Karma

by Barbara Huffert

  “So that’s the bastard’s name,” Jesse commented evenly. “Don’t look so horrified. You saying that so casually only means that you’re beginning to trust me more than to just help with your migraine. You don’t have to say more. I really won’t press you even though I’m curious. But, Abby, I’m curious about your whole life, not just Earl. I want to know all about you. Stuff like what your favorite stuffed animal was when you were a kid, where you learned to make desserts, if your parents let you have sleepovers with your girlfriends, if you passed your driver’s test the first time, everything. But not until you want to talk to me.”

  “You’re not real, are you? I must be unconscious and hallucinating.”

  Jesse laughed and kissed her cheek. “I assure you that you’re wide awake, almost naked and in bed with me, the completely real man who can think of no place he’d rather be. Unfortunately, I have to get us out of this bed and cover you with that robe until Alyssa is ready to photograph you.”

  Abby’s face fell. “I don’t think I can do this. What’s she going to think of me?”

  “She’s going to think you’re a very brave woman for getting away from him. Correct me if I’m wrong but you walked away this morning without anyone helping you. That takes more courage than it does to stay. She’s going to document each of your bruises without commenting on how you got them. And she’ll be very curious on why I refuse to leave you alone while she does what she came for. I’m not leaving you, Abby. Not even with Alyssa. Not yet, anyway. Not until you say you’re okay with it.”

  “You say that like you’re staying forever.”

  Abby had just finished tying her belt when Jesse’s phone rang, putting an end to their conversation. Alyssa was in the lobby and wanted to let them know she was on her way up.

  Chapter Seven

  “Thanks for coming so quickly.” Jesse stood by and let Alyssa into the room.

  “Had to. It’s the first time you asked any of us for anything. You didn’t really think I’d say no, did you?” Alyssa stayed focused on Jesse, giving the woman time to get used to her presence.

  “Not really.”

  “Good answer.” Alyssa turned her face away from Abby and gave Jesse a questioning look. Not that she had to do that since Abby hadn’t raised her head yet. “I met up with Frank before we left. He’s checking in and said to call when he could join us. He wants to talk to you before he heads to the warehouse.”

  Abby flinched at her words and turned her panic-stricken face to Jesse. He instantly moved to her side and gathered her to him. “It’ll be okay, Abby. Frank is the brother I mentioned. Remember how I explained that he’d probably check on us? He just wants to do it in person. It’s a big-brother kind of thing. He’s not going to harm you.”

  “But,” her voice broke.

  His eyes met Alyssa’s over her head. “Trust me, precious. Frank is one of the good guys. He would have taken you out of there this morning, just like I did. And he would have known you had a migraine too. He’s one of the few I would trust to watch out for you if I needed to be away from you.” Jesse stroked her cheek. “Okay?”

  “Okay.” She nodded.

  “Can I introduce Alyssa now?” He waited for her to agree before he motioned for Alyssa to join them.

  “Hi, Abby.” Alyssa followed Jesse’s example and kept her voice soft. “I’m sure you can think of a million things you’d rather do than this but it really is important.” She opened her camera bag on the table and pulled out an envelope. It contained photos of another woman’s bruises. None showed her face. “I brought these to show you what I do. It’s hard enough without adding uncertainty into the situation. I will take a limited amount of full-body shots, just to prove it’s you and to give an overview of where you were injured. Most will be close-ups like these.” She waited for Abby to react but got no response. “We can get started whenever you’re ready.”

  “Abby,” Jesse urged quietly. “You can do this. You already did the hardest part this morning when you left. This is nothing compared to that. I’ll be right behind Alyssa.”

  “W-where should I stand?” Abby asked without looking up.

  “In front of the drapes will be fine. I don’t want anything in the background if possible.” Alyssa busied herself while Jesse led Abby to where she’d indicated, giving him a moment to calm her. There were so many questions she wanted to ask but knew she couldn’t. This wasn’t a social visit and she had to work as quickly and efficiently as she could. Though she’d photographed several other abused women, she had no idea what they went through. And Jesse’s obvious involvement only added to her curiosity.

  “I’m ready,” Abby stated.

