Shadow of Doubt (3 page)

“Just my luck,” he thought as he rubbed his hand across the back of his sturdy neck with frustration.  “And now she's crying too and I can't stand that mess!”

Jordan paced the bar area nervously trying not to look in her direction, but found himself glancing over his shoulder wishing she would just quit her sniffling.

“What a hunk,” the girl thought as she watched this manly creature stroll across the room.  She wiped the tears dry from her flushed cheeks with the tissue, then panicked when she saw him pick up the telephone receiver.  She slung the blanket to the floor and ran toward him, grabbing at his arm.

“You're not gonna call the cops are you?” she asked with fear now and short of breath.

Jordan looked at her with much surprise in his eyes now.  “Oh...I get it now.  You're in trouble with the law and don't wanna admit it.  What did ya do, kill somebody or something?”  He slammed down the phone angrily.

He figured it would be just about his luck to find something this luscious and suddenly find out she was some kind of mass murderer on the run.  But then, she just didn't look like the type to tote around a huge butcher knife.

“No...really, it's not that,” she tried to explain.  “It's just that I don't wanna go to the police station.  They scare me.”     She really just wanted to stay with Jordan a while longer.  She liked his hospitality not to mention his looks.  Besides, why go to that dingy place when they probably wouldn't know who she was either?

“How do you know they scare you?” he asked in an accusing tone, still trying to decide if she were telling him the whole truth or not.  “Are you playing games with me little lady?” he then asked in a threatening tone as he pointed a rugged finger at her face.

“Because if you are, I'm not the type for this.”  Jordan gritted his teeth not too sure if he should believe her now or not.

“No...really, I'm just scared,” she replied as she crossed her arms shivering again and began to fake a sniffle.  She saw that it had bothered him before so decided to try it again now.

Jordan slightly softened.  “Cover up, will ya?  You look like you're freezing to death.  I just wanna call my friend Martin.  Maybe he can help.  Humph, sure he can,” he mumbled out with sarcasm in his voice.  He picked up the phone and began to punch the numbers.

The young woman slowly made her way back to the couch and sat with one leg tucked beneath her, the other on the floor as she watched his every move very closely.  Jordan only wished her t-shirt would have slipped further up her thigh when she sat down so he could see the rest of her luscious legs.

She listened intently as Jordan seemed to argue on the phone with this so called friend of his.  At last he hung up, turned nervously toward her and stared as if he didn't know what to do next.  She bent to pick up the blanket from the floor and covered her trembling legs.  Jordan caught sight of her cleavage when the neck of her shirt dropped, then turned his head trying to conceal his sneak peek when she again sat up and looked his direction.  She covered her legs and sat smugly waiting to see what was to happen to her next.

Jordan strolled at a slow steady pace toward her.  He motioned his head toward the kitchen that opened off the end of the living room with a breakfast bar dividing the two rooms.  He seemed terribly fidgety.

“Are you hungry...or anything?” he offered generously.  “Surely you know whether or not you're hungry don't you?”

She finally smiled now at his humor and uncertainty at all the same time, knowing he was only trying to make the best of an awkward situation for the both of them.

“Uh-uh, thanks anyway,” she replied nearly whispering.

Jordan liked her sweet, innocent sounding voice.  It nearly sent chills down his spine just to hear her speak.  He felt like a school boy as he inched closer, circled his own sofa admiringly then finally got the nerve to sit next to her again.  Their elbows were nearly touching as he again looked her face to face.

“How did I get here?” she finally asked, still wide-eyed, but not afraid of him anymore, just curious to know how she had gotten so fortunate to come upon this extraordinarily handsome man.

“I found you washed up on my beach.  From last night's storm I presume,” he answered as he again scanned her smoothly tanned arms, wanting so badly to reach over and rub them, but didn't think she would appreciate that too much.  She seemed frightened enough all ready.

“Now what?” she asked trying to break the ice in the room, as they only stared back at each other.  Both with puzzled looks on their faces.

“I don't know the answer to that either,” Jordan replied with a chuckle.  “It's not everyday that I find a woman washed up on my beach.  Any suggestions?”  Now he seemed to be enjoying the situation a little more for the first time, seeing that she was calming down somewhat as well.

“You could always just throw me back, I guess,” she suggested as she returned his grin.

“Don't think it hasn't already crossed my mind,” he joked back teasingly, then turned his head toward the door after hearing a car door slam outside the house.  He rose and walked to the patio door to look out.

“It's Martin,” he informed her as he slid the patio door open.  “Maybe by some wild chance he will know what to do about all this.”

Martin wasn't sure he believed Jordan's crazy tale either but came over as quickly as he could.  “Why can't I find a woman lying around outside my front door?” he mumbled to himself as he stomped his way up the stairway and slid through the already opened patio doors, just brushing passed Jordan.  He immediately began searching the room for this gorgeous blonde his friend had told him about over the phone.

