Chapter Nineteen
“Vick? Talk to me.”
She barely registered the words.
Jasper took her by the shoulders, his face a mask of concern.
“Vixen? You’re losin’ it, huh?”
Her whole body shook. She was having a delayed reaction to the shooting. Her arm ached, and she felt jittery. Everything was falling apart.
“Come on.” Jasper tugged her toward the front door. “Once we get to my place, I’ll take care of the wound, and then I’m pryin’ this story out of you.”
“No, I can’t—”
“It ain’t up for debate. You can’t stay here. This place is compromised.”
“What about my stuff?”
It seemed like a ridiculous concern now, but she was grasping for normality, for details, anything to keep her in the here and now. She needed clothes and basics like a toothbrush. But her thoughts were so scattered, she didn’t know if she could stay on task to gather up the items she needed.
“Don’t worry about it, Vixen, what’s mine is yours.”
“What about my cat?”
“Ten will take care of Bast.” Jasper whipped out his cell phone, fingers flying over the keys. He waited for a reply. “Ten will be over in ten minutes to get her, and don’t you worry none, he’ll take better care of Bast than you do.”
Vick knew he was right.
And then somehow, they were at Jasper’s place. Vick didn’t even remember the trip over.
As soon as they got inside, he locked all the windows and doors, and then hauled out another pistol and a shotgun, laying them on the kitchen counter.
She sat at the table, in sort of a daze, convinced any second she’d wake up and this nightmare would be over.
But it didn’t happen.
Jasper went to the bathroom and retrieved a first aid kit. He made quick work of the wound—washing it with soap and water, sanitizing her skin with peroxide, and then bandaging her arm. He handed her a couple of Tylenol and a glass of water, and she swallowed the pills.
“You could’ve died tonight, Vixen.” He cupped her cheek. “You almost did. Talk to me. Please?” Jasper brushed a thumb over her mouth. His eyes were shining, nothing but concern and curiosity in them.
It’d all come down to this moment.
Guilt gnawed at her belly. Hot tears blurred her vision, but she couldn’t say the words. Once she told Jasper what she’d done, things would never be the same.
He’d never look at her this way again.
She just shook her head.
***
“You’re gonna be okay.”
Vick nodded, but he doubted she believed him.
When she wouldn’t talk earlier, Jasper handed her a shirt, and after she’d cleaned up in the bathroom sink, she’d put it on.
When she emerged dressed in his clothes, he tried not to think about her bare legs and tucked her into bed instead. It made him feel possessive, proprietary. And he had a hard time thinking straight.
Bad choice of words.
For years, he’d imagined Vixen sprawled on his bed, but never under these circumstances. This was torture of the sweetest kind.
Lying in the center of the king-sized walnut sleigh bed, she appeared tiny, swallowed up by the sheets and blankets. He’d intended to let her get some rest so they could hash this out in the morning, but she’d asked him to stay.
And she didn’t exactly have to twist his arm.
Jasper wrapped his arms around her waist, and Vick clung to him. He wanted to protect her more than anything. Vixen could take care of herself in most situations, but some asshole had come gunning for her. It’s the kind of problem Jasper specialized in, and he’d put the shooter down real permanent-like.
“I already feel better.”
“I’m glad, but I need to know the whole story.” He didn’t want to push her but needed to know.
She rolled over to face him. “This is my mess, and I should clean it up. I don’t want to get you in trouble with the outfit.”
“I’m gonna help you, Vixen. End of story.”
“You already have.”
“And I’ll do even more, so spill it.”
Her brow furrowed. “Will you tell Dix and Byron?”
Vick studied his face, and he could tell she was really skittish about this. Whatever the hell she’d gotten into, it must be bad. When he’d joined the outfit, he’d taken an oath, but Vick meant more to him. She was worth facing the outfit’s wrath.
He shook his head. “What they don’t know, won’t hurt them, but we gotta take care of this fast and discreet.”
She swallowed. “Okay, I’ll tell you. I’m, um, bein’ stalked.”
