23. Dragon
Chapter Twenty-Three
DRAGON
Could I admit liking Horse picking me up and carrying me around?
No. But I could admit that I’d been freaking out since I got Felicia’s text this morning, and then when I was about to call Horse, he was there, picking me up and carrying me to lunch in my favorite room in the world like it was easy to heft every foot of me, all six of them.
And then he made me a sandwich with the exact right amount of mayo.
And then he played the piano while I ate my perfect sandwich.
On top of the piano. He wasn’t precious with his nice things.
And he played like Daniela played the cello.
He didn’t ‘play some’, he played like his soul was spilling out of the instrument, bare naked for the world to see.
And it was more beautiful than my perfect turkey sandwich. Which was terribly beautiful.
Two weeks, and I liked him better every time I saw him.
He was so…nice. And patient, particularly when talking about engines he didn’t care that much about.
Every time I stopped talking, tried to change the subject, he’d bring it back to the engine, like he really was interested, but there wasn’t any way he could be held captive by the subject longer than me, and after two weeks, I had Pixel’s trucks figured out. There wasn’t much more to talk about.
After lunch, when Horse had carried me to the couch and gone back to work with his signatures, leaving me alone in the apartment that still felt like his music, I got out my phone to call Felicia.
She answered after one ring. “Chica! Did you get killed and reincarnated? What took you so long to call back?”
I ignored the question because I wasn’t going to talk about turkey sandwiches on top of Horse’s piano. “Carmichael is in Vegas?”
“Yeah. Caught his mug on a camera in the palace. No idea how I missed him at the airport. Aiee, makes me doubt my skills. So, what do you want to do?”
I hesitated. “I’m thinking.” I could confront him with Horse, who would convince Richard that I’d made a mistake and Horse was the father of my child, so Ritchie didn’t need to worry about taking responsibility.
Maybe we’d put the fear into him, which would be somewhat satisfying, but if he wasn’t the actual person who had paid for my abduction, there wouldn’t need to be anything like that.
I could just go maternity shopping with Horse, and we could look cute together.
I wasn’t into revenge. But I was into security.
And I needed to make sure that the threat was over. No one was hurting my baby.
“You’re thinking? Why don’t you rip his arms off for starters?
I didn’t tell Daniela, because you know she’d just stab him, but would that get to the root of the problem?
No, we need to find the creep behind the creep.
So we find him, and then we could play a little con, make him think he’s in danger until he gives us everything we want. ”
I sighed heavily. “Or I could call him.”
She hesitated. “I mean, you could, but how would that be any fun?”
A pounding came from the glass door. Was someone on the roof? Was it Horse? Did he get locked out?
“I’ve gotta go. I’ll call you back.” I hung up to her protesting and then went into the living room to find a large man in an assault suit pounding on the door. I grabbed a wrench and opened it. I wasn’t going to be surprised a second time.
He stared at me and didn’t come inside. “You aren’t Horse,” the man drawled with a slow smile. He unclasped his helmet, and a shock of brown hair stood up above soft brown eyes.
He wouldn’t take off his helmet if he were a threat.
“No. I’m his roommate.”
His brows came up. “You’re Trixie ‘Dragon’ O’Hara.
I’m Jackson Dewitt. It’s a pleasure.” He held out his hand, and I took it, not relaxing my grip on the wrench.
“Horse asked me to call him, but I thought it would be funny if I landed on his building. I guess I should have called first, but I didn’t know he had a roommate.
He’s really particular about the people he lets into his sacred inner sanctum.
” With that, he slipped by me into the living room and looked around.
“Have you heard him play? He’s weirdly self-conscious about it.
Music is cool, though. Not as cool as jumping off buildings or rappelling into a jungle ruins, but what is? ”
I slowly lowered the wrench. “You’re into extreme sports? Do you run on any circuits? Is Horse trying to get you on his team?”
He laughed. “No, we’re friends from college. I work at a water treatment plant. I wouldn’t want my sport to become my work, because then it wouldn’t be fun. Horse makes everything work.” He winked at me and then started for my kitchen.
I followed, tempted to hit him on the head with the wrench. I guess Horse didn’t really need close friends in Vegas when he had this guy, and who knows how many other college friends. “I didn’t know he went to college.”
