Fighting Fate: Book 2 of the Warrior Chronicles (3 page)

“And mine.”

Jess grinned. “And yours.”

She cocked her head at him, seemingly more curious than angry. “What do you want from me?”

Everything.

Apparently he didn’t answer quickly enough for her. She started tapping her foot, one hand rising to her hip. “Just tell me why you’re here.”

“To talk to you.”

“Why?”

“You know for such an educated woman, you’re responses are surprising monosyllabic. I admire your focus, but your delivery needs work.”

She took another step closer. Jesse didn’t move back. Fire flashed in her eyes and her strong chin jutted up. She was all go. She didn’t miss much either. Apparently his rugged good looks and bad-boy charm hadn’t clouded her reason. Her eyes narrowed as she digested his words.

“What do you know about my education level or about me?”

A lot.

“Not enough.”

She seemed to gather some inner strength because she closed her eyes a second longer than she should have, taking the time to straighten to her full height, pushing out her chest as she took a deep breath before she looked at him again. Jesse wanted to shake her, then kiss that breath right out of her, then shake her again. Had he been a real threat, that breath could have been her last.

“Are you going to tell me why you’re here or am I going to have to beat it out of you?” She enunciated every syllable, speaking very slowly, with the patience one reserves for toddlers and drunken relatives at Thanksgiving.

Jesse couldn’t help his bark of laughter any more than he could wipe the smile from his face at her obvious irritation. The fact that no fear remained kept him smiling. He had no business enjoying himself with this woman. Not when he needed her compliance, but he couldn’t seem to help himself.

“I can’t tell you how much I wish you’d try.”

The scowl left her face and a haughtiness he hadn’t seen before took its place. “I wouldn’t give you the satisfaction.”

A perverse need to wipe that expression from her face settled into his bones, making Jesse take a risk he shouldn’t have. He let her see the sensual heat running through him. More than that, he let her see that he wanted to make her admit feeling its pull.

“Oh I’d be satisfied alright. And so would you. I guarantee it.” Jesse held out his arms, palms up, offering no threat, yet taunting her. “Come on babe, give it your best shot. I’m all yours.”

Jesse was so caught up in Taryn’s dropped jaw astonishment and the heat rolling from her in waves that he didn’t notice the cargo van until it was too late. Before he could warn Taryn or pull her behind him, three armed and masked men jumped out of the van. They moved like a team, quickly surrounding Taryn. The first man out of the van had a 9mm Glock to Taryn’s temple, using her as a human shield, before Jesse could fully exhale.

Taryn still had her leprechaun stick. Jesse prayed that she didn’t show the same lack of regard for her safety with these men that she had with him. That damned stick wasn’t going to do her one bit of good, and with men like these, it might just get her killed. Whatever these men wanted from her, they weren’t screwing around.

Like you were, asshole. Nice work.

Two unexpected things happened at once, surprising Taryn’s attackers and giving Jesse the split-second opening he needed. A tall, skinny flash of kid with distractingly long deep red hair came flying across the street screaming his head off as he threw small, bright projectiles directly at the armed men. First he hit the one holding Taryn in the temple. Then he managed to hit the other two in rapid succession in the face. The objects hit with the force of steel crushing hail, blood flowing instantly from their mutilated flesh.

Then as if on cue, Taryn, seemingly oblivious to the fact that her stick was no weapon, jammed it into the groin of the man still holding her. The whole thing took less than two seconds.

It was all the distraction Jesse needed.

CHAPTER FIVE

Squatting as the men lurched forward from rapid fire hits to the head, Jesse retrieved the throwing knives he kept in each handmade motorcycle boot. With a smooth flick of his wrists, Jesse buried one into each of the men on either side of Taryn: one in the chest, one in the thigh. From the look of it, he’d hit an artery with the thigh shot. If that man didn’t get medical attention, and quickly, he’d bleed out. That made the situation more dangerous for the men and potentially more deadly for Taryn.

Unarmed, Jesse charged, aiming directly for the man still holding Taryn. Three more missiles hit that man in the back of the head as Merlin rushed like a skinny Berserker into the melee. The man stumbled forward, dropping his Glock as he screamed in pain. Taryn spun out of his grasp and smashed her stick into his knee, making him fall. Something vital cracked as knee met concrete at bone-shattering speed.

