“Jenna, before you berate me, because I can see that is on your mind, I wanted you to know that I told my father the important things about our situation. He’s in danger being here, so I thought I owed him enough of an explanation so he could ask us to leave, or know that he would be making himself a target if he stayed. I hope you don’t feel like I’ve undermined you.”
Jenna waved the thought away. “I don’t care about him. I have my own sack of old bones to bother me. I was just playing coy because you seemed to want me to put my foot down.”
“So you wouldn’t have done it anyway?”
“Well. I wouldn’t go that far.”
Josh laughed and planted a quick kiss on her head. “Want a quickie?”
Jenna pushed him away. “Now who’s bored and horny? Get away. No more shoplifting the punanny.”
“No? No more sex?”
“Not until you admit you tricked me into saying…things I didn’t mean.”
“I don’t like to lie.”
“You know what?” She glared at him for all she was worth.
“What?” Josh grinned down at her, cramping her space.
Jenna grabbed her toiletries and clothes and stomped down the hall, her retreat answer enough. She knocked on Erika’s door.
“Who is it?” Erika called sweetly. She probably thought it was the general.
“Me. Let me in.”
Erika opened the door a crack and stuck her head out. She looked like crap, which was probably how she felt. “I don’t want any. It’s too early.”
“C’mon, let me in. I need to put on my clothes.”
“What’s wrong with your room?”
“Josh is in there.”
“You two are stupid. No, you can’t come in. I might want sex.”
“You never have sex when you’re hung over. Let me in.”
“Arrrggh!” Erika threw the door open.
Jack was halfway under the covers, his chest bare, with his hands behind his head. He was peacefully lounging until he saw Jenna walk in, and flinched. “What the hell are you doing in here?”
Jenna closed the door behind her so Josh wouldn’t get any ideas about talking. “I need to put on makeup and get dressed. Get out.”
“Get out? This is my room,” Jack said indignantly.
Through the door they heard, “Can Jax come out and play?”
Jack tilted his head like a dog hearing a whistle. “He’s in a good mood.” His eyes hit Jenna’s. “And you’re in a bad mood. Huh. Is he winning, then?”
Erika started shooing him out. Jack laughed as he jumped out of the covers in the buff.
“Ew!” Jenna shielded her eyes.
“Put some clothes on,” Erika exclaimed as she threw pants at him. He did so, though he didn’t seem all that worried about Jenna seeing him naked, and opened the door with his shirt in his hand.
“Are you flashing my woman?” Josh asked.
“I am not your woman,” Jenna yelled out.
Jack started laughing. “I was flashing my woman’s best friend, actually. Apparently there is no tie to you whatsoever.” Jack walked through the doorway.
“Sorry.” Erika settled on the bed with her head in her hands. “The guy isn’t all that modest.”
“I could see that.”
“Well hung, though.”
“I could also see that. I think I momentarily went blind because of it.”
“Yours?” Sometimes Erika belonged in the porno industry with her curiosity.
“Very. Bit of a tight fit, actually.”
“Good for you. So, what happened this time?”
“He tricked me last night.”
“Into what, including him in your will?”
Jenna put on another of the dresses Erika had bought. It was a shock of blue that perfectly matched her eyes and brought out the highlights in her hair. It was a little loose, but still looked great and summery. “Thanks for all these clothes. They will obviously be my entire wardrobe. We had to leave that house by the woods in a hurry, and he packed a bunch of ugly, though comfortable, crap.”
“Then why’d you bring it?”
Jenna shrugged. “Just in case. Maybe I would have to wrestle someone, or hang-glide, or something. How should I know?”
“I figured you’d want some new things. I got a ton of stuff for me, too. That was the only fun outing I’ve had. We were walking out of the mall with all the bags and someone shot at me.” Erika’s voice quivered a little. “It hit the leg of some guy next to me. Jax picked me up and carried me behind some sculpture before I could even react! The police had to bring the bags to the station for us. We came here soon after that.”
“Scary.”
“Yeah. What happened to you?”
“Through the window in the kitchen. Josh jumped on me just before the shot. We had to get out of there quick.”
“I hate this, Jenna.” Erika dug her head into the pillow, her body loosely covered with a hot-pink robe.
“Stay strong, girl. Jack won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Yeah, he’s great.”
“Yes, he is.”
“So is Josh.”
Jenna made an annoyed sound and waved the comment away. Erika’s eyes focused on her and a devilish smile tickled her face. “What did he do? You still haven’t said.”
“Tricked me, I said.”
“I know. Into what?”
“Saying I loved him.”
Erika looked shocked. “Do you?”
“Don’t know. Don’t want to talk about it.”
“Tequila doesn’t lie. Embellishes, maybe, but it doesn’t lie.”
“And you know, the bitch of it is—he didn’t say it back. So now I am out there, hangin’, not wanting it out there at all, and he’s safe.”
“That sucks. Dick move on his part. Speaking of Dick, I am not looking forward to seeing him today.”
“I know. I’m not either. But this is his house.”
