Chapter 17
Veronica
I double-checked my bag to make sure I packed everything I needed before zipping it up and putting them by the door. I took my phone out of the charging dock and sent a text to Leila saying I’ll be gone for a few days and not to worry.
I sighed and sat on the bed, still coming to terms with everything that happened. The police had sealed off my house, and set it up as a crime scene so I couldn’t get inside until the investigation was over.
It was a good thing the firemen were able to contain the fire so that the damage only reached the garden and downstairs, but even if the repairs would be able to start right now, it would still take a long time before it becomes habitable again.
Besides, I’m not sure I still want to go back to that place after that.
Jason had taken me to a hotel after I refused to go to the hospital. He was going to book two rooms, but I flat out refused and demanded he stay with me. I couldn’t bear the thought of sleeping alone last night, and he must’ve seen the fear in my face, because he just nodded and booked one room. I wouldn’t even let him sleep on the couch, so he relented with sharing the bed. As soon as my head was lying on his chest, his arms wrapped around me, my heart and mind settled and I fell asleep.
***
I heard two knocks on my door before it opened and Jason came inside. He walked over and knelt in front of me, taking my hand before looking up at my face.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
“I’ve been better,” I answered. He squeezed my hand again.
“You remember my promise, right? I will never let anyone harm you,” he swore, and I leaned down and kissed his cheek.
“I remember,” I said softly. He nodded and stood up.
“The place we’re going to is a secluded ranch in Malibu, but it’s private and has a lot of space for you to relax. There’s even a nearby lake and everything,” he said, and I tilted my head curiously.
“That sounds great. But how do you know about such a place?” I asked, and he hesitated a little before speaking.
“It’s my parents’ place.”
***
I never would’ve expected Jason to be wealthy. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I never looked at a person’s affluence or social status at all, but I just expected Jason to come from a humbler background. He’s never flaunted or at least mentioned that he was rich.
The house was gorgeous and rustic, probably around 2000-3000 sq. feet plus endless natural beauty surrounding it. There was a long stable on the right side of the property, and a large patch of land enclosed with wooden fences. I asked Jason where the horses were, and he said they were bred here and sold off long ago. He said he let a caretaker come by once a month to clean the place, and instead of Jason coming back here on his furlough, he crashed at his apartment back in LA instead.
“But why? Your home is beautiful,” I told him, marveling at the place.
“This stopped being home when my parents passed away,” he replied, and my heart sank.
After showing me around the place, he let me have my pick of the rooms while he setup cameras everywhere. I picked the big room with a veranda overlooking the lake, and finished unpacking my stuff in record time. I should’ve taken longer to unpack, because now I didn’t have anything to do. I wasn’t used to this kind of life, and I feared that if I didn’t find another thing to occupy myself with, I would lose my mind.
I heard something from outside so I walked out to the veranda and looked down below, spotting Jason installing one of his cameras to a wooden pillar. I cupped my mouth with my hands and called out to him.
“Jason! I’m done unpacking. Can I unpack yours?” I asked.
“Why?” he shouted back, and I rolled my eyes.
“I’m getting bored!” I exclaimed. Jason shook his head and smiled.
“Okay!” he yelled. I put my hand on my lips and blew him a kiss. I was pretty sure I saw him enter the master bedroom earlier, so he probably chose to sleep there.
I went inside the master bedroom and smiled when I found his bags on the floor beside the bed. I picked up his bag and grunted at the weight. What the hell did he pack in here? Bricks?
I scowled at the bag and unzipped it, eager to see why it was so heavy. I frowned when I saw the clothes on top and sighed.
Enough complaining, Veronica, and just start unpacking. After all, you volunteered for this, I thought to myself.
I picked up the first batch of clothes and brought them over to his closet, placing them neatly on the first counter before walking back to the bag and doing it again. At my third trip, I gasped as the nozzle of a gun poked out from underneath.
Okay, now I knew why it was so heavy.
I shook my head to get rid of my nerves and picked up the gun with both hands before laying them gently on the bed. I rifled through the rest of his bag and unearthed two more weapons, laying them next to the first gun I found. Afterwards, I continued placing his clothes in the closet.
I was about to put his jeans in a hanger when something fell out from the pockets. I hung his pants first before kneeling down and picking up the folded up envelope.
“That’s funny. There’s no address,” I murmured, turning it over with my hand. I wonder what’s inside…
“What have you got there?” I jumped at the sound of Jason’s voice, dropping the envelope on the floor. Jason walked over and picked up the envelope, his eyes downcast as he stared at it.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snoop, I swear! It fell out of your jeans and--,” I explained.
