05 Desperate Match (7 page)

“He’ll be fine,” she said as she followed Xander out the door.

“Thank you for the makeover,” Jill called at the couple’s retreating backs. “Wow. No offense, Mrs. Bristack, but your son scares me a little. Is he always so quiet?”

Both Loren and Xander’s mother laughed.

“Quiet?” Loren asked with a chuckle. “He was practically chatty.”

“Emma’s been wonderful for my son,” Mrs. Bristack said. “Don’t let his outside fool you. He’s a big softie inside.”

“Uh huh,” she said doubtfully. She’d believe Xander had a soft side the day Rowan grew a new arm. “What did he mean by ‘reg’?”

“Regular,” Loren explained. “Non–enhanced humans or civilians.”

“Oh.”

* * * * *

“This is it,” Adam said, just as Rowan was ready to call it quits and leave Jackass’s car by the side of the road. Or better yet, in a ditch. “Driveway’s on your left.”

Rowan backed in as Xander had taught him so they’d have an easier time of escaping if the sitch got critical. He couldn’t imagine it would. Nevertheless he couldn’t stop the burgeoning excitement pounding in his chest. This was his first mission as a trained soldier. It didn’t matter that Shep hadn’t authorized it and didn’t even know three of his soldiers were on this trip three hours south of campus to rural Virginia. He. Was. On. A. Mission.

Steven pulled in behind him driving Jackass’s car, and Rowan was pleased to note the car looked a little worse than it had starting out. His sharp eyes let him see the mud–spattered sides. When they’d pulled over for gas halfway here, Steven had stopped, but he hadn’t pumped for more than a minute. Trying to deliver the car running on fumes. Nice. Rowan admired his style.

Steven grinned at him and Adam. “Let’s do this.”

He and Adam let Steven take the lead and huddled behind him pretending to be the muscle. It didn’t need to be said, but Steven turned to say it anyway. “Keep quiet and look threatening.” Rowan knew the hard look was for him. He wanted nothing more than to ring the doorbell and sucker–punch Jill’s husband the second he opened the door. Steven had explained that as much as they wanted to beat the shit out of Jack, it would go easier on Jill if they made an attempt at peace.

They didn’t have time to ring the doorbell. As soon as their booted feet hit the stair up to the front door, it swung open.

“Who the hell are you? What are you doing with my car? Where’s my wife?”

Rowan sized up the man in the doorway in about five seconds. Five eleven, dark hair that he hoped would thin by the time he was thirty, a body that was still fit, but showed signs of not being the football player he’d been in high school. A man who had been king in high school and didn’t understand that he no longer ruled.

Steven didn’t answer any questions. He asked one of his own. “You Jack Thompson?”

“Yeah?” The sneer made his handsome face ugly. “I asked who the fuck you were.”

Steven thrust a large yellow envelope into Jack’s stomach. In his surprise, he grabbed at it. “What’s this?”

“You’re being served with divorce papers from Jill Thompson.” Steven started to turn. “Let’s go boys,” he muttered. “It’s about to get fun.”

They made it one step before Jack came out swinging. Only Steven had turned his back, knowing Adam and Rowan had his. In one deft move, Adam caught Jack and held him immobilized in a bear hug. “You don’t want to do this.”

Jack struggled, finally kicking out with his legs. Streams of curse words flowed from his mouth. “Bring me my fucking wife. I’m gonna kill her. I’m gonna kill you.” He couldn’t budge in Adam’s arms. Words were all he had.

Rowan leaned in. “You don’t want to threaten us.”

“The fuck I don’t. Where’s my fucking wife? You took her. She’d never run from me.”

“We’ve got your wife,” Rowan said. “You will
never
see her and you will especially never touch her again.”

Jack spat and it landed squarely on Rowan’s cheek.

He wiped the spittle with his coat sleeve and turned to Steven. “Can I hit him? Please say I can hit him.”

Steven looked at him. “Not in front of me.” He turned and climbed into Rowan’s waiting SUV with the darkly tinted windows. A wide grin spread across Rowan’s face.

“You’re gonna hit me?” Jack taunted. “You can’t do shit. Cripple.” He continued struggling, but Adam had no trouble holding him in place.

“Let him go,” Rowan said to his brother.

“You sure?”

“Yeah. When I beat the shit out of him, I want no doubts in his mind that a cripple kicked his ass. No calls of foul play.”