Jesse would know this man by his limp, and deep satisfaction washed through him at the thought.

The van screeched forward, cutting off Jesse’s route to the men. The sliding door opened. “Get in” he heard the driver demand. By the time Jesse cleared the van the three men were in and pulling away.

Memorizing make, model and plate number, Jesse picked up the discarded Glock and fired five rounds into the back of the van. All of them hit. None penetrated.
Reinforced steel. Bullet resistant glass. Who the hell were these guys and why did they want Taryn?

Watching as the van raced out of sight Jesse put the Glock in his rear waistband and went to Taryn. Merlin was with her now, enveloping her in long, thin arms that deftly wielded projectiles with deceptive strength, accuracy and grace. Jesse pushed him away as he pulled Taryn to him. On some intuitive level Jesse knew that had Merlin chosen to hold on, he’d have had one hell of a time getting him to give up his treasure.

The entire incident had lasted less than a minute. Jesse knew from experience that whole lives sometimes changed in less than half that time.

Grabbing Taryn’s shoulders, Jesse turned her toward him with more force than tact. He wished he had time for tact. He didn’t. Demanding that she look at him, his voice came out harsh and raw making even him wince at the sound. This was not how he wanted to be introduced to her, but the fear for her safety he refused to feel seconds ago was riding him hard now that the immediate threat was gone.

He swallowed hard and tried again. “Taryn, look at me, sweetheart.”
Better.
He just sounded raspy this time. Unfortunately the adrenaline kicking his heart into gear wiped patience from his short list of better qualities. Gripping her chin in one hand, he turned her face this way and that for his inspection, ignoring her futile attempts to pull away.

“Fucking bastard.” Jesse said under his breath as he turned her head, exposing her swelling temple where the outline of the Glock’s barrel was already visible.
Dead men, one and all, but, the one who did this was going to feel him first.
“I’m going to hurt him before I kill him.”

Taryn’s breath caught at his words making Jesse regret saying them out loud. He didn’t have time to comfort her, and scaring her further was not only counter productive, it was dangerous. They simply didn’t have time for it. He needed to get Taryn and Merlin out of there and fast. Five shots fired wouldn’t go unnoticed.

“We need to get out of here. Now.”

A look of abject vulnerability flashed across Taryn’s lovely, quickly purpling face, tearing at Jesse’s heart. Unshed tears blurred her robin’s egg blue eyes, making him pause. He needed her trust and he needed it fast. Jesse closed his eyes and took a deep breath, knowing he wasn’t going to get it if she feared him.

When he looked at her again the vulnerability was still there, but so was a bone deep strength. Jesse couldn’t help himself, he’d never been more drawn to a woman in his life. His grip on her shoulders loosened as he cupped her fragile face in both of her hands and lowered his mouth to hers.

Just a quick brush of the lips offering comfort and solace and protection. He didn’t have time for this, but he needed it. Not usually prone to self-delusion, Jesse told himself she needed this too.

As Jesse began to pull away, Taryn reached around to the back of his neck and held him to her, kissing him with so much abject need that he pulled her tightly against him, letting her feel him hardening at her voluntary touch.

So much for not scaring her.

Jesse pushed away. When Taryn tried to follow he wanted to throw his head back and howl like an animal, but this wasn’t the right time, place or circumstance. Hell, he thought, nothing about any of this was ‘right’. He should have just ‘friended’ her on Facebook like normal people instead of trying to hide his crazy quest from his family until he was sure of the out-come. Arrogance and folly landed him in one seriously fucked-up mess.

Merlin’s voice saved him from further self-flagellation. “Shouldn’t we get going before…
the bad guys…with guns
come back?” It wasn’t exactly a screeching, but it was close enough to bring Jesse out of his head and back to Earth.

Jesse let Taryn go. Stepping back he looked at Merlin. “What did you throw at those guys?”
Be calm. Set the example. Put them at ease and they’ll follow you.

A small smile turned into a full grin on Merlin’s impish face. “Golf balls.” He opened his hand exposing a neon yellow golf ball. “It’s all I could find on short notice.”

