5. Chapter Four
Chapter Four
Jax
Jax loathed this assignment with every fiber of his being. All day, he had worked toward an end goal he morally disagreed with. With each form he filed, his gut twisted tighter, and the cries of the wolves on the other side of the door made him physically ill. No one deserved that type of treatment.
Instead of succumbing to desperation, he had begun planning. With every keystroke, his mind whirled with strategies meant to dismantle the operation.
When Barlowe had asked for a volunteer to run the patrol, he’d immediately offered. If he was going to turn this place inside out, he would need to understand every angle—and be familiar with every square foot—of the base that wasn’t classified in any handbook.
It hadn’t taken long to jog the border, but it’d poured every second he was outside. Within minutes, his fatigues had been soaked, and his boots were saturated. A chill had worked its way into his bones.
Only the need to blow the whistle on the operation kept him from asking to be reassigned. He had reached out to his former general and asked for an audience, but knowing how the Army worked, it would be a decade before he heard back—if at all.
Jax had discreetly begun searching for a way to anonymously expose the horrors in this facility, but doing so without immunity would lead to jail time, traitor status, or a very public scandal. Perhaps all of the above.
The reclusive life was looking better and better.
Toweling off the remaining moisture from his boiling hot shower, he grinned. That night, he’d see his surprise hiking companion again, and he couldn’t think of anything better to brighten his day. It’d kept him going during hour seven, eight, and nine of listening to the desperate whines of immortal werewolves on the other side of the door.
He shrugged on a sport coat—then took it off—and glanced at the clock once more. If he left in twenty minutes, he could get there fifteen minutes early. That was the earliest that was socially acceptable.
Part of him was aware that she’d most likely stand him up. A woman as beautiful as Key would have no shortage of male interest. Plus, he’d literally met her in the wilderness, alone. Her being pleasant and receptive could’ve been a form of self-defense.
Regardless, Jax was looking forward to tonight. If she didn’t show, at least there was pasta to fill the hollowness inside.
Thirty minutes later, his leg bounced up and down where he sat on the bench outside Mario’s. Pacing back and forth hadn’t been a good look, and after ten minutes of glares from the hostess and passersby, he sat down.
Key hadn’t shown yet, but she still had a few minutes before five. Being criminally early was both a personal habit of Jax’s and a requirement for the Army. Arriving somewhere late typically led to pushup penalties, and he’d learned his lesson early in his career.
His hopes fell as the minutes continued to pass by. Sitting here alone only made his feelings of isolation sharper. Though he should have been used to it by now, the perpetual ache of it never stopped hurting.
“Jax?”
The voice of an angel pulled him from his spiraling thoughts. Startling, he turned wide eyes to the woman who beamed down at him. Her white-blonde hair was coiled in a sophisticated updo, revealing the delicate line of her jaw and skin that looked baby soft.
“Key.” He stood, shell-shocked, then blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “To be honest, I’m kind of surprised you showed.”
“Are you?”
Her confusion made her lips pout, and it took effort for him to refocus and explain. “We met in the woods, in the rain, and we were alone. It isn’t the best meet-cute. I’m fairly sure that’s an intro to one of those serial killer shows.”
“Do you watch those a lot? Should I have brought my pepper spray?”
“Nah.” Jax gave a single, self-deprecating laugh. “I prefer Hallmark Christmas movies, and I watch enough of them to know what a meet-cute is. I make it my personal goal to call out the tropes as I see them.”
“I’m not sure I’ve ever met a man who’s so secure in his masculinity that he actively admits to watching Hallmark movies.”
“Truly one of a kind.”
“That makes two of us, then,” Key admitted. “It’s also my guilty pleasure.”
“Match made in heaven.”
“I love that one.”
Chuckling, he opened the door to Mario’s and showed her inside. The restaurant was a few years past the need to remodel, but the booths were still comfortable. More importantly, the food was stellar, and the garlic bread was top notch.
A few minutes later, they were seated at a table and perusing the menus. Looking across to Key, he said, “So, besides Hallmark movies and hiking, what do you do for fun?”
“Annoy my friends, mostly,” Key admitted. “But I do like buying shoes. High heels. They’re one thing that doesn’t really change. You’re one size and you pretty much know what’ll fit you. Unlike clothes, where one size is vastly different depending on the manufacturer, the color, the material, the time of day. Shoes always fit. How’s that for a trope?”
“I’ve heard that about women’s clothes. Sometimes I’m glad my job requires fatigues.”
The waitress came over to get their orders, and quickly went on her way. As Key stowed the menu back in its slot near the red pepper flakes and parmesan, she froze. Everything about her went eerily still.
“You okay?”
It took a second before she replied. “It’s nothing.”
The breathy quality of her voice was so dissimilar to their conversation only moments ago that Jax frowned. If he didn’t know better, it seemed as though she’d become distant in the span of seconds.