  Alyssa had her remove her robe and forced her expression to remain neutral. The poor girl looked like she had been hit by a truck on her right side. Quickly, Alyssa snapped a picture of each bruise, talking softly the entire time. By the time she was finished, Alyssa could feel sweat trickling down her back. How did Abby do it? How could she move without wincing? Some of the bruises had to hurt like hell and the woman didn’t even flinch. When she finally had Abby hold the morning paper with the date next to the worst bruise, Alyssa was surprised when Abby met her eyes. Without thinking, Alyssa reached out and put her hand on Abby’s arm.

  “You did the right thing, leaving the guy who did this to you. It can’t have been an easy decision to make but inside you have to know it was the right one,” Alyssa whispered softly. “I should do my job and keep my distance like I always do but it’s not the same with you. I won’t ask how you came to be here with Jesse. It doesn’t really matter. The important thing is that you are here with him. He’s one of the best. He doesn’t let people into his life easily so you must be pretty damned special. I can see how much he cares for you. I’m sure your life isn’t the best right now. You probably don’t trust anyone anymore. But you can trust him. Jesse won’t hurt you. Ever. If you let him, he’ll prove that to you.”

  “Alyssa.” Jesse couldn’t remain quiet.

  “It’s okay, Jesse. Your friend was just vouching for you.” Abby was still holding Alyssa’s eyes. “Thanks,” she said softly. “I appreciate what you said but I think I already decided to let myself trust him.”

  “Good decision.” Alyssa smiled and gave an unbruised portion of Abby’s arm a squeeze. “I’ll print these out and get them to you soon. I usually keep a copy on a flash drive in a locked filing cabinet but I’ll leave that up to you, Jesse.”

  “I think I’d like to keep the backup.” Jesse urged Abby into a chair and tucked an icepack under her collar. “Are you staying or did you get a late flight back?”

  “Frank’s taking me back to the airport on the way to the warehouse if you don’t need him for anything. If you do, I can catch a cab. Flynn and Joey both made high honors this quarter and we promised them a celebration dinner.”

  “I’m sorry.” Abby immediately began to apologize for taking up Alyssa’s time.

  “I’ll be back in plenty of time so don’t say another word. And Flynn wouldn’t have minded waiting until tomorrow if I had to stay. He insists it’s no big deal and we shouldn’t make a fuss but Shane and I can tell how proud he is. Did Jesse tell you about my son?”

  “Only that you had one and he was great.”

  “He’s remarkable.” Alyssa sat across from her. “He was in the gang I did the photo essay on. They made him follow me around while I took my pictures and we wound up hanging out. He met Shane about the same time. I spent most of the summer with a team of storm chasers. When the gang told Flynn he had to kill Shane as his initiation, he asked Shane to get him out. They both wound up getting shot at the same time and Jesse arranged it to seem as if Flynn died. He really spent the summer recuperating with Shane at his parents’ house. I read about it in the paper and couldn’t bring myself to ask Shane what had happened so I didn’t know Flynn was still alive. Shane adopted him before I got home and I did too after we were married. Jesse’s too modest to tell you this but he save
d my guys for me. He also helped get our daughter too. Without him, I wouldn’t have my family.”

  “Lyss, stop.” Jesse seemed amazed that Alyssa told Abby about Flynn’s past. They usually said Shane had been his Big Brother and Flynn asked for Shane after his mother died. Alyssa and Shane had obviously discussed this before she got on the plane. They had apparently decided to help show Abby that it was safe to trust Jesse. “Sorry, Abby. She means well but I know you’re not up to hearing this today.”

  “I don’t mind. Really.” Abby went back to looking at the table.

  Jesse met Alyssa’s gaze again with all his feelings showing. He mouthed his thanks as he called Frank. “Hey. We’re all done here. Come say hello so you can get Alyssa back to the airport.”

  A few minutes later, Frank joined them. He and Jesse shared an entire unspoken conversation with one look. After Jesse introduced his brother, Frank crouched next to Abby’s chair. He took her left hand and started massaging the pressure point on her wrist.

