Darkness Unknown (6 page)

For the next few seconds, she seemed lost in the past. When a large drip threatened to run down the side of her cone, he captured her hand in his and stole a big lick of her ice cream.

“Hey!” she protested, pulling free. “You have your own.”

“My intentions were strictly honorable. My quick action saved you from being the victim of a nasty drip.” He tried to look put upon, but couldn't keep from grinning. “So you were telling me about your critters.”

“I needed a way to make the farm profitable, and decided that breeding alpacas would be a good choice for the two of us. I invested in some good-quality breeding stock and slowly built up my herd. I sell a few off each year, which provides the bulk of my income. The rest is gravy.”

“That must have been hard, giving up your college plans and taking on the job of raising your brother.” He doubted many young women would have done so.

She shook her head. “It wasn't any sacrifice. We're family, and that's what family does.”

“Then Chase is a lucky young man,” he murmured, thinking how different his friend Trahern's life would
have been if he'd had a loving sister to take him in. Blake had been living on the streets when he'd been years younger than Chase was now. Jarvis's own situation had been a little better, but having an unstable Paladin for a father was no picnic.

Gwen ducked her head and blushed. “Thank you for saying so. We're not exactly rolling in the dough, but I've never doubted that it was the right decision for both our sakes. I could never have abandoned him to the foster system just so I could finish school.”

Jarvis gently pried her cone from her fingers and set it down in his bowl, letting the chocolate mix with the pool of vanilla. She had to know what was coming, and didn't protest as he cupped her face to tilt her mouth to just the perfect angle.

But he owed her the right to make the final decision. “Tell me to stop and I will.” Even if it killed him.

“Now why would I do something so foolish?” Her eyes drifted half shut as her mouth softened in invitation.

Their lips met on a sigh, then he tasted the sweetness of her chocolate-flavored kiss.

The world narrowed down to the solid strength of Jarvis's arms wrapped around her shoulders as he plundered her mouth. Gwen hung on to those broad shoulders, loving the play of his muscles and the warmth of his body next to hers.

When he teased the corners of her mouth, asking for entry, she smiled and opened to him. His tongue swirled in and out, coaxing her to surrender to him. It was hard to hold back, even though this was hardly the place to do more than kiss.

Jarvis slowly withdrew, using the gentle brush of his fingertips along the column of her throat to say he was doing so only reluctantly. She stared into his dark eyes, gradually regaining awareness of their surroundings. The warmth of the setting sun. The rough surface of the picnic table. The faint scent of aftershave mixed with the tang of male sweat. The sound of a car going by on the road. How cold she felt when he moved a few inches away.

“Wow,” she breathed.

Jarvis smiled. “Totally.”

What to do next? Their ice cream had melted into a big blob. She identified with it all too well. She had to do something besides stare moon-eyed at him. “I'll throw this away so we can get going.”

When she headed for the garbage can, he thoughtfully avoided crowding her by walking over to open the car door for her. She used the few seconds of separation to bring her badly rattled nerves back under control. Although it was only a kiss, she'd never been kissed that way before, as if they had all day to enjoy it.

Feeling a bit shy, she approached the car and
Jarvis. He stepped around the open door to stand in front of her again, looking as confused as she felt. Finally, he brushed a stray lock of her hair back from her face.

“I have to tell you that I've been wanting to do that since I woke up in your house.”

“Was it worth the wait?” she asked bravely.

His mouth curved up in that sexy smile that set her pulse racing. “Oh, yeah.”

Gwen smiled back and then, feeling daring, rose up on her toes and kissed him again. “Next time, don't wait so long.”

 

The flicker of headlights turning into the driveway meant they were finally back. A few seconds later, the Chevelle rumbled down the driveway and stopped outside the barn. When Gwen got out of Jarvis's car, Chase turned away from the window, not wanting her to think he was spying on them.

They'd been gone for almost two hours, and he wasn't sure what he thought about that. On the one hand, it was about time she had a life of her own. Between taking care of him and the farm since Mom died, Gwen had rarely had time to breathe, much less hang with her friends.

But seeing her with Jarvis reminded him that she was more than just his older sister. She was an attractive woman, even if he forgot that most of the time. Jarvis seemed like an okay guy, but
Gwen needed someone who'd be willing to stick around. According to his driver's license, Jarvis lived up near St. Louis. What had he been doing in their woods that had left him cut up and half dead?

And why was he hanging around their farm now? Chase had a feeling that returning a worn T-shirt had been just an excuse. Maybe he should have a talk with Jarvis the next time he came back. If he came back.

He went into the living room and turned on the ball game, keeping the television muted until he heard Jarvis's car start up again. Then he turned up the sound, to look as normal as possible when Gwen came in. For the time being, any questions he had were for Jarvis. After he had his answers, he'd decide what to tell his sister, if anything.

