FlakJacket

by Nichols, A

  “She’s swimming in them. That will change.” Madison tripped in the over-large coat as she tried to check the bottom branches of the fir she had selected for their tree; there was a whistling sound and then a bullet struck the ground behind her, blowing up snow.

  Jordan was out the door, running and tackling her to the ground as a second shot was heard, and a bullet struck the tree. Jordan pulled her into the shelter of the large pines and covered her. Tim had raced out behind him following the trajectory of the bullets, firing a shot. Another bullet found him, and he crumpled to the ground, but rolled to shoot in the direction of the perpetrator again. A cry was heard, and then silence. Another one of Jordan’s men tore around the corner of the house and ran to Tim, rolling him over to check on him. Jordan was on his phone to his perimeter men, and they saw a suspect jump from a wall in the gated community and chased him. He was bleeding, so they hoped to get him.

  Jordan turned Madison over in the snow, cradling her head and whispering, “Madison. Please.” She was struggling to get her breath as he picked her up and carried her inside, calling to his other man to bring Tim. He laid her carefully on one of the two couches in the room, and moved to help get Tim inside.

  “I’ll tend to him. You take care of the witch,” his man said.

  Jordan moved to Madison, unwrapping her from his large coat and looking for blood or wounds of any kind; he pulled his hat from her curls as his hands ran up and down her neck, arms and legs, seeing no wounds. He had knocked the wind completely out of her when he tackled her to the ground. “Come on, baby. Her breathing was less labored. “Open your eyes.” His hands lovingly traced her cheeks and then moved to her hands, placing them between his own and rubbing them to warm them. “Madison?”

  “Tim’s arm has a flesh wound, Sir. I’m going to take him to the hospital just to have it dressed.” Jordan nodded. “How is she?”

  “Madison?” Tim called her name; he was sure that he had failed her yet again.

  A weak voice came out, but her eyelids remained closed. “Tim. You took a bullet for me.” She remembered seeing the vision and hoping that it wouldn’t happen. He was helped to her side, and her hand touched his bloody shoulder softly; a tingling swept through it. Go to the hospital, please?”

  “Yes, ma’am. You take care,” and he was helped out the door to the car, a pressure pad on his shoulder from the first aid kit.

  “See Jordan, Tim listens to me.” Her eyelids finally opened, and her pale eyes focused on him.

  “That’s because he’s half in love with you, I think, and I know what’s that’s like.”

  “But you don’t listen to me.”

  “I’m a tough old bird, and you have to answer to someone, Witch.”

  “You didn’t have to hit me quite so hard. You could have just said, ‘Run, Madison.’ I could have done that.” He tried to smile, but his concern was still evident.

  “Are you going to argue with me?” She shook her head no. “The baby? I hit you pretty hard, so let me check you out more carefully.”

  His hands were moving over her, probing gently as she reassured him. “Your son seems fine; he just kicked me hard. He might like playing soccer.” He could feel his heart slow down and the clutter in his mind clear at her silly words; she was doing it all for him, and he knew it. She seemed to be in one piece.

  “Someone just shot at you.” His voice was like ice.

  “No, someone just shot at you. I was wearing your coat. At a distance, I’m sure the shooter thought he got you.” Jordan digested that thought.

  “Call the doctor. I’m taking you in.”

  She wrinkled her nose, trying to deflect his thinking. “You just don’t want to chop down the Christmas tree, do you?”

  “God, Madison, you could have been killed.”

  Her eyes met his. “But I wasn’t.” She paused and pouted. “And I want a tree.” Jordan gave up, grabbed one of her light jackets, put it on, and wrapped her up securely in a blanket without saying another word. The discussion was over, and she was going to the doctor’s whether she wanted to or not. Why did she think it would be any other way?

  She touched his face. “You’re impossible.”

  “I know.”

