by Kelly Goode
Sheridan looked down at his communicator again.
‘I have to go,’ he said, signalling an end to the conversation. ‘Be careful, Lydia. You might have won the battle today, but the war isn’t over.’
52
Jonah paced uneasily back and forth across his office like a caged animal in the zoo. The only thing on his mind was Lydia and how he shouldn’t have listened to her when she’d told him to go. He’d spent the last few hours sifting through the information he’d stolen from Doctor Malone’s files as a distraction. There were plenty of references to mixing human and jaktten DNA and several formulas that were beyond his scientific capabilities, but nothing explained how Lydia had managed to shift into a jaktten and not a hideous hybrid.
Jonah’s phone beeped for an incoming call and he slowed his pace to answer. The caller ID displayed Philip Carmichael’s details and he sighed. This was a conversation he’d been hoping to avoid, but one he couldn’t put off.
‘Our business was a one-time deal, Mr Carmichael,’ he said, not bothering to distort his voice this time. ‘I don’t have time to take on any new clients at the moment.’
‘Business! What business? I don’t know what bullshit scam you are trying to pull, but when I pay for information, I expect to receive it.’
Jonah sat down behind his desk. ‘Didn’t you receive the envelope from my courier?’
‘Yes, but-’
‘No buts, you asked for information and I provided it.’
‘You sent me a blank file and a warning to drop my interest in Helen Peters. I didn’t pay twenty thousand pounds for that.’
‘Believe me I’m doing you a favour,’ Jonah replied. ‘Twenty thousand pounds is a small price to pay for confirmation that the man you are trying to trace is a ghost. I’m the best at what I do and if I tell you there’s no information on him, believe me it’s true. There was no additional charge for the warning.’
‘You’re going to regret this.’
‘Touché, Mr Carmichael. Be careful who you threaten. I have bigger claws than you and I’m not afraid to use them.’
‘I’m not scared of you.’
‘Maybe you should be, as I’m the only one in this conversation that knows where the other one lives.’
‘And I’m the only one in this conversation that works for the ministry of defence. I have access to satellites and phone traces. It won’t take much to find out who you are. You think you’re safe hiding behind this “whale” façade, but I’ll find you. And when I do, I’ll make you pay for ripping me off.’
‘Game on, Mr Carmichael. I wish you luck reeling me in. You’re going to need it.’
Jonah ended the call and slammed his phone against the desk.
‘You’re going to break that if you’re not careful,’ Janet said as she walked into his office carrying several pieces of paper. She was wearing a short skirt and tight shirt, but he felt no desire when she ran her hand across his shoulder. ‘You’re so tense. Want me to loosen you up?’
‘I don’t have time for your shit today,’ Jonah replied, getting to his feet and rubbing his forehead to alleviate the tension building behind his eyes. ‘Are those the latest contracts?’
‘Yes, they just need your signature,’ she said, placing the papers on his desk. ‘I’m going to lunch. Join me?’
‘I can’t. I need to see Lydia.’
Janet’s eyes narrowed. ‘She’s not good enough for you.’
‘Fortunately, I don’t pay you for relationship advice.’
Unperturbed by his snub, she reached up and cupped his face. ‘What happened to us, Jonah? We used to be happy.’
He moved her hand away. ‘We were never happy, Janet. We just used to fuck.’
‘Is that really all it was to you?’
‘I wish I could tell you it was something more, but I can’t. You have a boyfriend and I’m in love with Lydia.’
‘God damn, Lydia. Her name is all I hear at the moment.’
Jonah frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Some guy came in earlier looking for you. He said he was a friend of yours. Asked me some questions about Lydia. He wanted to know how you knew her and where she lived.’
‘What was his name?’
‘He didn’t want to leave it.’
‘And you didn’t think that was strange?’
‘A little.’
Jonah grabbed Janet’s arm. ‘What did he look like?’
‘Ouch, that hurts.’
‘What did he look like?’
‘Tall, muscular, blonde.’
