Protected by the HERO (34 page)

Jacob ran up to me and scooped me up into his arms and kissed me hard.  His lips have never devoured me like they had in that moment, as if his mouth was claiming all of me and not just my lips.  He twirled me around and squeezed me against him until I was gasping for breath, my lungs threatening to collapse against his tight hold.  He let me drop to the ground, but refused to let go of me, his hands still gripping my hips as he stepped back to let me breath.

‘Sorry.”

I gasped and coughed.

“It’s ok.”

I smiled up at him, reaching my hand out to caress along his stubble covered cheek.

“I’m sorry I called you a monster.”

“I’m sorry I got there too late, if I had made it before he did…”

“Shh, it’s ok.  I’m a big girl, I’ll get over it.”

Jacob smiled and let go of my hips, his hands moving to caress along my cheeks, his thumb running across my chin and lower lip.

“Come with me, I want to show you something.  Men, you can go get some rest.”

“Yes Sir.”

Jacob laced his fingers in between mine and led me further down the dock, the men creating the wall with their bodies separated and all headed towards the ship.  Once Jacob and I reached the end of the dock, he pulled me down to sit on the dock, our feet hanging over the edge, barely not touching the water.  I wrapped an arm around his and interlaced both hands into one of his, rested my head on his shoulder and took a deep sigh.

“I know you probably have a lot of questions now, about me, about everything.”

“I do, but I don’t want to ask them tonight.  I don’t think I could process anything else tonight, it’s been… a long night.”

Jacob nodded and leaned his head to the side, kissing the top of my head before resting his cheek on it.

“It has been, but I’m glad you came to the dock.  You have no idea what a sense of relief it was to see you again.”

I squeezed his hand.

“Probably just as much as a relief it was to see you not dead.”

“You thought I was going to die?”

“The amount of blood, the fact the other officer died…I was scared.”

“Is it strange I find it comforting that you were scared for me, and not of me?”

“As strange as anything else tonight, I suppose.”

We both laughed and snuggled against each other tighter, we stared up into the sky at the glowing moon, enjoying each other’s warmth.

“The ocean looks so peaceful.”

“Yeah, you should see it further out, it’s peaceful all day and night, except for when the ships are speeding through.”

“Not a lot of ships disturb it around here.”

“No, but over on the other side of the coast, man there is a lot of action.  Me and the boys will go days without seeing a calm water.”

I could hear the happiness in his voice while he spoke about the water and the action his team would see, and then reality came crashing down and I pulled my hands out from between his.

“What’s wrong?”

Jacob turned to me, his face looking just as concerned as when I discovered his tiger secret.

“You’re leaving.”

“Not forever.”

“But you’re leaving.  You’ll always be leaving.”

I went to stand up but he gripped my hand and kept me from leaving the floor of the dock, holding both my hands and gazing into my eyes.

“I am never going to leave you.  Not in mind, not in heart, not in soul.”

“But in body…”

‘We’ll figure that out.  Maybe I can stay landed for a while.”

“Do you promise?”

“I promise we’ll figure it out, together.”

I nodded and sighed, curling up against his side and rested my head into the crook of his neck.  We continued to stare out onto the calm, cool water, watching the small waves rocking against the dock and the night fish peeking up to snatch bits of food from the surface.  I was still worrying about the days to come when it would be time for Jacob to go back out to sea, but in that moment, for that night, we had each other and everything seemed perfect.

THE END

Bonus Story 9 of 20

Elizabeth Darley leaned back at her desk and pushed her glasses up to rub her eyes. She was having a hard time concentrating and she didn’t know why. Her lips twitched towards a smile. She knew why. Her neighbor was the distraction on this lovely, late Friday afternoon. He lived in the apartment next to hers and he was incredibly handsome. She would talk to him a little in the hall outside of their apartments and last weekend they shared a table in the deli on the ground floor of the apartment building. She blushed a little remembering her less-than-stellar conversation. Elizabeth was not a people person. She was more comfortable with numbers than people. Especially a person like her neighbor.

His name was Kurt Landan and he was a Navy SEAL. Or he was an ex-Navy SEAL. He had been discharged two years before and now worked in an auto shop down the block from the apartment. He had black hair at that stage where it was too short to put into a pony tail but to long to do anything with, shaggy and wild. He had strong features and a black goatee. His eyes were the soft green of new leaves, the same as hers. Elizabeth had never bemoaned her social awkwardness until she had met him. Before Kurt she had been able to go through life ignoring people, and living her solitary life.

Elizabeth was a beautiful woman with the sort of voluptuous body that was the stuff of most men’s dreams, if they were lucky. Her hair was a bright blond, long and luxurious. She usually kept it in a ponytail to keep it out of the way, unless she was at home; then she would wear it loose. She had a heart-shaped face with flawless skin and her little glasses actually added to her looks instead of detracting from them. She knew she was considered beautiful in an abstract way and she would have had to be an idiot not to notice the looks she sometimes got. She just never paid attention to the attention. It did not interest her. Now though, she wondered if Kurt might be interested in her. Elizabeth shook her head at the ridiculous notion and sat forward to finish her work. The sooner she got done the sooner she could go home and order her traditional Friday night pizza.

