by M. Malone
It was weird that the door was open. She always closed the door before going to sleep. It was one of the things Lucia’s husband had drilled into her. Noah owned a security company, and his overprotectiveness toward Lucia had spilled over onto JJ. Now she always had one of the annoying, albeit sexy, guys who worked for him trailing her to and from work, and her apartment had been subjected to a thorough security ‘review’ by Noah’s resident IT wizard. Matthias had deemed her place ‘merely acceptable.’
JJ was pretty sure they'd have asked her to move if they hadn’t known from experience that she didn't take suggestions well. The last thing she needed was some man trying to tell her what to do. Maybe Lucia was okay with that, but she wasn't interested. JJ knew from experience that she didn't want any man having control over her life. Never again. That alpha-asshole shit didn't work for her, so they could shove their over protectiveness where the sun didn’t shine.
With a quick glance at the open door, she realized it was actually lucky she'd left it open, otherwise she might not have woken up until the flames were closer. What the hell had woken her? You can think through that shit after you’re safe. Yeah, good point. She grabbed up her comforter and wrapped herself in the thick fabric, bringing it up over her head as she stepped into a pair of slippers.
How far to the door? The window might be an option if the fire escape hadn’t been welded over some years ago. She looked up and then squinted in the darkness. And then she saw the shadow in the hall. The man-sized shadow.
Fuck me. She opened her mouth to scream then reached into her bedside drawer for the nearest weapon she could find. She’d been aiming for the retractable baton she kept in the top drawer. But instead she’d come up with a gag gift from a bachelorette party a couple of years ago. A giant purple vibrator.
What are you gonna do with that? Fuck him to death? Well that was a thought.
“Who the hell are you? And what the fuck are you doing in my apartment?”
He stepped forward slightly, his body still half-hidden outside the door, and JJ raised her makeshift weapon.
“I'm here for you, Jessica. I’m always here for you.”
JJ clutched the blanket closer, and her fingers curled around the vibrator as his voice washed over her. The low tone of his words sliced through her veins. That voice. It had been so long since she'd heard that voice. She'd hoped to never hear it again, except in her nightmares.
“How did you find me?”
His chuckle was almost as terrifying as the words that followed. “I never lost you.”
JJ screamed and backed up so fast that she stumbled and fell on the bed. The comforter tangled around her and she fought against it, certain the next touch she'd feel would be the last.
Strong hands wrapped around her flailing arms.
“Damn it, you crazy woman, I'm trying to help you!”
It took a few seconds before she recognized the voice, her terror distorting it into the one she feared most. When she finally spoke, her voice was tiny.
“Jonas? Is that you?”
The comforter was pulled back away from her eyes, and Jonas’s handsome face appeared. Jonas Castillo worked for Noah’s security company and was a regular fixture in her life. He was routinely assigned to protect Lucia, and by default JJ, during the workweek. She took great pleasure in giving him hell, and he was usually cursing her name or bickering with her.
“Yes, of course it's me.”
Before she could question what he was doing there, she felt herself being lifted. She clutched his shoulders automatically, disoriented after her fall. Now she wasn't sure if that had actually happened. Had she been dreaming? It was so hard to tell.
“Jonas, did you see anyone else in the apartment?”
“Like who? Don't you live alone?”
Was that jealousy in his voice? Even under these circumstances, JJ couldn't resist the urge to screw with him a little.
“Actually I don't. We can't leave without my favorite guy.”
“Who? And if you have a boyfriend, where is he? Some help he is during an emergency.”
“Well, Fluffy has never been much help during emergencies, but he blows the best wet kisses.”
Jonas didn't pause. “I'll come back for your dog, I promise. But I have to get you to safety.”
It must have been the smoke affecting her brain, because at first JJ didn't realize what he’d said. It wasn't until they were at the front door that she understood he meant to leave.