‘Fuck, that sounds like Erik. If he ever comes here again, you call me straight away.’
Jonah released Janet and she rubbed her arm.
‘I didn’t tell him anything,’ she said. ‘How could I? I don’t know anything about your precious Lydia, but Erik said she was trouble and I believe him.’
53
‘There’s someone here to see you, dear.’
Lydia looked up as Mrs Harris entered the living room. The old woman had a firm grip on Mr Harris who was squirming and meowing in protest.
‘I don’t want to see anyone,’ she said, hugging Freya and Billy tighter. There had been anger and accusations when she’d first arrived, but that eventually morphed into acceptance and grief. One day she’d be able to tell them the truth about the alien that had possessed their father’s body and caused him to attack them with a knife, but until then, they all needed to deal with Don’s death in their own way.
‘He was very insistent,’ Mrs Harris said. ‘Said he was the one who found Mr Harris, so I invited him in for tea. Handsome young man with strange coloured eyes.’
‘Sounds like the man who helped us get away from dad,’ Freya whispered and Lydia released her hold so she could look down at her daughter’s face. It was mottled from crying, but there was hidden strength within her eyes. ‘He wouldn’t let me go back and help you. He said you’d want me to stay safe and not charge back into danger.’
‘He was right,’ Lydia said, kissing Freya’s forehead. ‘I’ll bring back a cup of sweet tea for you both.’
Billy didn’t acknowledge her, so she gave him another cuddle.
‘I love you two,’ she said. ‘We’re going to get through this as a family.’
Freya guided Billy to the sofa where they sat side by side and hand in hand. Lydia closed the door behind her when she left and made her way to the kitchen. Mrs Harris was in the garden scolding Mr Harris for trying to run away again and Jonah stood by the backdoor with a bemused expression on his face. That changed to relief when he saw her and tears prickled her lashes. She wanted to run towards him, but refrained in case Mrs Harris saw. Jonah showed no such restraint and was beside her in two strides.
‘Don’t ever ask me to leave you again,’ he breathed against the top of her head as he held her close. ‘How are the kids?’
‘They’re still in shock. Billy hasn’t said much, but Freya is looking after him.’
‘I have a contact that works with a bereavement charity. When they’re ready, make an appointment for them with a councillor. Grief affects everyone differently and sometimes it’s easier to talk to a stranger.’
Lydia pulled away and looked up into his grey eyes.
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘Thank you for saving them…and for coming back for me.’
‘I’m always going to come back for you. You’re my world.’
Lydia smiled, amazed that the gesture no longer felt foreign to her.
‘You’re really pretty when you smile, do you know that?’ Jonah said, kissing her gently on the mouth. ‘Although I fell to Earth decades ago, it’s only when I met you that I realised what falling for someone really meant. I’ll protect you and your children until my final breath.’
Lydia wrapped her arms around his neck.
‘I think you’re forgetting I can protect myself now. I grew claws and a tail, remember?’
‘How could I forget - you’re the first of your kind, a
human-jaktten shifter, but even though you survived the change, our problems are far from over.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘News has already made its way back to the colony. I think Tarik told Erik about you. Erik is a scheming son of a bitch. He’s already overthrown the true jaktten Alpha, so I don’t even want to think about what he’d do to get to you.’
‘What would he want from me?’
‘The secret to stabilising a bitten human.’
‘But I don’t know that secret, not really. All I remember is hearing a voice inside my head telling me to trust it, so I did and then I shifted. I really need to go back and examine Doctor Malone’s files again. He had pages and pages of formulas relating to DNA.’
‘Don’t worry, Lydia. If anyone can decode the information, it’s you. Forewarned is forearmed. Erik isn’t getting anywhere near you or your family. No one is.’
‘Promise?’
‘I promise.’
Thank you for reading Careless
I hope you enjoyed it and will leave a review on Amazon
The next book in the series will be available next year, but you
can always try one of my urban fantasy series for more mystery & romance.
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