He opened up to her.
“To be honest, I don’t think I’ve given many people the chance. When so many people believe you’re no good... Well, I guess it just becomes easier to prove them right instead of wrong.” Again, Jackson shrugged. “When I met Jonathan in the bar and he talked about Orion and the possibility that I could work there, I saw it as my first real chance in a long time to try to be good again.”
Nikki didn’t know what to say. She was touched, sympathetic and felt protective of the man all at once, and this had nothing to do with the fact that he was a part of Orion now. Jackson perhaps saw the sympathy she was feeling the easiest. He seemed eager to keep the ball rolling.
“What about you? I don’t see you hurting for friends, but what’s up with the speed dating event?” he asked with a bit of a smirk. “You can’t tell me that you haven’t had guys beating down your door. Excluding Dabney, I mean.”
The less-than-subtle change of subject made her almost cringe. She liked to be a private woman, especially with her love life. When she’d mentioned the event to Calvin in front of Jackson and Hannigan, it had been essential information. She’d hoped it was not something he’d retain. Then again, she’d just gotten very personal with him fast. She should have expected him to repay that slight invasion in kind.
“I’ve dated people in the last five years if that’s what you’re after,” she answered. “But if you haven’t noticed, Orion means more to me than just a job. I spend a lot of time and energy making sure it’s running smoothly and all staff are happy. Some people don’t understand why I can’t...” She paused, looking for the right word, realizing she hadn’t admitted this to anyone and didn’t quite know how. “Detach. Some people I’ve pushed away because of that and then others I’ve tried to step away from it for but—” She let out a breath. “Now I realize that maybe Orion will always be a part of every bit of my life.”
The pain up her side, the cuts on her cheek, the sting of her scalp and the image of a smiling Andrew all were highlighted in her mind. They tugged her down and she desperately wanted not to go there. She forced a laugh and added, “Plus, I’ve met a few men who don’t like women in authority positions. It messes with their ‘macho’ status.”
“Reardon,” Jackson guessed.
“He was one of those, too.”
Jackson nodded, as if saying he could see that.
“I guess at the end of the day I’ve seen how happy Oliver, Mark and Jonathan are in their personal lives and with Orion,” she said into the quiet that had sprouted between them. “And, well, I wanted to see if I could finally do that, too.”
They lapsed into a longer silence that Nikki wasn’t sure she should break. When she’d so bluntly asked about his friends, she hadn’t meant to tell him so much about herself in such a short amount of time. But there was something about Jackson that she found made her feel comfortable. He hadn’t backed down from her or given up when she told him to leave. He owed her nothing and yet had already risked his life to see that hers was kept safe. In that regard she didn’t understand him.
But that didn’t mean she didn’t want to try.
Nikki the boss didn’t catch on to what was happening until Jackson the employee closed the space between them. Unlike the last time he kissed her, this time he seemed to ask permission. A breath away from each other, his blue-gray eyes searched her gaze as he took her cheek in his hand. Nikki stopped breathing.
This was a bad idea. Jackson and she were just caught up in the excitement of everything. After it all was resolved, what if this attraction she felt fizzled out? How would that make things at Orion? How would it affect the others?
One look into Jackson’s eyes and all those concerns fell away. All she wanted now was to kiss the man.
So she did.
Chapter Twelve
As soon as Nikki’s lips pressed against Jackson’s, all bets were off. They crashed against each other like waves in a storm rolling over the ocean. Their bodies moved against each other, trying to get closer and closer but somehow never satisfied. Their tangle of limbs became even more so as they fell back against the couch, going horizontal without breaking contact.
Nikki wanted to keep it that way, but Jackson put his weight against just the wrong spot on her side. Unable to stop herself, Nikki cringed.
It was like someone had doused the man in cold water. Jackson immediately broke their kiss. He propped himself up on his elbows and knees, taking all pressure off while hovering over her. Jackson’s eyes were wide and concerned as he stared down into hers.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, voice husky. Again, just the sound of him sent a thrill through her. A desire she now knew she couldn’t simply ignore.