“I believe you,” he cut me off, still looking at the envelope sadly.
“Jason, I--,” I knew I should keep my mouth shut, but my curiosity was eating at me from the inside and I had to know. “What’s that letter about?” I asked.
He stared at me for what felt like an eternity, making me want to slap my mouth and take back what I said. He sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed before patting the spot next to him. I obliged and he twirled the envelope with his fingers. He took a deep breath and started talking.
“While I was on a mission in Afghanistan, I was given a small group of soldiers to infiltrate one of the terrorist’ bases there,” he explained, his eyes taking a far off look like his mind was taking him back to the memory. “It should’ve been an easy operation. Get in, get out. Put those willing to surrender in military custody and kill whoever doesn’t. But someone ratted us out and a bloody encounter followed.”
His face looked pained and I braced myself for what he was going to say next.
“I ordered my men the best I could and made sure to look out for them, because I made a promise to myself that I would get my men out of here alive,” he said, clenching his fist in anger. “But my mistake was that I was too preoccupied watching everybody else’s backs that I neglected looking out for mine.”
“I didn’t realize one of the terrorists had sneaked up a few feet away and had his machine gun pointed right at me. I turned around and saw the laser on my chest but before I could do anything, he opened fire. I thought I was a goner, but at the last minute, my second-in-command jumped and covered me. We fell to the ground and I shot the terrorist in the head. But when I moved Martin over, his body was already pummeled with bullets. There was no saving him.”
His eyes started tearing up but he kept going, raising the letter in his hand.
“Before we go out on a mission, all of us are required to write a letter to give to our loved ones, in the event we die during service. I didn’t have anyone so I always opted out, but everybody else did, and they trusted one of us to deliver it to their families, should the time come. This was Martin’s. He gave it to me before he died, and I’m supposed to give this to his wife and child.”
“But how am I supposed to do that? How am I going to tell his wife that her husband died because of me? How am I going to tell that poor kid that her reason why she lost her father was because her father’s captain was a worthless piece of shit that couldn’t keep his men safe?” Jason cried, and I threw my arms around his shoulders and held him close to me. I felt him bury his face against my neck and I felt wetness on my skin as his eyelashes fluttered.
“Jason, it wasn’t your fault. Please stop blaming yourself, it wasn’t your fault,” I said, repeating those words over and over and rubbing his back with my hand to try to calm him down. I felt his arms wrap around my waist and squeezed me tightly. I closed my eyes and continued comforting him until his sobbing stopped.
“Jason, I know you feel guilty, but don’t let Martin’s sacrifice be in vain by letting your pain consume you. He wouldn’t have wanted this for you. He saved you because he thought you were worth saving, just like you put your squad’s lives over your own,” I told him, and he let go and looked me in the eyes. I placed my hands on him before kissing his tear-stained cheeks.
“I know you don’t want to hear this, but I’m grateful to him for saving you. Because if he didn’t, I never would’ve met you. I never would’ve gotten to argue with you, to talk with you, to--,” my heart was beating so hard now, crashing against my ribcage so painfully that I thought it would burst. “I never would’ve went on a date with you the other night, or danced with you in the street, or kissed you the way I’ve always wanted to be kissed by a man since forever.”
The words spilled out of me like a word vomit, and I had never been more afraid of what reaction they could provoke. Jason’s face was unmoving, just staring at me like he couldn’t believe what I had just said, or admitted with so many words.
He still didn’t move an inch and the initial fear I felt was slowly replaced by anger. What the hell is he doing? Was he that fucking spooked?
He continued to stare at me, his eyes dry and his mouth shut, and I scowled. In for a penny, in for a pound. Maybe my next revelation would shock him back to his senses.
“Do you not understand what I just said, you asshole?!” I cried. “I think I’m fucking falling for you, and you’re not doing a damn thing!”
I raised my hand to slap him but he caught me by my wrist and then pinned me down on the bed with his hips, staring straight into my eyes.
“What would you like me to do, Veronica?” he asked, his velvet voice low and buttery, sending tingles down my spine and making me shiver. I swallowed and tried to regain my composure by looking away.
“I…I want to you tell me what you feel for me,” I said, trying to make my voice sound as demanding as possible. “You know, so we’re square.”
“I don’t think I’d be able to tell you,” he said, shaking his head. I turned my head to look back at him, opening my mouth to give him a snarky reply that became a surprised gasp as he pressed me down with his hips, making me feel his hardness through his pants on my thigh.
“But I can show you.”