“All right. Your move.” Adam unhooked his hands from across Jack’s chest and stepped back. The smaller man surprised them both when he spun and caught Adam in the jaw instead of going after Rowan as they’d both expected. Seeing his brother’s head snap back made him see red. He launched himself at Jack and lit into him until the smaller man was in a heap on the ground. He used every trick Xander had taught him, using his knees, elbow and feet to make up for his missing arm.

Rowan spat on him, then leaned down to whisper. When he was finished delivering his message, he stood. “Ready?” He strode to the driver’s seat without waiting for his brother’s answer. Everyone was belted up and the car in drive, when the shots started. Jack had obviously crawled into the house and gone for the guns.

Rowan peeled out faster, and they escaped with bullets flying ineffectively after them. “Shoulda killed him,” he said

“You do not want a murder charge,” Steven said. “No matter how justified.”

“Can’t believe I let you take him without getting in a shot,” Adam said, rubbing his jaw. “Loren won’t be happy if I have a bruise.”

“She’ll kiss it better,” Rowan said.

Adam didn’t respond, but smiled slightly. “Let’s go home.”

Rowan nodded and sped off down the dark highway. For the first time ever, the word
home
conjured images of his small dorm room at The Program, not his tiny dilapidated housing he’d shared with his mother. In his mind, home included Jill waiting for him. He shook his head and focused on the road. He needed to get it together. Jill might be his match on paper, but they were nothing more than that in real life. She didn’t find him sexually attractive thanks to his arm, and he wasn’t too hot on her. He preferred his woman to be sexually adventurous and aggressive about finding pleasure. It’d been clear Jill saw sex as a necessary evil.

He’d spend the next few months helping Jill ditch the abusive husband, get a job, and get back on her feet. Then he’d go back to Shep and see about finding another woman who could be his true match.

* * * * *

“Mom, I’m okay.” Jill squeezed the phone handset to her ear, reveling in the lightness of her new haircut that didn’t tangle on the phone. She was alone in Rowan’s apartment. Hers now, too, she guessed.

After her makeover, Xander’s mother had pointed out that her parents were probably worried if Jack had called them looking for her. She hadn’t been close with her parents for the last six years; Jack hadn’t allowed it, but Judy was right, she owed them a phone call.

She’d been on for ten long minutes explaining that her decision to run hadn’t been impulsive. Her parents had no idea she’d been an abused wife. She’d thought about telling them once, the first time he’d hit her, but she’d been too embarrassed to admit they’d been right about her teen marriage. Eventually Jack had made it clear he’d come after her if she tried to escape to her parents. Her parents didn’t have the financial or physical health to keep her safe. And once they’d moved to Florida, she’d had no way of getting to them.

Now she was left trying to explain to her mother that she’d kept silent for too long. “Mom, I had to run away. Jack wasn’t nice to me. He hit me. A lot.”

There was silence on the other line, and then finally Jill could hear her mother crying. “I’d wondered,” she said. “After your marriage we stopped communicating, I wondered if things were okay, but you never said anything, and you always seemed so happy when you and Jack came for supper. And then dad got sick, and you never came and visited us in Florida like you promised.”

“I…” She didn’t know what to say. She and Jack had done too good a job of pretending that all was well in the Thompson household.

“I’m so sorry.” Jill’s mom was audibly sobbing. “You didn’t feel like you could come to us, and we would’ve helped, Jill. Please know we would’ve helped.”

“I know, Mom.” She waited for her mother to calm down enough to finish the conversation. “I was scared, Mom. I knew Jack would come after me. Restraining orders can help, but not always.” She shifted her position where she sat cross–legged on Rowan’s bed.

“Where are you now that you feel safe?”

She hesitated, not sure how her parents would take the news of her being at The Program. Her parents were pretty religious, and probably fell into the group of Americans who felt The Program was playing God by creating genetically enhanced soldiers. For the first time in six years, she felt the lines of communication opening up with her parents, and she didn’t want to slam the door closed so soon. “I applied to be a breed match for one of The Program soldiers.”

There was silence on the other line.

“You know, those super soldiers everyone’s talking about on TV. Anyway, I’m a match for one of the soldiers, and…here I am.” She left off the fine print. No need for her mom to know she and Rowan weren’t living as a true match.

