CHAPTER 11
Two things hadn’t happened to Jack since he’d been a teenager.
The first was being with a girl and coming before he even got his pants off. The second was the local deputy sheriff busting him with that girl while they were parked and half-naked.
Yet here he was, reliving his teen years.
Jack reached for his T-shirt and draped it over Nicki’s bare breasts before the deputy leaned down and peered into the open passenger window—they had always been considerate about giving those couples caught parked by the river a few seconds to cover up.
“Jack? Jack Gordon, is that you?”
The flashlight was blinding, but Jack recognized the voice. Frowning, he shielded his eyes against the glare with one hand. “Bobby Barton? You’re with the sheriff’s department now? You got to be kidding me.”
The light switched off and Bobby leaned a forearm on the open window. “Yup. Got hired as the deputy sheriff a few years back. What’re you doing back here? You home for good?”
Jack overcame the surreal feeling of having a conversation with an old school chum while holding a topless Nicki in his lap, all the while ignoring his own now warm, wet boxer shorts. “Nah, I’m home on furlough for a few weeks.”
Bobby nodded. “How’s your mama? And Jared and Jimmy? I heard Jimmy got a bit banged up.”
“Yeah, he’s recovering. Everybody’s fine.” Enough with the chit-chat. Jack had a girl in his lap, but it was as if Bobby hadn’t noticed.
“So, who’s your friend?”
Or maybe he had.
“Um, this is Nicki Camp. Jared hired her to help around the farm. She’s great with the horses.”
Bobby extended his hand. “Nice to meet you, Nicki.”
“You too.” Nicki had to clutch the T-shirt to her chest with her left hand while pulling back from Jack far enough to shake Bobby’s hand with her right.
Yeah, this wasn’t too weird at all. Even so, Jack had to smile. Nicki was a real trooper. Not all women would take this sort of situation in stride the way she was.
“It was good seeing you again, Jack. I’ll radio to the other car and tell them to give you two some privacy.”
Thank God, Bobby was finally wrapping this up.
“Thanks, Bobby, but I think we’re about to head home anyway.” Privacy or not, Jack wasn’t about to continue anything with Nicki here now.
Bobby nodded. “All right, then. Night, Jack. Night, Nicki.”
Nicki nodded back as Jack answered, “Night, Bobby.”
When the sheriff’s car pulled away, Jack let out a long, slow breath and dared to glance at Nicki.
He felt her shaking but he couldn’t see her face well in the dark. It took a moment before he realized she was silently laughing . . . and then not so silently as she laughed out loud.
Jack joined her. The more he thought about it, the funnier it seemed, until he had to wipe his eyes.
Finally, he caught his breath enough to speak. “I was going to ask if you were all right, but I guess you are.”
With the back of one hand, Nicki swiped at her own eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be laughing, but this is the craziest thing that’s happened to me in a long time.”
He ran a hand up and down the bare skin of her back. “Don’t apologize. It’s good to see you laugh. But besides good old Bobby, are you okay with . . . you know. What happened between us?”
She nodded, more serious now. “Yeah. That was pretty crazy too, but I’m fine. Are you okay with it?”
“Besides performing like an untried youth—” and really needing to get out of his boxers, “—yeah, I’m fine. I usually do have a bit more finesse in that department. I promise.”
“You’ll have to show me some time.” Her soft voice affected him like no other female’s had.
Jack smiled. “With pleasure.”
Nicki leaned in and planted a kiss on his lips and, just like when he was a teenager, Jack was hard as a rock again.
Enough with making out in the car. She had a whole apartment above the barn all to herself with a bed in it.
Jack decided it was time to go home and hopefully get naked, in private this time so they could get to know each other a whole lot better. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
“Okay.”
Reaching out, he grabbed Nicki’s tank top from where it had landed on the dashboard. He held it out to her, exchanging it for his T-shirt that she handed back to him.
They pulled their respective shirts back on and Jack worked his way out from beneath Nicki and back over to the driver’s seat.
He started the engine and put a little distance between them and Lover’s Lane, as the locals had always called this spot.
It had been a hell of a good night so far, but he was old enough now to appreciate the qualities of a good mattress and the privacy of four walls and a door with a lock.
