“I’ll call and have them standing by. I’ve got John’s address in my computer. He still off Albemarle Road?”
“Yeah. I’m right behind you,” Jordan blurted out before Len could hang up.
“No, Jordan! This is not your division, and I don’t need you going off on either of them. You move from there and I’ll have you arrested myself.”
As much as Jordan didn’t want to concede, he knew he had to follow his order. Besides, how could he ever face Rachael if things turned badly, and he was the one to pull the trigger?
Jordan darted back to Jaynee’s room, plopped down and dropped his head back against the cool vinyl chair. Would this day ever end? He listened to John’s request for a drink. They were just gonna sit there like old friends. John was smart; he knew Ronny would want to make his death look as if he’d gotten wasted and committed suicide. He’d be willing to draw it out. John hadn’t tipped his hand entirely. Now Jordan would have to wait and listen, and pray he didn’t hear something he didn’t want to.
No conversation could be heard, only the echo of glasses clinking. Were they toasting? How deranged. Lorraine’s phone chimed the melody Jordan knew would come eventually. It was dying; he’d been on it all morning.
How long would Ronny wait, Jordan wondered? Quiet muffles and chuckling filled the background. Were they telling stories? John was attempting to sidetrack him as long as possible.
“Jordan?” Jaynee’s voice, barely a whisper, broke him from concentrating on their conversation.
His gaze leveled on her. “Yes, love?” He took her hand in his, as moisture filled his eyes again.
As bad as this day was, in some ways it was also the happiest day of his life. Jaynee was going to be okay, he was confident. And nothing was more important to him now or ever. It was irrelevant if she was pregnant or if she ever became pregnant or if she ever stopped loving him—not that that seemed likely. All that mattered or would ever matter was that she was safe, and he would never stop loving her. He heard the final chord of the phone as it died. He groaned. There was nothing he could do.
Her eyebrows pulled together, and she winced at the pain. “Is everything okay? Are you all right?”
Jordan reached to her face, soothing her forehead.
“Everything is now, Jaynee. I love you so much. Can I kiss you, or will that hurt?”
“Please,” she whispered.
He leaned over her and kissed her as delicately as if she were spun glass, his lips moving softly over her cheekbones. “Oh, God, I love you,” he murmured through kisses. “I missed you so much.” His lips continued along her jaw. “And then this happened. I truly believed I was going to die. I would have—if something happened to you—you are my life, Jaynee.”
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled.
“Don’t apologize. I’m the one who jumped to horrible conclusions. I feel awful, how could I—what was I thinking? You didn’t do anything.” He choked on the awful feelings. How could he have been so ignorant? “You never did anything, and I yelled at you. I got drunk…and almost…” he trailed off hanging his head, not wanting to admit his weakness.
“Shh, Jordan, it’s going to be okay,” she whispered, attempting to comfort him. He didn’t deserve to be comforted.
“Jaynee, I have to tell you something. Nothing happened but still I have to confess. I’d want to know.” He looked deep into her eyes, ashamed. “The night it happened,” somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to say the words, “I was drunk, and I am sorry. Lorraine called, and I asked her to drive me home. She made a pass at me. I swear nothing happened, but…I…it could have…I was so stupid.”
“I know. Lorraine told me.”
Jordan’s eyes widened. “She told you?”
“Yes… I know you didn’t do anything—even drunk.”
“No…I didn’t,” he admitted. “I love you, Jaynee, only you. And I want only you, forever.”
“Forever,” she agreed, smiling, but then her hands went to her head.
“Does it hurt? Do you want me to call the nurse?”
“Yes, but, no. I want to stay awake. I was just realizing my hair…” She whimpered, and her eyes glazed over as the realization hit her fully.
Jordan understood what she was thinking. It was the first thing he noticed when he saw her after surgery. Her long, beautiful hair was gone, but he’d gotten used to it over the last few days.
“Don’t cry. It’ll hurt.” He soothed her forehead with his hands again, tracing her features with his fingers.
