Chapter 9
Much to everyone’s surprise, after a week and a half, Sal Rossi hadn’t launched his payback campaign. He didn’t complain to Jax’s boss, he left Fee alone—although he did cancel on Dylan—and nothing bad happened to Risa. He’d even gone in the opposite direction without uttering one nasty word when Risa and Fee had run into him during lunch after one of Bella’s sessions.
Maybe love did change some people?
No. Not Sal Rossi.
Risa hadn’t let her guard down despite the quiet. She’d had the handyman her dad knew out the week before to replace her doors and locks with sturdier models. The bushes had been cut back, and she was just waiting on the electrician to install the new motion sensor lights. The only suggestion she hadn’t looked into was an alarm system.
Really, with two dogs and an attack cat, did she need one?
Fiona thought so. They were in the middle of that debate when they walked out of the kennel and straight into Jax.
“Jax, tell her I’m right,” Fee said.
He looked at them and kept his mouth shut.
“Smart man,” Risa said, smiling at her best friend. “We need to talk about Bella.”
“How’d she do today?” He smiled briefly and crossed his arms.
“Good. She’s such a sweetheart.”
“Maybe we should find some place more private,” Risa suggested, looking around.
“I’m running behind and have to get home before Dylan gets out of school. Risa can fill you in on today’s session. Call me if you need me.” Fee gave them both quick hugs and left.
“I thought she was doing good, and making progress.” Jax’s words were filled with caution as his gaze flicked between Fee’s retreating form and her.
“She is, but we need to step up our game. Can you come over to my place tomorrow around one and bring Bella with you?”
“I don’t know. Senior Chief has ordered me to back off my contact with Bella so she’ll get used to working with Moore and Sanchez. The guys don’t say anything when I show up here, but taking her on an off-day? Someone’s going to notice.”
“Jax, this is important.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, something she’d seen him do often when he was thinking things through. “I’ll come up with a reason for the duty officer.”
“Great, and I know the goats will be happy to see you too. You’ve no idea how perfectly you named Harle. She torments the dogs nonstop.”
“Looking forward to seeing them too. Look, Doc, I hate to cut it short, but I’ve got to find Casey.”
“Uh, sure. He’s inside. See you tomorrow.” Risa tucked the rogue strand of hair behind her ear and waved to Jax’s back as he walked off.
Strange. Had she said something wrong? She knew she was asking a lot of him—first paying for Fiona’s sessions and then breaking rules—but he didn’t seem like his normal self. He’d even left her hair hanging loose. She’d chalk it up to him worrying about Bella, but, drat, she missed his touch.
With that admission, she headed back to the clinic to collect her little ones. They were still too young to be left alone and needed to be bottle-fed at least five times a day. Thankfully, her staff didn’t mind helping out during the day and the kids were making it longer through the night. Mum and Dad had fallen completely in love with both of the little terrors, even offering to keep them. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t work. Neither of them was home during the day either, and the first time they ate Mum’s flowers she’d be yelling at Risa.
Needless to say, she passed on the babysitting offer. She did, however, take up her dad on his offer to help build their pen. They would start next weekend. When they were finished, the goats would have a fully fenced yard, plus a shed with central heat and air. It was a good thing she’d already obtained the building permit in preparation for the horse, who would be sharing the same home with the girls in about another six weeks.
Risa let out a contented sigh as she and her goats headed home. Everything was shaping up nicely in her life. Dream job: check. Perfect house: check. Space for her beloved animals: check. Close to family: check. Dream guy: maybe.
However, she was giving serious thought to rectifying that last category. After all, wasn’t there supposed to be an exception to every rule? And guys like Jax didn’t come around very often. She’d be a fool to let him walk away without at least testing the waters. What if he were her one true love? And if he weren’t, she had a feeling she’d have the time of her life finding out.
Over the past month, they’d seen each other nearly every day. The days she didn’t see him, she missed him. She was tired of being afraid and missing out.
Starting right then, she vowed to change all that. Live her life more fully. Be adventurous and brave. Tonight, she’d clean the house and choose an outfit for her training session with Bella that was cute and kind of sexy as well as functional. In the morning, she’d hit the grocery store to make Jax dinner and take him up on his offer.
Hopefully the electrician had installed the lighting while she’d been at work, as he’d promised. Then she could check that off her list. Plus, the last few nights the dogs had acted strange, constantly on alert. She hadn’t seen anyone or anything in the woods, but that didn’t mean they weren’t lurking nearby.
