Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Jag gripped his phone tight. He was sitting in one of the small consultation rooms they used to meet with clients.
He didn’t have much time before he would be found by his friends.
He hadn’t wanted to make the call to Steff at his workstation where everyone could hear.
But his absence would be noted, and Fox and the others would put two and two together and come up with four.
And when they did, they’d go searching for him.
He wasn’t going to rush the conversation, though. He’d taken a big risk telling Steff about the dangers of his job. How one wrong move could end his freedom and his life.
The reason he’d done it was because he wanted everything out in the open.
He didn’t want to start seeing her and then spring this information on her.
It was better to get it all out before things got too serious between them, because it would be even harder to end things when more emotions were involved.
If what he did was a deal breaker, then that would be it.
“Steff, are you still there?” The silence had dragged on. Worry settled low in his belly. He’d said too much.
“Yeah, I’m here, I’m just. It was a lot.”
“I know. I’m sorry. But I wanted you to know what I’m feeling. Where I’m at. And that I’m serious about wanting to get to know you.”
Jag should probably tell her he was the one who carried her out the night she was rescued.
He’d seen her at her worst. She had been wearing nothing but underwear that looked as if the cotton threads holding it in one piece would disintegrate at any moment. The blanket that she’d clutched around her shoulders was nothing more than a scrap of dirty material.
He would tell her, but not yet. Not after everything he’d laid at her feet.
“Why?” So much anguish in that one three letter word.
“Why do I want to see you?”
“Yes? Why would you want to spend time with me? I’m hardly functioning. I’m not worth it.”
God, he wished they were having this conversation in person so he could hold her.
Show her she was most definitely worth getting to know.
And that she was functioning. People who couldn’t function didn’t keep their houses clean like she did.
They would let the mess grow. Things would be too difficult for them to cope with. They would be unkempt.
Steff wasn’t any of those things.
Her place wasn’t stark, like she cleaned obsessively. There were still homey touches in every room. Bright cushions in the living room. A fake plant on a counter. A couple of magazines neatly stacked on her coffee table.
When he’d done his sweep, he’d had to go into her bedroom, and that room looked like a haven with its cozy chair in the corner of the room, pale pink comforter and brighter pink pillows.
“You are functioning. You’ve just forgotten how to thrive.” He wanted to be the person remind her how to.
Silence stretched between them and he worried he’d pushed her a little too hard.
“Can I see you tonight?” he asked when she still hadn’t said anything. He knew he was being a little pushy, but believed it would help if they were face to face. “I can pick up some food. I also know I’m asking a lot. Please Steff, I do want to see you.”
He didn’t care if it sounded like he was begging. He wasn’t going to give up on her.
Through the phone he heard the rustle of fabric, as if she was moving around. Was she pacing? Or was she just shifting into a more comfortable position?
“Okay.” The word a soft whisper. “I think I’d like that.” Her voice finished stronger, as though she was happy with her decision.
Jag’s eyes drifted shut in relief. “Thank you. I know I dumped so much on you. I’m aware of how hard it is to open your home to me.”
“No, it’s okay. But yes, you did lay a lot on me, but now that I’ve had a little time to let it all sink in, I’m glad you have.”
He may not have known her for long, but Jag doubted that she would lie to make him feel better. “I’m glad too. Now what’s your favorite takeout? Burgers, pizza, Thai, Chinese, Japanese? Any other cuisine I may have missed?”
Another soft giggle sounded in his ear, and he loved hearing it. Wanted her to laugh more. “What if I said all of it?”
“Then I’d say I’ll be driving around a lot, and might not get to you until late, and most of the food will be cold.”
“We can’t have that. What’s your favorite?” she asked, lobbing the ball back in his court.
“All of them,” he repeated. “That’s why I reeled them off. I was hoping you’d make the choice.”
“Right. There were five choices in total. Can you remember the order you listed them in?”
“Yep.”
“Good, then I choose number three.”
“Oh, that’s one of my favorites.” He really did like Thai.
“Well duh, of course it’s your favorite. You just told me it was.” There was a lightness about her response. Was she feeling more relaxed with him? He hoped so.
They shared a laugh, and a tenuous connection formed between them. He hoped it was the first of many. “Do you have any preferences? Like a dish you always order?”
“Nope, I like most of everything. Only thing I ask is that it’s not too spicy. Don’t mind a little heat, but not a fan of burning your mouth so that you need a gallon of milk to cool it down.”
“That I can do. I do like mine hot, but I’ll make sure that there is a mild version of the dish for you.”
“Thanks. What time will you be here?”
“I’ll finish up here in about an hour, and by the time I get food and drive to your place, it’ll be around six thirty.
Is that good?” If she wanted him there sooner, then he would talk to Ox about bugging out early.
Like any organization, they had set hours, but they were flexible.