“But I’ll be ugly.”
“No, you won’t,” he offered with a chuckle. “You’ll be my G.I. Jaynee.”
Jaynee laughed in spite of herself; it obviously hurt her head and she moaned in reaction.
“You should rest, Jaynee. I’ll call the nurse for more medication.”
“No, Jordan, please. I want to stay awake a little while longer. There was something else I wanted to say.”
His stomach flipped. He wasn’t sure if he wanted any more surprises, though the last one was a good one. He didn’t want to hear about her meeting with Brian, knowing the conversation would have to turn around to him eventually. He still wasn’t thrilled that she hadn’t told him. He hoped he could keep his jealously intact when she mentioned his name. The idea was ridiculous he knew. He had no reason to be jealous…heck even Brian admitted that.
She smiled fractionally. “You look worried.”
He shook his head, attempting a smile but knew it was shallow, and she would see right through him.
“Don’t be. I just wanted to explain the question you asked the other day. What was keeping me so busy that I didn’t have time for my husband,” she repeated his question, looking up at his response as he blanched at her words, ashamed.
“I’m sorry—’’
She cut him off. “Don’t be…I was trying to keep myself unavailable. But, I was busy. I finished my novel, Jordan.”
He looked at her bewildered now…he didn’t actually know she was writing a book only that she wanted to.
“I started writing the story that I told you about when I started college, and as I neared the end, I couldn’t stop. An agent requested my manuscript after receiving my initial query. And guess what?”
“What…?”
“She’s interested, and she wants to represent my book. So, that is what has been keeping me so busy.”
“That’s fantastic,” he exclaimed, holding her head gently between his hands as he kissed her again lightly. “I’m so proud of you and happy you are going to get everything you ever wanted.”
She moved her head slowly back and forth. “I already have everything I ever wanted, Jordan. This is just icing.” She moved her free hand to her stomach. “And now, you’ll have everything you ever wanted too.”
He covered her hand with his. “I already had everything I wanted; I just didn’t realize it. But thank you, this will definitely be icing.”
She smiled and her eyelids drooped as the darkness threatened to take her again. “Jordan,” she murmured through half-shuttered eyes. “You need to get some rest. No offense…but, you look awful. Although, I do like the start of the beard. It reminds me…”
He watched as her eyes closed completely. He was certain she was right about how bad he looked. He’d probably lost ten pounds in the last couple of days. But he wasn’t going anywhere. He laid his head beside hers on the bed and caressed her arms until he was confident she was deep asleep. Then he rested back in the recliner, thinking he could sleep for the first time in days. Len would call him. No news is good news.
Jordan jumped when he was shook awake. His eyes darted around the room expecting danger, but instead he saw Bobby standing over him.
“Hey,” Jordan said confused. “You were supposed to stay with the girls.”
“It’s over, Jordan.” Bobby released a heavy breath. “John called me from the station to pick him up. The detectives demanded he go down and sign an affidavit before releasing h
im.” He paused for Jordan to reflect on his words. “John gave me the complete story on the ride back. What the heck was Ronny thinking? Who would have thought he was capable?” He gestured his astonishment by lifting his large hands in the air.
Jordan caught up with Bobby’s words, relieved to hear at least John was safe but wasn’t sure what happened or what he wanted to have happened to Ronny. He didn’t know how he’d ever face Rachael again.
“What about Ronny…” Jordan asked.
Bobby released a puff of air through his nose. “He’s probably still too drunk to know what’s going on. John explained how he’d called you when he was trying to stall Ronny. He’d asked him if he could have a drink and then offered him one. Before he knew it, Ronny was talking about Rachael, practically crying over her according to John. He kept refilling Ronny’s glass, and he kept accepting. John always could drink anyone under the table. Not that you or I were ever competition for him even when we did drink.”
Jordan nodded in agreement.