She’d sleep better if she weren’t constantly getting up and looking outside every hour, as she had last night. It was probably her imagination working overtime, which is why she hadn’t mentioned it to Jax earlier. She wouldn’t be surprised if that weren’t Sal’s plan, to send her and Fee into freak-out mode and then do nothing but sit at home and laugh. If either of them complained, he could say they were paranoid, and his wife would give him an alibi.
He’d have to try harder, because she wasn’t falling for his schemes. As of that moment, Risa vowed to put all the worry behind her and move forward. Whatever the deal had been with the cars was over. It’d been a month, and nothing else had gone wrong.
Risa whipped into her parking spot in front of her cute little farmhouse, happier than she’d been in ages. “Okay, Magoats, we’re here. You two are going to behave tonight, and not terrorize the dogs. Got it?” She slid out and walked to the back, popping the hatch. Harle and Totes baa’d at her, and she scooped them up and put them in the carry bag.
She was busy talking to the goats as she made her way across the yard, not really paying attention to anything. Her foot hit the first step and a shard of pottery pinged off the step. Risa bent down and picked up the piece.
Something was wrong… Out of the corner of her eye, something, no… Dirt, flowers, and more broken pots littered the porch.
Her gaze lifted.
“Ah, bloody hell.”
Someone had left her a message, painted in bold red letters on her new, pristine white front door: BACK OFF BITCH.
Her gaze travelled along the porch and took in the obscene mess that was once her welcoming home. Black paint marred the railings, columns and front window.
WHORE.
SLUT.
The words screamed at her.
Angry tears blurred her vision. She swiped them away, refusing to let them fall. With slow, cautious steps, Risa backed away and groaned. Her carefully planted and tended flower beds had been trampled and destroyed. The bastard hadn’t left anything alone.
Athena and Eir barked from inside the house. The poor babies wanted out. She walked around to the side door, intending to put them in their kennel and stopped in her tracks.
Bitch—Whore—Slut.
Seemed her friend had a limited vocabulary.
The dogs would have to hold it a little longer, and the goats needed to go back in their carrier in the car.
The rabbit hutch… The door hung open. Neither Buggsy nor Lolita was in sight.
“Oh, please be inside.” She ran to the cage and peered in the house. Empty.
She had to find them. Risa bolted to the car and secured the goats before running back to the side of the house. Frantic, she looked around. She searched under the stairs, the porch, the bushes, and the surrounding woods. Nothing.
Her bunnies were gone.
Damn it. She could handle the vandalism, but not this.
With tears in her eyes and a broken heart, Risa sunk down on the rock next to the hutch and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She didn’t even hesitate on whom to call.
“Jax, I need you now.”
When he pulled up fifteen minutes later, Risa was in the same spot. She’d been afraid to go inside and miss the bunnies, in case they were hiding. Plus, she didn’t know if she’d mess up evidence.
He bent down in front of her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Are you okay?”
“They’re gone, Jax. Buggsy and Lolita are gone.” Fresh tears fell. What if the person who did this hurt them? They were just sweet rabbits that had no way to defend themselves.
“Physically, are you okay? You didn’t confront whoever did this or walk in on them, did you?”
She shook her head, not trusting her voice.
“Thank God.” Jax wrapped her in his arms. “When I saw you sitting here… We’ll find Buggsy and Lolita. What about the dogs and your cat?”
“Inside still.” She sniffled and pulled it together. “Do you think it’s okay to let them out and put them in the big kennel? They’ve been in the house all day.”
“Have the locals showed up yet?”
“I called you.”
He smiled and ran his thumb down the side of her face, cupping her cheek. “I’m glad.”
The kiss was sweet, a split second too long to be meaningless. If they hadn’t had a mess on their hands, it might have led to more.
“Let’s give them a call. Once they’re done, we can let the mutts out and clean this place up.”
Risa called the local station and was assured a patrol would be over right away. Jax walked around taking pictures with his cellphone.
The dogs sat at the front window watching, the goats baa’d from the back of her SUV, and she kept an eye out for pink wiggling noses with no luck. Twenty minutes later, the police showed up. It was the same two men as before.
