Courted by Karma (The Adventures of Anabel Axelrod) (34 page)

John
shrugged and replied, “It could be argued that since this type has no capacity to experience sensitive feelings, such as empathy and caring, why hold them responsible for being incapable of understanding the emotional damage they cause to the so-called “normal people” that do? Why should a person born this way be expected to comport themselves within the social constraints of a society based on rules made by people that aren’t like them? By being true to their nature, why are they a monster any more than the next human?”

I nodded
thoughtfully. “Your right. From the perspective of the person born this way, I’m sure that’s exactly what they think, and why not? It’s their reality, whether they’re born brilliant, but without the capacity for finer feelings, or they’re born dumb as a box of rocks.” I shook my head back and forth quickly enough to cause my hair to swing. “My particular point is about choice, John. To me, choice is what makes any of us monsters. Compare it to understanding that the smooth-surface stove top is blazing hot when dark red and cool when it’s opaque. I don’t need to touch it to know the difference. Red hot will burn and hurt me like a son-of-a-bitch. This can be applied to the treatment of those poor, lesser mortals that are hindered by experiencing emotional pain and suffering. I would ask this question of these types of predators with no capacity to feel. If you feel nothing of love or affection, and you know it but have your own biological sexual urges; why not inflict your needs on a paid sex partner that has made choices, too? These people will not be burned by the blazing red of emotional devastation in your wake.” I smiled at John, who is watching my face with shuttered but avid eyes. I shrugged and spread my hands. “Otherwise, we’re back to the predator-monster notion. This type then has the intent to manipulate and destroy, for no other reason except that they can.” I laughed a little. “Funny thing is, we both know it’s hardly an impressive feat to get a woman or a man to have sex with you. Most everybody is so needy for attention and starving for affection. In which case, I do find this predator type pitiable, too. They think they are super humans with grand powers of manipulation, but they’re actually quite sad. I don’t care what their IQ’s are, or what their lizard brains are saying to their badass selves, I feel very sorry for them.”

John murmured, “I am scared to death to hear the third possibility.”

I laughed and pushed my hair back. “Oh, that’s the simple one. It’s not that you are pathological to any great extreme, either way. You’re probably ADHD like every other person on the planet these days and get bored easily.” I shrugged insouciantly. “You just haven’t met the right girl that will sit your ass down and make you behave like a mature man ready to have a halfway decent relationship, which I find…”

“Pitiable
?” John contributed with raised brows.

“No,
totally understandable.” We both laughed, and I added, “I imagine like good men, a good woman can be hard to find.”

John
snorted and shook his head. “You did warn me, didn’t you?” He sobered and asked with a sly smile, “Just so we’re perfectly clear, Dundas is not considered part of Northfield proper, am I right?”

“That’s right.”

“So I can hunt, as you call it, in Dundas?”

“I’d prefer you don’t hunt at all,
John, but if you must continue pursuing unhappiness and empty sexual encounters, then Dundas is open territory,” I acceded airily.

“Do you hate Dundasians for some reason, Anabel?”

I giggled. “No, there’s just not that many of them, especially your type.”

“I recall being told your sister, Jasmyn’s farm is located in Dundas?”

“Well, if you were told that, then it must be true.”

“Would you mind if I pursued your sister?”

“That’s funny; I was just going to ask you the same question.”

John looked confused. “You were? You want to pursue my sister?’

I laughed and pretended to punch him while he smiled. “Ha, ha! No, I was wondering if you would mind if Jasmyn pursued you.”

“I usually do the pursuing, but that could work for me,” John agreed with a modest smile. His eyes had a cautious
light in them. “Why?”

“
Now that we’ve had this little chat, I’m more comfortable understanding the kind of man you truly are. I think you and my sister would make a wonderful couple for a weekend,” I explained absently while I checked my phone when it buzzed.

Speak of the little devil
, it was a text from Jasmyn:
I’m wearing fringe tonight!

John wasn’t done with me.
“Wait, let me get this straight. You
want
me to go out with your sister?”

I quick
ly texted back:
Go Pilgrim!

Looking up,
I inquired apologetically, “Excuse me, umm, what did you ask?”

John gracious smile
was a little tight. “I asked if you actually want me to go out with Jasmyn.”

Shaking my head
, with a crooked smile I asked in return, “Is that what you call it? Going out? Gosh no, I don’t want Jazy to go out with a man like you, but she’s a big girl.”

“Aren’t you worried about me emotionally devastating her, or treating her like a slab of meat?” John asked
. Surprisingly, his voice reflected no sarcasm, only curiosity.

“Jazy?” I
snorted delicately with raised brows. I looked him in the eye with something near pity. “Believe you me; it’s highly doubtful Jazy will let you near her person. If she does, it won’t be her feeling like a slab of meat. Make that a very sore slab of meat.” Over John’s yip of surprised laughter, I added impatiently, “Besides, our deal was for Northfield, Jazy doesn’t reside in Northfield, and a deal’s a deal. Right, John Smith?” I took his arm and lightly shook him while scolding, “Now come on, we’re three minutes late for our rescue plan meeting. Is this the way you and Luke always operate? You malingering in hallways to talk about your angry inch like you’re still in high school? If so, I gotta tell you, I am so not impressed…”

I giggled
when, laughing loudly in protest at my defamation, John shoulder-checked me playfully against the wall in retaliation.

The Mid-Eastern John Smith
then demanded, “I thought you said we couldn’t be friends?”

“Hey, if this is how your friends treat you
, then by all means put me on your Christmas card list, Infidel.”

“
Whose angry inch are we talking about now?” Anna inquired brightly from the doorway into the store, her ringing voice easily heard over our laughter.