  “And I still want a tree.” But this was whispered and sealed with a kiss on his chin. He stopped with her balanced in his arms and finally cracked a smile, lessening the tension. “You’ll have your tree; I got the message.” She had won; as he closed the door behind him, he didn’t miss that soft look.

  CHAPTER 24

  The trip to the doctor’s was uncomplicated. The fall had not hurt the baby; in fact, his heartbeat was strong and his growth was normal. The doctor did say he might come early, in early March, and that shocked Jordan. He was not ready for a child. He could just imagine a one year old running though the great room. The house would have to be baby proofed after it came, and Madison-proofed before his birth. The bruises on Madison’s shoulder and back were minimal, although the doctor thought she might be stiff and sore the next day. She would also have some bruising on her hip.

  Jordan’s heart rate finally settled into a regular cadence, and now his analytical mind turned to finding out who had shot at him. He had received no word as to whether his men had found the shooter. Tim was going to be fine; he had demanded to go home, and the hospital acquiesced. Now the question was: was Jordan the intended victim or was Madison?

  Madison crawled out of the car before Jordan could get to her, earning her a cautionary look. “I’m fine. Really.”

  “I’m cooking dinner. You go and get changed and then lay down until it’s ready. I’ll come and get you, and then we’re going to go and get you a new winter coat and some warmer things.”

  Jordan’s phone chimed as he stood at the stove. The message read:

  The shooter is dead. Gunshot wound to the head at close range. Police involved and want to question you and Tim. Will show them around the grounds and give them the backstory.

  It was time to move Madison out of here until he could make it a safer place to be, and the Christmas holiday and the baby were going to be his reasons for leaving his home. He had another place that his father had willed to him. They could go there. Madison would be reasonable, right? Like hell she would.

  “No. No, I don’t want to leave. My work is here, and I love this place—it’s home.”

  “It’s just for the holidays and a couple of weeks after until I can make this place more secure. You’ll like the new place, too.”

  “No!” She gave him an angry look, and his stance changed. His hands were on his hips, and she knew he meant business, but she had all the decorations bought to decorate this house.

  Then he got her—instead of demanding her obedience, he said, “Please?”

  She glared at him. “We are having a tree and decorations, Jordan. Deal with it.”

  He knew he had won this skirmish, but she had won the war. It looked like Christmas was now on his agenda. “Don’t get used to pushing me around, Macy.”

  He pulled at his tie, trying to decide how to tell her the rest of the news. “Got something to tell me?” she asked. How did she know?

  “Maybe.” Her head tilted. “Possibly.” Now her eyebrows went up. “Yes. I located the three men who abducted you two years ago. Two are in jail and going to trial. The last man is dead; the report came in this morning. You’ll have to testify, but I’ve managed to negotiate a taped examination.” Her face dropped. “We need to take these guys off the streets, Madison. Another woman wouldn’t have made it through what you did.” She finally nodded.

  In the senator’s office, Thomas Hull fumed. Jordan Lassiter hated his guts, and the man had a way of making the people he targeted pay. The witch had woven her spell on him; he was a force to be reckoned with on his own, and with her power behind her, who knew what power they would hold. The baby would soon make its appearance; Thomas wanted that child; he had a prospective buyer for it, a member of Jordan’s own tribe and Jor
dan’s half brother. It was all about the power. He would get what he wanted.

  The door opened, and Senator Houser came in, his hand outstretched. “It’s nice to finally meet you. We’ve had some discussions by phone about the situation, but I think it’s time to act; we’ve been thwarted twice. Three times is a charm. Lassiter is going to move the woman to his winter cabin; we have a guy on the inside. We’ve managed to force him out of his home with that shooting yesterday, just as we planned. But we still have a number of things to put into place.”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “We take the woman, wait until the child is born, and eliminate her. The child will become our property. Of course, Lassiter has to die. It will be made to look like the child died with her. With her gone, the land deals can move forward, and the child will be a gold mine of opportunity, able to be twisted anyway we see fit.”

  “I have a buyer for the baby, if you’re interested.”

  “Maybe.”