She was having trouble pulling up the charts she needed and realized she did not have the right shipping numbers. She got up from her desk and tugged her blouse down; it always rode up the back. She grabbed a clipboard and went looking for the information. She said ‘hi’ to the secretary and went down the hall towards the warehouse. She walked in and stopped. Her boss, Mr. McNeil, was talking to a big, beefy guy in a suit who did not look right in a suit. He looked more like a blue collar bully to her. On the table in front of them was an open box. She could clearly see the shipping number on its side, but more than that was the stack of cash on the table. They both stared at her. The big man in the suit was looking at her in a way that made her nervous immediately.

“Sorry Mr. McNeil. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I will talk to you later,” said Elizabeth, quietly. She backed out of the warehouse and went back down the hall. The shipping number was from the same account she was having problems with and now she knew why. She went into her office and sat down, not sure what to do. She may not pay close attention to the world around her but she knew when something was wrong, and potentially dangerous. Elizabeth decided to leave early.

She packed up her briefcase and put the file that was the problem in it. She was not sure why, but it felt like the right thing to do. She grabbed her sweater and put it on; she had her briefcase, glasses were on. Good, she thought. I am ready to go. She breezed out of her office saying goodnight to Celia the secretary.

“Have a good weekend. The paperwork Mr. McNeil wanted is on his desk,” she told her. She received a wave in return. As Elizabeth pulled away from the curb in her little Volkswagen she could see her boss in the rear view with the big guy in the suit, pointing at her as she drove away.

“Uh oh,” she murmured to herself as she drove faster. She made it home and ran upstairs. Elizabeth was not sure what to do. She knew something was wrong but she was not sure what. If she went to the police with saying she saw cash and a wonky account, she was sure they would laugh her out of the precinct. She needed to understand it more. And she could not do that here since she felt they may come looking for her!

She ran to her room and began throwing things into a duffel for a few days away. She could go away, study the file and look in to the company on the file. Then if there was anything she could present to the police, she would go to them. She did not know why the whole thing seemed so wrong except for the cash and the big guy in the suit. He scared her and she wanted to feel safe and not scared. She could not think clearly when she was scared.

She decided to change out of her work clothes, and put on jeans, a t-shirt, a blue blouse and tennis shoes. Then she went to the fridge to grab a tub of leftovers and some other snacks to keep her going. She remembered her emergency stash and grabbed the two hundred dollars out of the sugar canister. She put on her coat and took a cap off the peg on the wall and was out the door. In her hurry, she collided with Kurt from next door.

They both dropped their bags and Elizabeth dropped her keys. She was immediately apologetic.

“Oh, damn, Kurt. I’m sorry. I was in a hurry and didn’t see you, it’s my fault,” she told him. He was saying similar things and they both ended with, “it’s my fault,” at the same time. There was a moment of silence and they both smiled and chuckled a little bit. Then Elizabeth’s fear came back to her.

“Well I hope you have a good weekend. Again I am sorry, see you later Kurt!” she said. She turned and went down the hall, hearing his goodbye from behind. She looked back as she got to the stairs and saw him hoisting a bag over his shoulder as he walked into the old elevator.

*****

Elizabeth peeked out the side door to her apartment building at the bottom of the stairs. Her car was at the curb just outside the door. She bolted out the door, opened the passenger door, climbed in to her car and slid over to the driver’s seat. She settled her duffel bag on the seat next to her and started her car. She was glad she had filled the tank the previous day. She did not want to have to stop and risk getting caught before she knew what was going on.

She revisited the idea of just going to the cops, but if she was wrong about her suspicions, she could end up in trouble. She just wanted to be able to prove wrongdoing before making accusations. If she couldn’t, then she would be a walking target for the big guy in the suit. Then she realized another problem. The car in front of her had parked too close. Elizabeth sighed. This is all I need, she thought to herself.

So she began the painstaking process of turning the wheel all the way to the right, then backing up about six inches, then turning the wheel all the way to the left and going forward six inches. Then she repeated the process. She was on her third back and forth like that when she twisted to see behind her and saw a long silver four-door sedan pull up at the front door to her apartment. Three men in suits got out of the car and went into her building. They were led by the big guy in the suit from the warehouse. She picked up her phone and got a few pictures before they disappeared inside. Now she knew she was in trouble and tried not to panic. She was in a position to get out and moving now except for traffic. She waited for an opening she could pull out into, sweating.

Two lanes across she saw a beat up old Mustang go by and realized it was Kurt! She cursed herself. Why did I not think of Kurt? He is ex-military and sort of liked her. He could help, she told herself. She saw an opening in traffic and shot out of her spot. She saw none of the men in suits come out of her building, so she thought that was good. She pulled into the far lane and could see Kurt’s Mustang several blocks ahead. He was staying in the far lane. That would take them to the highway. She stayed behind him, convincing herself he could help her.