When the three of us walked into the Garden Room,
Luke and Maria had already met and were in a deep discussion. Luke glanced up at me and pulled out the chair next to him.

Luke
returned his attention to listening with a grave, attentive expression while a chattering Maria spoke rapidly in Spanish. This evidence of another hidden talent made me debate banging my head against the table, or jumping onto his lap to smother him in delighted kisses. Instead of doing either, I stood patiently by while waiting for Maria to finish speaking.

I
ntroducing myself in English, I patted her hand and started out by reassuring the anxious woman upfront that she needn’t worry a minute more because our plan consisted of rescuing her niece no later than midnight tonight. The rest of this meeting was just to work out all the tiny details.

M
aria Sanchez was still an attractive woman in her mid-forties who probably was called beautiful one hundred pounds and twenty years ago. She gave the first impression of overall roundness. She has a round face with round cheeks and a cute button nose. She has enormously round breasts and a larger round bottom that was showcased in a tight fitting knit dress. The dress accented every curve and roll. Even her hoop earrings, bangle bracelets, and black purse were circular.

I was
sure her normal expression was jovial, but this evening her face was drawn with worry. At my words, she searched my face anxiously with big, round brown eyes and a quivering bottom lip. Unexpectedly, she stood up and launched herself into my arms. Hugging me tightly, she rocked me violently back and forth while crying out her thanks and relief in a torrent of mixed English and Spanish.

I understand this
situation was nerve-wracking and dire for Maria, but she caught me completely by surprise with the passionate force of her outburst. Locked in her embrace, we staggered back a few steps and crashed into the wall behind me. Over the stranglehold of the weeping, praying woman hanging on my neck, I saw John Smith eyeing the woman’s generous butt in her tight dress. Anna was grinning broadly with a “Didn’t I tell you she was a hysteric?” smirk of satisfaction. I couldn’t see Luke’s face and I was glad for small favors.

Patting
her shoulder for a few minutes and uttering soothing noises, Maria showed no signs of slowing down the outpouring of unintelligible words or the downpour of her distraught tears. Recalling Anna mentioned enduring twenty minutes of this crap, I glared over at my friend. Shrugging sympathetically at my dilemma, her grin flashing on and off like a yield light at a four-corner traffic stop told the real story.

Dealing with hysterically crying women in my life
was a rarity. My tendency was to throw things at them, so I truly was at a loss what to do with Maria. Surely it wasn’t cool to haul off and smack Maria across the face like they did in the movies to make her snap out of it? I heard Luke’s low chuckle, and I took a deep breath of resolve.

Grabbing Maria
firmly by the shoulders and pushing with a few grunts, I forcefully peeled her off me while using a knee to her round stomach for leverage. Once I could stand up straight, I eluded her clutching hands and shook her hard enough by the shoulders that her sobbing head flopped around on her neck.

Not knowing how far I could go before causing shaken baby syndrome, I
held onto her round head with both my hands.

I
n my best General’s voice, I shouted right in her face, “WOMAN, SHUT THE FUCK UP!”

Except for the door slamming shut behind Anna when she ran out of the meeting, the room thrummed with blessed silence. I
smiled encouragingly back into Maria’s stunned face. Her mouth was gaping open and closed in mid-cry like a fish out of water, but mercifully she was silent.

“Good. Now let’s
you and me sit down, okay, Maria? I’ll ask some questions and you nod yes or no.” She nodded, but when she attempted to speak and I could see the apology trembling on her lips, I interrupted quickly, “Oh no, not another word, please. Here, sit down.”

I led her
back to the chair next to Luke. If I kicked his chair leg when I seated myself on Luke’s other side, I think I could be forgiven that little slip of my boot.

He sq
ueezed my thigh, but I didn’t trust myself to give Luke any eye contact. Disregarding his hand, I leaned forward and asked Maria a series of questions about Blanca’s life; her schooling, friends, and her relationship with her mother and stepfather. My matter-of-fact tone and no-nonsense manner had Maria calming down and soon she was speaking without a hiccup.

Maria
confirmed, without a doubt, she wanted her niece permanently removed from her current home environment. Maria cared about Inez, her sister and Blanca’s mom, but didn’t trust her to protect her niece. Maria stated Inez was in agreement that Blanca would be better off living somewhere else, preferably with Maria. The sisters had been discussing this when all the trouble started with the stepfather’s gambling debt. Once Blanca came to the attention of the pedophile enforcer, Maria knew her niece living with her was not protection enough. Drastic measures were needed, but Maria was growing desperate to find outside help. Everybody in their community knew of each other’s families and friends, so she didn’t trust anyone to not talk. That’s when Maria heard of me kicking the crap out of Ron Hansen and knew I was her girl. My words, not hers. Maria’s description was more voluble and flowery; mentioning angels, demons, baby Jesus, the blessed Mother Mary, and several saints.

Maria slid over the notebook to Luke
and me, confirming she’d written down everything Anna had asked of her and everything she’d just told Luke that she knew of the situation.

Luke
slid the notebook across the table to the quietly observing John while squeezing my thigh again. He then asked me to repeat my plan for everyone to discuss. At the notebook pushing motion, I was distracted by his black cashmere sweater molding to his flexing bicep.

‘
Talk about Demons! The man has the best arms I have ever seen.’

I flashed
on an image of him nude and gripping my hips, both of his arms flexed with muscle while he held me up against the shower wall in his barn this morning.

“Anabel?” At Luke’s smiling question, I quickly took my stroking hand off
his arm. I jumped up out of my chair, as if it was on fire. Most likely it was only my panties again.

Anna
walked back into the room then, head facing down. Pulling out her chair next to John’s, she was pink-cheeked but composed. She folded her hands neatly, sat up straight, and looked at me expectantly. Then she promptly started biting her lip and flashing her grin again.