Jericho

by T K Eldridge

  “Peyton. You want to wake up and have some food?”

  A soft sigh and she shifted against me, then gasped and startled awake. If I had not had my hand on her shoulder, she’d have knocked heads with me. “Easy, luv. You’re safe. Cutter just got back with the food. You hungry?”

  Once she realized where she was, Peyton relaxed and sat up. Hands scrubbed at her face and pushed her hair back before she gave me a wry smile. “I’m sorry, I must’ve been more tired than I thought.”

  “Do not apologize. You looked exhausted and I was happy to stand guard.”

  “You two ready for some food? I got Chinese,” Cutter called out. I got up and helped her to her feet.

  “Bathroom?” she asked and I pointed to the room down the hall.

  While she tended to that, I went into the kitchen to talk to Cutter. “She’s so exhausted, she looks sick. All she said was that something was going on and then half a beer later, she’s snoring in my lap. I disabled the GPS in her car and fried the tracker that had been stuck underneath. We need to speed up the prepping timetable.”

  “I got the unit and a bunch of tote bins are set up in it. It’s about an hour from here, but in the right direction.”

  “Good job. Let’s get some food in her and let her sleep before we talk about all of this.”

  Cutter grinned at me and pulled out a pair of earbuds. I snorted laughter and shook my head.

  “Fine, just don’t dance in your sleep,” I teased as we got the food and dishes on the table.

  “What are you two laughing about?” Peyton asked as she joined us at the kitchen table.

  “Cutter likes to listen to music when he goes to sleep, right?” I said and Cutter sighed.

  “Here it goes…” he grumbled.

  “Well, one night, he sleep walked and was dancing on his bed, sound asleep. I heard the springs squeaking and thought he was having a seizure or something, so I opened the door and saw his hips shaking and arms flailing. I laughed so hard, I woke him up.”

  Cutter flushed as Peyton giggled. That was still one of the sweetest sounds I’d ever heard.

  “Well, Cutter, if you hear the springs squeaking tonight, don’t open the door,” Peyton said and it was my turn to flush.

  Cutter burst out in laughter and pointed at me. “You got him good, Peyton. Good job.”

  They high-fived and I pulled her close to kiss her cheek. “Sit down and eat, woman. If that’s what you’ve got planned, you’re gonna need the fuel.”

  It was an excellent meal with a lot of laughter and banter. It was something we all needed – a couple of hours of no stress. Peyton and I cleaned up while Cutter got a shower and found a book to take to bed.

  As the last container was tucked into the fridge, I felt Peyton’s arms wrap around my waist, her head against my back. The door shut and I turned in her arms to look down at her face. “I’ll sleep on the couch, Peyton. We don’t have to do anything.”

  “No, I’d like to be with you,” Peyton said.

  “Well, before that happens, we need to have a talk – and I need you to promise to listen. Really listen.”

  Peyton’s brow furrowed and she took my hand and led us to the couch once more. “Okay, talk to me. What’s wrong?”

  I gave her a tight smile and stepped back. “I’ll be right back,” I said and went into my room. I took out my contact lenses, then came back into the living room and sat beside her. A slow, deep breath and I turned to look into her eyes.

  She met my gaze, and then froze. “Jericho, what’s wrong with your eyes?”

  “Nothing. These are my actual eyes now. I usually wear sunglasses or contact lenses.”

  Peyton’s gaze shifted from one eye to the other and back again before she sat back hard against the cushions. “Wow. Every time you blink, they shift just a bit and then settle. The color is beautiful. What color were your eyes before?”

  Now it was my turn to sit back hard. “Brown. Wait, you’re okay with this?”

  “You are no less desirable to me because you’ve been through some shit. I am glad you told me though. It shows what kind of person you really are. Considerate, caring, loving, understanding – those are all things I’ve seen from you.”

  “But Wilson…”

  “Wilson is an asshole. He didn’t like that you stood up to his pervert friends and decided to hit back. It probably didn’t help that all Sarah could talk about was how cool you and “Bear” were. When he found out you were modified, he lost his shit. He fired the security specialist that hired you and got his research team to find out more about you guys and the Facility.”

