FlakJacket

by Nichols, A

  “Let’s make sure it happens. I’ll make you scream louder,” and the tension on her hair increased, pulling her backwards to him and arching her body as he thrust into her again, reaching deeply and hitting bundles of nerves along the way.

  Her body closed around him, her need at its peak, and Jordan’s hand barely covered her mouth before she screamed his name as her climax slammed into her, drawing his forth as well. He flooded her with his seed, holding her tightly to him as he pulsed into her. It was life affirming for him.

  They lay that way for some time, he still in her, his body covering hers. Her soft voice caught him: “I think everything is in working order, Jordan.” Her sweet voice taunted him from beneath his hot body. He pulled out of her and turned her, laying her out again like a feast for a king.

  “I’m the only one who knows this body, and I’m going to keep it that way.” She reached up to nuzzle his chin and then reached higher for his mouth, nipping at him. Her full-on kiss nearly blew him away.

  “I think I’m up to another round if your old body can take it.” She mused as her fingers traced the scar that marred his chest and heat reigned where her fingers had been. “God, Jordan. You could have died.”

  He licked her breast in response and placed her whole areola in his mouth, sucking and tugging on it to her surprised cry. “But I didn’t.” Witch. He determined to know every inch of her and to keep her safe, and he started his seduction of her body all over again. He had never felt so alive or so protective. But he still was not in love with her; he was sure of that.

  Jordan was back at work in the next week, his hours curtailed by an overbearing staff and an even more intimidating woman. Tim hovered around the sitting room, waiting for Jordan; he had been told to meet him there wondering what the boss was up to now.

  “All right. Who’s going to tell me what is going on here?” Madison swept into the room.

  Jordan came out putting on his suit jacket, as he turned to her, ready for battle. “I’m going to see Neville Houser. I have an appointment.” Her whole body went on alert as Jordan prepared to leave with Tim.

  “Oh good,” she said sweetly. “Then I’m going with you. I just need to change.”

  “Madison, no. I don’t want you to come.”

  “Oh well, that’s good then. I don’t want you to go. We can just stay here.” She had drawn the battle lines. He closed his mouth in a stubborn line as he surveyed her jeans and maternity top.

  “Five minutes, Witch. That’s all you get.” Tim put down his head so that Jordan wouldn’t see the smile that crossed his face. The boss’s woman had his number, that’s for sure. “You better not be laughing at me, Tim.”

  Tim straightened his face and looked up. “Now why would I do that, sir?”

  Jordan crossed to him, his eyes suddenly sincere and his voice low. “I owe you. If anything happens to me, you need to keep them both safe. I’ve set up funds for just that should it happen; my lawyer will be in touch with you to go over the documents. Madison doesn’t need to know.”

  Tim nodded. “But it isn’t going to happen, sir.” He looked up to see Madison floating down the stairs in a short, empire waist maternity dress, her legs in matching leggings. Her baby bump was barely visible, but Jordan’s eyes were on it.

  “You’re wearing that? Isn’t it a little short for winter?” She grimaced with a look in her eyes that said he’d better deal with it. He pursed his lips but kept his dismay contained. “Don’t bend over. You’ll be able to see right up it.” He added, ”The legs are great though.’ Then he helped her on with her coat. There was a threat of snow in the air.

  “Thank you, Mr. Lassiter. You can make sure that I don’t bend over.” She went out the door. Jordan looked at Tim, shook his head and followed her. “Hey. You need a hat!”

  CHAPTER 20

  The meeting was set for Neville Houser in his Senate office. Jordan took the steps, two at a time while holding onto Madison’s hand. She skipped to keep up. Her eyes fell on a particular section of the steps, and she pulled him to a stop. He looked back. “What?”

  “This is where it happened. You fell right here.” She stooped and touched her hand to the step, and she was within inches of the spot where he had fallen. He looked at her as he helped her up. She went on. “I want to say this before we go in. I think you were the target that day, not the Jordanian minister. A flash came before her eyes and she saw the minister shaking hands with the Senator. “Jordan. He’s in on it—your ambassador is part of the problem. He’s sold his country out.”