“It’s my side,” she said, voice also on the breathy side. Her lips tingled. She’d bet they were as red as Jackson’s. The man looked at her expectantly and she explained further. “Before you showed up last night, I tried to run from Dabney. When he pulled me back I slipped and landed hard.” She motioned to her left side. “It’s sore.”
Jackson moved his weight to his left elbow and side so he could take a better look. He then took his right hand and gently grabbed the bottom of her shirt. Without looking at her, he slowly moved the fabric up her side. Nikki sucked in a breath as the warmth of his hand trailed against her skin.
“Nikki, why didn’t you say anything?” he whispered. She raised her eyebrow at him. His tone had gone from a man fighting passion to one aching with concern. “This,” he answered, drawing her attention to her bare side.
She let out a gasp.
From next to her rib cage down to her jeans was one nasty-looking bruise, dark purples and blues. It was a wonder she hadn’t seen it while changing after lunch. “I didn’t know it was that ba—”
A knock pounded against the front door, interrupting her.
Jackson shared a look with her before he was up.
“Get in the bedroom,” he whispered, stabbing the air in that direction. If someone hadn’t been at the door, then that was exactly what she would have wanted to hear. As it was, she lowered her shirt and got up from the couch. Though she wouldn’t deny she was flustered as she followed his direction.
Moving quickly and quietly, she opened the bedroom door and stood just inside it. Her body tensed, readying for nothing, she hoped.
“Who is it?” Jackson called. She tried to remember if he had a peephole.
The response was immediate but muffled. Nikki edged out of the room and closer to the entryway.
“—was asked to check in on Miss Waters,” the man said. Jackson must have heard Nikki move. He turned to her.
“I don’t know a Miss Waters,” Jackson called back, still holding her stare. Nikki gave him a questioning look. Calvin could have sent someone to check on her. Though, as soon as that thought entered her mind, she realized that Calvin would have called them. He would have warned them before just sending over some person they didn’t know, right?
The response time on the other side of the door stretched until it was clear none was coming. Nikki glanced at her phone on the coffee table. Looking back at Jackson, she met his eyes again.
Something wasn’t right and he knew it, too.
“Hide,” he whispered, already backtracking.
Less than a second later the door flew inward off its hinges.
Jackson hit the floor hard, unable to clear the door as well as the man who had kicked it off its hinges. In the back of her mind, Nikki connected his actions to a story of Mark’s from a contract that had involved Kelli, but it was a fleeting thought. One that was destroyed when one of the men from the coffee shop stepped inside, gun in hand. He looked down at Jackson’s limp body before turning to her with a wicked smile.
“Just the woman I wanted to see,” he said.
With the toe of his s
hoe he delivered a swift kick to Jackson’s side. Jackson stirred but didn’t open his eyes.
“You want me?” Nikki said, anger momentarily overriding her fear. “Then come get me.”
* * *
JACKSON ROCKED ONTO his side and coughed violently.
“Son, are you okay?”
Jackson’s eyelids flew open. The person over him was familiar but not someone he expected.
“Kevin?”
Kevin Mcline, an elderly man who lived across the hall, was crouched over him, blood pouring down his nose like he’d busted it. The ceiling of Jackson’s apartment swam above them.
“Nikki!” he yelled, all at once remembering what had happened. He sat up and pushed part of his front door off him, wincing at a throbbing pain in his head.
“The man dragged her into the elevator,” Kevin said, pointing. “If you run you can catch them.”
The world around Jackson swam again. He was undoubtedly unsteady on his feet but didn’t hesitate. He needed to get eyes on Nikki and her abductor before they were gone for good.
“Call Detective Calvin Cooper and tell him everything you just saw,” Jackson barked back at the man as he started to run for the stairs. “Tell him they have Nikki.”