He suddenly realized he was holding the remote so hard that his knuckles were white. Ever since the phone call from his football coach after Gwen left, he'd been prowling the house looking for a handy target for his anger. He fought the urge to heave the remote across the room, not wanting to upset his sister any more than necessary.

He and Gwen both knew that it was getting harder and harder for him to keep his cool, no matter how he tried. He did his best to stay busy, working himself into near exhaustion to help maintain
control. But he worried that one of these days he'd explode, and that Gwen would get caught in the fallout if he hurt someone. Or worse yet, her. That would be some payback for everything she'd done for him.

The back door opened and he forced himself to relax, using the techniques from that book Gwen had ordered online. They helped some, at least taking the edge off. He muted the television again as she walked into the room.

“So, did you have a good time with Jarvis?” Darn, he wished he'd worded that differently. “Did you like the car?”

Was she blushing? Yeah, she was. What was up with that?

“Yes, I loved the car. Did Jarvis tell you that he'd rebuilt the engine and did most of the restoration on the car himself?”

“Yeah, he did. That's pretty cool. I'd like to try doing something similar.” He gave her a hopeful look. “Maybe I could practice on our truck.”

“Have at it, big guy. However, while our only means of transportation is in bits and pieces, you're the one who gets to hitch a couple of the alpacas up to a cart to get groceries. It's only about ten miles to town, so it won't take you more than a few hours each way. Think Jordan will think that's as cool as riding in the Chevelle?”

He laughed. “Yeah, and think of all the hot
ties who'd be lining up to admire my sick new wheels.”

“Hey, it could start a whole new fad when school starts up again. Though I doubt the football coach would appreciate his field being used for a pasture.”

Chase turned to face the television to avoid his sister's eagle eyes. “Speaking of football, I'm kinda worried about going out for the team. Last year I didn't always handle being tackled very well.”

Admitting that was hard, but the coach's call had been a warning that if there was any more trouble, Chase wouldn't make the first cut despite his size and speed.

Before he could tell her about the call, Gwen dropped down beside him. “I've been meaning to talk to you about something. You know Jarvis has the same ability to heal that you do.”

Chase nodded.

“He said he had some of the same problems when he was your age—the temper and things. He offered to teach you martial arts because they helped him learn control.”

Chase stiffened. “What else have you been telling him about me?”

“I didn't tell him much of anything. He wanted to know why we didn't call the authorities when we found him, and I told him that we didn't think he'd want them to see how fast he healed. And that
morning, he recognized you without me telling him anything.”

“What do you mean, he recognized me? We'd never met before.”

Gwen drew a deep breath. “He knew your father. He said you look just like him.”

C
hase lurched up off the couch and glared down at her, his body vibrating with anger or hurt. It was impossible to tell from the stony expression on his face.

“I'm sorry, Chase. I should have told you sooner, but I didn't know how.” She looked her brother straight in the eyes. “And this was obviously the wrong way to go about it.”

“You've known for over a
week,
Gwen. In all that time, you couldn't have found a way to tell me something as important as this? What did you think would happen when you told me? That I'd run off with Jarvis to hunt down my long-lost daddy?”

“No, that's not what I thought.” She gentled her voice. “Your father died before you were born. That's why he never came back.” She reached out to touch his arm.

Some of his fury melted away. “How did he die?”

She shook her head. “Jarvis didn't say how, just that he had. He also said your father wasn't the kind of a man who would have abandoned his child.”

Chase sank back down on the couch. “How come Mom never knew what happened to him?”

“Jarvis's best guess is that no one knew they were involved.” She took a seat across the room, figuring she'd crowded Chase enough for one evening.

“What else did Jarvis tell you?”

“I was too stunned to ask more. Maybe you should take it up with him yourself—although he may not know much more than your father's name. If the man died eighteen years ago, Jarvis would have been a boy at the time. He said they were only distantly related.”

Chase sat in silence for a minute.

“So what
was
his name? My father, I mean.”

She smacked herself on the forehead. “God, what a dunce I'm being. His name was Harvey. Harvey Fletcher.”

Chase grunted, obviously not ready to let go of all of his anger. “It's no biggie. This Harvey guy obviously didn't care enough about Mom to tell his friends about her.”

There was no easy answer to that. “If you decide you want to know more about him, call Jarvis. I've told you everything I can.”

After a few seconds of uneasy silence, Chase asked, “And what's this about Jarvis teaching me martial arts?”

The crisis had passed, at least for the moment. “Like I said, Jarvis admitted that he had some of the same problems when he was your age, but that someone taught him martial arts to help him focus and maintain control. He's willing to do the same for you, if you're interested.”

“Do we have the bucks for it?”

