Sixteen
Jack
I finally did it.
From her wide eyes, to the way her lips parted with surprise, it was clear to me that I finally managed to get under skin just like she’d gotten under mine from the first time I saw her.
Victory swelled my chest.
Looking at her swelled my cock.
I’d never been led by my cock, and given the circumstances, my dick should have been the last thing on my mind.
Yet here we were.
Hiding in a dead judge’s house while corpses walked around .
Those truths didn’t make me want her any less.
Part of it was natural.
An intense battle wasn’t that different than a good fuck.
But it wasn’t just that.
It was her .
And when she smiled at me, her eyes alight with humor, the tilt of her lips practically begging me to kiss them…I couldn’t hold my tongue.
The shock on her face was the cherry on top.
More than anything, I wanted to trace her lips with my tongue.
Put all the emotion, the fear, the uncertainty, everything that had happened into that kiss.
Instead, I broke her gaze.
Tried to gather the last shreds of common sense I had left.
When I looked at her again, I still saw the surprise in her eyes, but I ignored it and refocused.
“What else do I need to know?” I asked as we walked down to the garage .
Asia shrugged, her expression falling into that unreadable attorney mask I’d seen in the courtroom.
There was no hint of what just happened between us.
“That’s a very broad question, Jackson. Can you narrow it down some for me?”
I didn’t answer immediately. Instead, I walked around the garage, studying the environment. It was a hell of a set up for a civilian.
“You said the judge had resources, but this is more than being prepared. Tell me about him.”
She shrugged. “I gave you all the high notes. He was eccentric, more so after his wife died. And he worried he had enemies. He had the time and resources to invest, so this became his hobby. But he was a good person.”
I scoffed. “What does that mean?"
She blinked, incredulity stamped on her expression.
“What does ‘he was a good person’ mean? Well, he tried to do the right thing when he could.
Actually paid attention to the law instead of pushing people through the system.
Gave donations to orphans and widows. Loved his family. What else do you want to know? "
I huffed. “A good person with an arsenal like this . Novel.”
“Maybe, but Judge Hanlon was,” she shot back. Then she looked at me with narrowed eyes. “So what are you really getting at here, Jackson? Are you revisiting your earlier question about the nature of our relationship?”
I refused to break her gaze this time. I needed to know what I was dealing with, including the exact nature of her relationship with the judge. I couldn’t let any feelings about him and his demise cause problems.
And besides, how could she blame me for making that assumption?
After all, I’d had more commanding officers than I could remember.
I didn’t know the code to their garages, and I definitely didn’t keep a change of clothes in their house.
It suggested an intimacy that Asia was too smart to pretend not to understand.
Yet, when I stated what seemed obvious, she looked offended, even angry.
That got under my skin, the suspicion like an itch I couldn’t quite scratch.
It shouldn’t matter.
She shouldn’t matter.
But somehow, she did .
That pissed me the fuck off.
I shoved it down and turned my focus to what mattered. “This is a nice setup, but it will eventually draw attention. Even if no one knows about it, people will come.”
“There’s enough to share,” she said.
I laughed humorlessly. “Just like I said. A do-gooder. You think people who show up here are going to be looking to share.”
“What? Someone will kill us for a can of green beans?” she said.
“No,” I made sure my eyes were locked with hers and let my voice drop, “they’d kill you for less. Those things are one thing. But people are going to be the problem now.”
She thinned her lips and tilted her head in a way I now knew she intended to argue. I didn’t give her a chance.
Bad enough that she was blind to the world of shit we were in, but my reaction to her only compounded my anger.
“You think that shit with Jorge was something? That was light work. What happens when it’s someone who’d kill you for what you had? Someone who wants to hurt you or kill you or worse just for the hell of it? You think that lets-share, collectivist shit is going to fly then?”
I realized I was yelling.
I never yelled.
She pulled that out of me.
Yet another sign of how fucked up this woman had me.
And further proof that I needed to keep my distance.
Some part of me wondered if that was possible.
If her gaze were a knife, I’d be skewered, but, as hard as her expression was, her words were soft.
“Jackson, I’m well aware of the kind of people who are out in the world on a normal day. I don’t need you to try to scare me. I get it,” she said.
Her words landed like a punch.
Jaw tight from the way I clenched my teeth, I looked away.
I was pushing her away, same as I did with everyone except Evan.
It wasn’t conscious. Hell, most of the time, I didn’t realize I’d done it until later .
But I was doing it now, trying to keep my walls up and Asia on the outside.
Asia wasn’t cooperating.
There was no judgment in her tone, but I couldn’t shake the feeling she knew exactly what I was doing and making an effort not to let that happen.
Because I was right, but this wasn’t about right or wrong. It was about me seizing on something—anything—that would make sure my walls stayed in place and protected me from what ever the fuck Asia was doing to me.
I risked looking at her again and saw not even a trace of anger. Just Asia looking at me with a tenderness I’d never received before.
It was enough to sap the last of my anger.
Still, I wasn’t ready to let it go quite yet. “As long as you understand,” I said.
My voice wasn’t exactly soft, but there was no heat in it.
“I do understand,” she responded, her voice still soft.
And just that quickly, I felt not only like a jerk but a liar.
What I said was true, but not the whole truth, a truth I didn’t want to acknowledge. Because what could I say?
That I was worried about her? Afraid of all of the horrors that might be out there?
No. That wasn’t an option, so I decided my best bet was to stop the freaking bleeding and say nothing.
The silence was thick for a moment but not entirely tense. Then Asia smiled, and it felt like all was right with the world.
“Your lecture is over, right?” she said, that playful tone I grew to love back.
“For the moment,” I responded.
