Chapter 3
Jess looked at the men in the front of the SUV. The Colonel seemed somewhat stiff. All business. But, at least he was nice. The other guy? He could use a refresher course in good manners.
She had thought he was good looking—she still did, if she was going to be honest with herself. She was a sucker for a man in uniform, and Mason Hunt filled his out in all the right places. The man was massive. Everywhere—that she could see, anyway—from his broad shoulders and chest, hard muscles in his back, and what had to be a fairly impressive eight-pack of abs. His t-shirt was tight on him, not surprisingly it was probably tough to find a shirt that would even fit him.
“Ms. Baylor,” the Colonel said, glancing at her from the rearview mirror.
“Jess,” she said.
“Jess, I’m know you’ve been through a lot and you’re confused about what is going on, along with having questions about our involvement in your…predicament. And I promise to answer all your questions, but I really think tonight is not the best time to get into them. For now, let me just tell you that you will not be charged with murder in the death of Daniel Forrester. Clearly, it was self-defense.”
She sighed, and a huge ball of stress lifted off her chest and floated away like a wispy cloud. “Well, thanks for that, I’m glad someone believes me. But I’m still not sure why the military is involved? Or where you are taking me?”
“I won’t go into all the details tonight—you’ll want a clearer head for that discussion—but I can tell you that Daniel Forrester was more than just a persistent jerk who wouldn’t take no for an answer. He comes from a dangerous family, and they’re not happy that their son is dead. Some threats have been made against you. We’re here to ensure your safety while we ascertain the threat level against you.”
“So, what was he--part of a mob family?”
The Colonel and Mason exchanged a glance. “We can get into that tomorrow when you are rested, but, yes, something like that.”
They were keeping something from her. She hated not knowing what was going on, but so far, the Colonel had kept his part of the bargain. He was answering her questions. On top of that, he was keeping her safe.
“Okay, so that’s part one. What about part two? Where are we going?”
“Master Chief Hunt will be your personal protection while you’re with us. You will be staying with him at his apartment.”
“No,” Jess said, a little louder than she should have.
“Sir,” Mason said, his voice even louder than hers.
“Sorry, Tink,” Colonel Holt said, “there’s really no other choice. You need to be with her damn near twenty-four-seven. There is really no need to put you both up in a hotel when you have a two bedroom apartment close to the base. The apartment is safer than a hotel, also, which means you can keep up appearances by maintaining your usual daily schedule.”
Mason rolled his neck and let out a long, deep sigh. “Yes, sir.”
Jess sunk deeper into her seat.
Well, that’s just great. I’m released from jail and sent to prison. Or hell. Which was yet to be determined. What she did know—her life was no longer her own. All because she protected herself from a man who wanted to harm her.
Of course, as punishments went—Daniel Forrester had gotten the worst of it.
* * *
The sun wasn’t even on the horizon when Jess woke up the next morning. Where the hell am I?
She was laying on a leather couch wearing a huge t-shirt with Navy blazoned across it in dark blue. Memories of the previous twenty-four hours filtered through her mind. She had been out for drinks. Shot a man. And was now being protected by a man who looked more like a walking, talking, breathing building come to life than a man.
By the time Colonel Holt had dropped her and Mason at his apartments, Jess was so tired she could barely make it up the stairs to the second floor of the building. Mason had shown her to the guest bedroom, which consisted of a queen sized bed and a dresser, handed her a t-shirt and pair of sweatpants, and then went to his own room.
She would’ve like to take a shower and wash the jail cell sink off of her, but decided to hold off until she could get a few hours of sleep. Sleep had been rough for most of the night. Every time she drifted off, nightmares woke her. Reliving taking a man’s life, and the knowledge that his mobster family was out for revenge, made it difficult to get any rest. The nightmares forced her to stay awake which meant she heard every creak and other unknown noises that convinced her the mafia enforcers were there to kill her.
After wandering into the family room, she had hoped to be able to watch TV for a while and get her mind off her troubles. But Mason’s door was open and she was nervous about closing it, and didn’t want to wake him with the light and sound of the TV. Curling into a corner of the couch, she covered herself with a blanket and listened to the low, rumbling snores from Mason’s room. They were soothing, but also gave her some peace of mind knowing he was so close, and there to protect her.
Waking after a few hours of uninterrupted sleep had surprised her. She folded the blanket and went to the bathroom. Since Mason was still asleep, this was probably a good time to take a shower. Less chance of interfering with his schedule. Not since college had she had a roommate. She was a bit rusty on the protocols.