  “What about Lassiter’s men? He has a protective force around him; you know that.”

  “Eventually, a bullet will find him, and I’m not sure that they will function without him. I am very upset with the incompetent killers that I’ve hired thus far, but I won’t let that happen again. We plan, and then we execute. No failures, this time, even if I have to pull the damn trigger myself. These deals have been held up long enough.”

  Thomas made his play. “I want the woman for a month or two after the baby is born. I’m entitled to that, and the bitch will be mine before I eliminate her.”

  “That can be arranged, but her child will not be with her. I’m giving it to a wet nurse so the bonds that form between a mother and child aren’t there.” He looked Thomas in the eyes. “You’re not afraid of her powers? I’ve only met her once, and she is a force to be reckoned with. I’d be careful if I were you. I’ll give the child’s sale careful consideration.”

  Thomas hesitated. “She’s just a woman. I almost raped her once. What can she do to me?” But Neville posed the same question to himself, and he was afraid.

  Madison sat in the kitchen, visions flashing through her head in rapid succession. The onslaught was strong, and her face showed her distress. Jordan sat beside her and took her hand. “What is it?”

  “Our son is being threatened. I’ve seen a meeting between Thomas Hull and Neville Houser. They plan to take him.” Her eyes went to his. “And they want us out of this house. They’re manipulating us; that’s what the shooting was about, to make us move.”

  Jordan wondered just how much to tell her. “This move is a trap, Madison. I’ve notified the FBI and the State Department, and we’re going to bait them to come after us. The attempts on your life have made them very interested in the case.” He rubbed his neck. “I’m taking a chance by involving you, but I don’t know how else to do it. This has to stop before our son is born. Are you able to see what will happen?”

  She searched her mind. “No. Not yet. I only know that there is a threat to us from those men, and that they want the child. They cannot have him, Jordan.” She closed her eyes. “They will use him, and I won’t allow that.”

  “The child will be safe, but we need to be extra-careful. The final plans are being set as we speak.

  She said vehemently. “I’m not afraid. I’m tired of running and hiding.”

  “That’s what scares me the most—your lack of fear. You’re going to have to listen to me, Madison. I won’t have time to argue with you when the threat is real. A second’s delay could mean the difference between life and death. I was unable to protect my first child; I couldn’t live if it happened again.”

  She softened. “I can’t see you in my visions; I am too close to you—please don’t take any chances. You are probably hidden from me until you are to play a definitive role. Your son needs his father, and so does his mother.”

  “Noted, Witch.” His voice turned soft. “Let me check out those bruises, again, and let’s practice rolling with you underneath me. I’ll be more gentle since there’s no snow.” He was seductive as sin as he spoke. But his touch said he needed her; she felt it.

  “Jordan.”

  “You talk too much. I need to correct that.” He couldn’t help but remember the question: What man would dare to have the witch under him, to place his body in hers and try to control her. It caused him to smile. Her body was heaven to him.

  He unbuttoned her top, placing kisses as he went. It was easily pushed from her shoulders. “One good turn deserves another,” she said. Her hands slipped to his shoulders and slid down his chest, opening his dress shirt and yanking at his tie. Her blouse hug open as his hands found her full breasts.

  “These are mine. Make sure you tell our son that.”

  “Oh, I will.” His lips found hers in a fleeting kiss.

  Jordan slipped his hands around her to unclasp the bra, allowing her breasts to fall free, as she unknotted his tie and pushed both it, his shirt, and his suit coat from his shoulders; they fell to the floor, allowing her access to his chest and abdomen; she planted butterfly kisses over every square inch of them. Her hands remained busy, unbuckling his belt and then unbuttoning his dress slacks; her small hands crept under his briefs to caress his growing length. His hands pushed at her maternity jeans and panties as his body jerked at the feel of her firm hands on him. He skirted the stomach that housed his son with his fingertips. Both toed off shoes and stepped out of the superfluous garments, laughing as they did so. But the laughing ceased as he looked deeply into her eyes, holding her face with his hands. “Let’s take this to the bedroom.”