  “You’ve seen it.” She nodded. “You were the one who was to die. It was an ambush, but it was to be yours. Senator Houser wanted you dead.” Jordan processed her words and knew she was right. She went on. “Why didn’t you have your bulletproof vest that day?”

  His mind went back to his final meeting with his men in the embassy. When he reached for the protective vest, it was gone. He assumed he had forgotten it in his haste to get to the Capitol, but he thought he had taken it with him. Someone had moved it intentionally. Her eyes caught his in warning, and he saw the fear in them. “Forewarned in forearmed, Madison. I will just have to be more careful, and I will. I promise you.” The fear didn’t diminish, so he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer. “Remember, no bending in the office, and keep your feet flat on the floor; no crossing your knees.” She couldn’t believe he was more worried about men seeing her body than about his own safety.

  Tim said in some trepidation. “I have a weapon with me, sir. I thought I should tell you.”

  “I’m not sure we’ll get it through the surveillance cameras and X-ray machines.” Tim coughed.

  “It’s a pen, sir, and they’ll never catch it. In addition, I have a camera and microphone on me to record this meeting. I didn’t tell you, so you have no knowledge of it.” Jordan smiled and nodded.

  “None at all.”

  They walked into the building to give their names to the greeters and the minders, and then they were escorted up the stairs to the Senator’s office. “Stay close to me,” was Jordan’s last growled warning. “I mean it.” Witch. She lowered her eyes and smiled. The baby chose that minute to kick her hard.

  She whispered to her stomach, “No ganging up on me with your father.” Jordan heard her and smiled.

  Neville stood to greet his visitors. Damn, the woman was beautiful. Why had no one told him how gorgeous she was; ah, and she was obviously pregnant. He speculated on what he had heard about this child’s abilities to see the future. There were rumors everywhere about her as well, and he felt vaguely uncomfortable with her eyes on him. She, too, was supposed to have insight, and he certainly didn’t want her looking too closely at his life. He straightened his tie. “Let me take your coats.”

  He knew the man who walked by her side by reputation, a man of his word and on the right side of the law. That was too bad; he could have used a man like him in his ranks. Jordan Lassiter shouldn’t even be here; he should have died on the capitol steps. “Mr. Lassiter. How nice to finally meet you. You’re looking well after your attack. And this must be Ms. Kelly. It’s a pleasure.” He took her hand and felt a bolt of lightning go up his arm, causing him to almost pull his hand from hers. He couldn’t meet her pale blues eyes. She unnerved him. Jordan introduced Tim as a member of his staff, and the four of them sat down. Madison made herself comfortable, her mind probing his.

  “What brings you to my office?”

  “I understand you are planning on calling Miss Kelly to your committee hearing to have her testify about her work with the Jordanian refugees. If that is true, you need to give it some additional thought. She has been the target of the opponents of the refugee crisis for some time. For you to bring her into a situation where she is vulnerable to an open verbal attack is not acceptable to me.”

  The senator played for time. “What is your relationship, if I may ask?”

  “I am her close protection. I’m sure you know that I was shot on the Cap
itol steps protecting the Ambassador of Agriculture of Jordan. But I suspect that you and he have a business arrangement on the side that precludes your acting in American’s behalf on this crisis.” Neville pushed back in his chair, stung by the accusation. He corralled his expression as he sought to get the details.

  “So you are asking for what?”

  “I ask for nothing; I am telling you to back off Miss Kelly and to cancel any thoughts of having her appear before your committee until this baby is born.”

  “And if I can’t do that?”

  “Then I’m afraid additional information will come out about the treaties you are trying to make in Jordan. I am of Jordanian descent; I have close ties to my land of birth, and access to documents that you really wouldn’t want to be shared. There are a number of anomalies that would be immediately examined.” He paused. “Madison carries my child, and I will not have her under any stress.” His voice was hard.