Jackson didn’t explain further. He threw open the stairwell door and rocketed down the steps like Hell itself was nipping at his heels. His thoughts were dark and dangerous and filled with all the possible ways he could have prevented Nikki from being taken. Worry and guilt and a nearly overwhelming amount of fear were creating a wild storm in him. One that wouldn’t quiet until Nikki was safe.
He hit the lobby and went straight to the elevator doors, only to run smack dab into a man holding Nikki by her wrists in the middle of the lobby.
Again, Jackson didn’t hesitate.
And neither did the man.
* * *
JACKSON THREW A punch just as the man swung his gun around on him. A shot went off, but it missed Jackson entirely. The man stumbled back from Jackson’s hit, taking Nikki with him. His grip, however, didn’t loosen.
Jackson used the man’s shift in gravity to his advantage and so did Nikki. She pulled backward, using her own momentum to try to sling him to the floor, while Jackson delivered two new punches. The gun stayed in the man’s hand, but he was having trouble putting Jackson in its sights. Her blond-haired savior was fighting close.
Nikki tugged back once more as the man reeled from a new hit from Jackson. He started to fall. If he didn’t let go of either Nikki or his gun, he wouldn’t be able to catch himself.
The man grunted out expletives and finally let go of Nikki.
She hit the floor hard on her bottom and immediately scurried backward. Now that the man had another hand to work with, he slugged Jackson in the jaw. She watched as he involuntarily winced in pain before her attention went to the gun. He might not have killed Jackson upstairs, but Nikki doubted that courtesy extended to the lobby.
Nikki picked herself up and did something she’d only seen in movies. She jumped on their attacker’s back and squeezed him like a vise, her arms pulling back on his neck. Jackson, who had just taken a mighty hit to the gut and looked like he was trying not to double over, quickly took advantage of the situation. When the man coughed beneath Nikki’s hold, Jackson grabbed his wrist and bent it backward.
The man yelled, a terrifyingly angry sound that echoed around the small lobby before being cut off by her grip, followed by the sound of the gun hitting the tile. Nikki felt a moment of relief. They’d disarmed their attacker. However, the moment didn’t last long.
Losing his weapon seemed to somehow strengthen the large man. He kicked the gun clear across the room and grabbed a handful of Jackson’s shirt. In one fluid movement he turned and ran backward, taking both Nikki and Jackson with him.
When she realized what was happening, it was too late.
Nikki’s back connected with the wall hard. The air was pushed right out of her lungs. Pain raced along her back, and her hold all but disappeared. The man used his momentum to throw Jackson into the same wall. His head took the brunt of the blow. Jackson staggered and fell to the side just as Nikki started to slide down the wall.
The man reached for something as he spun around to face her. Through her gasps to get air back into her, fear squeezed Nikki’s chest. Did he have another gun? A knife, maybe?
“This’ll slow you down,” the man panted.
“No,” Jackson rasped.
Out of the corner of her eye, Nikki could see the bodyguard trying to get up. She would have been more concerned that he was struggling had she not recognized what was in her attacker’s hand.
The needle pierced her skin in a flash. Nikki yelled in surprise. There wasn’t enough time to be able to fear or question what liquid was inside the syringe.
“Try to fight now,” the man huffed out, pushing the plunger.
Nikki tried to move away, to shake it and her attacker off, but the man had her pinned almost effortlessly with his free hand. The pain of the injection in her neck spread as the liquid was transferred into her. Her new yell was snuffed out.
Jackson threw his body into the man with such impact that both men tumbled together a few feet away. Nikki gasped as she realized the syringe was still there, sticking out of her neck. She fumbled to pull it out. Whatever was in it, only half had been injected inside her. The rest was still in the small vial, a clear, unknown substance that she prayed wasn’t poison. Nikki put her hand against the injection site and watched as Jackson landed a flurry of punches on their attacker. For once, he appeared to get the upper hand. Jackson’s well-timed punches were enough to visibly daze the man until he stopped fighting back, falling to the floor.