Gwen knew her brother wouldn't like charity any better than she did. “He said he'd do it for free, at least until you find out if you like it or not. After that, we'll work it out somehow.”

“I'll think on it.”

She dredged up a smile. “Good. I have his cell phone number if you want to talk to him.”

“Word. I'll let you know what I decide.”

It was time to leave him to his own thoughts. Even though Harvey Fletcher might never be more than a name to her brother, it was more of his father than he'd ever had.

“I'm going to bed.”

“See you in the morning, Sis.”

She paused in the doorway. “And I am sorry I handled this so badly, Chase.”

He ignored the apology. “I may be gone before you're up in the morning. Mr. James wants to get an early start, before it gets too hot. I should be
home in time to help with afternoon chores, but I'll call if I'm going to be late.”

“Sounds good.” It also sounded like Jarvis's pointed remark might have done some good. Maybe spending some time with him
would
be good for her brother.

Honesty made her admit that having Jarvis around would definitely be good for
her
. Her lips tingled, remembering his kiss. But Jarvis had a life, a job, things to do. If he was willing to spend part of his time with one of the Moselys, it was best spent with her brother.

Feeling more tired than ever, she headed upstairs to her lonely bed.

 

Jake looked up from his computer when Jarvis walked into the medical lab. “Where have you been all evening?”

Rather than answer, Jarvis studied the screen over his friend's shoulder. “How has the barrier been tonight?”

“Quiet, but you knew that. If it had gone down, you would have felt it, too. Which reminds me, did you ever find your sword?”

“No, but I haven't exactly been looking for it.”

“Found something better to do with your time?” Jake turned around to face Jarvis directly. “So how is the delectable Gwen Mosely?”

“What makes you think she's delectable?” Jarvis pretended an interest in a stack of printouts on the table, though he knew his friend wouldn't back off. Once Jake decided to pursue something, there was no stopping him.

“I've seen her picture.” Jake gave him a snarky smile. “When I was checking into Harvey Fletcher's past, I decided to look into the Moselys' background, too. The boy's aggression is definitely causing him problems at school, but that's no surprise. And it seems Ms. Gwen Mosely has earned some awards for her knitting and design.” He rooted through a pile of folders, pulled one out, then handed it to Jarvis. “I printed out the newspaper reports, including a couple with her picture. Love the freckles.”

“Go to hell, Jake,” Jarvis muttered with no real heat. As usual, his friend had done a thorough job. “What did you find out about Fletcher? Anything safe to share with the boy?”

“It's all there, too. I couldn't find much, even when I hacked into the Regents' main computer files. You know they keep any records of us to the minimum.”

Yeah, and he knew there were good reasons for the secrecy. But how many countless Paladins had lived and died, passing through this world without even their names being remembered? He tried not to think about it too much, but sometimes the whole damned system pissed him off.

“I owe you for this, Jake.”

“How about that game of chess you promised, and we'll call it even?”

“Okay, one game. The doc gave me strict orders not to wear you out.”

Jake rolled his eyes as he set up the board on the bedside table. “Yeah, lying here and being waited on hand and foot is just so exhausting.”

“He just wants you out of here as fast as possible.” He moved his pawn. “They always do.”

Anything to get them back out in the caves, where they could die all over again. “Your move.”

Jake countered. “So when are you going to see them again?”

“After I figure out the best way to approach the boy. Gwen was going to let him make the decision about martial arts.” He kept his eyes firmly on the board. “He definitely needs the discipline training will give him.”

“How will the sister react?”

“She's worried about the cost, but understands the need.”

“So how much are you charging her? Or are you willing to take it out in trade?”

Jarvis's vision turned red and his hands shot out to squeeze his friend's neck.
“Don't ever say anything like that again! Understand?”

He loosened his hold long enough for Jake to gasp, “Oh, yeah, I understand.”

Jarvis dropped his hands and slouched back in his chair, pretending he hadn't just attacked a friend, all over a woman he'd met only twice. And kissed once, which made all the difference.

Instead of being angry, though, Jake grinned at him even as he rubbed the red marks Jarvis had left on his throat.

His temper flashed hot again. “Damn it, you did that deliberately, didn't you?”

“Yeah, but only to make a point.”

“And what's that?” Although Jarvis already knew.

“I believe that you're worried about Chase Mosely needing help in becoming a Paladin.” He reached down to capture Jarvis's knight. “But if you think that he's the only one you're interested in, you're lying to yourself.”

Rather than acknowledge his friend's direct hit, Jarvis studied the board. He'd better start paying more attention to the game because his queen was in danger. Forcing himself to put Gwen Mosely out of his thoughts, he countered Jake's move and went on the attack. The sooner they finished this game, the sooner he could escape his friend's knowing looks.