“You did great, Merlin. You helped her save herself.”

“You know my name.” It wasn’t a question.

Jesse walked to his bike, threw on his jacket, unsnapping the built in holster that held his Sig Sauer in one efficient movement. Reaching into his saddle bag, Jesse grabbed his GPS unit. He flicked it on, started his bike and turned back to Merlin, all prior emotion gone.

Jesse looked at his watch. Precious minutes gone. “Yes, I know your name. I know Taryn’s name, where she works, what she does and everyone she has daily contact with. I need you to trust that I mean neither of you any harm. I’m your only shot right now to get out of here and your best shot at keeping Taryn safe. I need you to trust me now. I’ll explain later.”

Jesse tossed the GPS, pre-programmed for his home, to Merlin who caught it in one hand. “I need you to get Mary Campbell and bring her to the address on the GPS. Taryn’s mother is no longer safe. Do it quietly, and quickly”

Jesse dismissed Merlin and looked at Taryn. “You. On the bike. Now.”

Taryn looked around her frantically measuring the distance between her office and where she stood. Jesse knew that look. He’d seen it plenty of times on plenty of faces since he began working security for his stepfather.

“Don’t even think about it. You won’t make it, and if by some miracle you get past me, you’ll be dead before you can lock the door. Those men won’t be the only team sent for you.” Jesse knew he’d made a tactical mistake the moment the words crossed his lips. She turned from scared rabbit to stubbornly defiant in the blink of an eye. Her gaze now held a shrewdness better suited for an assassin than a cable television archaeologist.

“I’ll take my chances. Leave me alone.”

“Not going to happen.”

He knew the exact second her courage and stupidity overran her fear. Her eyes narrowed and she took off. She was fast. She made it over half the distance before he caught her. Jesse threw her against the brick building separating her from her office, leaning his full weight against her, overpowering her in a primal and necessary way, careful to protect his groin with his knee as his hands manacled her arms.

“We don’t have time for this, Taryn. I don’t know who those men are or why they tried to take you, but I’ve got an idea. If I’m right they won’t stop. I can keep you safe if we leave now. We’ve got seconds, not minutes.” Jesse paused, letting his words sink in. Then his tone shifted to cold determination.

“I will get you on that bike no matter how many obstacles you throw at me. I’d prefer you conscious, but that option is quickly disappearing.” Jesse shook her. “Trust me or take a nap. Your choice.”

Merlin nodded toward Taryn and left on the mission Jesse gave him. Some of the fight went out of Taryn, though her eyes still flashed with defiance.

“Give me one reason to trust you and I’ll go.” Her chin jutted up, certain he couldn’t comply. “Otherwise I’ll fight you every inch of the way.”

“I came to introduce you to your biological mother.” Jesse said, matter of fact, no inflection clouding the simple truth.

Her eyes rounded in surprise. “You obviously know Mary Campbell is my mother.” Her voice caught, causing Jesse to loosen his grip.

“Not your biological one.”

The fight went out of her completely. Her eyes showed only curious wariness now. “How do you know?”

“Your biological mother’s name is Reed Mohr, and I know her very well.

She’s been searching for you for a long time.”

“Why does that matter to you?”

“Because Reed adopted me. She’s my mother too.”

The air whooshed from
Taryn’s
lungs as her bones seemed to liquefy. The look that flashed across her face made Jesse feel like he’d just thrust a knife into her. It was the same look that young ones in foster care would wear the first time they were hit by someone who was supposed to protect them. It was the same look that haunted his dreams, startling him awake in the middle of the night, cold sweat dampening his sheets. It was a look that woke him with a startle amidst dripping sheets in the night more often than he liked to admit. It was a look he’d hoped never to see again in real time.

Taryn still wore that freshly scared child look as she moved to his bike.

Here was a woman who, with one look, could wipe away seventeen years of security. Jesse got on his bike then helped her settle in behind him. When he woke up this morning he had dreams of grandeur. With one look, Taryn left him feeling the deafening echo of a boy’s nightmares.

Taryn cautiously got on the bike, twisting the knife deeper in his gut.