  “But how do you know all this?”

  “I heard about him firing Ethan and started snooping.”

  “Oh, Pey, be careful of that,” I said.

  “I know. He’s a real bastard and would think nothing of making me suffer, if he thought it wouldn’t hurt Sarah. But he won’t do something to me that would show himself in a poor light in Sarah’s eyes.”

  “Yet, Sarah knows he encourages those grab-ass bastards to come around her and you. She said as much last time we were together.”

  “Having jackasses for friends is part of politics. Sarah can let a lot of that slide, but if he actively went after me, she wouldn’t tolerate that.”

  “So, uh, Cutter and I were going to wait until tomorrow to discuss this with you, but we’ve got some information that you need to know – and act on.” I took her hands in mine and met her gaze. “My team and part of another were given a mission, that we’re going to actively fail.”

  “What do you mean, a mission?”

  “We’re a black ops team for the government, under the aegis of the Facility. We have traveled all over the world to rescue and kill. We were given a mission in the US this time and we will be going out on it – and failing it. The first failed mission we will ever have.”

  I felt the shiver run through her before Peyton let out a breath and nodded.

  “Tell me,” she said.

  “Cutter and I are supposed to be doing a stakeout to get a better sense of the security and environment of our targets, but we weren’t told who our targets were. However, we’ve figured it out and started taking steps to derail the mission today. Cutter got a storage unit about an hour away under a false name. He’ll give you directions and the key tomorrow. There are already a bunch of tote bins stacked in the unit. I want you and Sarah to pack up clothes, books, photos, whatever you consider precious and valuable, and make a couple of trips to the storage unit to fill the tote bins. If you do it over two or three trips, say you’re going shopping or something, it won’t be as noticeable as if you loaded up your car with everything in one go.”

  Peyton started to shiver and I pulled her in for a hug. “We’re the targets, aren’t we?” she whispered.

  “Cutter and I are ninety-nine percent sure that Sarah is the target. You are the secondary target, since you’re always around her. The mission is scheduled for almost two weeks out, when Wilson is in Geneva at the summit. Whoever ordered this mission plans on destabilizing Wilson and making him look like he’s incapable of being President. They don’t want him to burn down their money making Facility.”

  “My gods, Jericho. What are we going to do?”

  “You’re going to get your stuff to the storage unit without letting anyone know what you’re doing. You’re going to be careful and wait for us to contact you, and then you and Sarah are going to be taken somewhere off grid where you’ll be safe. Then my team and I will make sure no one comes after you two, ever again.”

  Peyton curled against me and after a few minutes her shivering abated. I rubbed a hand up and down her back as I stared out the wall of windows at the darkness beyond.

  “Now that I’ve had a little time to process this, I like your plan, but I need to know a bit more about where we’re going to end up. We need to be wearing appropriate clothes and have our go bags prepared with essentials in case we can’t get to the storage unit.”


  I felt a rush of pride at the way her mind worked and kissed the top of her head. “Smart thinking. But we’ll be emptying the storage unit when we take you. They’d just use the GPS on your phones or car to figure out where you stopped or what towers pinged near you to try and figure out where you went. Get a couple of burner phones but don’t turn them on until we’re gone. You’ll have to leave your others behind, so wipe them and be careful of what you text or share. We’re going to the mountains of West Virginia, so cold weather gear.”

  “Camping gear, just to be safe. Hiking boots, good socks, jeans, leggings, stuff like that. Got it.”

  “You’re going to be fine, Peyton. You and Sarah. My team and I will make sure of it. We all swore oaths, but one thing my team has is a code of honor. We don’t hunt innocents.”

  “And I swore to Samantha that I’d keep Sarah safe. Even if that means keeping her safe from her father, too.”

  I curled a finger under her chin and tipped her face up towards mine. “I’d like to kiss you now,” I whispered and she smiled at me.

  “About freakin’ time,” she said and leaned up to press her lips to mine.