Bobby paced around the room. He always looked like a trapped bear. “John said he saw the police surround the house through the back window, but Ronny was too far gone by then to notice. John made eye contact with Len and lifted his glass to explain. Len just laughed according to John. When all was said and done, all John did was open the back door for Len to step inside.” Bobby laughed, but it was a nervous laugh.
Jordan knew what he was thinking. He too wondered how they could have worked and lived beside Ronny and not have known he was capable of such atrocious actions. “Does Rachael know?”
“Yeah…I called her on the way over. I almost feel sorry for Ronny.”
Jordan glowered at his brother-in-law.
“Not for what he’s done,” he quickly explained. “Because of Rachael. She didn’t even care; she was embarrassed more than anything. But not once did she even ask if he was okay. How’s that possible? I’d like to think no matter what I did, no matter how repulsive, Melissa would still have some vestige of concern. And to think, John said he was crying over Rachael.”
Jordan nodded his head. “I guess that makes sense.” He reflected back on how he felt when he thought Jaynee cheated on him or had attempted suicide and still his largest concern was only her safety. He hadn’t cared about what she’d done as much as he worried for her wellbeing, even if it meant losing her. “Still…I could kill him.”
“Me too,” Bobby agreed.
“So…where’s John?” Jordan hissed.
Jordan watched the confusion crease Bobby’s forehead, unmistakably noticing the sneer in his tone as he asked where John was. Apparently, John hadn’t told him everything.
“He had me drop him off at his house; he was in a hurry to get to Lorraine. I wanted to go too, but he asked me to come here instead and let you know what happened. He assured me he’d let us know if anything changed in her condition.”
This news surprised Jordan. If Ronny was in custody, then there was no reason for John to be anxious to see Lorraine, maybe he was just trying to appease Jordan, lessen the beating he was going to get.
Bobby rested his bearlike hand on Jordan’s shoulder. “Why don’t you get cleaned up, eat some real food and get some rest? Jaynee looks as if she’s gonna be out awhile, but I’ll sit with her all night if you want.”
Jordan didn’t like the idea of going home alone and leaving Jaynee. But Bobby was right, and Jaynee had told him he looked awful. It wouldn’t do any good for them to both be sick.
“Okay,” he acquiesced, standing up. “But, can I go to your house instead? It’s a lot closer, and I don’t want to return home alone.” He thought of the mess he probably had to clean up and grimaced. He leaned over Jaynee to kiss her goodnight and then turned to walk out of the room.
“Sure, bro. I’ll call Melissa and tell her you’re on your way.” He paused for a second. “Oh, and, Jordan…” Jordan looked over his shoulder at his giant, but gentle brother-in-law. “It’s safe to go home. When Melissa picked up Boomer, she took care of everything.”
“Thanks, Bobby. You’re the best brother a man could have.” Jordan walked out of the hospital room. Exhausted as he was, he still couldn’t help but feel incredible. His wife was going to be okay, and hopefully soon, he’d be a father. It’d been a rough two months, but in the end, life was good.
Of course, he still had to deal with John. He’d look forward to that little bit of aggression release.
63
Carmen DeSousa
Epilogue
Two weeks after the accident—as Jordan liked to refer to it—Jaynee was out of the hospital, but not before taking a pregnancy test. She was right, of course; she was pregnant. Once again, Jordan felt as if he was the happiest man in the world.
He kept his promise and gave his Captain his two-week resignation to quit the police force. Not willing to leave her side during her recovery though, he took advantage of his comp and vacation days and only showed up on the last morning for a going-away breakfast, consisting of bagels and doughnuts, thrown by his coworkers. Money wasn’t an issue. His construction company was booming, Jaynee had a book deal, which would bring in a little money, and she never let him spend money on her anyway, so they had more than enough savings.
Convicted on two accounts of attempted murder and one account of conspiracy to commit murder, Ronny received the maximum sentence of twenty years in prison, which meant he’d be out in seven to ten. Jordan figured there was no concern though. He knew Ronny didn’t hold a grudge against him or Jaynee. It was Rachael he hated. Jordan was certain when he did get released, he’d hightail it out of the area faster than you could beat a stick. He probably figured Jordan would seek revenge for his crimes against them.