“No! I have to get Fluffy!” JJ swatted at his massive chest. She must have surprised him because his arms loosened around her legs, giving her the room she needed to jump down.
“Damn it, JJ! This is serious. We don't have time to stop.”
“It'll just take a second.” JJ raced back to the guest bedroom and grabbed Fluffy, covering him with the comforter as she ran.
Jonas picked her up as soon as she hit the hallway and ran for the front door. They passed a crew of firefighters in the corridor outside her apartment. The smoke was thicker out here, so JJ buried her face in Jonas’s shoulder, making sure to keep Fluffy covered too.
When they got outside, Jonas set them down carefully on the grass, safely away from the building. An EMT approached, and Jonas pointed at JJ. She was going to protest, but dissolved into a coughing fit as soon as she opened her mouth. The young man frowned and knelt on the grass next to her. Then his eyes widened when her comforter slipped and she almost flashed an entire boob at him.
“Hey, eyes up, kid.” Jonas glared at him before yanking his shirt off. He put it over JJ’s head, and she maneuvered carefully to get her arms in without dropping the comforter completely. If she hadn't felt so crappy, she'd have told him exactly where he could shove it. She didn't need anyone speaking for her.
Just to annoy him, she gave the EMT a bright smile that had the young man blushing furiously. Jonas scowled at both of them.
After a flurry of activity, blood pressure cuffs, and oxygen, they finally left her alone. That's when Jonas got a good look at her again. Her and Fluffy.
“A fish? You risked your life to save a fucking fish?”
JJ scooped up Fluffy’s bowl protectively. “Fluffy is not just a fish. He’s a Japanese fighting fish. A total badass.”
Jonas looked like he wanted to strangle her. Normally that was exactly the effect she was going for, but strangely, it wasn't as satisfying as usual.
“Thank you, Jonas. For coming in after me.”
He looked as shocked as she felt by her sudden gratitude.
“Of course. It's nothing. The fire department would have gotten to you soon. I just happened to get there first when Matthias said your alarms were triggered.”
The talk of alarms brought back memories of the man she'd seen in the smoke. It had happened so fast, and she couldn't be sure what was real and what had been a dream.
“Did you see anyone in there?” At his confused look, JJ clarified, “In my apartment?”
Jonas knelt and looked her in the eye. “Was there someone in there with you, Jessica?”
It was all such a blur, and she didn't like the way he was looking at her. Noah’s entire crew was extremely overprotective, so if she said the wrong thing, she'd end up on house arrest with Jonas as her jailor. Plus, it was likely it had all been a dream. Jonas had been in her apartment. He would have seen if anyone else was there. The man in the smoke was nothing more than a shadow from a past she'd rather forget.
“No, I meant in the building. I just want to make sure all my neighbors got out okay.”
Jonas looked like he wanted to say something else, but Noah arrived just then with Lucia right behind him.
JJ accepted a hug from her friend, and that was when it really hit her.
“I guess I'm homeless now.”
Noah’s voice carried from behind Lucia. “You'll stay with us, of course.”
JJ’s eyes met Jonas’s, and she knew he was thinking about her earlier question.
“It’
s for the best,” Jonas said.
She glanced over at Lucia. “Free rent and a house full of hot men. Count me in.”
first look at force
I am the shadow that haunts the night. I am a hunter, a protector...a force for good...I am Jonas Castillo.
For years I’ve existed on the edge of the dark, protecting innocents who can’t protect themselves. Until… her. Jessica JJ Jones. The bane of my existence. A bright light in the dark. The crack in my armor. A loud, argumentative beautiful crack in my armor.
But first, there’s a more immediate concern. JJ is running scared. And to protect her I might have to break the vow I made years ago.
Book 1 of The Force Duet. Book 2, Enforce, will release on 8/29/17
Exclusive Excerpt of Force © August 2017 M. Malone and Nana Malone
force ch 1
She was lying to him.