  I literally felt my brain stutter and my heart skip beats. I always thought that was romance novel bullshit, but here I was and it happened to me. She tasted of tea and honey, from the drink she’d had at dinner. My tongue flicked at her lips and she parted them so I could taste more of her. I felt her hand press to my chest, then slide under the collar of my shirt. My heart raced and I shifted to pull her closer when she moved to straddle my lap, her knees against my hips and her arms twined around my neck as we kissed.

  I knew she could feel the effect she had on me where she straddled me, and I almost lost it when she started to grind her hips. My hands gripped her thighs and I pulled back. “I’d suggest you don’t do that or I’m going to be in trouble, real soon.”

  Peyton gave a low, husky laugh, then leaned in and tugged on my bottom lip with her teeth. “That’s the idea,” she whispered, then pressed her whole body against me.

  My hips bucked up and I groaned, then cupped her butt cheeks with my hands and stood up. She squealed and wrapped her legs around my waist as I carried her to the bedroom, flipped the overhead light on with my elbow, then pushed the door shut with my foot.

  “You ever want this to stop, just say the word, understood?” I said it, but my body prayed she didn’t say stop.

  “If I didn’t want this, Jericho, I wouldn’t have kissed you,” Peyton said as she untangled her legs and slid down my front.

  The cottage bedroom held a queen-sized bed with an old fashioned metal headboard and a simple blue duvet and pillows. The room was painted a light blue with white trim and all of the furnishings were painted white with silver knobs or accents. A chair against one wall held my duffel and a couple of books sat on the nightstand.

  Peyton took in the room as she wandered towards the bed, then turned on the small lamp beside it. “Turn off that overhead light, would you?” she asked, then pulled her sweatshirt over her head and tossed it on the floor.

  I reached for the switch, then froze as she unfastened her jeans and pulled them down. Socks were added to the pile and she arched a brow at me as she stood there in white lacy underwear and nothing else.

  “Well?” she said.

  I blinked and shook my head. “Sorry, I was a little…distracted.” I flipped the switch off and moved towards her, my own shirt pulled over my head and dropped on the floor. I started with my jeans, then stopped when I heard her whisper.

  “Oh, Jericho.”

  “What?” I rasped, then looked up at her.

  “You’re beautiful,” she whispered.

  “Oh, uh, thanks.” I stuttered. Did I keep undressing? One sock off, I glanced down at my torso, at the scars that told the story of my less-than-peaceful lifestyle. I sat on the edge of the bed and let my hands fall between my knees.

  “What’s wrong?” Peyton asked, the touch of her hand on my shoulder making my muscles tense.

  “Why would you want to be with me?” I asked, still focused on the floor.

  Some people would’ve brushed it off or made a joke, but not Peyton. She sat beside me and reached for my hand, then held it between both of hers.

  “Jericho, since I’ve met you, you’ve made me laugh. It’s been a long time since someone did that. You make me feel safe. I haven’t felt safe since Samantha died. You’ve treated Sarah with respect and grace, and since I think of her as my daughter, that is a wonderful gift to me. Jericho, you’ve given me hope for the future, and I didn’t have much of that until we met. You make my heart feel lighter and every time you’re near me, my body tingles. And you wonder why I want to be with you?”

  She lifted a hand and pressed it to my cheek. I turned to look at her and she smiled.

  “Jericho, I’m falling in love with the person you are – your heart and intellect and drive. I don’t care what parts you’re made up of on the outside. It’s who you are on the inside that matters to me.”

  For the first time ever, I saw myself through someone’s eyes and I liked what I could see. I smiled back at her and leaned in to give her a kiss. “You’re beautiful on the outside, Peyton, but what I’m learning about your inside? That takes my breath away.”

  “Good. Now it’s your turn to make me breathless,” Peyton teased and slid away to lie back on the bed. While I did my best to get undressed without falling on my face, Peyton removed the last of her clothes. When I turned after I tossed the last sock aside, I stumbled onto the bed and landed on a knee beside her.

  Peyton laughed and reached for me, and we spent the night exploring each other and the bond between us that grew stronger with every passing moment.