“Good. Because you look like hell. Go shower, and I’ll make some food. Then you need to sleep,” she said.
“Not mincing words, Counselor?” I asked.
“We’re clearly beyond that,” she replied.
“Guess so,” I said, and as I stood there, the adrenaline drop hit me hard.
“This place is locked up tight, right?” I asked, even though I checked all the entrances and windows while she was in the shower.
“Yes, and the mechanical shutters are down, so no one should be able to see inside,” she said .
I’d seen the same, but was glad she confirmed it. “Good. You remember how to use that, right?” I asked.
She still had the gun on her, but it was no longer in her waistband. Instead, she found a holster upstairs—one that looked so out of place with her yoga pants and oversize concert T-shirt.
“Yeah,” she said.
“Good. Can you handle things here while I get a few hours of sleep?”
“I can. Go sleep, Jackson,” she said.
“Thanks,” I whispered as I drifted to the bedroom in the basement. I was still wired, amped up on adrenaline and the unknown.
But I knew I’d have no trouble falling asleep.
Something I could thank the military for.
I always knew the next comfortable place to rest was never a given, and all things considered, the judge’s basement was basically a palace.
There was a giant, comfortable-looking bed, but I decided against taking it and instead unrolled one of the incredibly expensive sleeping bags I found in the attic.
I couldn’t let myself get comfortable here .
Couldn’t let myself get comfortable anywhere.
At least not until I got back to Evan.
So I fell into a sleep that was somewhat fitful, but still rejuvenating.
A grumble in my stomach woke me.
I came awake instantly, and just as quickly, the memory of what happened and of what was still happening came flooding in.
I stood up, stretched—no worse for wear—and looked at my watch.
Five hours.
I slept for five hours.
I really was getting soft.
I stretched, went into the attached bath, and then finally back into the basement.
I didn’t speak immediately, instead taking in the room.
It was a huge space with a big-screen TV, a couple of vintage video games, ample seating, and bowling trophies for decoration.
When I glanced at Asia, it struck me how much this could be a regular day. Maybe a game night with the cool wife making snacks for the guys .
The kind of life that wasn’t made for people like me.
“You got some rest, huh?” she said.
She didn’t look back at me, but I wasn’t surprised she knew I was there.
I got the sense that not much got past her.
“You shouldn’t have let me sleep so long,” I responded.
“You obviously needed it. And besides, I figured you’d say something like ‘best to take advantage while you have the opportunity,’” she said.
“Yeah, you’re right about?—”
My words were quieted by another grumble in my stomach.
“I think I have a solution for that,” Asia said with a smile. She turned, a tray in her hands.
“You didn’t open any of the MREs?” I asked.
“No. The judge still has stuff here, so it makes more sense to use that. We have Vienna sausages—which is disgusting—some cheese, salami, crackers, and fresh fruit,” she said.
“Definitely a feast,” I responded, following her to where she gestured.
There was a leather and felt game table where Asia placed the platter containing food. Once everything was arranged to her satisfaction, she said, “There’s also wine, liquor, beer.”
“No. Nothing for me,” I said.
She sobered, her expression dropping. “I agree. God, the judge has this rosé that is out of this world, but drinking isn’t going to help me,” she said.
“No, and if anything, it’ll only slow you down. Make you reactive. Which makes you vulnerable. Best to keep a clear head.”
She smiled, then grabbed one of the squares of cheese off the platter.
“I could easily imagine that was something you were going to say. Just think, less than twelve hours and your voice is already in my head,” she said.
“Sorry about that,” I responded for lack of anything else to say.
She grabbed a cracker, and after she chewed and swallowed, she said, “Don’t be. I’m not.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, studying her as I ate my own food.
She was right. The Vienna sausages were disgusting. I got them down in two bites, knowing that the protein was worth it, but wondering who on earth would spend money on those things.
“I mean, I don’t even want to think about what would have happened if I had been stuck in that elevator with anyone else, or even by myself,” she said.
“You’d have figured it out,” I responded.
“Your faith is heartening, but don’t feel the need to stroke my ego or sell yourself short,” she said.
I chuckled. “I would never, and you should take your own advice. I’ve seen enough of you to know that you’re not going down without a fight. So no matter who you were with, you would have found a way out. Maybe not mine, but you would have found a way.”
I spoke casually around bites of food. There was no reason to be amped up.
I wasn’t telling her anything that wasn’t true and didn’t see a reason to hold back.
If Asia believed in herself, it would make it easier for her to survive the unknown.
“And besides,” I said, deciding to share another thought that I hadn’t, “taking people’s measure is a big part of my life.
Gotta know if someone’s going to take the shot or stand down.
And you have a fraction of a second to make a call.
Same with figuring out if someone has heart. You definitely do,” I said.
She smiled. “I am amazing, but I’m still glad I was with you,” she said quietly.
That admission felt big in a way that threw me for a loop.
One glance at her, and I knew she felt the same.
Yet she didn’t shy away. Didn’t allow her eyes to waver at all.
So what could I do in the face of that openness?
Nothing but follow my instincts, reminding myself that they were almost never wrong.
So I did what I felt. I reached out, brushing my thumb across her cheek.
Her skin was softer than anything I deserved to touch.
The kind of soft you only found in daydreams.
Not in places like this, not with monsters outside and worse things lurking in men’s heads.
She didn’t pull away. Just tilted her face into my hand, eyes dark, mouth parted like she was about to say something.
Instead, she let out the tiniest shiver.
It broke me.
I couldn’t keep my hands off her a second longer.
So I didn’t.
I leaned in, pressing my mouth to hers.
Hard.
A claim, not a question.