“Oh, sure. He showed up to his valedictorian speech with a black eye. His dad was pissed, but at least he showed up. He was busy making money, and college barely made a dent in that brain of his. He’s bright.
Did you notice?” He was in the kitchen, opened the fridge and started pulling out leftovers like he lived there.
I was starting to feel nauseous and dizzy, so I sat down, putting my feet up like Horse was there watching me. “You’re good at making yourself at home.”
He glanced at me. “Am I? It’s the Texan in me.”
“Jezebel’s a Texan. She never makes herself at home, even at home.”
His smile split his face, and he looked almost as handsome as Horse.
He was made for smiling. “Jezebel Whiskey. I’ve seen the horses she rides.
That’s where she’s at home, on top of one of her steeds.
Beautiful animals. Like that Snowdrop? That’s horseflesh.
I heard she got him off a broker in Iran. ”
I blinked at him. “I guess. You follow Jezebel’s horse-buying habits?”
“I follow the three hundred. And I follow horses.” He frowned down at two containers, one a noodle salad and the other a pan of goulash.
The hotel sent up really great dinners every night, always different, always fabulous.
It had to be expensive, but Horse wouldn’t let me pay. I should take control of that.
Jackson shrugged and took a big scoop of each on his plate, then sat down across from me at the table and started eating it cold.
“You could heat it up,” I said.
He shook his head and took a big bite. “That would take too long. I’ve just got back from this insane trip in Mongolia with my buddies.
I’ve been living off freeze dried army packs.
One of my boys’s in the force, so he has connections to equipment you can’t get on the market.
Of course Dagger could show him up if he were interested. Guy’s a genius.”
I blinked at him. “You know Dirk?”
“Sure.”
“You went to college with him, too?”
“No, he’s younger. But we studied closer to the same things. Horse was always about social sciences, and we did actual science.” He leaned closer to whisper. “Don’t tell him that it’s not an actual science.”
Social science? Was that like social work?
He was going to be a social worker? What made him change his mind and pursue extreme sports in Las Vegas with Nix?
I wasn’t going to invade his privacy by asking this guy.
Honesty was one thing, but Jackson was almost too open.
He just showed up, started eating your food, and telling people’s business like it was all public.
“I’ll text Horse and let him know you’re here. He just left.”
He raised a brow, finished chewing his bite and asked, “He came home for lunch? What did you make him?”
He made it sound like I was supposed to be taking care of the guy who wasn’t the father of my child but was letting me stay with him, eat his food, and pay me for making Pixel’s machines. And now I was feeling defensive.
“I’ve been on bed rest. It’s almost over now, so of course I will cook, but he makes me sandwiches.”
His brows went almost to his hairline, and he leaned closer. “Congratulations. When are you due? Sorry if that came out like you’re supposed to cook because you’re the woman. I just know for a fact that Horse can’t cook. Bright at so many things, but a total fail at?—”
“He makes the best turkey sandwiches I’ve ever had. He’s not a bad cook, he’s just busy doing other things. And I would cook, but I’m not supposed to be on my feet. I like cooking. He’s always stopping me because…”
“You’re supposed to be taking it easy. Yeah. Okay. Can I be honest with you?” He leaned over the table, and I realized that he’d already eaten everything on his plate. Not even my brothers ate that fast. He really had been starving.
“Can you be anything else? You seem to have a broken filter.”
He smiled. “Do you like him?”
I blinked at him again. “Sorry?”
“Horse. Do you like him? Because he’s letting you live with him, and making you sandwiches, and he’s always talked about you with the utmost respect and admiration.
If you don’t like him, I’m going to give him a heads-up and let him know to expect to get his heart broken.
I’m his friend. It’s the least I can do. ”
I sputtered. “I’m not going to break his heart!
” The idea was laughable. Horse didn’t have a heart, just ego.
And yet, the way he didn’t let people close, women, because apparently he had close friends, they just weren’t in Las Vegas, it made you think that he did have a heart, he just had to protect it.
Jackson got up and went to the fridge to get more of the goulash.
He didn’t bother putting it on a plate, just started eating from the pan.
“It’s okay if you do. He’s tough. He can handle it.
Just, if you don’t like him, I’m going to let him know so he can brace for impact. That’s fair, don’t you think?”
I threw up my hands. “Sure, it’s fair. It’s just stupid because…”