Charity's Warrior (39 page)

One more time, I try, putting everything into it. When it still doesn't work, my rage becomes uncontrollable and I lash out, punching my fist at the blackness.

"She just moved," Justin whispered excitedly.

"I didn't see anything," Lena said, obviously not wanting him to be let down.

"No," Justin snapped. "She did. Her finger, she raised it and dropped it back to the bed."

Holy shit! He saw me!

"Babe, whatever you did, can you do it again?" Justin begged me.

I'm so excited. I concentrate on my fingers. I imagine lifting them and wait to hear his reaction.

"Come on, Babe. You can do this," he said.

It isn't working.

Something is different. Last time I was not trying to wiggle my fingers—I was punching.

I swing my arm in a wide haymaker.

"Son of a bitch," Lena breathed. "She did it. I'll get the doctor!"

I begin punching over and over, imagining my finger bouncing for attention.

"Wait!" Justin ordered. "Charity, once for yes, two for no. Can we get the doctor?"

Two punches. It was odd communicating this way, like I had been rewired wrong.

"Okay, you want us to stay," he said.

It wasn't a question, but I punched twice anyway.

"No?" Justin asked, confused.

"You want us to go, but not for the doctor, for something else?" Lena asked.

One punch. It was getting easier.

Now I just had to figure out how to tell them to go kill Steve.

"Something from your apartment?" Justin guessed.

I shook my head by accident, instinct.

"That's good, Charity, can you nod for yes?" Lena asked.

I tried it, and they reacted. It was getting easier with each moment, but I am being drained, too. I'm so tired already. My mind wants to drift.

"You want us to do something for you, right?" Justin asked patiently.

I nodded for him as their voices drifted further back into the darkness. My limit has come quickly. While my brain quickly relearns all of its motor skills it is using all of the energy I have. I want it done before I wake up again. I don't want to have to ask for it again, when I might not have the courage to tell them to do what needs to be done.

I concentrated and made my mouth work. "Steve," I whispered.

"You want to know if he's okay?" Justin asked, doing his best for me to hide his anger and contempt.

I shook my head no.

"You heard us," Lena said. "You heard us talking, and you want Justin to take care of it now?"

I nodded. I'm letting go now, going back into the comfortable darkness until I have more strength.

FOR THE NEXT FIVE
or six days there we're only minimal changes. For the first few, I would wake up into the blackness, wiggle a few fingers and say a couple words. Then I was back out from the exhaustion. We we're all a little concerned about my sight at that point, it was a very real possibility that I could be permanently blind.

Two days later my eyes opened and I begin seeing shapes and contrasts. The next day I was finally able to see his gorgeous face, a glimpse of that strong jaw and beautiful green eyes.

When I asked, Justin confirmed for me that Steve was no longer something to be afraid of. I didn't ask for details, and he didn't offer any. I cried for a minute, not because it was a mistake, only for the old Steve and his family.

I think Justin understood.

Every time I awoke, Justin was there taking care of me. I don't know when he slept, or ate, or anything. Around the third or fourth day of me being able to stay awake for more than ten minutes, he told me about my family. A few days without hearing from me was normal, but now my cellphone was starting to explode with texts and missed calls.

They didn't know a thing, and I had a choice to make. I could keep them out of it, or I could tell them and have them come to help. He had the hospital under control—his words—but if I told my family, some of the secrets would come out. It could be a difficult time, but he would stand by my choice, and my side, no matter what.

That day I called them and explained everything to them, that I've been fine, busy at work, how my phone had gotten damaged when I dropped it, and it took a bit to have it replaced.

They were relieved by my lie.

Today I woke up to Justin fixing my hair. He asked me how I was feeling and we talked until we realized I should have fallen back to sleep. It wasn't overly exiting at first, each day I was around a few more minutes than the last, but a half an hour later Justin was asking the nurse to call my doctor, just to check. I settled back for the long wait for the doctor, where I would probably fall asleep before he showed. They were never right there when you needed them.

As I was learning, when Justin asks for something—it happens. The doctor was there in twenty minutes, apologizing for the drive taking so long.

It was time for Justin to start telling me what the hell is going on—just who the hell he is. The doctor raced here on his command, and looks absolutely terrified. Who has that kind of power?

Doctor Cooper, a frumpy, bulldog like man, took me through a few tests and checks, shining lights in my eyes and ears. He had me pushing my hands against his, crossing my eyes and touching my nose. It all seemed like bullshit until he wanted me to move my feet and push against him. My feet moved fine, toes wiggling. When he took my foot in his hands and told me to resist against him, I couldn't do it.

Both of them saw the fear on my face. I could see it on Justin as well.

"What does that mean?" I asked, my voice shaky and unsure.

"Nothing yet," Doctor Cooper said. "A few days ago you were blind. A couple days before that you were in a coma. I'm not surprised we found some limitation, I'm more surprised that you passed so many of the tests."