Officer Browning was older, with salt-and-pepper hair and deep lines on his face. His partner, Officer Watts, looked fresh out of the academy. Browning looked at the front door, scratched his belly, and walked over to where Risa sat.
“Looks like you’ve ticked off someone, young lady. What have you been up to?” he asked.
What? What had she been up to? How was this her fault? She ground her teeth together to keep from telling him to bugger off, or worse, calling him a pompous, arrogant codger.
“Excuse me? You don’t think it was bored teens then, Officer?” she asked sweetly.
“Given the word choice, I’d say it looks like you’ve been parking your boots under the wrong person’s bed.”
What did that even mean?
He eyed Jax, looked to Risa, and turned back to Jax. “Who might you be?”
Jax held out his hand. “Chief Jackson Faraday, sir. I’m a friend of Dr. Reynolds’ and a member of base security. It might interest you that the day after Risa’s tires were slashed here, her loaner car was vandalized at work on the base.”
“Base security, huh? Well, you’re not on government property now, Chief, so I’ll remind you this is our jurisdiction.”
Jax held his hands up and stepped back, so he stood at Risa’s side.
“Any idea who might have a grudge against you, Ms. Reynolds?” Watts asked.
“Just one person. Salvador Rossi.”
“Ex-lover?” Browning asked.
She closed her eyes and fought back the bile rising in her throat. “His ex-wife is my best friend. He blames me for their divorce, despite the fact that he left her for another woman when she was pregnant with their son. Other than him, I have no idea.”
“Any damage, other than what we can see from here? Did the person or persons enter the house?” Watts asked, while Browning watched her with his beady eyes.
“My dogs are in the house, so no, but my rabbits are missing. I haven’t really had a chance to inspect the house, as I didn’t want to disturb the scene.”
“I’ve looked around for Ms. Reynolds, and the damage is all surface, with the exception of her missing pets.” Jax laid his hand on her shoulder and gave her a little squeeze of encouragement. “However, it appears the individual behind this attack is escalating, and his anger toward Risa is growing.”
“Are you a profiler, son?” Browning stepped into Jax’s space, which put him in Risa’s as well. She had to turn her head to breathe. The man had an overpowering aroma of garlic about him.
Watts caught her eye and winked. Poor guy. He had to ride in the patrol car with that.
“No, sir, just sharing information and insights. We like to call it cooperation and playing nice with others where I come from.” Jax stepped forward into the older man’s bubble. Browning backed off.
“Officer Watts will take your statement, Ms. Reynolds, and get pictures for your insurance claim.” Browning scratched his belly and went back to the patrol car.
“Ignore him,” Watts said. “The call interrupted his dinner, and he gets cranky when he’s hungry.”
The younger officer ran both of them through a list of questions, took down Jax’s contact information, and went over what they had on Sal Rossi and the recent events. After the patrol car left, Risa took care of her animals. By the time she had finished, Jax had cleaned up the broken pottery and contents on the front porch.
* * * *
Risa joined him on the front steps and sat with a heavy sigh. “Thank you for being here, and for cleaning.”
“It’s what friends do, Risa. I’m sorry. You warned me about Rossi’s temper. When he didn’t retaliate in the first forty-eight hours, I let my guard down. This is my fault.” This was his mess, and he needed to fix it.
“No, it’s not. Trust me, if you were still watching him today, he would have simply waited another week or month until we all forgot. I was even thinking on the way home all of this nonsense was over. So don’t blame yourself.” She laid her head on his shoulder and tucked her arm through his.
“I put a call into the office. They’re calling Sal in for an interview.”
“When?” He heard the tension in her voice and felt her muscles tighten. Even though she said she wasn’t afraid of Rossi, he knew she was.
“They’ll give him an option to show up within the next two hours or they’ll escort him in. If we have to, we can ask for assistance from the local force, but I don’t think Browning is going to be much help.”
“No?” She laughed and looked at him before putting her head back on his shoulder. “I thought he was kind of charming, in a grumpy, annoying sort of way.”
“You wanted to tell him… what was that term you used earlier? To bugger off. Don’t deny it. It was written all over your pretty face.”
And flashing in her eyes, radiating off her body… She had reminded Jax of a pissed off mama ‘coon he’d come across as a kid. Cute and vicious.
“Maybe, but what did he even mean by ‘parking my boots somewhere’?”
“It’s an old country saying, meaning you’d been sleeping with some other woman’s man.”