  Neville swallowed; so the man wanted a trade—his pregnant girlfriend for silence on the treaties. Could Jordan do what he said he could? “I can look into the situation to see if it can be pushed down the road.”

  “I want it cancelled altogether for the time being. I think that would be a wise move on your part.” Jordan stood indicating the meeting was over, picking up Madison’s coat to help her on with it. “Be very careful with whom you associate. Your name was connected to the last protest of Madison in Virginia. I know you will want your stellar reputation to be safeguarded at all costs. You look like a smart businessman, but I have to question some of your associates. I’m good at making connections and seeing that they stick. Thank you for the meeting.”

  Madison’s mouth fell open at the covert threat Jordan had given to Senator Houser. “You have my number.” Jordan turned and ushered her out of the office, grabbing their coats as he did so. Always the gentleman, she thought; like hell—always the man in charge. She wanted to look back to see the Senator’s face, but she restrained herself.

  Jordan’s look was icy, but she knew he was right as an image flashed in her sight—the senator meeting with the Ambassador for Agriculture in Jordan. She saw an exchange of a large sum of money and two of the ruling heads of the tribes in Jordan. She saw a contract with the date April 5 circled. She would have to tell Jordan about the contract and the date. He took her hand once he was outside the office door, urging Tim to stand at her other side. They exited the building quickly; only then did Tim relax.

  “Remember the date of April 5th. It’s involved with the land deal and the Senator. It was a contract that I saw.” Jordan nodded. He no longer questioned her visions.

  Neville ripped up the subpoena papers in his hand; he couldn’t take a chance. And, there was a child who might prove to be worth more than any land deal he could make.

  “What did you think,” Jordan asked Tim.

  “He’s guilty as hell, sir, and if I were you, I’d watch my back.”

  “Time to have some fun with the Senator, I think.” Jordan squeezed Madison’s hand. “Did I ever tell you that you have beautiful legs?” She colored a beautiful shade of pink.

  CHAPTER 21

  The next few months saw Madison’s appearances slowing as she needed her strength for the child. There was no summons to the Senate committee. Jordan was back to work full time and dividing his time between his clients and her. When he was unavailable, Tim was with her. Things were coming to a head, and Madison could sense an upheaval in their lives. Snow hit the area in late November, and Myrna had her baby in the first week of December, a little girl. Jordan knew that spring would bring his own child and he wasn’t anywhere near ready for that event.

  Madison had entertained the young woman from the hospital whom she had seen when Jordan was ill. Her little girl was doing just fine. The woman told her that she had not been given any hope for the child at the hospital, but Madison had changed all that. She just wanted to say thank you. Madison gave her a hug, as the young woman said, “You are truly the ‘white witch’, and your child will be amazing.”

  On a weekend morning in late December, Jordan rose early and kissed her softly, telling her he had to go to work. She was barely awake and not functioning, her child very active now and disturbing her sleep. He promised he would return by the end of the day and urged her to rest. He leaned to kiss her stomach, and the child kicked him. “What in the hell was that?”

  Madison answered sleepily, “A foot or a hand. My guess is a foot.” Jordan put his hand on her stomach again and watched and waited. He was sharply kicked again, seeing her flesh actually move with the hit. “Damn. That’s so neat.”

  He tied his tie as he left the room, meeting two of his men in the living area. He put his bulletproof vest on and the three men sat down to plan the mission. “We take this man first.” Jordan looked at the picture of one of the men who had abducted Madison two years ago. It had taken him some time to track him down, but he had him now. He motioned for Tim to take up the close protection of Madison, and the three men exited the house, all riding in the same car.

  “He’s wanted by the Feds, Jordan. Are we turning him over to them when we’re done?”

  “Why not?”

  They pulled down a back alley to an old apartment building in a seedy side of town. The man was a paid henchman for the highest bidder. Jordan and Jim took the front entrance while Dave took the back to make sure he couldn’t escape. They moved as a team, quietly to the third floor, to room 311. Jordan waited until Jim was ready, and then he knocked on the door. There was some shuffling, and an overweight man pulled open the door, standing in his jeans and T-shirt. “What?”

