by Iris Bolling
It was then Monique who was surprised. “You’re Roc,” she said unbelieving.
“I am,” Roc replied with a smirk.
“Ha,” Monique laughed and looked at Joshua. “Ha, I’ll be damned,” she nodded her head in acceptance. “Well, all right then.” She looked Roc up and down. “I’m not even mad at you.”
Roc laughed. “Glad to hear it.”
“Okay, can we get this mutual admiration moment over so we can get down to the reason we are here,” Joshua huffed.
“Is he on his period or something?” Monique asked.
Al had to smile at his daughter. “He does seem a little touchy, doesn’t he?”
“Melissa Sue is in the back.” Ryan nodded as she smiled at Joshua. “It’s good to have you home.”
“How is she?”
“Beaten,” Al frowned as everyone followed him down the hallway.
Joshua stopped when he reached the doorway. The tall leggy blonde was beaten beyond recognition. “What are the doctors saying? Will she make it?”
Al nodded. “Monique pulled her out in time.”
“They didn’t want to kill her, just extract information,” Monique shook her head as she spoke.
“Our military did that?” Roc asked.
“No, they weren’t military. They were mercenaries.”
“Jonas Gary?” Joshua asked.
“That was one of the names,” Monique replied, “but before I pulled Melissa Sue out a call was made to someone named Holt.”
“Holt? What did you find out about him?” Joshua asked.
“Nothing,” Monique shook her head. “But I know the men who made the call are supposed to meet up with him in D.C. and I have the cell phone number the call was made from.”
“We can get coordinates on that number and track the person who made the call.” Roc offered.
“Good,” Joshua looked at Melissa Sue again. She was there because she helped him. Whoever did that to her was going to pay. “Send me the number. I’ll track it down.” He saw Monique’s expression change. She clearly wanted to stay on this leg of the case. Joshua shook his head. “I need you to find Ned.”
Monique hesitated, then pulled out her cell. “Where’s your device?”
Joshua turned to Al. “I need a secure means to communicate. Sally has been compromised.”
“Done,” Al turned to Ryan and nodded.
Al watched his wife walk down the hallway. Damn if she wasn’t as sassy as ever. He turned back. “Are you in any condition to be tracking down people?” He asked as he gave Joshua a once over.
“I’ll be with him,” Roc responded.
“Are you any good?”
“She’s the best,” Joshua replied, with a smirk, then walked off.
“Pissed at you, because you’re not a man,” Monique quipped.
“Is he ever.” All Roc could do was shake her head and follow him.
Washington DC
The phone was traced to an apartment building in Southeast D.C. Joshua and Roc sat outside the building watching.
“How do you want to handle this?” Roc asked.
Joshua looked over at her and smiled. “We’re going to walk through the front door.”
“I’m cool with that, but can you handle it?”
“I can handle my own,” Joshua mumbled as he got out of the vehicle. Why did her questioning his abilities piss him off? Hell, he was injured and her question was legit. For some reason, it pissed him off coming from her.
“Under normal conditions, I have no doubt that you could handle whatever.” Roc explained as she jumped out of the vehicle to follow him. “However, under the circumstances, it may be better if you let me handle this one.”
They reached the door. “I said, I got this.”
“Joshua, don’t allow your pride to put your behind in jeopardy.”
“I got this,” he snapped.
The door opened and a huge bull of a man stood there. “What do you want?” He all but hollered at them.”
Roc put her hands up in surrender, then leaned against the wall with one leg crossed over the other and her arms folded against her chest. Her stance seemed relaxed, but she was ready to jump in if either of the other goons in the room decided to help their friend. Besides, she knew one punch to his left side and Joshua would be down for the count. But there were times when you had to let a man be a man, no matter how stupid it was.
The first punch Joshua landed was solid, not bad, the second decent, but when he tried to lift his left leg for a kick to the man’s mid-section, the impact was weak. They were going to have to work on that, Roc thought. The man was able to recover sooner than Joshua expected, landing an upper cut into his midsection. That knocked the wind out of him. The man then kicked him, where…in the left side. The impact was so powerful it knocked him to the floor, propelling his body backwards until he landed right at her feet.
Roc looked down. “Is it all right if I get a little piece of this action?”
All Joshua could do was close his eyes and moan. Just as he did, the man came over to grab Joshua off the floor.
“Not this one,” Roc kicked her leg out behind the man’s knees, knocking him to the ground. Before he could recover, she punched him in the windpipe with her fist. One of the other men saw his friend was down and took a step towards her. Before he made the second step, she pulled a small round object from her pocket, with spikes on the end, out of her pocket and flung it at him. It landed in the middle of his forehead as if it was a third eye. The last man decided he was not taking any chances. He pulled his gun. Unfortunately, her trigger finger was faster. Her Glock was smoking, before the man realized she had shot the gun out of his hand. The man grabbed his hand, singing in soprano.
Roc walked over, grabbed the man by the neck, pushing him against the wall. “I don’t have a lot of time. So I’m going to ask this question one time.” She put emphasis on the words one time, by putting one finger in his face. “Where can I find Holt?” She applied more pressure to the man’s neck while he was still screaming about his hand. “One time,” she raised a brow as she spoke. When she was certain her meaning was understood, she began to release the pressure from the man’s neck.