The closer they got to home, the more he anticipated all the pleasures that would await him with Nicki there.
He drove a bit over the speed limit and was just about to turn onto the road that led to his mama’s farm when his cell phone rang.
It had to be after twenty-three-hundred hours. The only calls that came that late at night were bad ones. He pulled the cell out of the console and saw Jimmy’s name on the read-out. His heart nearly stopped. What the hell had happened at home?
As fast as he could safely manage it, Jack steered to the side of the road, shifted into neutral and yanked up the emergency break. He flipped open the phone. “Jimmy, what’s wrong?”
“Now, Jack, it could be nothing, but my sixth sense kicked in and I wanted to run it by you right away.”
He finally breathed again. At least the barn wasn’t on fire or something, but Jimmy’s instincts were rarely wrong. He’d been on too many missions with his brother to ignore one of Jimmy’s gut feelings.
If Jimmy’s warning bells were going off tonight, it wasn’t good news.
“Okay. What’s the situation?”
“Two thick-necked bruisers in cheap suits stopped by. They spoke like the guys in the mob movies. They were asking about Nicki.”
Jack’s training kicked in and he started formulating a plan while he turned off the car lights. Cradling the phone on one shoulder, he pulled the car back onto the road.
He kept a bug out bag in the trunk. He could disappear with her if he had to, but he could not take her home now.
“What exactly did you say to them?” he asked.
“Nothing. I told them I’d never heard of her. Something’s not right. Who the hell comes knocking unannounced this late? Besides that, I didn’t like the vibe I got from them. I’ve been out of action for a little while, but I’m not stupid. I know Nicki’s hiding something. I figured she was just running from a bad relationship, but if these guys are any indication, she’s in big trouble and needs help.”
“I’m on it. I’m heading for the old hunting cabin. I’ll call Matt and Trey. They’re both still at the base. They can be here in a couple of hours if they drive fast enough. You get a hold of Jared and explain things. And see if you can get Mama out of the house without scaring her. Send her to Aunt Lydia’s for the next few days.”
Jack remembered the physical state his brother was still in and added, “And you go with her, Jimmy.”
“No freaking way.” Jimmy sounded adamant.
That was the exact response Jack expected from him, but he was prepared for it. “Jimmy, they’re probably watching the house. I don’t want Mama driving alone and getting picked up by them.”
It was true, but also a way of keeping Jimmy out of harm’s way.
He heard Jimmy huff out a big breath. “All right. Keep in touch.”
“Jimmy.”
“Yeah?”
“Take your gun with you,” Jack reminded.
Jimmy snorted. “Are you kidding me? I strapped on my holster the moment I closed the door on those assholes. I only wish I had my body armor here.”
Jack was feeling pretty naked himself without the benefit of at least some Kevlar and his weapons. “I hear you. Talk later.”
“Later.”
As he wrapped up the call with his brother, Nicki was practically vibrating next to him in the car. An obvious reaction to the half of the conversation she’d heard.
Taking a deep breath, Jack forced himself to ignore her for the moment and stay focused on the task at hand. He’d get to her soon, but now he had a call to make.
While driving he hit the name in his contact list to call Matt.
His teammate answered after the first ring. “Jack. What’s happening?” Matt’s voice came through the phone sounding wide awake in spite of the late hour.
He could always count on Matt to be wired for technology at any time of day or night.
“It’s come to a head. Two men came to the farm looking for her. We’re safe for now, but I need you, and Trey too if possible, down here ASAP.”
They discussed logistics for a minute, then Jack ended the call.
This time of night Trey and Matt could break a few speed limits and hopefully cut the drive time down to an hour and a half, barring any speed traps and state troopers.
Two New York mobsters against two, soon to be four, highly trained special operatives. Jack liked the odds. What he didn’t like was the risk for collateral damage. Nicki, his mama and both his brothers were in danger.
He glanced sideways at Nicki. She was watching him wide-eyed. He sensed her trembling increase.
“Jack,” she whispered. “What’s happening?”
“That’s what I need you to tell me, darlin’. All of it.”
He said a quick prayer for her sake as well as his own that what she was about to reveal wasn’t going to be too bad. He’d let himself get attached to her, and he didn’t think his heart could stand another break soon.