  “On your hands and knees. I don’t want my son between us when I take you.” He helped her onto the bed, positioned a pillow under her, and then his mouth was busy on her; he helped her upper torso to the bed as he twisted her nipples to her loud sigh. “They’re sensitive, aren’t they?” She nodded as his hands moved over her abdomen and into her weeping opening. “You’re ready for me.” She pushed back against him, but he stilled her movement. “My play, Witch. You need to cooperate.”

  “I want to touch you Jordan.” He smiled, but continued his own play on her very receptive body.

  “I know.” He pushed into her to her surprised cry, entering just part way. “Now you’re touching me.”

  “More, please?”

  “You ask so nicely. His hands never stopped their play on her body, nor did his kisses on her back and ass. Then his body was over hers, and he pushed deeply inside her to her gasp, holding only a second to allow it to adjust to him. “Mine. I will protect what is mine.”

  CHAPTER 25

  Jordan finished putting the cases in the car as Madison buckled herself in for their trip to the ‘cabin’ as Jordan called it. There was a carful of his men in front of them, and another, behind them. Jordan was taking no chances. He had cancelled all of her work for the next two weeks and checked in with her doctor about her leaving the state. All was a go. And yet, Jordan was unsettled. The FBI had vetted the place and had moved men in to secure all the land around it. But it was still a risk that Jordan wished he didn’t have to take. He rounded the car and climbed in. “Ready?”

  “Did you pack the Christmas stuff?”

  He smiled in an amused way. “Yes, I did. I haven’t celebrated Christmas in years.”

  “Then I’m ready.” She turned up her nose at him. “You’re going to love Christmas, Jordan.

  They pulled into the rustic cabin without incident. Jordan could find no sign of the surveillance team around them; that was good. His own men were staying in the other cabin on the property, and he set up a perimeter detail and began the round robin that would protect Madison. Tim had demanded to be on the detail much to Jordan’s dismay. The man needed to rest, but he would have none of that.

  The police had notified him that the case of his assailant was done, so he felt better. Things could be falling into place. He carried their things in as Madison went exploring through the place like a small child
. It was small, but it had everything they needed, and her eyes lit up with the thought of decorating it. “This is lovely, Jordan.” There was a huge fireplace that took up one wall, and large, cushioned seats and couches before it. Colorful rugs covered the floors, and a modern, out of place kitchen made meals a breeze. The hallway boasted three bedrooms and two baths, one off the master suite, and one shared between the other bedrooms. There was a reading room with a billiard table that she planned to try as soon as she could. She wasn’t very good at pool; she bet that Jordan would be a whiz at it.

  The wrap around porch overlooked forests and a small pond that was covered in ice. She wondered if Jordan could ice skate. She could, and she determined she would be out on it without his knowledge at some point. He tried to stay his hand, but his protectiveness just wouldn’t be corralled. Her safety meant everything to him, and the death of his first child made that an understandable thing. Someday, she would push him too far—she knew that. She had seen him angry, but never furious, and Tim had told her that she didn’t ever want to see him that way. She would pay a price.

  Within two days, the place had been transformed into a Christmas wonderland with lights and wrapped packages. Madison had found the perfect tree for Jordan to cut and drag into the cabin. Now it had twinkling lights and ornaments on it and wide ribbon wrapped around it; it was a sight to behold. Jordan couldn’t remember a prettier tree. He took pictures of the place on his phone; he had no idea why he did that, but it seemed like the right thing to do.

  He had taken her shopping in the next town, making sure that Tim was with her at all times when he wasn’t. He had some shopping to do of his own. She came home loaded with gifts. She must have bought out the whole store; Jordan laughed at her expression when he played hardball with her about her spending, but he couldn’t keep a straight face. She pummeled him for his trick. She was making him permanently happy—an unknown feeling for him. He had always been serious and reserved.