“Text number,” the man whined. “All I have is a phone with a text number.”
“May I have the phone, please?” Roc asked in the sweetest way. The man pulled the cell phone from his pocket with his bloody hand and looked at her as if she was crazy. “Thank you,” Roc said, then punched the man, knocking him out. As the man fell to the floor, she turned back to Joshua, who was now standing and smiled. “We now have a lead to Holt.”
Joshua said nothing, but the look in his eyes spoke volumes. He turned and walked out. Roc closed her eyes and exhaled. “Men and their pride.” She blew out a deep breath then followed him out the door.
When she stepped outside, she fully expected him and the car to be gone. But he was sitting inside. She opened the door, sliding into the passenger seat and the moment the door closed he pulled off. Sensing the last thing he wanted to talk about would be the confrontation, she decided to start with the business at hand.
“Now that we have a means, should we contact this Holt guy?” A few seconds went by, no reply. She watched as he merged onto the highway. Traffic was backed up, as always. She tried again. “We could have Lucy put a trace on the cell, give Holt a call and pick up his location that way.” Seconds went by, nothing. It was a rare occurrence, but her temper was about to show its ugly head. For three days she had done all she could to help this man to heal. Her mission was rescue and recovery. That meant that she wasn’t finished until Absolute was back to his full capabilities. He had to be able to protect himself in combat. Absolute at half strength was an imposing man. However, her job was to get him back to his full strength and that’s what she was going to do whether he liked it or not. Rather then stoop to his level of stupidity, Roc decided to take the high road and let him have his moment. She started singing, If Thi
s World Were Mine, Tammy and Marvin’s version.
When they reached the house, Joshua stomped into the kitchen, slamming the door behind him. Lucy looked up, with her thin black reading glasses perched on the tip of her nose, as he stormed by her. “Where’s Roc?” She asked to his back, she looked over at Commando. The dog put his paw over his eyes as if to say, I’m staying out of this. The sound of the door opening caused her to turn. “Hey,” She said to Roc as she walked in, then nodded her head towards the now empty space where Joshua stormed through seconds ago. “What’s up with him?”
Commando ran over to Roc and barked. Roc smiled and rubbed him behind the ears. “Hey man,” She said to Commando then looked up at Lucy. “He’s a little upset,” Roc said as she pulled out the cell and gave it to Lucy. Do you think you can trace the calls off this and get a possible location on this guy Holt?”
“Who is he?”
“I don’t know, but he’s involved in this conspiracy. I’m sure of it.” She looked at Commando. Not in the mood to be questioned more by Lucy, Roc turned to Commando. “You want to check the perimeter with me?”
Commando barked. Roc smiled. “Okay man,” she grabbed his ball from the corner and a flashlight. “Let’s go.”
After walking the perimeter, Roc decided to check on Joshua. She knocked lightly on his door. There was no answer. She cracked the door and Commando pushed it the rest of the way with his nose. “I’m going to tell him you opened that door.”
Commando looked back over his shoulder as though to say, and what? Roc smiled and walked tentatively into the room. Roc stopped at the sitting area of his bedroom, which was furnished in burgundy with a leather sofa, recliner and a table. A large flat screen television was on. She followed the wall to her left, to the doorway leading into his sleeping quarters. She hesitated, until Commando came back to the door and looked at her as if to say what are you waiting for an invitation? She frowned at the dog, then he turned and walked back into the room. Roc walked over to the door and peeked in. “Joshua,” she quietly called out. If he was already asleep she did not want to disturb him. The room was semi dark, but she could see Commando was getting comfortable at the foot of the bed.
“What do you want?”
Joshua was standing in the doorway of the shower. A towel wrapped around his waist and one in his hand. Why did he look more dangerous unclothed then he did fully dressed? “I came to close the wound that was opened tonight.”
“I’m good.” Roc stood there staring at him. “I think I’m man enough to take a shower, if not for anything else.”
Roc wasn’t going to play into his self-pity. “The wound is on your back. It would be difficult for you to reach. I need to close it again. Why don’t you lay on the bed, I’ll close the wound, then I’ll be out of your hair for the night.”
Joshua knew the wound had to be closed. But the thought of this woman seeing him as less than a man bothered him. He was sure Samuel was never this weak around her. He hated the fact that she made him feel inferior. He knew he could handle himself and protect her if need be. He just hadn’t been able to show her that. He pulled the towel off, threw it to the side, then laid on his stomach across the bed.
Roc walked over to the bed and just as she thought, the kick to his side had opened the wound. She walked into the bathroom and washed her hands. She then opened her kit, put on plastic gloves, and assessed the damage. It wasn’t bad. His body had begun healing well. “I’m going to replace the dressing, then bandage you back up.”
He didn’t reply. The way he was positioned across the bed, made it difficult to reach the wound. Asking him to move was out of the question. She was lucky he was allowing her to do this much. The ideal position would be to straddle him, but…what the hell. She did just that. Getting comfortable, she placed her kit next to her and began singing, Natalie Cole’s version of Inseparable. She had no idea why that song come to mind, but it did and it calmed her nerves as she began working.