  Jordan punched him in the stomach and pushed through the door. They had him. Before the guy could get his breath and get up, Jim had him on his stomach and had his hands tied behind him.

  “What the hell are you doing to me? Who are you? What do you want?”

  Jordan pulled his face up to his and said, “I want you. He held the picture of the man up for him to see, and the man stilled. “If you make any noise, you’re going to have a few broken ribs. Do we understand each other?” Jordan’s training in his native country was deadly as to wounds on the body that would not kill but would really cause pain. The man nodded, and Dave came in the door to help Jim pull the man to his feet.

  “What can I do for you?”

  “I need information on a woman. You abducted her two years ago, and she almost died at your hands. Her name was Madison Kelly.” The man involuntarily flinched. “I see you remember her.”

  “I do. She was a known witch with unlimited powers if you talked to them Jordanians. Dead people walked again because of her, and she feels no pain. She’s a legend there.”

  “I want the whole story, every fucking fact, and I want the names of everyone involved in that abduction. Then I’ll decide what to do with you.” Jordan’s voice was filled with venom.

  “Who are you?”

  “Someone with Ms. Kelly’s interests at heart.”

  They sat him on the kitchen chair, tying him tightly to the back. His feet were also tied to the bottom rungs. “How did you find me?”

  “I knew where to look. If you would disappear from here, would anyone notice?” The threat was clear; Jordan’s voice both seared and frightened him.

  “What happens to me if I talk?”

  “That depends on what you tell me and how accurate you are with your details.” The man being interrogated swallowed hard. Jim pulled out his gun, and the man noted the silencer on it.

  It was pointed directly at him. “Maybe a few holes in your body and some fresh blood will help you remember.”

  “I’d rather use a knife. You know how good I am with a knife.” said Jordan.

  “Wait. Wait. It was just a job, and our money got cut because the deal didn’t go through. I’m not dying for any of them bastards.”

  “I suggest you talk, then.”

  He began to ramble. “This might sound crazy to you, but the woman we abducted
back then was supposed to be the white witch. She was well known in Jordan for touching people and healing them. It was said she was whipped, her skin hanging in strips, and she never cried. She had some power, that’s for sure. Couple that with the story of her going to bear a child with mystical powers, and every man in that country was interested in her. She was a redhead, beautiful with pale blue eyes, and she inspired great fear in those men. Can you imagine any guy daring to sleep with her, taking her body?

  Both men looked at Jordan. He chewed his lip.

  “One of the crown princes got wind of her, and he wanted her. His name never came to us. We was just to pick her up and ship her out to him; we was to get a hefty reward for snatching her. None of the prince’s guys would do it because of her powers, but my buddies and I weren’t afraid of her. We were given the name of some Americans here who would set the whole deal up. They would point her out, and we would take her to an appointed place; we’d be met, more money would be exchanged, and off she would go to her new home in a crown prince’s palace. She was going to be one lucky bitch.

  “I want the names of these people. NOW.” Jordan almost growled the comment.

  One was a senator Hauser or Hill or something, and the other a big real estate developer named Hull. I got the names written down here somewhere.”

  Go on.”

  “We were sent to the rich guy’s party. He was in on it, too, from what I could gather. Never got his name. She was with some girlfriends, dancing and having fun. She didn’t look much like a witch, but you know how these tribal people are—they’re into all that garbage. I put some pills into her drink when she wasn’t looking to get her out of the party so we could transport her. That’s when everything went wrong.” He took a breath. “She didn’t pass out like she should have, so I kept putting more and more crap in her drink. I was to use the date rape drug on the American people’s say so ‘cause they wanted people to think that’s what she had been taken for–to be raped or sold into white slavery. I think it had something to do with ‘besmirching her name’. Have no clue what that means. The damn woman wouldn’t pass out, no matter what I did.