Firefight in Darkness (19 page)

Blythe leaned towards him, a wicked gleam in her eyes. “So how many demons have you hunted down for Thea?”

“Seventeen. Dante makes eighteen.” He sipped more of his wine, watching her closely. “I haven’t failed yet.”

“Did you kill all of them?”

Something dark and haunted clouded his eyes at her question.

“Yes.”

“So you are deadly.” Her lips curved, and he wondered why she was so fascinated by the idea of killing demons. Of course, how could he blame her when it was his life’s passion?

“I will stop at nothing, do anything, and kill anyone who stands in the way of who I’m hunting. That’s why I’m deadly.” His eyes betrayed nothing as he leaned over to reach for one of the white boxes on the coffee table.

“What’s it like?” She couldn’t help herself. She just had to know. “To kill a demon?”

“It’s not for the faint of heart.” He said mildly as he took a bite of orange chicken.

She let out a half laugh at his words. “Well, you know I’m not faint hearted.”

“No, you’re not.” He lifted his eyes to hers, concern edged around the darkness that shadowed them. “That’s why I worry about you.”

“Pssh.” She waved his comment away with a grin. “What’s there to worry about?”

“Your bark is bigger than your bite, Blythe, let’s be honest here.” He told her candidly. “You’re inclined to rush in and take on something more than you can actually handle. That’s how people get themselves killed.”

She actually felt her pride bruise at his words, and her temper flared up to defend it. “You seriously underestimate me, Jax.” She snapped, rising to her feet. “Remember I said that when I’m standing over Dante’s dead body, gun smoking in my hand.”

With that, she walked over, picked up her duffle bag from the floor by the front door, and headed towards the hallway that she assumed lead to the bedrooms.

“Which room should I sleep in?” She asked coldly.

“Second door on the left.”

“Goodnight, then.” She turned on her heel and left him alone, sitting on his enormous sofa, wondering what in the hell he was going to do about her when the time came for them both to face Dante.

♦ ♦ ♦

By the time morning came, she woke up knowing she’d overreacted. Not only had she gotten little sleep because of it, but she also knew she was being touchy and bitchy to him when he didn’t deserve it.

Yeah, he’d insulted her when he’d claimed she couldn’t handle killing Dante on her own. But he was the demon hunter here, the professional who’d killed seventeen high profile, extremely dangerous demons in the past. She couldn’t compete with that record of accomplishment, and so she’d just gotten angry with him for pointing out what she knew was truth. She had the very strong desire to kill Dante, but that didn’t mean she had the ability. That was where Jax came in, and why she needed him. He needed her to lure Dante, and she needed him to execute the kill when the time came.

Knowing it, really knowing it, made her feel sorry for jumping down his throat. But she still had her pride, after all, and she was never very good at apologies even when she knew she was wrong.

And yet she also knew that she owed him an apology, and because it was him, and because things were different, she found herself slipping into her robe and going out to find him.

She wandered out into the kitchen as the sun rose into the sky, hoping he was awake. Lucky for her, he was seated at his dining table, sipping coffee and reading the morning paper.

He looked up as she entered, his face carefully blank. She smiled warmly, hoping to ease the tension. When he didn’t smile back, she sighed and sat beside him.

“I’m sorry, okay?” She blurted out, her eyes shadowed from lack of sleep. Underneath the table, her hands fisted tight with anxiety.

For a moment he didn’t say anything, he just sipped his coffee and considered her. When he did speak, his voice was level and calm. “I’m not angry with you, Blythe. But I appreciate the apology anyway.”

She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath, but she let it out with a shaky laugh. “Wow, that was easier than I’d expected.” Her hands unfisted under the table and came up to run through her hair. “You’re right about Dante, though. I don’t know anything about killing demons, and I’m still new to shooting, and-“

“You don’t have to explain yourself, it’s okay.” He reached out to cover her hand with his, the move natural and friendly. She felt much better when his lips curved into a slow smile. “You didn’t call your family last night. Let me get them on the phone so you can talk to them.”

He rose to get the phone, and she simply sat there, rather stupefied at the fact that he wasn’t even the slightest bit angry with her. In the brief time she’d known him, she hadn’t thought him to be a very patient man. But maybe this was proof that things really were different between them now.