Now she was in his personal space, and it felt strange, but nice. Her touch was more like a caress, than a rub. Her fingers were small and gentle. When she touched him before, she reminded him of his mother. Not this time. This time her touch was smooth, soft, sensual. Each stroke was like a tender, healing caress, reaching down into his soul. Then there was her voice, the tempo of her voice accentuated the rhythm of her hands and he found himself drifting. He felt the moment, she slowly eased off of him, for he missed the warmth of her closeness. She must have thought he had drifted off to sleep.
“I’m usually pretty friendly, especially with women. Circumstances changed that.” His voice was low and humble. “I want my life back.”
His words almost brought her to tears. “Your wish is my command.” She put the cover over him, then walked to the door. She found herself pausing.
“Thank you.”
She smiled and walked out of the room.
Chapter Fifteen
Washington, D.C.
Day Four
The next morning, before sunrise, Roc had Joshua out running with Commando. The trio ran along the Potomac River, which bordered one side of his property. They stopped frequently to allow him to catch his breath, but she had him right back up to complete the five miles. Afterwards they hit his gym, and he felt like he asked Satan to bring him back to life.
“Okay what’s your preferred training method?”
“Fencing,” he grinned.
“Why?”
“It takes finesse, precision, and a touch of class to fence.”
“Foil, épée or saber?”
“You know a little bit about fencing,” he grinned as he stood and opened a cabinet on the wall. “Saber, of course.”
“The gentlemen of the round table preferred swords.” Roc stepped forward as he handed her a saber. “In the eighteenth century, the sword was symbolic of liberty. It represents liberty and strength.” She circled swishing the saber through the air, as she took the battle stance. “The sword was often used as a symbol of the word of God. It reflected the high prestige and wealth of the owner.”
“It’s a shame the weapon is only used in ceremonies,” he said as he took his stance. “This is the one form of battle that separates the men from the boys.” They both bowed, then saluted each other. “Engarde” The battle began. “You see the role of a gentlemen in the time of London societies, with the balls and aristocracy always intrigued me. Specifically, the monarchies, where titles and knighthoods were given.”
The battle pressed on. “I take it you would have been a knight of the highest honor. A prince, oh no, wait, a king.”
“No, I would have been a duke, in search of a duchess worthy of my status in life. The kings would call upon me when they were in need of defense of those who where weaker. Then all the maidens of the land would be at my feet bidding to do my will.”
“Then you concede you are less than a king.”
“I concede nothing.”
“It is you who need to concede to me,” he grinned.
“I’m listening,” the battle became intense, for neither was giving the other a clear victory.
“You will concede that I am the more capable and you are merely a female, albeit a fine one, playing at being superior. And at some point, you too will be at my feet bowing to my superiority. For I am a man. God put us here to rule. He put women here to bear children.”
The statement pissed Roc off. The hell with men and their pride. The battle raged on, with the sabers swishing through the air.
“I will concede nothing until you concede that you, Joshua, are not a king, but a king maker.”
The statement caught him off guard, for it was the very thing his mother had said to him. Roc, lunged, knocking him to the floor. She stood over him. ”Until you can stop me from knocking you on your behind, I am superior."
Roc dropped the saber on the floor next to him. “Prove me wrong and I’ll be out of your hair and on my way to my nice simple life, waiting to bear a worthy man’s chil
dren.” She turned and walked out of the room. She had reached the room her clothes were in, when she realized, she had lost her cool. That was something she never did and over a man who is arrogant, egotistical and a royal pain in the ass. For the life of her she could not figure out why in the hell she was falling in love with him.
❖❖❖
Royce sat on a bench on the outskirts of the National Mall. People were moving about doing the things that most people took for granted, just enjoying life. As the head of Homeland Security, he knew there was a price to pay everyday for that freedom. There were those who were living the American dream, the one that promises life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Then there were others, like the man digging through the garbage can behind him, who dedicated their lives to making that dream possible.
“Is Absolute safe?”
Royce never looked over his shoulder to acknowledge the man, he continued to read from his tablet. “Battered, but home.”
“Safe home compromised.”
“Destroyed?”
“Affirmative.”
“You?”
“Pissed. My system was infiltrated.”
“Looking for?”
“Absolute.”
“Any leads?”
“Level four clearance.”
The response put Royce on edge. “Four?”
“I’ll be in touch. ” With that, the man stumbled away.
❖❖❖
Joshua was sitting at his kitchen table having his breakfast when Roc walked in dressed in jeans, a sweater, and flat black boots. She looked simple, sweet… good. That was something he had not noticed before. She didn’t wear high heels, makeup, jewelry, the girly things like Monique or some of the other women he knew. She kept things simple and she still looked good. It suddenly hit him that he liked simple.
He knew he had offended her with his superiority talk. In truth he was joking, but she didn’t know that because she’d never had the Absolute experience. She’d only known the wounded Joshua. It was time for her to be graced with all of him. Not as a way to seduce her, he told himself. Just as a way for her to see another aspect of him. Before he could even say good morning, Lucy walked into the room.
