”
“And if she decides to ditch us both?”
He swallowed again. “I don’t think she will, but if she does…we’re both stubborn. I’ll chase after her until the end of time if I have to.”
He paused. “That sounds creepy, but you know what I mean. I’ll do whatever it takes to win her back. I don’t deserve her.”
“Neither of us does. And we’ll have to live with that for the rest of our lives.”
“Yeah. We will.”
Faye took a deep breath. “I know you’re heading off to Japan, but when you get back, do you want to keep some distance between us until we figure this out?”
“Probably for the best. That way we can sort through our feelings and come up with some kind of solution.” Faye licked her lips. “Maybe…you should wait until you two get back to tell her. I mean, you’re about to hunt a dragon together. It could distract her.”
“I’ll…give it some thought.”
She nodded. “I want to be there when you do. Maybe it’ll soften the blow if I’m there to try and explain myself.”
“Yeah, maybe.” He heard the bathroom door close in Kamala’s room. Jack sighed. “I’ve got to get going.”
“Okay. Be safe.”
He started to leave, but hesitated. Then he turned and wrapped one arm around her, settling his chin on her hair for a moment. “I’m sorry.”
Her response came out soft and muffled by his shirt. “Me too, Stilts.”
He left without looking back.
In light of the recent attempt on Jack’s life, the authorities chartered a private jet instead of putting them on a commercial flight into Tokyo. So far, they’d collected a DNA sample from the blood the attacker left at the scene and would compare it to the criminal database, though odds were low that he was someone in the system. The SUV had been unmarked and the witnesses hadn’t gotten a good look at where it went after the drive-by, so the police were combing through traffic cameras with the hopes of finding a lead.
As for the assailant himself, Jack hadn’t gotten much more of a description than a white male around six feet tall with brown eyes, a solid build, and no accent. The man had been covered from head to toe, so no distinguishing marks were visible. It wasn’t much to go on for an identification, though Jack was certain he’d recognize the guy if he heard his voice again.
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