“Bollocks.” She shot up straight, her cheeks flame-red and all the earlier annoyance back. “I would never do such a thing.”
“Not part of your bad-girl repertoire?” he teased.
“I’ll have you know we bad girls have our standards.” She turned to face the ruined front door. “I guess I should see what I have around here to clean up this mess. My mum will have her knickers in a twist if she sees the place.”
“Leave it for tonight, Risa. I have a plan.” Jax twined his fingers through hers and pulled her back to the front stoop, where he could feel her body up against his.
“I’m not leaving, if that’s what you’re thinking.” She turned sideways, so they were face-to-face. “No one is chasing me away from my home.”
“That wasn’t part of my plan. It’s not a bad idea, but I knew you wouldn’t go along with it. The first part is, we order delivery and eat. Browning’s not the only one who gets hangry.”
Her stomach gurgled, and she frowned. “I guess I could get behind that idea. What else?”
“I don’t think our perpetrator is done.” At her arched brow, he went on. “When I was walking around the house, it looked like he or she was just getting started on the back windows.”
“Are you thinking they’ll be back tonight after it gets dark?”
“Yep, and I’m going to be waiting for them.”
“You mean we’re going to be waiting for him.” She’d gotten up to pace. He could see the wheels in her mind spinning; finally, she turned to him and pointed. “Don’t think I’m going to sit around and play the damsel in distress. This afternoon was an exception, and that was only because of Buggsy and Lolita.”
Damn, she was cute when she was feisty. “It’s really a shame you have that ‘no dating military’ policy,” he said.
“About that…” She hesitated. “I was thinking I might suspend that rule for a while, maybe make an exception for a nice guy if he was—whoops.” She laughed as he pulled her into his arms.
With her trapped between his legs, Jax slid his hands along the side of her face and held her still. Her caramel eyes darkened to a light chocolate. Her mouth parted, and her breathing turned shallow and slow.
“Would it be ungentlemanly of me to kiss you?”
Risa’s lips curled upward, and she leaned in. He didn’t need more of an invitation. He swooped in and claimed her mouth. She grabbed his shoulders and held on tight. She tasted so good and sweet, like warm honey. He went back for more, slipping his hands down to her waist to pull her in tight, while he kissed her like his next breath depended on it.
When they broke apart a few minutes later, both were breathing heavily. He didn’t want to stop, but he needed his head in the game. He’d already messed up once. No way was Rossi catching him with his pants down again.
“Wow. Tell me why I waited,” Risa said.
“Darling, all good things are worth waiting for.” Unfortunately, they’d have to test that theory and wait until later for more. Right now, they had to set up to catch an asshole.
“What time do you think they’ll be done with Sal?” Risa asked with a wicked gleam in her eye.
Jax laughed and kissed her again. “Too soon for us to follow through with what’s on your mind, woman.”
Risa playfully batted his shoulder. “I’ve no idea what you’re referring to. I was going to suggest… stripping the paint off the door.”
“Sure you were. How about you order dinner. Whatever you want that can be delivered. I’ll eat anything.” Although what he was craving wasn’t on any restaurant menu.
“Okay, but what will you be doing, Mr. Tough Guy?” She raised her eyebrows with a look that said he better not try to pull the macho-man routine.
“I’m going to scout around the house, see what kind of traps I can set up, and then I need to hide my truck. How well do you know your neighbor?”
“Old Man Gibbons? He likes to yell at me about the dogs and act mean and crotchety, but really he’s a sweetheart. He’s also former military from, like, the Revolutionary War.”
“Which side did he fight on?”
“Ours. I think.”
Given Risa’s mixed background, that didn’t tell Jax much. He’d just have to hope the man was willing to help out a brother-in-arms. Risa wished him luck and went inside. Jax stood there long enough to hear the lock click into place. Then he hopped into his truck and drove the half-mile down the road to Risa’s nearest and, clearly, dearest neighbor.
A half-hour later, he jogged back up the road with his truck stashed out of sight. As he came up on the house, movement on the side caught his attention.
Jax crept as quietly as he could, using all of his training to not make a sound. When he was within a few feet of his target, he knelt down, prepared to spring forward and catch his man—or rather rabbit. Risa must have been watching out for him, because she came flying out the door.