Jonas Castillo eyed his client, Mira Ashton, carefully. She'd been beaten and abused by her ex-husband for years. She was still cagey around men. But since he was one of the people who'd gotten her away from that asshole, she shouldn't be afraid of him. So why was this whole situation off?
He'd met her at the café just on the edge of the theater district as she'd asked him to. Normally, they would do a site visit at her home but given her history, he didn't think anything was unusual about her asking to meet him here. But now he wasn't sure.
Something wasn't right.
"Mira, you sure you're okay?”
Her gaze snapped to his. "I'm fine. It's just that it's really crowded in here."
"We don't have to stay here. If you would like, I can drive you back to your apartment." She lived about three or four blocks from here.
Her eyes went wide. "No. This is fine."
"Are you sure? Did your husband call? If you're scared or unsure, we can help with that. That’s the purpose behind these check-ins. We do this for all our clients. It's no trouble at all for us to look into another matter for you if someone’s bothering you."
She shook her head. "It's nothing like that. I just—I just hate that I needed you in the first place. That I got myself into the situation. That's not who I am; that's not me. I don't like how everything turned out, but I'm fine. I just have to learn how to deal."
He nodded. "It's going to take some time. Just know that he can't hurt you. We got him out of the house. And you got a restraining order against him. It's not in his best interest to come near you. If he breaks that restraining order, he goes back to jail. He doesn't want that. So you're safe."
She shifted her gaze away from his. "Yeah. Safe."
Jonas's brow furrowed again. "Can I get you another slice of pie? Something else to eat?"
"No. I think I'm just going to head home."
"Okay, let me give you a ride. I parked just across the street."
For a long moment her gaze lifted and met his, holding it. It was as if she wanted to tell him something. Wanted him to hear something. But what the hell was she trying to say?
"No, I think I'm just going to walk."
He wanted to argue with that. But she set her jaw, and he'd seen that look before. It was the I'm-not-fucking-around look. It was the look people got when they set their minds about something and had no intention of changing them. "All right. You have a good night now, okay?"
She scooted out of the booth and stood. "I will. Thank you for everything. You don't know—" She cut herself off and sighed deeply before continuing. "You, all of you at Blake Security, you don't know what you have done for me. Thank you."
Jonas waited exactly thirty seconds before he followed her. He had no idea who the hell Noah had to blow to get special curbside parking access around most of the city, but all of Blake Security’s cars were equipped with special plates and they could park anywhere. Farther down the block, she hopped into a taxi.
It took her the few blocks to her apartment. Jonas figured she might not have wanted to deal with the summertime crowds in the theater district, as it was packed.
When she reached her apartment, she climbed out of the cab and stared up at the building for a moment. Jonas parked across the street and watched her intently. And then he saw what she was looking at. Someone passed in front of the front window. Someone was walking around.
Jonas’s eyes narrowed. It wasn’t so much that she had a guest that had him concerned. It was that he recognized the movement of that guest. The guy was mostly in shadow, but Jonas recognized the way he walked and rolled his shoulders. That was her ex-husband. What the fuck was he doing in her house?
Mira's building didn't have a doorman. Luckily, he had a key. He tried to wait patiently until she was up the elevator before following in the service elevator behind her. It was farther down the hall than her apartment, but he'd be able to observe her. Stalker much? Damn it, he just wanted to make sure she was okay.
You need to let this go. She's not Emma.
He shoved away the painful memory of the woman he'd tried to help all those years ago. The one he’d been unable to help. The one that had cost him his career. Probably better if he didn’t think about her right now.
He shook it off. Mira wasn't Emma. For starters, he could help Mira. He watched from the shadows as she stuck the key in the lock, but the door opened on its own and she was dragged inside. Just as he was about to head down the hallway, the door to the stairway opened and someone stepped out, grabbed him, and yanked him into the stairwell.
He dislodged the grip in less than a second and had his hands up, ready to fight. It took him a moment longer to realize he knew the asshole who was trying to pick a fight. "Noah? What the fuck?"