Shaking herself, Key shrugged it off. “It’s a form of epilepsy. Absence seizures. They typically only last a few seconds, and they’re nothing to worry about.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I’ve gotten used to it.” She shrugged. “Happens more often when I’m nervous.”
He didn’t know whether to grimace or apologize or swoon. “I make you nervous?”
The pretty pink blush that colored her cheeks told him that her confession hadn’t been entirely planned. “Maybe.”
“Well, that certainly wasn’t my intent.”
Breadsticks were brought to the table, and Jax set out their plates before offering her the first one. As she took a bite, she hummed in happy appreciation.
“Good, right?”
“Amazing. Good choice, Jax.”
Sitting taller under the praise, he demolished two garlic sticks and drained a good portion of his Coke. If this was anything he could appreciate, it was sharing a good meal with a friend—if not something more than a friend. When he looked across the table, it was to find Key’s startlingly beautiful peanut-brown eyes locked on his. He couldn’t look away.
“Tell me about yourself, Jax.”
“There’s not much to me,” he said. “I just moved into the city, and I’ve got a Husky named Zeus. We hike a lot on the weekends, and I absolutely spoil him rotten.”
“A Husky, huh? Why wasn’t he with you a couple of days ago?”
He adored the excitement in her voice. “He’s kind of a baby about rain and being wet. The weather looked a bit soggy, so I decided against bringing him.”
“Tragic. I can’t wait to meet him.”
Though he longed to grab hold of the comment and schedule a meet and greet, he forced himself to simply nod. “He’s a lover, that’s for sure.”
Their food was delivered, and the expected lull in conversation followed as they ate. Halfway through appreciating his chicken Alfredo, he perked as Key spoke once more.
“Have things gotten any better at work, or are you still scouting out cabins in the North Cascades?”
He grimaced. “If I said I was actively price-comparing RVs, would that give it away?”
“Possibly.” Reaching across the table, she squeezed his wrist. “I’m sorry.”
The note of empathy in her voice made his walls come crashing down. It’d been too long since he’d connected with another human being, and the madness of the last week had thrown him off balance. Key didn’t retreat as he gently placed his hand on top of hers.
“It just feels like my entire world has tilted.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
A tentative smile banished his frown. “You already are.”
It was the truth, and she seemed to know it. As he finished his meal and she nibbled the last garlic bread stick, she cocked her head toward the door.
“What do you think about axe throwing?”
Jax almost spit out his drink. “ Axe throwing?”
“Did you need to clean out your ears, or were you just shocked that I thought of it first?”
He snorted. “Maybe both.”
“I think it might do you some good to work off a bit of that steam,” she suggested. “Besides, it’s next level Hallmark romance fodder.”
“Can’t argue with that.”
While it took five minutes to find a nearby axe throwing location and another ten minutes to walk there, his blood was already pumping with anticipation. Key, in her uncomfortable looking heels, didn’t complain once—even though he offered to drive them several times throughout their short journey.
Loud and filled with slightly obnoxious signage, the ‘Hurling Hatchet’ didn’t seem like Key’s typical hangout. Jax had never been, but he was impressed that she had suggested it.
The kid at the front desk gave them explicit instructions, a handout about throwing, and then assigned them a spot. Though it seemed like an easy enough gig, Jax had listened intently and glanced over the pamphlet.
Chain link fences separated each shoot, and he and Key quickly found the one they’d been given. The modified axes sat in a wooden box about twelve feet back from the spray-painted target that’d seen its fair share of destruction.
“Ladies first.”
“Ah, the sacrificial lamb.” She winked at him. “I see how you operate, Jax Hunter.”
Despite the flirty comment, Key readily picked up an axe and studied the plywood target with intensity. Something about the predatorial way she locked onto it heated Jax’s blood, and he couldn’t help but grin with appreciation. When she kicked off her heels to stand barefoot, he knew he was in for a treat.
Her two-handed throw was perfect. It lodged into the wood with a satisfying thunk—right in the center of the target.
Jax’s jaw dropped. “Wow. That was a solid hit. I thought I was the one who was supposed to be super impressive on this date?”
“You already are.”
She bumped her shoulder against his, and he felt a surge of fondness for her. “Given that I’ve already told you I like Hallmark movies, I’m not sure I can keep my man card if I don’t at least get a tenth of your score.”
“Hmm, let me consult with the fates.” Closing her eyes, Key hummed like she was meditating. “Looks like you’ll get a good enough score to keep me thoroughly enthralled.”
“Oh, good enough huh? I take that as a challenge.”
Picking up a second axe, he braced his feet and drew upon his Army training. Exhaling slightly as he lined up the target, he released the axe on the downward end of his swing. It hit—much to his relief—and stuck slightly off to the right.
“See? I’m prophetic.”
Four more turns for each of them proved that Key was a far superior axe thrower, but he wasn’t complaining. He was thoroughly impressed. Despite his comment from earlier, Jax would have loved to see her win.