  * * *

  The next morning, Peyton and I showered together until Cutter pounded on the door and threatened to eat all of the pancakes if we didn’t save him some hot water. I felt lighter and happier than I could ever remember being.

  “Thanks for cooking, Cutter,” I said.

  “Uh huh. I was hungry and I knew you weren’t going to get to it before I starved to death,” Cutter replied and shot me a grin.

  Peyton poured coffee for both of us, then tucked a foot up as she sat at the table to drink it.

  “You look thoughtful,” I said to her.

  “Well, I was thinking. You two are supposed to be scouting out the house and security systems and all that, right?”

  “Yeah,” Cutter said. “All of that and more.”

  “Well, how about you ask me what you need to know and I’ll fill you in, then I’ll go back to the house and get the first load of stuff and you guys can show me where the unit is and help pack?”

  I looked from Peyton to Cutter and he shrugged.

  “As long as we get the intel, we don’t have to tell them how we got it,” Cutter said.

  “Is Wilson home today?” I asked Peyton.

  “Nope. He’s in California for something and won’t be back until the day after tomorrow. Sarah will be back tonight, so I’ve got some free time to safely do this.”

  It bothered the hell out of me that she had to worry about being safe in the house she lived in, but that was only going to be for a couple more weeks.

  “We’re supposed to report back to the Facility tomorrow morning, so we can help. Let’s get some of the questions answered while we eat and then I’ll run some errands and meet you up the road when you’re loaded up. Sound okay?”

  “Works for me,” Peyton said. “I’ll just use some trash bags for stuff and say I’m going to donate old things if someone asks.”

  Cutter slid plates of fluffy pancakes in front of us to go with the bacon and sausage already on the table. The rest of the meal was spent eating while Cutter went over the questions with Peyton and I filled in gaps as I saw them. Before she left, Cutter made sure Peyton had a code to get into the storage unit in case something happened and we couldn’t connect. The two of us were used to being called back off schedul
e and wanted Peyton safe and prepared in case that happened.

  I kissed her and sent her on her way, and watched until I could no longer see her car. When I got inside, Cutter stood by the door with his arms crossed.

  “So, boss. How does this change our plans?”

  “It doesn’t. We get her and Sarah safe and when we’re able, we go join them.”

  “And in the meantime, you’re going to be a basket case.”

  “Ha ha. I’ll be worried, yes, but I’ve been more worried with her in the house with Wilson than I will be with her in a cabin in the middle of the woods. He’s more of a predator than any bobcat or bear she might find in the mountains.”

  “Yeah, that’s true. Are you going to be okay to help her out without me? I was thinking I should take a drive and go check out the cabin. Well, I had planned on asking you to go check out the cabin and I’d keep doing recon, but last night changed that. I’d rather you had the time you need with her and I’ll take the drive.”

  I gave Cutter’s arm a pat as I moved further into the house to make sure everything was cleaned up. “That sounds like a good plan. What are you going to use for a vehicle?”

  “Well, a rental is out of the question. Too easy to track. I noticed that the house next door was empty and they have a Jeep in the garage. The mail is being forwarded, I found the notice for it in the mailbox. I’ll borrow the Jeep and return it with a filled tank and a good wash inside and out. It’s an older one with no GPS or computerized crap in it, so it’s perfect.”

  “You just noticed all this?”

  “Well, I didn’t want to listen to you two this morning, so I went for a run. I decided to check the neighborhood out on the way back. There are five houses on this end of the beach road and only one seems to be occupied full time. All the rest are vacation properties or rentals like this one.”

  I winced at his words. “I’m sorry, man. I guess I was caught up in the moment.”

  Cutter laughed as he finished getting some laundry started. “Do not apologize for enjoying life. You give to everyone, Jer, and it’s nice to see you getting something for a change. Anyway, I’ll ‘borrow’ the Jeep and head out. I’ve got plenty of cash to cover gas and meals, and I’ll be back sometime tonight. Keep the burner in your pocket, I’ll text you on that.”