  At her startled expression, Frank shrugged. “Runs in the family. I’m sure our cousin Wyatt will do something similar if you have a migraine when you meet him. We all did what we could when Holly was hurting. Do you feel any better than earlier?”

  “A little,” Abby stammered.

  “Good. That means Jesse’s taking proper care of you. I can see he wants to get back to it so I won’t stay. I just need to give you something that Wyatt sent for you and Alyssa and I will get out of here.” Frank could read her confusion as she glanced nervously at Jesse.

  “Just accept it, Abby. It’s Wyatt’s way of helping without being here. You’ll hurt his feelings if you don’t,” Jesse explained.

  “Has Jesse told you about our cousin Wyatt? He’s an individual in every sense of the word. He doesn’t usually bother with people, us included, although he tolerates us better than most. You should have heard him telling me about the way Henderson treated you. He was honestly angry and even raised his voice a few times.”

  “Holy shit!” Jesse exclaimed. “I wish I’d seen that. Wyatt rarely reacts to anything and when he does, it’s never a strong reaction.”

  “I wish I’d taken a video,” Frank agreed. “He was priceless. He insisted that I bring you this.” He handed her a cell phone. “Before you argue let me tell you what he said. Wyatt suspects that you don’t have much cash at the moment, what with relocating and starting a new job. He is afraid that you won’t be able to afford a phone right away and hates the idea of you, or any woman for that matter, having an emergency and being stranded somewhere alone. He says you should take this and keep it with you at all times so you can call someone if you ever need to. He asked me to explain that it is just a loan. When you can handle the monthly fee, he’ll have the bill switched to you. Until then, he wants you to accept it as the gesture it was intended to be.”

  “Wow.” Jesse whistled. “Did he really say all that?”

  “Honest to God,” Frank replied seriously.

  “That’s more words than Wyatt uses in a month.” Jesse was clearly awed. “You’re keeping it, aren’t you, Abby? You have to use it to call him.”

  “He said you had to in order to activate it,” Frank added.

  “I can’t accept this.” Abby sat, staring at the phone in her hand.

  “Sure you can,” Alyssa said. “All women should have one. Shane lectures me if I walk the five blocks to my cousin’s without it. Wyatt gave me mine too. And Kiley and Andie have one from him as well.”

  “Why?”

  “Wyatt programs an extra feature in each of the phones he gives to someone. He only hands them out to people he considers worth worrying about and this makes you one of them. He must have been really riled up earlier to have it ready before Frank left.”

  “What feature?”

  “If you get into a dangerous situation and need help immediately, all you have to do is hold down one of the buttons and it sets off an alarm on Wyatt’s other phones. It shows who is in trouble and gets you assistance faster than calling for help in the traditional way would.” Alyssa explained.

  “But I’m here,” Abby protested.

  “He must know someone he trusts to come to your rescue if you ever use the alarm,” Frank commented. “Come on, Abby. Make our cousin’s day and let him think he helped you out a little bit. Give him a call and let him test the alarm. He’ll be happy if you do and he’ll feel as if he made up for Henderson.”

  “Okay,” Abby agreed meekly.

  Frank saw Abby’s left eye close and shot a worried glance at his brother. He’d show her just enough so she could call Wyatt and then he and Alyssa would take off. The poor woman was suffering and shouldn’t have to concentrate for now. “Thanks. Just let me show you a few things so you can call Wyatt. I promised I’d have you do that right away or I’d let Jesse show you everything later. This is how you turn it on but the alarm works even when it’s off. Wyatt always programs himself on the five button. He puts his number in the center since he is the man at center of all our phones. Just push it once and you’ll reach him. He already put your name in for his caller ID.”

  “I’ll have to change that,” Jesse stated. “When I talked to Wyatt this morning, we thought her name was Jessie James.”

  “Yeah, I noticed you’re being called Abby now.” Frank knew Jesse would explain everything when he could so he hadn’t asked.

  “She’s like us, Frank. Her name is Abigail Jessica James.”

  “When you get Wyatt, you’ll need to tell him that Jesse’s changing that for you,” Frank urged.