As she stepped back from another successful, on-target throw, he picked up the last of his axes. Though he couldn’t come close to touching her score, he’d give it his all. A part of him was outrageously competitive, and if he didn’t have at least a good showing, he might hang up his axes for good.
The moment before released on his downward swing, Key stiffened beside him. She jerked, and the only thing he could think about was making sure she didn’t fall when the seizure took hold. He let go of the axe, spinning toward her.
Instead of falling, she remained standing tall—but that wasn’t what made him freeze.
It was her eyes.
They’d been a peanut brown only moments before, but now they’d become streaked with white lightning. When the original brown came flooding back, Jax stopped breathing.
Caught up in shock at seeing something unexplainable, he couldn’t process the situation. He gaped at Key, unable to do anything but stare.
The words of his commander rushed back into his mind. Werewolves and vampires and Raeths were real. They walked the earth secretly alongside us, and humans had no way of knowing who they were.
No way of knowing … except by using the disk that incapacitated them.
“Jax,” she whispered.
The sound served to snap him out of his trance, but he wouldn’t take his eyes off her. He had no way of knowing what her intent was.
“What was that, Key?” Then he shook his head forcefully. “And please don’t tell me that your eyes change color when you have an absence seizure.”
For the first time, he watched as the poised woman across from him fumbled. The first hints of distress twisted her calm features. She looked away, and it gave him an opportunity to discreetly reach for his wallet.
The small side pocket opened without difficulty, and he ran his thumb across the small button. Spooked enough that he wanted to know but didn’t want to use it, holding the small device in his grasp gave him the courage to look her in the eye.
“Key, tell me the truth.”
She frowned, then added, “It’s so much harder to have conversations I haven’t seen.”
“What does that mean?”
If it was possible, she grimaced further. “I’m not explaining this well.”
“Explaining what?”
She shifted, fiddling with the axe she held for her next throw. On instinct, he flinched. Without warning, the weapon dropped to the ground and Keys’ hands plastered over her ears. A pain-filled gasp dragged out of her lungs.
Jax instantly knew what he’d done. He’d accidentally activated the device in his pocket. Cursing, he pressed the button once more, ready to reach for the axe and hack it to pieces should it be required.
Almost immediately, Key’s body lost its tension. Her hands were still plastered against her ears, but the relief on her face couldn’t be missed.
Two things became crystal clear. One, that the device worked. And two: that Key was a supernatural being.
He couldn’t stop the words as they spilled from his mouth. “What are you?”
Fear banished the frown she wore. “What?”
“You’re one of them .”
It took only seconds for Key to put two and two together. Straightening, she pinned him with a lethal look. “Did you turn that sound on?”
“Yes, but I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“You just wanted to expose me?” The hurt in her voice raked him over the coals. “Where did you get that device?”
There were more than a few people around them. No one appeared to be listening in, but Jax knew they had to be careful. “I don’t think this is the best place to have this conversation, Key.”
“Is there a better place for you to tell me why you tried to knock me out?”
He flinched. “I didn’t know that it did that.”
Incredulity narrowed her eyes. “You have a weapon—that you used—and you don’t know what it does?”
“It’s a long story.”
It was both long and confidential, and it would take time to unravel. With the confirmation that Key was a supernatural, he gained more confidence in his previous theory that not all immortals were the villains Barlowe claimed. If Key was associated with that world, perhaps she could help him blow the whistle on the despicable practices of his new assignment.
Decision made, he added, “Allow me to explain myself. Please. I need help.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Fine, but we need to go somewhere private. We can’t talk about this in a public place.”
“My apartment isn’t far. And I know what you’re thinking—why on earth would you go back to the apartment of a man who just hurt you. But Key, please trust me, that was never my intent. I give you my word that was an accident and my intentions are honorable.”
The woman studied him for a moment before saying, “Give me the device. I have to know that you won’t use it on me again.”
He hesitated. If Key was one of the immortals—and he believed she was—she would have the upper hand if he gave away the sound gadget. But something told him that she wasn’t his enemy, and when he extracted it from his pocket and handed it over, she visibly relaxed.
“Okay. Your apartment then.”
They took his car and drove the twelve miles to his apartment without either of them breaking the silence.
The click of Zeus’ nails on the hardwood flooring immediately preceded the excited yips on the other side of the door. The excitement Key had shown earlier when he’d mentioned his dog seemed to return in full force when he opened the door.
“Zeus, back.”
As he opened the door to his apartment, the Husky obediently followed his command. Zeus backed several steps, then bounced in place, eager to greet both him and Key.
Key showed no reservations. Spreading her arms wide, she grinned as Zeus bounded over to trail his tongue up her face, accepting the scratches and coos from her as if they were a gift from heaven above.
Shutting the heavy metal door behind them, Jax watched as Key gave the dog more belly rubs than he usually had patience for. With one final, loving pat, she looked up.
“We need to talk.”