"Jonas, I was in the area and Matthias notified me that your GPS was headed to Mira's house. Did she meet you at the café?"
"Yeah, dumbass, she did." Jonas ran a hand through his hair. "But she was acting cagey and weird. So I wanted to make sure she was okay and got home safe. There’s a guy in her apartment right now."
Noah sighed. "I know."
"What do you mean you know?" Jonas glared at him.
"Look, when Matthias came to check in on her last week, he noticed her ex in the doorway. She hugged him, kissed him. They’re back together."
"Son of a bitch."
Jonas tried to yank open the stairwell door, but Noah stopped him. "You need to follow the Disney princess's advice and let it go. Mira made her choice."
No, this wasn't Noah talking. "We got her away from him. He has to have something on her, be scaring her or something."
Noah shook his head. "No. We’ve tailed her for over a week. She's back with him."
"We have to do something. After everything we did to get her away from him, after everything we went through to keep her safe … "
"I know. But this is her choice. You can't want something for her she doesn't want for herself. You have to let it go. We can't intervene unless she asks us to."
Jonas shoved him. He had to help her. Problem was, Noah was just as big as he was. Not to mention the guy was good. Assassin good. But that didn't stop Jonas from fighting with him. He had to get to her.
"Look man, you're one of my best friends. I'm happy to fight with you so you can let off some steam, but this is a fight you can't win. Not with me, or with her. She is making her choice. You can't make it for her."
Noah's last words finally sank in. He couldn't make her choices for her. So just like before, all he could do was stand by and watch as someone he cared about set herself on a path for disaster.
He sagged against the wall and Noah clapped him on the shoulder. "This is bullshit."
"I know. But how about we focus on the people we can actually help? We'll be here when she comes back. But for now, let her go."
Jonas glanced up at him. He knew what Noah was saying. But he had zero intention of letting this go. Sometimes people needed to be saved from themselves.
"All I'm saying is that he's a pain in the ass. I mean, can you believe that he told me I was being a prima donna? Me. A pr
ima donna!" Jessica Jones spun around on her stool as she watched her best friend style a mannequin for an upcoming fashion show. "I'm the least prima donna person I know." A quick glance at the mannequin told her what she needed to style the makeup for the upcoming fashion show. "Actually, maybe go with the orange belt? I can do a really pretty gold shimmer with that."
Lucia Blake raised an eyebrow at her. "JJ, I have no idea why he would call you a prima donna," she said with a smirk.
JJ rolled her eyes. "Okay, I like things a certain way. There's nothing wrong with that."
Lucia giggled. "And I'm not saying that there is. I'm saying I think you and Jonas like to push each other's buttons. Why don’t you just give in and say you like him already?"
"I do not like him. Matter of fact, I hate him." Never mind that half the time she wanted to pick a fight with him just because he got her blood pumping. And also, never mind the fact that her lady parts throbbed every time he gave her one of his annoying smirks.
“I mean just because he thinks he saved my life, it doesn’t mean he can say whatever he wants to me. Bigger men than him have tried.” Except that wasn’t true. Jonas was big, and she actually liked the way he talked to her.
“Honey, he did actually save your life,” Lucia pointed out oh so helpfully.
JJ shuddered when she remembered the fire that had razed her apartment to ash. It had nearly consumed her too. She’d been asleep in her bedroom when the fire had started.
The memory of feeling like she was choking made her stomach turn. She hadn’t been able to wake up at first, almost like she’d taken a sleeping pill or something. Next thing she knew, Jonas was bursting through her bedroom door even as flames licked at him from the living area.
He’d grabbed her blanket, run to her bathroom and doused it with water, then picked her up like she weighed nothing and wrapped them both in it before carrying her out. He’d placed her gently on the sidewalk just as the fire trucks pulled up. What would have happened to her if he hadn’t gotten to her when he did?