Jordan decided, as sick as it sounded, if Ronny attempted repentance, he’d set him up in another state with enough money to start his own business. Jaynee, obviously, thought he was crazy…maybe he was. But he figured if his Savior could forgive, then so should he.
Jordan also located Brian in Florida through information he received from Len Powe and offered him a deal as well because of his gratitude for protecting Jaynee.
Brian scoffed at Jordan. “I don’t need a handout,” he protested but listened when Jordan assured him he wasn’t about to handover anything, instead, he would offer him an opportunity he’d never received.
Brian was a latchkey kid because his mother worked two jobs to support them, and he had grown up around drug users and the worst society could offer. He’d been in and out of detention homes since he was thirteen. Though Jordan felt there was no excuse for choosing to lead a criminal or immoral life no matter your circumstances, he decided to give Brian a chance to prove, if given the opportunity, he could make something of himself.
Jordan explained to Brian he would not give him money but would pay for his college if he chose to finish.
Reluctantly, Brian agreed; he was shocked but grateful. Jordan never told Jaynee what he did for Brian and was relieved that other than a couple of phone calls of thanks, Brian did not attempt to contact either of them. His last call had been when he was at his four-year mark.
Brian informed Jordan how he had met a girl—“Get this,” he explained to Jordan on the phone, his voice ecstatic. “She’s a preacher’s daughter…she helped me make Christ the center of my life, and we’re planning to be married right after I graduate in the spring.”
Jordan, thrilled by his conversion but apathetic about Brian’s insistence Jaynee and he come to his wedding, promised to consider it objectively. Brian understood and thanked him again for giving him a chance, telling Jordan, he now understood the power of forgiveness and why Jordan offered him this gift.
Because of the time John spent with Lorraine while she was recovering, Jordan never did get an opportunity to deliver the beating he intended.
Then when John confessed his feelings about Lorraine, Jordan couldn’t mess his face up. Instead, the next time they sparred, he held back nothing, and even through the p
ads John wore, he knew he’d have bruises for weeks.
Lorraine’s near-death experience enabled John to realize how he’d always felt about her. Lorraine, however, took a little convincing. She couldn’t comprehend how John was ever going to stop his womanizing. He assured her he could be patient and would prove his love. They’ll celebrate their third wedding anniversary in two months and their son’s first birthday in three.
And today was, as always, Jordan’s favorite day of the week. Though now that he wasn’t a detective anymore, he could sleep in any day. It was Jaynee who woke up at the crack of dawn, but only because she insisted on doing everything.
She spoiled him. So he decided she deserved a little spoiling this morning. He brushed her hair back off her neck and planted tiny kisses down her throat.
“Mmm,” Jaynee murmured.
“Good morning, my love…did you want to sleep in, or can I interest you—”
His words were broke off by a tiny knock and then a whimper behind their bedroom door. “Mommy….” Justin whined. “Johanna won’t share.”
Unfortunately, their four-year-old twins had other ideas for Sunday mornings.
Jaynee tilted her head up toward the door to hear her son. “What is it, Justin…what won’t Johanna share?”
“The remote to the TV,” the little voice answered.
“For the love of—” Jordan started, but Jaynee placed her fingertips over his lips. He continued anyway, “There are three televisions in this house. Don’t make me come out there,” he shouted playfully. They both heard giggling and scampering as the two retreated from their door.
“See,” Jaynee teased. “You can’t say I didn’t warn you.”
He nuzzled his head between her jaw and shoulder. “I know,” he said between kisses.
She giggled as his breath tickled her neck. “But they’re worth it.”
Jordan shrugged and continued his trail of seductive kisses. “Most of the time,” he whispered. “When they don’t interrupt my attempts to spoil you. Where was I?”
She Belongs to Me Page 32