Erika sighed, dressed, and combed her hair. Jenna put a little more effort into her look, with a light dusting of eye makeup and a messy updo, but casual enough for a house in the woods. She was still worried Dick would interrogate her again, and she functioned better when she dressed the part.
The girls wandered downstairs and found the boys cooking breakfast. The general was sitting at the table reading the paper and drinking coffee. He looked up when they entered, and scrutinized them. “You have these boys trained quite well,” he said.
Both guys bristled, but didn’t stop cooking. They obviously wanted edible food.
Without sparing a glance for either the old man or the young ones, Jenna said, “We make more bread to bring home. We work, they cook. Or is it bacon?”
“Bacon, I think,” Erika supplied.
“Right. Bacon.” They continued out through the open sliding glass door and chose chairs in the sun.
The backyard area was woodsy and fabulous. There was a wooden fence with a gate on each side of the yard leading to the tree line. Within the fence, a large patch of weeds that had probably once been a lawn took up the right side of the yard. To the left was a large lagoon-style pool with sunning chairs set up on the house side. The area around the pool was concrete. Away from the house lay the distant glimmer of a lake. Despite the distance from the water, it was a large, peaceful place.
“I want to do nothing but lie around in the sun all day,” Jenna said.
They were called in for breakfast a short time later, but when it was clear neither woman planned on heeding the cattle call, Josh came to stand in the doorway.
“Ladies, food. C’mon.”
“Not hungry,” Erika groused, eyes closed in the morning sun. Jenna nodded.
“Jenna.” It was a warning.
“I am sick of everyone around here force-feeding me,” Jenna grumbled, getting up. “It’s like I’m ten.”
“You didn’t eat when you were ten,” Erika said.
“Fine, it’s like when you wer
e ten, then.”
They trudged into the house, noticing the boys hadn’t waited for them. Jenna’s plate was already on the table. She knew it was her plate because it was full of food and left unattended. Erika got to select her own from the greasy pans on the counter.
“You must make the most,” Dick drawled from behind his paper.
“In actual fact, yes. Thanks to working at the company longer than Erika, and with better bargaining skills. But this is a form of torture that Josh likes to subject me to. I see he has put a lot of grease-coated potatoes on here.”
“Those who insult the cook won’t eat,” Dick stated without looking at her.
“Is that why you’re just having coffee?”
Dick bent the paper back to glare at her. He then shook it out, like a 1950s father, without comment.
She shrugged, used to the treatment. Like father, like son, after all. It wasn’t until she had put another forkful of egg into her mouth that she realized everyone else was staring at her. Josh had his stone mask in place, but the other two wore shocked expressions. Neither said a word.
Apparently fighting with the general wasn’t how they’d spent their other mornings at the lake house.
Too bad for them; it was a great way to relieve stress.
She finished most of her breakfast and leaned back until she received a glare from Josh. She looked at Erika’s plate and saw that she’d eaten everything on it.
“Damn it!” She ate the rest, and then felt like throwing up.
“Seconds?” Jack asked with a smirk.
She wondered when she’d be invited to call him Jax like everyone else. Apparently one had to either train to be a killer with him, or sleep with him. “Oh, shut it. C’mon, Erika, we have to clean up.” Jenna grabbed Josh’s scraped-clean plate.
“What? Why?”
Jenna stared at her friend.
Erika, grumbling, helped clear the table.
“Finally they do something useful,” Dick muttered at his paper.
“Do not insult the crocodile until after you have crossed the river,” Jenna replied.
She was ignored again.
Erika and Jenna made short work of the dishes, but didn’t clean them as well as a dishwasher might. It was the price the boys paid for the help.
After they finished, they sauntered out to their deckchairs and once again took up residence. Jenna marveled that they were allowed outside without a chaperone. Granted, their gunman was buried in the woods somewhere, but there were still trees far off. Someone could wait in those trees then get a shot off.
But if Josh didn’t say boo, that was good enough for her.
A few hours and a light tan later, Josh came out holding a cordless phone. “Time to call the boss.”
“I need to get my phone to get the number,” Jenna said, getting up.
Josh stepped close, dogging her heels. Just before entering the house, she slowed.
“Josh, I can get it on my own.”
“I know,” he replied quietly. His voice held traces of vulnerability. She spared him a glance but couldn’t tell what the problem was.
“I’ll be right back, Josh,” she said softly.
Josh brought the tips of his fingers down her cheek to her chin, gently lifted her face, and touched his lips to hers. “I love you, Jenna.”
A big troll started dancing around in her stomach, stepping on things and causing shock waves through her limbs. She wanted to pull away from the weight that settled on her heart, but she was glued to his soft kaleidoscope eyes fringed with long black lashes. He kissed her again, a lingering press of his full lips that made her legs tingle and her weighted heart pound. Fireworks lit up her neck and head, the troll did some backflips, and her legs tried to give up altogether. The tingles settled in her knees and exploded the support beams.
Now she knew why girls swooned and then fainted. It was easier than dealing with the emotional craziness that was going on in her body.
When he straightened up, she staggered backward, no longer in control. Dizzy with emotions she had no place feeling, she bumped into the doorway as she made her way inside.