“Get out of the way Myron!” Martin scolded again as he kicked at the little mutt that also greeted him playfully.  The dog squealed and retreated back under the couch.  Jordan gave Martin an evil leer but didn't respond verbally.  He had more severe matters to tend too.

Martin stood non-believing for a moment as his eyes landed on the young, cute thing with the great legs that was half covered with a blanket on the couch.  Then he turned to Jordan with the look of disbelief on his face.

“What's the punch line dude?” he asked sardonically.

“No joke Martin,” Jordan insisted, almost with anger in his voice.  “She was lying unconscious on the beach this morning.  What should I do?”

“Have you called the authorities?”

“She won't let me.”

Martin shook his head then walked over to the young woman.  “You sure you don't remember anything?”  He still acted as if he didn't believe either of them.  She only shook her head not liking this guy at all.  He was cute with his reddish hair and auburn eyes, but the young woman didn't like his attitude from the first moment he spoke.

“Look Martin...this is no joke!” Jordan scolded.

“Bull shit!  No one finds something like that lying around by chance!  And then doesn't even call the authorities?”

Martin was still grinning as he motioned to her, still thinking Jordan was playing a joke on him to pay him back for the many he had pulled on him over the years.

Jordan and Martin argued amongst themselves for a few minutes.  The young lady watched and listened as they grew angry at each other.  They acted as if she didn't even exist and she began to feel as if she were causing trouble between old friends.  She couldn't stand it anymore.  Her head grew light and her vision blurred when she tried to stand and protest their constant bickering.  Now she could barely make out the two men's bodies as she tried to step toward them and now only heard muzzled voices.  She stood with the intent of running out the door but her dizziness stopped her immediately.

Jordan and Martin both grew suddenly silent and turned to look after they heard a sudden thump from behind them.

“Miss?  Miss?  You okay?” Jordan asked repeatedly as he again ran to her and knelt beside her limp body. She had suddenly fainted and fell flat to the floor.

“Maybe you weren't joking,” Martin finally assessed as he too came to kneel next to her on the floor.  “We'd better get her to a doctor...don't you think?” he finally advised now with slight concern.

“I told you I wasn't playing around!” Jordan yelled in anger at his still chuckling friend.

Jordan carefully picked her up and rushed her down the stairs to his truck.  Gently he placed her next to himself and laid her head against his solid shoulder.

“Pretty little thing isn't she?” Martin boasted as he climbed in the passenger side of the truck and thoroughly inspected her entire body.

Jordan grew even angrier at his friend as they took off.  His patience was nearing an end.  “This is no time to be thinking of sex Martin!” he warned.

He knew Martin all too well.  Sex was about all his brown-eyed friend ever thought about.  Jordan only wanted to get rid of this problem.  To let the authorities take over even though he felt a little responsible as well as sorry for her.  She seemed so innocent...yet so scared when he even mentioned calling the police.

“See if you can bring her too would you?” he then ordered to Martin as they drove toward the hospital.  “It's not good for her to be unconscious like this, I'm sure.”

“My pleasure,” Martin beamed as he pulled her frail, limp body over to his side of the seat.

“And don't jack with her either,” Jordan then warned with a protective tone.  He was furious at Martin's constant amusement at the strange and unusual predicament they were in.

“I'm not that senile,” he replied still laughing.  “Besides...I only like'em conscious.”  Martin talked to her as he shook her gently but she never flinched or moved.

“She's out cold,” he finally admitted to Jordan, giving up and smiling as he propped her head against his own shoulder and stared at her helpless little body.  Then again he laughed out loud.  “Why don't you just stop by my place?  I bet I can wake her up there.”

“Martin!” Jordan yelled out as he slammed on the brakes and came to a sudden screeching halt on the side of the road.  “I'm fixing to get out and bash your damn head in!”

“I'm sorry,” Martin answered still giggling out loud enjoying every moment of Jordan's rage and torment as they drove on now.  He couldn't help but laugh.  Never before had he seen Jordan Scott in a situation he couldn't handle.  All the years he had known him, Jordan was always in control of everything.  The leader of the gang.  Now just because of some cute chick with amnesia he seemed to be losing his cool.

“And quit looking at her like that,” Jordan then threatened again as he neared the emergency room entrance at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona.  He nearly sounded like a jealous boyfriend to Martin now.

“Looking at her like what?” Martin asked sarcastically.  “Calm down will ya?  You're acting like the girl's father or something.  I'm not gonna touch her, I promise.  Not while she's unconscious anyway.”

Jordan didn't answer this time.  He couldn't.  Only let out a deep breath as he shook his head.  He silently let his friend know he was annoyed with the entire situation he had awakened too and found himself in this morning and knew he was overacting, but couldn't help it.  He too...found her to be rather attractive...this was what bothered him the most.