Justin relaxed, and I try to do the same, ignoring my stomach as it flipped and turned.

"Give yourself some time, Charity," Doctor Cooper said. "We'll keep an eye on it, but it's not time to worry."

He gave me some exercises to do in the bed and reminded me not to get upset if I got tired soon or found some other things I couldn't do. It was going to take some time, and maybe some physical therapy. Doctor Cooper explains my injuries to me in detail now that I am conscious long enough to listen, and strong enough to hear it.

This is the first time anyone gives me details about the bandage on my head. No one knew just how hard I hit the rear window when the car flipped, until there were serious complications in the emergency room. They had to drill through my skull to release the pressure and save my life.

I vaguely remember Justin and Lena talking about that when I first began waking up. That explains why Justin now grabs my hand and is holding it tightly.

I look up at him reassuringly. "Justin, if you didn't stop the car right then, I would not have survived."

"That's very true," Doctor Cooper agreed. "Your lung was damaged and full of blood, but the bullet had also nicked an artery. The internal bleeding was extensive. Even with your helicopter and the hospital letting you land it on the roof; I'd say you guys only had another five minutes to get here. If things didn't transpire exactly as they had, you would have been DOA."

"See," I said to Justin. "Do you enjoy making me happy?"

"Of course," he replied.

I squeezed his hand back. "It would make me very happy if you understood that you were my hero before, and even more so now."

The two men looked at each other.

"Wow!" Doctor Cooper exclaimed. "She's really good."

Justin laughed unexpectedly. "That's my Warrior," he said.

Doctor Cooper left us alone. He was barely gone when I turned to Justin and gave him a look. The room was eerily silent.

"It's time to start explaining things, isn't it?" Justin asked.

"Yes it is," I replied.

He let go of my hand and sat back in his chair. “You know there's going to be parts of this that you do not like, that you're really not going to want to hear."

I nodded that I understood, trying to brace myself.

"Before I tell you any of it," he said, "I need you to understand something. Everything I feel for you is very real. I never expected any of this, to meet you, to fall in love; it was never going to happen for me. Beginning the moment I laid eyes on you,
before
I helped you that first time, you changed my life, changed me. I will never be the same. Nothing I've done was meant to be malicious or hurtful. Every lie began with the need to protect you or some of the others close to me, like Lena."

"I believe that," I said to him honestly. And I did. If he was anything, it was protective.

"But I abused the advantage I had. That's the part I'm not so sure you will forgive me for," his said in a cracked voice. "It was selfish of me, and I need you to know,
before
I tell you about it, that I know how wrong it was, and that the only reason I have for it is my insatiable need to see you. You have a power over me that I don't understand, that I have no control for. I am completely under your spell, Charity, and what I did was only because I cannot see you enough, I cannot go a day without your smile. I've tried, and failed."

I'm worried and flattered at the same time. I've never had anyone confess an infatuation for me, but I can't say that I don't feel the same.

He continued, "Remember that, as you hear everything. It was all because I desire you so much and all the things I do—I am willing to give them all up for you. I will walk away and leave it all behind if you ask."

"Justin, enough with the explanations. You need to start talking, I need to know what the hell you're talking about, what the hell is happening. I know how you feel, but how I react is not something you can control," I said to him.

He took a deep breath. "I have to figure out where to start."

"Start with the obvious," I demanded. "You're not some
insurance
agent like you told me you were?"

"Insurance is a play on words; it's what my entire team tells everyone as a cover. It's an easy lie because it's not
entirely
a lie. We are providing insurance to our clients; it's physical, not financial insurance. Because each of my team understand this, it's easy for them to say it convincingly. I was already in love with you when I told you that, and I should have been honest, but we don't say this just to protect ourselves. I could have told you the truth and not worried about myself and the consequences, but then what about Lena and the others?" Justin asked.

"I get it," I said. And I do get it. "I'm not going to hurt you, or any of them, especially not Lena, so tell me what you really are. I saw what you are capable of, but I don't know how you use that, who you work for and who you go after. Are you the Jackal, or are you Robin Hood?"

"Both. And neither," he said. "What you really want to know is, do we hurt or kill innocent people."

I nodded softly.

"No, there's a reason for us to go after everyone on our lists. You would have to be involved in something to warrant it. But I won't bullshit you, some of the people that hire us are just as bad as the people we go after. We go where the money is," Justin said truthfully. "We investigate every case, so we know all the players and possibilities. It's to keep us safe, and also to protect innocent people. We would never take a case to kill a spouse to save alimony, for example, and our clients know better than to ask."

"Have you ever lost a team member, or been shot?" I asked, trying to understand how dangerous it was.

"We've never lost anyone, but a couple of us have been shot, including me. I took a stray bullet to my calf," he said, subconsciously dropping his eyes toward his right leg.

Now he has the stitches in his head, too. They look ready to come out now, actually.