“Buggsy,” she called, sliding to her knees. The little guy hopped right into her waiting hands. “Where have you been? Where’s Lolita? I’ve been worried sick about the two of you. Jax, if he’s here, she’s got to be nearby.”
“I’ll find her.”
Risa walked inside, cuddling the furry fluff ball.
He looked around. “If I were a scared rabbit, where would I hide? Or if I were a hungry, scared rabbit, where would I go?” Jax spied the perfect spot and quietly crept up on the bush. In a soft voice he called out, “Lolita, come on girl, dinner time.”
After a few moments, a little, pink, wiggling nose peeked out from under the plant. Jax scooped her up and headed inside. He watched as Risa laughed and cried and cuddled both animals before placing them in a portable kennel on top of the dryer.
“Tonight, you two are staying inside.” Then she turned and threw herself into Jax’s arms, kissing him softly and laying her head against his chest. “Thank you. Now tell me, what kind of trap are we setting for Sal?”
This woman amazed him. One minute she was an emotional wreck over a lost animal being found, and the next she was out for blood. Something he’d have to keep in mind, because he didn’t think his tenderhearted superwoman was going to like what he said next.
“I’m going to set up surveillance in that old tree fort, and you’re going to be—”
“Right there with you.”
She stepped back and crossed her arms, daring him to say otherwise. He knew this meant a lot to her, but he had no choice. He couldn’t take the chance she’d get hurt.
“Risa, I need you in the house with the animals. So that everything looks normal.”
“He can’t see in my house at night. I close the curtains, and they’re too thick to see through. We’ll turn on the living-room light and the TV.”
“And when the dogs don’t stop barking, he’ll wonder why. If it is Rossi, he knows you well enough to know your dogs are trained and listen.”
She waivered, sucking in her bottom lip and nibbling at it.
“He also knows I sing in the shower and they bark, thanks to Fee.”
They went back and forth for a good twenty minutes, with Risa countering his every argument, until he couldn’t come up with one more excuse.
“I think you missed your calling, Doc. You should have been a trial attorney instead of a vet.” Not ready to give up, he gave one last plea. “Risa, it could be a long night. He might not show, and if he does, he might get violent to avoid getting caught. I’d never forgive myself if you got hurt.” He pulled her into his arms and rested his chin on top of her head.
He hadn’t wanted the complication of a relationship, but damned if he wanted to be anywhere else right then, or with anyone else.
“What if I promise to stay in the fort? No matter what happens, I won’t come down until you give me the all-clear, or the tree is set on fire or chopped down.”
Chuckling, he kissed her on the nose. “Any other conditions you want to throw out there for me?”
“Can we eat first? Because I think I see the pizza delivery pulling up out front. Please don’t shoot him first before checking. He’s really a nice kid.”
Jax groaned and went to the door. “I rarely shoot people bringing me food, especially pizza, unless it has anchovies or pineapple on it.”
An hour later the animals had been fed, let out, and put to bed. Strategic lighting had been set up in the house to look like Risa was up, and the TV was on loud enough to make anyone sneaking around think she was totally engrossed in the movie that was airing.
They climbed up the semi-rotted steps to the fort. Risa was in the lead at her insistence that she alone knew the secret to opening the trap door. Honestly, he thought she was afraid if he went first, he’d lock her out. It had crossed his mind a time or two. The space was small, built for kids, not a guy who cleared six-two. It especially wasn’t built for two adults, but they managed. They each had their backs to opposite walls and their legs were bent. He’d give her two hours until she caved and went inside.
Him? He could go all night like this. He’d done it before. At least this time he didn’t have sand blowing in his face, up his nose and everywhere else. He wasn’t carrying a thirty-pound pack on his back, scanning every direction at once, wondering if the person he called an ally really wanted to kill him.
He’d take a cozy tree fort with a pretty woman on a summer night anytime. This one even had a skylight through which they could gaze at the stars. If it had only been a little wider, they could sit side-by-side, and a little longer, they could lay out flat, it would be perfect for a lot more than watching stars or waiting for a vandal.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Risa whispered.
“That’s because I don’t want the bad guy to know we’re up here,” he whispered back. Make that an hour before she gives up.
“Jax, have you ever made love outside before?” she whispered, gazing at the sky.
Oh, sweet heavens. She was going to be the death of him.
How was he supposed to keep his mind focused on the task at hand and watch out for Rossi when all he could picture was Risa naked and spread out under the constellations?