  When she hesitated, Jesse touched her cheek. “Go ahead, Ab. Wyatt may be unique but he’s one of us. You can trust him with anything you trust me with. Well, maybe not anything.” He winked shamelessly.

  “Oh. Okay.” Abby looked as if she wanted to join in with the group but wasn’t yet comfortable enough. “Five,” she reminded herself. “H-hello?”

  “Hi, Jessie. I’m Wyatt. I take it that Frank and Alyssa found you. How are you feeling?”

  “Um, I’m, ah, my name isn’t really Jessie. Well, part of it is but I’m really Abby.”

  “Okay. Hi, Abby. I’m still Wyatt. Wyatt Earp Monroe to be specific.”

  “Frank said I should tell you my name is really Abigail Jessica James.”

  “Abigail Jessica James. Do I have that right? Say it again.”

  “Abigail Jessica James,” she repeated.

  “Pretty name, Abby. Do you look like you sound?”

  “What?”

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t keep you when you have a migraine like you do.”

  “How can you tell? I didn’t say if I still hurt or not.”

  “I can hear it. Jesse must have told you about my sister. She couldn’t keep it out of her voice even when she tried to. But you sound very sweet in spite of the headache. If that cousin of mine slips up, you’ll have to call me to straighten him out. Or maybe I should just ask you to call and say hi every now and then. I doubt that I’ll hear from you about Jesse.”

  “W-what?”

  “There I go again, running my mouth like a chatterbox.”

  “They said you didn’t talk.”

  “I don’t when it’s one of them on the other end. But I like your voice. If it gets you to talk to me, I’m willing to have a conversation with you. But I’m keeping you from relaxing and I know that’s pissing Jesse off. I’m sure he’s ready to pack you in ice and make you numb. We just need to test the alarm and then I’ll let you go. Did Frank tell you about it?”

  “Alyssa. She said to push a button even if it’s off and you’ll know.”

  “That’s right. You can also be on with someone and it’ll still work. Go ahead and push something. Don’t even look. Just slip a finger around and press down. You only need to hold it a few seconds. You’ll hear Jesse and Frank’s phones beep when you activate it.”

  “Okay.” Abby kept the phone at her ear and held down a button. Instantly, both phones beeped.


  “Did you hear them?”

  “Yes.”

  “That was the test signal. Now that you activated it once, the beeps will get shorter, more urgent sounding. If you push it again, we’ll all come running. Or I should say that I have a friend nearby who will help if you ever set it off. Sounding the alarm also opens a transmitter. It lets us hear you so if you ever push it by mistake, say so immediately. You’ll need a code word to confirm that you’re okay. Think about it when you feel better and give me a call. Jesse can show you all the other things the phone does.”

  “I can’t afford this. I can’t keep it.” Abby sniffled.

  “Didn’t Frank tell you? Damn him, he said he would.”

  “He did, but…”

  “But nothing. I have to insist that you hold on to it. Consider it as a favor to me.”

  “A favor?”

  “Yeah, a favor. Have you taken a good look at my cousins? They are both so much stronger than I am. If you’re with one of them, no one could get close enough to lay a finger on you. They have to do a demonstration for you sometime so you can see what I mean. I, on the other hand, am kind of scrawny. I never had any interest in all the fancy maneuvers that they make look so easy. But I can make gadgets. And sometimes my gadgets can help when my cousins can’t. So do me a favor and let me pretend that I can take care of a damsel in distress as well as they can.” At her hesitation, he added, “I’ll feel like a total failure if you won’t humor me. Please don’t reject my friendship before we even meet.”

  “Oh.” Abby gasped. “Okay, I’ll keep it but I’ll take over the payments as soon as I can. Thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome,” Wyatt said, his voice filled with relief. “Now don’t you do without something you need to pay for this phone. I get an extremely good deal since I originated so many other accounts. It’s really much cheaper than you think.”

  “Okay.” Abby had her eye closed for most of the conversation. When she absently began to rub her neck, Jesse took the phone out of her hand.

  “Sorry to do this to you, Wyatt, but Abby’s hurting again. I’ll get her to call you when she feels more up to chatting.” He raised an eyebrow at Frank.