“By who?”
Vick glanced away. “His name’s Simon Caldwell, and he’s one of those narco lawyers. Right now, he’s workin’ on the Rodriguez case. Have you heard of him?”
“Yeah, the name sounds familiar.” Jasper had seen the news reports on the “Angel.” Rodriguez had ties to the Centla cartel, which meant the lawyer did, too. “Rodriguez does wet work for the cartel?”
“Yeah.”
“And this Simon bastard is his lawyer?” She nodded. “Sounds like a great guy.” Jasper wouldn’t have a problem taking care of him then. The dickhead deserved to be punished.
“How’d you meet him?”
Vixen bit her lower lip, and a long silence followed.
Jasper waited. He hated to invade her privacy, but he needed the lay of the land.
“I… dated him in college.”
Hmm. Jasper got the distinct impression she hadn’t told him the truth. Not a lie, perhaps, but she hadn’t come completely clean with him. It didn’t matter though, he had enough facts to go on for now.
“I can’t handle any more trouble, Jasper.” She touched her shoulder. “I want him to go away for good.”
“A tall order. Simon’s one thing, but the gunman is a professional.”
“His name’s Mark.”
“Probably an alias.”
Men like the gunman only cared about getting paid. He’d come across one or two of them over the past few years. It’d always ended bloody. They couldn’t be reasoned with, and bargaining didn’t work either, they were all about reputation and results.
“I’m still gonna poke around and see what I can find out about him.”
“Mercenaries make a name for themselves by always completin’ a job, no matter what. It’s how they build street cred.”
“So, we can’t bribe him?”
The outfit prided itself on wheeling and dealing their way out of a lot of problems. Most of the time it worked.
“Nope, I’m gonna have to put him down. Tell me more about Simon. How long did you two date?” Jasper didn’t need to know the details, but he wanted them anyway.
“A couple of years.” Vick bit her lip.
Hmm.
“How come you didn’t mention him before?” Jasper worried she had residual feelings for this dick since he’d shared his bed for years. The lucky sonofabitch.
“It never came up.”
He called bullshit on that answer. They’d told each other everything. Why was she so secretive about Simon?
With a sigh, she collapsed against the pillow.
“I don’t see why Simon won’t give up. I’m just… me.”
“Oh, I can understand the obsession, even if I think he’s a nut job.”
Their eyes met.
Her mouth parted and damn, if it didn’t look like an invitation. Jasper wanted to kiss her senseless and spend the night in her arms. But the last time he’d given to his urges, they hadn’t spoken for a couple days.
So, Jasper settled for a nice, chaste kiss on the forehead.
“You are somethin’ special, Vixen. Can’t blame a guy for wantin’ to hang onto you, but there’s a big difference between bein’ persistent and bein’ pathological.”
“Yeah, Simon missed that part.”
“I’ll make him see the error of his ways.” Jasper was looking forward to the ass-kicking part of this operation a bit too much.
“Justice and Ace already tried to reason with him, but it made things worse.”
Jasper gritted his teeth. “Well, Captain America and his sidekick ain’t me. I can get the message across a whole lot clearer.”
“What are you plannin’?”
Simon needed to be scared off, but the gunman would have to be taken out.
Unlike the bikers, he didn’t mind spilling blood. And he’d sleep just fine afterward, thank you very much.
“Not sure yet. Gotta few things to sort out. We’ll worry about it tomorrow. For now, you have a safe place to sleep. I’m gonna watch over you tonight.” Jasper placed his gun on the nightstand.
“Thank you, Jasper.” She curled against him once more, laying her head on his shoulder.
Jasper smoothed her hair and held Vick close.
They’d finally reached a tipping point.
There was something between them.
It was time to move forward, instead of clinging to his past. His grandmother had been right about building new connections, forming a new family.
And while Vixen might not have chosen another man, she’d nearly died tonight, and he couldn’t stand the thought of her not being a big part of his life.
Vixen would be his, in every sense of the word.
She just didn’t know it yet.