He wandered back over with his cell phone to his ear. She saw him smile as Thea answered, and listened as he asked for Lucian so Blythe could speak to him. She felt her eyes fill as he handed the phone to her a minute later, and her hand shook slightly as she held it to her ear.

“Lucian?”

“Good morning, honeypot.” His serene voice came through the phone, and the simple pleasure of hearing it had her smiling. She glanced up at Jax and mouthed thank you, a single tear falling down her cheek.

He nodded to her, grabbed his coffee, and left her alone, his mind shifting gears to focus on Dante. He had to figure out their next move, and so far all he could think about was who the hell was meeting with Dante, and why. Until he had that figured out, he was at somewhat of a dead end. He had a couple other contacts he could speak to, and he could only hope that they would point him in the right direction.

About an hour later, Blythe hung up the phone. She laid it gently on the table, as though it were some fragile thing on the verge of shattering. How precious it was to be able to hear the voices of her family, even though she was so far away from all of them. And while just speaking to them didn’t quite dull the ache in her heart, it did help settle her mind that they were doing alright without her.

Rising to her feet, she wandered out to the front porch in search of Jax. When she opened the door and peered out, she saw him lounging in one of his wooden chairs, his feet propped up on the porch railing and Cooper curled up fast asleep beside him. She smiled instantly, the image so close to what she had imagined. The rugged Texas cowboy with his faithful dog, content with life just as it was. What was it about that concept that made the man so damn appealing?

He turned as she came out, the sunlight glowing brightly in her fiery hair, creating some kind of vivid red halo. In his eyes, the image suited her perfectly. She was neither a white angel or the devil’s daughter; she was the perfect mix of both.

“Thank you, for letting me use your phone.” She said as she closed the door behind her and walked forward to lean against the porch railing. “I’ve missed them so much.”

“I know.” He replied simply, sipping his coffee as he watched her, sincerely enjoying the view. She had slipped herself into some kind of silk robe the color of honeyed gold, and the way it illuminated in the sunlight made her seem as though she was glowing. And her unpainted mouth, curved into that devious grin, always just slightly cocky and disobedient, suited her to the tee.

“Everyone’s fine, I assume?”

“Yeah, they’re good. They miss me and want me to ditch you and come home.” She shook back her hair and laughed. “But they know me better than to expect that to happen.”

“Mmm.” He smirked as he sipped more of his coffee, his left foot reaching down to rub Cooper’s back absently. Blythe watched Cooper stretch and yawn, tongue wagging at the attention. Maybe she could convince Thea to let her get a dog…she’d never really thought about having a pet before, but it would be nice to have someone to accompany her on her morning runs. Which, she thought with a groan, she’d neglected to do for the entire week. But, there were more important things to do now, she reminded herself. Much, much more important things.

“Did you get a chance to speak with your father, settle things?”

Blythe rolled her eyes, annoyed. “No, but I didn’t really want to speak to him anyways. I’m still mad at him. Besides, apparently he wasn’t there. Lucian said he’s left Euphora a few times this week, going God knows where. He probably found some other whore to sleep with.”

She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, wondering why just the idea of it bothered her so much.

“No one knows where he’s been going?” Jax asked, setting his coffee aside and sitting up in his chair.

Blythe frowned. “If he’s told anyone, Lucian hasn’t heard about it. Why do you care?”

“Was he gone two nights ago?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t think to ask for all the details. What are you getting at?” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, while his flashed with understanding.

“Someone met with Dante at Ricky’s bar two nights ago.”

“You have got to be kidding me.” She choked out an impatient laugh, even as her stomach churned uncomfortably. “Why would my dad be meeting with Dante? They hate each other.”

“Maybe he’s trying to convince Dante to leave you alone. Or maybe he’s helping Dante stay one step ahead of us.”

“No. No, there’s just no way.” Shaking her head fervently, she began to pace. “He wouldn’t stoop that low, he couldn’t. Not after everything that’s happened. Besides, what could he possibly gain by helping Dante get away?”

“Maybe he feels bad for never being there for his little brother.” He watched incredulously as she threw her head back and laughed.