Besides there had been many a time he and the others had stayed back to work through their plans before going on a mission.
“That works. I’ll see you then, Dalton.”
He smiled at the use of his given name. He’d spent the last fourteen years being referred to as Jag, that he’d considered changing his name from Dalton to Jag, but Jag Jaeger was a little much.
“See you soon, Steff.”
He disconnected the call and palmed his phone into his pocket. He didn’t know what was going to happen when he got to Steff’s place. All he knew was that he needed to let her know that he was serious about her.
His need to protect her and harm anyone who threatened her were feelings he wasn’t used to experiencing toward a woman. But for Steff, he would burn down the world for her if it came to that.
Jag adjusted the handle of the plastic bag bulging with containers full of delicious Thai food. He’d made good time and arrived ten minutes before he was scheduled to. He pressed the button for Steff’s apartment, noting that her name wasn’t on the board like all the other residents.
Was that deliberate, or had she just not got around to putting her name behind the little clear covering?
Had she always lived here? Or had she moved there after her kidnapping?
Those were things he was going to ask her, and he didn’t mind the fact that her name wasn’t listed for all to see.
“Hello?” Steff’s greeting was tentative. Had she forgotten that he was coming? He doubted it, she was just being cautious.
“It’s me, Dalton.”
“Oh, right. Come in.” The soft click of the door being unlocked sounded, and before he entered, Jag surveyed the surrounding area and didn’t note anything out of the ordinary. It all looked clear, but he made sure the door clicked shut before he moved, so no one could sneak in.
A swarm of bees took up residence in his stomach on the short elevator ride to Steff’s floor.
Like the feelings of protectiveness he felt toward Steff, he was also feeling nervous about the evening ahead.
He’d told her a lot on the phone, and while he still stood by everything he said, Steff had had time to think it over, and she might’ve decided that he was too much for her and she didn’t want anything to do with him.
If that happened, he’d take it on the chin, and they could share a nice meal and that would be that. But he hoped it wouldn’t come to that. His hope was that she would be willing to get to know him. If she needed him to take baby steps to make that happen, he would do so.
He approached her door and paused as the fine hairs on the back of his neck stood to attention. Immediately, he went on alert. The hallway was empty. All the doors to the apartments on the floor were shut, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was out of the ordinary.
He placed the food on the ground, keeping his back against the wall so it was protected and giving him a better view of the area.
The other night when he’d dropped Steff home, he hadn’t had that feeling. Why was he having it now?
He waited a few heartbeats, and the feeling subsided, but he still felt a little uneasy.
What was going on?
He hadn’t heard the click of a door closing. Or the squeak of a door opening. There was nothing but the hum of the air-conditioning keeping the area cool.
There were no telltale indicators that someone had placed a camera in the ceiling in the vicinity of Steff’s door, but that didn’t mean there couldn’t be one placed somewhere else that would give the person a good view.
Or it could simply have been nothing, and the feeling was more to do with his nerves, than anything sinister.
That was unlikely, but everything indicated that there was no danger.
Still didn’t mean he wouldn’t be doing a little investigating once he left for the evening.
He knew Steff wouldn’t follow him downstairs.
There was no way he was going to tell her about what he felt, either. The chances of her believing him were slim, but also he didn’t want to scare her.
Sighing that he couldn’t find anything, he picked up the food and knocked on Steff’s door. He kept gazing around until the door opened, and he gave himself a mental shake and smiled. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself. Come in.” She stepped back and he crossed the threshold, making sure not to accidently brush up against her.
Again, her cherry blossom scent tickled his senses. “Hope you’re hungry.” He held up the bag.
“You do know there’s just the two of us and not a group of people?”
Jag shrugged. “Yeah, but this way, we both have leftovers and won’t have to worry about dinner tomorrow night.”
“Or the next night. Or the next night.” Steff led him to the kitchen area. “Why don’t you unpack, and I’ll get everything out so we can dive into this feast.”
The woman talking to him now was completely different to the one who’d let him in. Was this the Steff she’d been before the attack?
Was she so relaxed around him that she felt like she could be herself?
Or didn’t she realize what she was doing?
Right now, the answers to those questions didn’t matter. All that mattered to him was that Steff was relaxed and seemingly happy for him to be there.
They worked together in silence as he removed the lids and Steff got out bowls and silverware.
“What do we have?” she asked.
“The classic Thai green chicken curry. I got five spice and one spice options for that one. There’s some chicken potstickers as well as chicken satay sticks.
Also got a Pad Thai as well as a red curry duck, though I got that one five spice.
I know not everyone likes duck but whenever I get Thai, I get it.
But I got a beef red curry which is mild for you. ”
“Alright then, let’s dig in.” Steff grabbed her bowl, and he stood back to allow her to get her fill.
Everything about what was happening right this moment made Jag extremely happy, and he wanted to have more of these nights.