 

The chess match had ended in a draw. The two of them were evenly matched, and normally Jarvis enjoyed the challenge of trying to best Jake. But he'd
been relieved when Jake had said he was tired and ready to crash for a while.

Jarvis let himself out of Jake's room and took the file on the two Moselys and good old Harvey back to his quarters. Once he'd decided how much to tell Chase and how much to hide from Gwen, he'd wrangle another invitation to dinner.

On the way, he'd check out the woods to see if he could recover his sword. Besides it being one of his favorites, he didn't want to risk having Chase or Gwen stumble across it. So far, neither of them had asked many questions about how he'd come to be cut up in their woods. Chase was probably used to letting his sister do most of the worrying for them both, but Jarvis was surprised that she'd all but ignored the issue of his injuries.

He'd like to think it was because she trusted him, but it probably had more to do with turning a blind eye to the situation because of the possibility of getting some help for her brother. Maybe she'd even managed to convince herself that he'd been the victim of an accident rather than an attack. But if one of the dogs led her to the sword, she'd be in his face about it.

The Regents wouldn't be at all happy about a civilian getting involved in Paladin business, but that wasn't Jarvis's problem. If the bastards staffed the local sector adequately, he wouldn't have been out in the woods hunting an Other all by himself. Con
sidering the fact that there'd been a pack of those crazed killers running loose, the Regents were lucky not to have lost Jarvis permanently.

When he passed through the cave that revealed the largest stretch of the barrier, he paused to study its condition. For the moment it appeared to be stable, but that could change from one second to the next. He'd defended his world with steel and with blood too many times to count, and he'd continue to do so until he lost the battle to hold on to his humanity.

It wasn't much of a future to offer Chase Mosely, but facing his choices head-on was a damn sight better than always fighting against his true nature. With help, Chase would learn to manage his temper and strength, funneling all of that aggression against an appropriate target.

The barrier shimmered and thinned. Son of a bitch—it was on the verge of going down! Jarvis hit the alarm button on the wall to summon the troops. Running to grab his sword in his room, he tossed the file on his bed, sending the papers flying everywhere. There'd be time to clean the mess up after the battle—if he lived through it.

 

“Jarvis isn't answering his cell.” Chase dropped the phone in its cradle with almost enough force to break it. “I've been trying for three days already.”

“I don't know what to tell you, Chase. That's the
number he gave me.” Gwen studied the sweater she'd been working on and decided that the new pattern was working out. If it turned out as well as she expected it to, she'd make a tidy profit on marketing the design. “He said he was staying in the area for the summer, but maybe he got called back to St. Louis for some reason.”

“Maybe, but that doesn't explain why he's not answering his cell phone. That's the whole reason people carry them, so they can be reached anywhere, anytime.”

Deciding she'd done enough knitting for one evening, she set the project aside, then stretched her arms and flexed her fingers to get the kinks out. “He doesn't seem like the kind of man who would go back on his word. He promised to teach you, so I have to think he will.”

“Yeah, well, how much do we know really know about him?” Chase paced the floor, his long legs eating up the distance in jerky steps. “We never did find out who cut him up that night.”

“If you're that worried about it, ask him.”

She was so not in the mood for this, wishing Jarvis were right there in front of her so she could give him a piece of her mind. If he'd changed his mind about helping Chase, all he had to do was call. As disappointed as she and Chase would be, at least they wouldn't be jumping every time the phone rang, hoping to hear Jarvis's voice.

“I'm going to bed.”

“Good night.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

Chase clicked off the television and stomped out of the room. She didn't need his attitude, but right now she didn't have the energy to deal with it. Even if he did have a legitimate gripe with Jarvis, he shouldn't take it out on her.

She needed to lose herself in some mindless television before facing her bed. Alone. As the opening music for the nightly news came on, she realized that it wasn't just Jarvis's broken promise about the martial arts that had her upset. No, it was the promise of that single kiss that hurt the most. As handsome as he was, Jarvis probably had women lined up from here to St. Louis and back, all wanting a piece of his action.

It hurt to think that the kiss that had curled her toes and fried her brain had meant so little to him. Common sense and any handy mirror should have warned her that she was out of his class. A small-town farm girl probably held little appeal for a man like Jarvis.

The worried look on the newscaster's face caught her attention, breaking up her pity party. She caught the tail end of his spiel, delivered in a suitably somber manner.

“…the shallow earthquakes have been rolling through the boot-heel region of the state and down
into northern Arkansas and western Tennessee and Kentucky for the past three days. These cluster quakes finally slowed to a stop earlier this evening and show no immediate sign of resuming. Experts tell us that the quakes are too slight for most humans to notice, although there have been reports of animals exhibiting some skittish behavior in the areas surrounding the epicenter of this seismic activity.”