Unfortunately Elizabeth’s little VW did not have a lot of power, so she was barely able to keep Kurt’s Mustang in her sight. After an hour and a half on the highway they were moving up into the mountains. As she came over a hill she was frantically searching for Kurt’s car ahead of her. When she saw it he was pulled over on the side of the road. As she got closer she saw him drive down an access road. She turned at the same road and came up against a gate. She jumped out of the car and ran up to the gate. There was a chain and lock on it.

“Damn it!” she shouted. She looked back the way she had come and up at the sky. It was getting close to sunset and she had no place to go. She thought about walking up the road but going ahead in the dark made her nervous.

“Damn it!” she shouted again, kicking the gate. To her surprise the lock dropped off and the chain slithered to the ground. The gate creaked open a few inches! Picking up the lock she could only think it had not latched properly when Kurt locked it. She did not waste any time and opened the gate, drove her little car through and then got out to shut the gate behind her. She was careful to lock it tight before getting back into her car and heading down the road. Her headlights flashed ominously in the dark and she was relieved when she came upon a cabin that had Kurt’s Mustang parked out front. She grabbed her bag off of the seat next to her and got out. She did not bother to lock her car and ran up to the porch to pound on the door. There was a strange feeling in the air that had made her scared again. The door was thrown open and Kurt and Elizabeth stared at each other.

Kurt was shirtless in jeans. His body was heavily muscled and incredibly beautiful to her. His green eyes were wide and sparkling with an energy she had never seen.

“I do not understand why you are here, but you have to go now! Right now before...” he bent over double with a groan that almost sounded like an animal in pain. He staggered back and she followed him in, shutting the door.

“I’m sorry Kurt, I really am but someone is following me and I need help. Then I saw you driving down the road and I thought you might be able to help me...” she rambled. She stopped because he straightened up and his face looked pained. There was a dangerous look in his eyes.

“Too late now. You can’t get away in time. Come here,” he said roughly. He grabbed her arm and dragged her down the hall to the back of the cabin and shoved her into a small room.

“Lock the door and do not come out until daylight. It’s too dangerous. Do it! I cannot protect you if you don’t!” he snarled. He doubled over again dropping to his hands and knees in pain. She stepped forward hesitantly and then noticed his hand. It was changing, morphing into something else. She saw long claws sprouting out of the end of his fingers and Elizabeth cried out. He lifted his head and his face was longer and hairier. When he opened his mouth he had long fangs.

“LOCK THE DOOR!” he roared at her. She slammed the door and locked the knob and the two dead bolts. She heard a ferocious growl and backed across the room, sitting on a chair near a table. The growling turned into a howl that made her cry out again. Then there was furious scratching against the door and it shook on its hinges. Elizabeth began crying and huddling up on the chair. The room was small with no windows or any other way out. The animal outside, (Kurt?), was sniffing and pacing around the door and she heard a faint howling in the distance. The animal outside her door gave a yip and she heard the sound of running paws fade through out the house until there was nothing.

After a time of silence she got up and approached the door. She reached for it and then stopped. Kurt had said daylight, do not leave until daylight. She thought she heard the floor creak outside the door and jumped back. She again backed across the room to sit in the chair. She pulled her legs and up to her chest and stared at the door. She had forgot about her city problems, this was a whole new kind of problem. She rocked back and forth, tensing at every sound. She was refusing to think about what she had seen – Kurt turning into a
wolf?
She moaned in fear and kept rocking. After several hours she slowly fell into an exhausted sleep.

*****

Elizabeth awoke to the sound of birds. For a brief moment she felt at peace. Then she remembered where she was, and the night before. She sat up straight, scared. The house was quiet but without a window she could not tell if it was sunrise or not. She stood next to the door listening. She could hear nothing at first but then she heard the faint sound of feet. Then a human sounding sigh. She was not sure if she should try the locks but she felt she had to, right or wrong. She unlocked one of the locks and waited. After a moment she heard Kurt’s voice.

“It’s safe for now. You can come out. I imagine you have to use the bathroom,” he said. He was right about that and she un-bolted the dead bolt and the second door lock. As she went out she looked down the hall and could see him sitting at a table near the front door. He gestured to the door a few feet away and the other side of the hallway.

“That’s the bathroom, help yourself,” he offered. Elizabeth needed to. When she was done she had to think a minute about what to do. Kurt had looked awful sad sitting out there alone. She knew nothing about what she had happened except what she had seen in movies, but was sure that was not right.
A werewolf!
That was a bit out of her league. Then again, she thought, so was whatever was going on at work. At least she knew what this was. Or did she? She needed to find out what was going on so she could make an informed decision.

Elizabeth opened the bathroom door and went down the hall slowly. He saw her coming and stood up. He was just wearing pants, no shoes, with dirt on his feet. His hair was a wild mess, but it usually was. She could see scratches on his arms and chest. She stopped a few feet from him.