Once in her room, she took large gulps of air. Residual shock waves still ran through her body and her head was pounding. It was out of place in the hush of the room.
Her body was starting to mutiny.
When she got back downstairs, Josh was talking intently with Erika, while Jack looked on from a couple of seats over. When she approached uneasily, they fell silent.
“Telling him my secrets?” Jenna tried for indifference and was almost rewarded.
“In part.” Erika leaned back against the chair.
“I really wish you weren’t so honest.”
“Sometimes I wish you’d stop being an idiot.”
“Fat chance.” Jenna got the bat-phone number and dialed, desperately trying to find another means of distraction. Josh’s eyes were still soggy and he wouldn’t stop looking at her.
“Have you heard from Mike?” she asked Erika as the phone started ringing.
Erika shook her head.
“Yes?” Don answered.
“Don, it’s Jenna.”
“Oh thank God. I hadn’t heard from you and no one had a fix. They said you were taken into protective custody when I called. People want to hear from you.”
“Don, you told me to call in seven days. It has been seven days. I’m calling.”
“When did you start listening to instructions?”
“When people started shooting at my head, Don. We are here because we made some…capable friends.”
“Well, good news, kid—we’re green. We break ground Thursday. I want you in the office on Wednesday.”
“I’m not so sure I’m coming back.” She noticed Josh’s look of surprise, stone mask crumpling with hope. She felt a pang of guilt.
What was that look of excitement on Erika’s face, though?
The pang of guilt turned into worry.
“Explain,” Don barked with iron in his voice. He would know she was playing a game even if no one else in earshot could.
“Glad to. First, there is the matter of being in danger without company protection. I have been shot at twice, once being a narrow miss. I have been threatened with rape and strangulation by some creep with yellow teeth. I have had a coworker—no, two coworkers shot in my presence. I have been sexually harassed by a coworker, and no matter what happened to him, that is still the company’s fault. I am emotionally damaged and I demand financial restitution or I will not as much as set foot on New York soil.”
“Don’t pretend you don’t want this built just as much as I do.”
“I’m not going to pretend. But I have leverage and I’m going to use it. I’m sure you can appreciate that.”
“Officially, no, but unofficially…I’ll get you your settlement. That idiot Lewis is suing, so thank you kindly for that slip of information. That’ll come in handy—”
“No idea what you’re talking about.”
“I’m sure Ada will sue, though I must say, she deserves it. She’s out of commission. If that damn building wasn’t going to bring in some serious revenue for this company, I would let you stay in the boondocks with the rednecks. As it is…we’ll talk numbers in person.”
“Fine. Book some flights and I’ll see you Wednesday, early.”
“Just one more thing, Jenna. What happened to the man that threatened you?”
“You mean the one that was pointing a gun at me?”
“That close, huh?”
“Yeah, that close. I took care of it.”
There was a pause as Don took it in. Jenna knew Don. She’d done some digging. He grew up in the Bronx with a poor single mother. He had filled a rap sheet longer than hers before he pulled his crap together and got serious about school. He was wicked smart and he wanted it. Bad. He got scholarships left and right and showed those Ivy League rich kids who was boss. Ran underground poker establishments for extra cash, but no one co
uld catch him at it to throw him out of school.
If she thought he didn’t know firsthand about taking care of a problem, she was a blind fool. Don knew it all, had done it all, and didn’t respect anyone that didn’t know the life. She also knew she was part of his inner circle. In her quest for dirt on everyone when she first started, she’d run across some proof that he was bribing city officials. He would’ve lost his job and done jail time had she said anything. As a gesture of good faith, she handed him the proof and told him to watch himself. They never mentioned it again. Since that day, he had not only watched himself, he had watched out for her. And vice versa. Together they got things done.
He was a good man to have in her corner.
“All right, kid. Stay vigilant. I’d hate to sing your eulogy.”
“Not that people sing eulogies, but I’d hate for you to sing anytime. You got a voice like a frog.”
He chuckled and ended the call.
Jenna hung up and looked around with excitement. “Well, we’re going back.”
Erika looked at Jack, who was sitting across the patio. Jack was looking out over the pool at the side of the house. Josh was looking at the ground.
“What?” Jenna asked Erika.
Erika shrugged. “I like it here.”
Jenna didn’t know what to say. “You like it here, or you like Jack?”
Erika hunched, her eyes on Jack’s back. She looked at Jenna slowly. “I don’t think I am going to go back.”
The world fell over.
Chapter Seventeen
Jenna stared for a minute, unable to come up with any thoughts that didn’t sound like static. “Am I dreaming, or did you just say you aren’t going back to your home and your job?”
“Well,” Erika said, “you made a sweet deal for yourself, but I will be out of luck. What is there to go back to?”
“Erika—” Jenna stopped, slowed down, and took a few breaths. “Can I speak with you alone, please?”
“No, this decision involves Jax, so I want him here.”
Jack didn’t turn to look at them.
Unexpected Danger (Skyline Trilogy Book 2) Page 14
