A Hero In Uniform - The Complete Series (17 page)

“
Nolan hasn't gotten her yet, and he won't get a chance to while I'm around.”

Over the next week, Ric and Jessi spent their days with his family and their nights in each others arms, loving each other over and over until exhaustion claimed them in the early hours.

Both of them knew they were in love with the other, but neither of them were willing to reveal their feelings for fear the other would reject them.

For Jessi, it was a case of once-bitten … 

Ric was a Navy man, a mechanic on one of the patrol boats that were out a sea more often then they weren't.

How could they hope to have a relationship if she told him she loved him and he accepted it?

How could they hope to have a family or even get married when he was away more then he was at home?

For Ric, he couldn't be sure if Jessi would want to get married after how her last one ended.

He didn't want to compete with the memory of Kevin Nolan and he didn't want to be married to a woman who might or might not be thinking he was going to do the same things as that gutless coward.

How could they make a relationship if she thought he might turn around and start abusing her?

He was willing to get a transfer off the Sydney and take a desk job at NAVCOM, but he wasn't going to make such a drastic change until he convinced Jessi they were meant to be together and their relationship ended in the way he wanted it to.

With Jessi as his wife.

In Cairns, Kevin Nolan's uncle – Doug – was using old contacts to track down where Ric Jordan had taken Jessica Lawson while his nephew loaded up his Holden ute with all the weapons he wanted to use to make that bitch pay.

Doug understood his nephews need to get revenge.

He'd been in a similar situation with his own wife when the slut had claimed he'd raped her, even though she'd been walking around without a stitch of clothing on, just begging for it.

He didn't understand how the law could say he had raped his own wife, but they had and had even tried to charge him with the crime. He'd dodged that bullet, however, when his wife had … disappeared. 

Now, Kevin was in the same boat because his wife had done the same thing.

Kevin had told what had happened that night; how little Jessica had been putting out the signals as she prepared their anniversary dinner. Then, when Kevin had given her what she'd wanted, she'd called the police and cried rape.

His nephew had lost his standing in society and had been stripped of his federal agent status because of her lies.

When his contact came through and emailed the location of Ric Jordan's parents home in Bungalow, Doug grinned and went out to tell his nephew.

“
You found them already?” Kevin said as he looked at the map of the neighbourhood where he'd be heading.

“
Nothing takes long when you have the right people working on it.”

Kevin grinned and said, “This is great, Doug. Thanks.”

“
Put a bullet in her for me when you get there.”

“
Will do.”

Nine

The Christmas day celebrations were in full swing at the Jordan house in Bungalow. Kids ran around, playing with their new toys while the adults got the table ready for Christmas dinner.
Ric and his brother Hamish were carrying things from the kitchen to the table while Jessi helped Sofia and Heidi set each place.

He liked seeing her with his family and he couldn't wait to talk to her about where she wanted things to lead so they could get a start on making their own family if she wanted the same things he did.

But the happy celebrations and Ric's musings about the future were suddenly cut short when an old ute crashed through the front of the house, sending the Christmas tree careening onto its side and making everyone scatter as screams and wails of pain filled the house.

Before anyone could move, Kevin Nolan was out of the car, a double-barreled shotgun in his hands. He trained the weapon on everyone he laid eyes on as he searched the crowd for someone, and when he spotted her, he grabbed Jessi by the arm and hauled her against him.

Jessi tried to fight him, but his free hand clamped around her throat and held on tight, slowly cutting off her air-supply.

In her peripheral vision, she could see Ric and his brother Hamish – both brothers armed – and she prayed he didn't do anything that would get him killed.

Kevin dropped the shotgun and pulled a pistol from his jeans. He shoved the muzzle against her temple and told those gathered, “Jessica is coming with me. If I see any of you following us, she's dead.” 

It was getting harder for her to breath, and she had no doubt in her mind that, if Kevin got her alone, she would be dead inside an hour.

“
I don't think so, Nolan.” Ric said.

Jessi tried to focus on his voice, but it was no good.

She was on the brink of unconsciousness and about to go over …

Kevin felt the moment his wife passed out because her slender body slumped against him, putting him a little off balance. He dropped her to the floor and aimed his gun at Ric Jordan, the Navy man who wanted to be a hero.