The bodyguard could have kept going, beaten the man until he was dead, but he pushed away from him instead. Chest heaving, knuckles bloody, Jackson rose looking like an avenging angel, a halo of blond framing a face almost painfully attractive. His eyes alone nearly silenced her completely.
In that moment, as strange as it was, Nikki wanted to let him know the effect that just looking at him could have on her, but their bad luck wasn’t done stacking up yet. No sooner had their attacker appeared to be down for the count than the door to the lobby banged open. While Jackson looked angelic, the other man from the coffee shop—the one she’d dumped Jackson’s coffee on—looked quite the opposite. He took in the scene around them with rage in his eyes. Nikki on the floor holding the syringe, his partner on the floor and Jackson between the two.
“I should have killed you,” he ground out, eyes resting on Nikki.
“Charles, don’t,” the man on the floor croaked out. He was trying to get up but failing. Charles didn’t seem sympathetic in the least for his partner.
“This is your fault, Michael,” he barked, though his gaze never left Nikki’s. “I’m going to kill you now.”
Charles had started to reach behind his back when Jackson lunged for Michael’s discarded gun.
“Go,” Jackson yelled at her just as his hand found the grip. She tried to be as fast, but moving wasn’t as easy as it should have been. Instead of scrambling away, Nikki was horrified to find that the left side of her body was rapidly going numb.
Jackson didn’t wait for her to get her act together. He shot Charles just as Charles held up his gun to do the same. The man roared in pain and anger as a bullet struck him in his arm. It caused his aim to skew when he pulled his trigger. His bullet didn’t meet either of his marks, though Nikki didn’t see where it went. She’d finally managed to duck into the hallway that led to the back door by half dragging herself along the wall.
Another shot went off.
“Jackson,” she called back, going from concerned to beyond worried.
“Run,” the bodyguard yelled, grabbing her hand and pulling so hard it almost
hurt. Nikki tried to match the pace he needed, but her left leg was all but useless. She couldn’t even feel Jackson’s hand around hers.
“I can’t,” she gasped.
Jackson didn’t waver. He looped his arm around her waist and half pulled, half pushed her out the back door. They immediately cut around the building, moving along its wall in a labored attempt to escape. Nikki wanted to ask if one of the shots she’d heard had hit Charles, stopping him once and for all, but at the clip they were moving she knew that wasn’t the case.
The entirety of Nikki’s left side was numb by the time they wove their way into a side parking lot. Jackson sat her down next to a tan SUV and looked through the windows to see if Charles had followed. Apparently satisfied, he turned the gun around and shattered the same window he’d just looked through. The alarm started to wail.
“What are you doing?” Nikki yelled over the noise.
“We need a car.” He put his hand inside and unlocked the doors. Fishing around in his pockets, he pulled out a small pocketknife. He handed the gun to Nikki, who took it without a word. She held it, ready, while Jackson surprised her yet again when the SUV’s engine turned on. Seconds later the alarm stopped.
“You can hot-wire cars,” Nikki said, handing the gun back to him. She used her good leg to push herself up. Jackson opened up the back door and helped her inside.
“Sometimes falling in with the bad crowd has its advantages,” he said with a whisper of a smile. He shut the door next and got into the driver’s seat in front of her. “Get down,” he added, taking the car out of park. “I don’t know where our friend is. He ducked into the stairwell at the second shot, but I don’t know if I hit him. I don’t want to chance staying around to find out.”
Nikki did as she was told, slouching over against her seat belt.
No shots fired at them or windows shattered as they drove away. Nikki kept quiet, letting him concentrate, until she couldn’t take it anymore.
“I can’t feel the left side of my body,” Nikki said after she felt they had cleared the parking lot. Slowly she lifted herself back to a sitting position. As she looked down at her left hand, the fear finally began to seep in. “I think it’s spreading to my right side,” she moaned.
Suspicious Activities Page 10