“He doesn’t think about anyone but himself.” She told him, stopping mid-step to face him with her hands fisted on her hips. “If he is meeting with Dante, it’s because he thinks Dante can give him something that he wants, and if he’s sneaking around then his intentions are anything but noble.”

“Fair enough.” He stood up to lean against the rail beside her, resting his elbows on the smooth wood and staring out over the acres and acres of land. In the distance, he could see the city, and the mountains that bordered it. He was working over the details of the whole scenario in his head when she suddenly spoke.

“You know, this wouldn’t be the first time he’s been blamed for something he didn’t do.” She mused, leaning against the rail with a hefty sigh. She tilted her head to watch him, uncertainty warring with the guilt she felt. “He’s not perfect, but he’s not necessarily a bad person, either.”

Jax glanced up at her, his lips curving at the edges. “Then we’ll hold our judgments for now.”

She watched as he stood up slowly, turning his body to face hers and lifting his hand to cup gently at the back of her neck. He smelled of soap and coffee mixed with a hint of leather from the boots on his feet.

“Is this the moment where we stop putting this out of our minds, cowboy?” She asked, fighting for calm while her heart leapt to racing speed in a near instant at his touch. Her breath caught when his hand tightened ever so slightly in her hair, the storm in his eyes raging.

“I’m not sure yet.” He murmured, his other hand coming up to slide against her back, smooth against the silk of her robe. “I just know you look mighty pretty here in the sunlight this morning.”

She smiled, tilting her head up in welcome, her eyes challenging him. “Then what are you waiting for?”

Nothing, and everything, he thought as he kissed her slowly, not wanting to rush. There was something about the lazy morning sunlight and the way she sighed against him that comforted and soothed. It was like melting into a warm pot of honey, golden and rich. Just like her eyes.

The tenderness surprised her, especially since she’d been more than fully prepared for an assault. But instead what he gave her was calm and gentle, a kiss that had her bones melting and her mind going blissfully blank. With an indulgent sigh, she wrapped her arms around his neck and felt herself sliding even further down that slippery slope into what she knew was dangerous territory. But, at that moment, she wasn’t worried about a damn thing.

♦ ♦ ♦

In the distance, he watched them.

He stared through his binoculars from his hiding place in the branches of the ancient oak tree, jealousy a blinding hot fist to his gut. Why hadn’t he anticipated this? Blythe and the bounty hunter…together? The very idea of it infuriated him.

Sure, at first it had humored him that they were working with each other, and it made the chase all the more interesting. But the last thing he’d expected was for them to become anything more than casual friends. And now that it was blatantly obvious they were something more, he realized he needed to step up the game, and fast. He needed to touch her again, to make her see that he was the only one for her. She needed him by her side, not the goddamn bounty hunter. She would see, in time.

Fighting to push aside his rage, he slipped out of the tree and walked briskly down the road where he’d discreetly parked the stolen Mercedes behind an old barn.

Yes. It was time to step up the game and remind them that he was watching their every move, and he was more than ready for them.

♦ ♦ ♦

When his cell phone began to ring from inside the house, Cooper immediately let out an excited bark, jumping to his feet and wagging his tailless behind joyfully. It took a second, more forceful bark for Jax to break from Blythe and glare down at his dog.

Before he could tell Cooper to be quiet, he heard Waylon singing about old Hank and realized his phone was ringing.

Cursing under his breath, he turned back to Blythe.

“I’ll be right back, the damn phone is ringing.”

He stalked back into the house, leaving her leaning against the porch railing, feeling empty without him.

Scowling, she glanced down at the dog, who was grinning happily up at her. Unable to help smiling back at him, she bent down to rub his fur.

“It’s not your fault that some jerk had to call and ruin me and your daddy’s moment, is it?” She crooned, pleased when he toppled over to let her rub his belly.

She was still basking in unbridled puppy love when Jax came out a few minutes later, shutting the door quietly behind him. He watched her for a moment, surprised by the instant shock of pleasure he’d felt seeing her, bathed in sunlight on his front porch, playing with his dog. His pulse quickened as she glanced up at him and smiled, the happiness on her face intoxicating. Why was it she looked so natural, so right, there on his porch?