“
You don't want to do this.” Ric told him.

Kevin wasn't above murder and he would love to kill hot-shot Navy man, but there were too many witness's and he didn't plan on going back to jail.

So the question became, how did he get himself and his bitch of a wife out of here without Ric following them?

Ric stood perfectly still, his fathers shotgun aimed at Kevin's heart.

He'd seen Jessi collapse from the hold that bastard had had on her throat and he wanted to knock the son-of-a-bitch out, but he couldn't do anything in a house filled with his family.

He wouldn't risk their safety just to give Kevin Nolan the medicine he so richly deserved.

“
You're the navy boy that's been sniffing around Jessica.” Kevin said to him, his gun trained on Ric's chest. “Tell me, sailor-boy. What did Jessica tell you about me?”

Ric glared at him and replied, “The truth.”

Kevin scoffed and said, “Women can't tell the truth. Their DNA hard-wires them to lie, cheat, steal and tease any man they come across.”

“
Did that grudge form before or after Jessi had the sense to divorce you?”

Raw anger came over Kevin's face and Ric saw his finger twitch on the gun's trigger. But the former agent never got a chance to get a shot off because Jessi suddenly woke and she used her training from self-defense class to knock her ex-husband off his feet. Kevin went down, his gun scattering across the floor. He cursed and turned to grab Jessi, but she managed to evade the blow that would have landed on her jaw and went after Kevin's gun.

Ric came to her aid.

He grabbed Kevin by the lapels and hauled him to his feet.

A fist fight began, both men getting in punches that slowed the other down, but Kevin got out on top when he brought his knee up into Ric's stomach, winding the Navy mechanic and putting him out of the fight.

Across the room, Jessi had located Kevin's gun, but before she could pick it up, she was dragged backwards by her feet and flipped over onto her back. Kevin stood above her, an evil gleam in his eyes as he hand closed around the hilt of blade sheathed at his waste.

This was it.

This was the moment that decided who would live and who would die.

Not wasting a second, Jessi twisted her head back, located the gun with her eyes and reached for it with her hands. Cold metal greeted her fingers and she brought the gun up just as Kevin pulled the knife, the blade winking at her.

Survival instinct and her vow to never again be the victim kicked in and she opened fire on Kevin, emptying the magazine into his chest.

Kevin went down, the knife dropping from his hand as he fell to the floor. Dead.

Breathing heavily, Jessi dropped the gun and got to her feet, crossing to where Ric was on the floor, trying to catch his breath. She dropped to her knees beside him and kissed him before asking, “Are you okay?”

“
I'll be fine.” He wheezed. He lifted a hand to her face and cupped her cheek, holding her gaze as he asked, “How are you?”

She knew what he was talking about and she smiled. “I think I’ll be okay.”

If it wasn't for those classes, there was no doubt that she'd be dead right now.

Hamish came over then and told them, “I've called the police and an ambulance, and AFP agent Blake is on his way over with his team.”

Ric nodded and thanked his brother before resting his head on Jessi's thigh and closing his eyes. She held him, her fingers moving through his hair in light strokes as she thought about a few things.

With Kevin dead, everything could be normal now.

But what did that mean for her relationship with Ric?

In the two and bit months they'd known each other, she'd fallen in love with him.

Did he feel the same way about her?

Would he be willing to give their relationship a go and see where it led?

Or would he return to his life in the Navy and forget she even exists?

Ten

One year later …

2013 was just around the corner and Jessi was rushing about her new place, getting everything ready for the NYE's party she was hosting. She had the table set, the decorations in place and the food was in the fridge, cooked and ready to be served. Little Ashleigh was down for a nap so she could join in the celebrations when she woke around midnight, like she did every night, and all that remained was for Jessi to get ready.

HMAS Sydney was coming into port tonight, at eight, and some of her crew were heading to Jessi's place for the party; there was CO Jackson Tanner, RO Steven Leigh, the Nav,Daniel Coleman and his wife Kelley and XO Ethan Conrad. Not to forget a certain mechanic who had been spending the last year spoiling her and their new daughter.