Her mother still wasn’t talking, and she gripped the handset tighter, bracing herself against her mother’s harsh words. She told herself her mother’s opinion didn’t matter. Safety was what counted. She was shocked at her mother’s next words.

“Thank God. That was a smart thing to do, Jilly. Jack can’t get to you if you’re there.”

She tried to speak, then realized she was crying, possibly harder than her mother. “I…” They both cried at each other for a few minutes. For her it was a happy cry and one of regret. She’d known deep inside her parents would’ve helped her if they could’ve, but it was amazing to hear it confirmed. Finally they both calmed down enough to continue the conversation.

Rowan paused with his hand on the doorknob to his apartment. Jill’s voice carried through the thin door, and he’d never heard her so animated. He felt intrusive listening in, but when he heard his name, he felt less bad.

“His name is Rowan,” Jill said.

His ear went up against the door.

“Mm hmm. He’s very handsome. Tall. Probably around six–two, and really muscular. But I never feel scared with him. He’s so gentle with me.”

His heart pounded at hearing Jill describe him as handsome. He didn’t know who she was talking to and whether she was telling the truth. It sounded convincing.

“We’re taking things slow. I’m still technically married, but not for long. He’s helping me file for divorce.”

A long silence, and he debated opening the door to let Jill know he was home, but her next words stopped him.

“I know, Mom. I hate that I’m getting divorced, but I had to choose my own safety.”

More silence.

“He has brown eyes, but depending on the light they can look greenish. I love his eyes.”

Rowan blinked. He’d never paid much attention to his eyes. They saw the world clearly and that was what he cared about, but apparently Jill liked his eyes. He listened some more, but the conversation was ending.

“Okay. Love you, too. When Rowan thinks it’s safe and I save enough money, I’ll come visit. Bye.”

Rowan waited until he deemed it long enough so Jill wouldn’t know he’d been spying and knocked on the door. “Jill, it’s me. You dressed?” It took a minute, and then the door opened and Jill was there smiling up at him. Only he didn’t recognize her for a minute. She was wearing a clean shirt, and it showed a little cleavage. And she’d done something to her hair. It was shorter and had streaks of red and looked silky enough he wanted to run his fingers through it.

“Rowan. You’re back.”

They stood in the doorway smiling at each other. He loved the way her cheeks got pink, making her look even prettier. “I like your hair.” He stepped into the room, and she backed up and ran a shy hand through her locks.

“Thank you. Emma did it.”

“Cool. Glad you and she got along.”

“We did,” she said. “Although Xander was a little…scary.”

He lost his smile. He didn’t want to have to kick his trainer’s ass, but he’d have to if he’d said something harsh to his match. “What’d Xander do?”

Jill responded to his frown, producing one of her own. “Nothing. He just sat in the corner looking scary, except when he looked at Emma. It was actually kind of sweet how protective he was.”

Rowan relaxed. Xander was a good guy. Zero social skills, but he shouldn’t have worried about the dude being mean to Jill. “Yeah, Xander’s totally puss—ah, in love with Emma.”

Jill hid a smile behind her hand. “You were going to say pussy whipped.”

“Uh…”

She giggled. “It’s okay. I can hear a curse word without fainting. Jack couldn’t talk without cursing.”

“Yeah, I got that tonight.”

Her eyes widened, and she stepped to him. He liked the feel of her soft hand on his arm. “Oh my God. I’m such an idiot. I got distracted and haven’t asked how it went. How did it go? Was he so mad?”

He guided her over to the bed and sat next to her. “Jack is very sorry he ever hurt you, and he’s going to sign those papers and you’ll be free.”

He inwardly winced when her eyes lit up. “Really?”

It was tempting to continue lying, but Jill was a grown–up who knew her husband pretty well. “Not exactly. He was pretty pissed when he got the divorce papers. He punched Adam.”

Her hand flew to her lips. “No. Oh no. Is he okay? I am so sorry Adam got hurt because of me.”

He couldn’t let that go. He caught her hand in his. “Hey, none of that. Adam didn’t get punched because of you. He got punched because your soon–to–be–ex–husband is a violent idiot.”

“But, if I’d never barged in on your lives, Adam wouldn’t have met Jack, and he wouldn’t have been hurt.”

“I never said Adam was hurt. I said he’d been punched. Your husband is a regular civilian and Adam is a trained enhanced soldier. Adam barely felt the punch. Trust me.”