Protecting Jessyka (SEAL of Protection) (Volume 6) (2 page)

She met Brian her junior year and they’d been friends throughout high school. It wasn’t until they had graduated and taken classes at the local community college together that they’d started dating. Brian was fun and Jess had enjoyed spending time with him. After dating for a few years, it was obvious they weren’t going to ever get married or have a future together. Brian had a temper, and Jess was completely laid back. She refused to fight back with him when he did turn on her, and that usually made him even angrier.

After they’d stopped being boyfriend and girlfriend, their relationship improved. Brian seemed to settle down and didn’t seem as angry.

When Jess’s parents moved across the country and she needed a place to live, Brian offered to let her move into the extra bedroom in his townhouse. Jess agreed on the spot. It had seemed to be the perfect arrangement.

It seemed even better when Jess met Tabitha. Tabitha was Brian’s niece. His sister lived in a townhouse in the same complex as they did. Tabitha was ten when they’d met and Jess loved her on sight. She was a chubby kid, but had the biggest heart. Brian’s sister, Tammy, was a mess though. She was a single mother and worked all the time. When she wasn’t working, she still wasn’t around much, so Jess became like Tabitha’s second mother.

Tabitha was an unusually sensitive child though. She took everything to heart. Jess had seen Tabitha cry her eyes out when she’d seen a dead feral cat on the road next to the apartment complex one day. Jess had tried to console her, but Tabitha stayed in a funk for at least a week after that.

Brian didn’t have any patience for his niece. He told Jess she was a baby and a whiner and would never get anywhere in the world.

Over the last four years, Brian had turned his harsh words onto Tabitha too. He didn’t care who he put her down in front of, and he started haranguing Jessyka as well. It had gotten to a point where Jess knew Tabitha was depressed. She’d tried to talk to Tammy about it, but Tammy had blown her off and told her to mind her own business.

In the last couple of months, Brian had started to lash out at Jess again. It had started with words, but had quickly escalated to shoving, pushing, and, finally, hitting. Jess never knew what would set him off. He was completely unstable. One minute he’d be laughing and the next he’d be in her face screaming at her, telling her what a crippled loser she was.

Jess knew she had to get out, but she’d gotten complacent. Being a waitress didn’t bring in that much money, and she knew she didn’t have enough to move out on her own just yet. She could probably fly to Florida and live with her parents for a while, but she didn’t want to leave Tabitha. The girl was fourteen and something wasn’t right.

Jessyka worried about her all the time. Tabitha was withdrawn and sad. Jess spent as much time as she could with her and tried to cheer her up. It was hard though, because after the last time Jess had tried to talk with Tammy about her daughter, Tammy had told Tabitha Jess wasn’t welcome in their apartment anymore.

So now Tabitha had to either come over to her apartment, and risk having Brian be there and messing with her head, or they’d have to go out. If they went out, Jess had to spend money on lunch, ice cream, or whatever. Money she should be saving to get her own place. It was a vicious circle, but Jess knew she couldn’t abandon Tabitha. She loved her and Tabitha needed her. So she stayed.

Jess figured she could take it. It wasn’t as if Brian was
really
hurting her. She could take the bruises. It was no big deal.

But deep down, she knew it
was
a big deal. Jess worked in a bar. She’d seen it time and time again with the patrons. She’d seen how the violence escalated. Jess felt stuck. She wanted to go, but knew leaving would mean bad things for Tabitha. She just didn’t know what to do anymore. It felt like she had the world on her shoulders.

Jess rolled her head to try to release some tension and winced. Damn. She’d forgotten about her shoulder. Brian had wrenched it that afternoon before she’d left to go to work. Jess had been visiting Tabitha and had come back into the apartment with just enough time to change before having to leave for work.

“Where have you been?” Brian had inquired nastily.

“Visiting with Tabitha.” Jess kept her voice flat, knowing if she threw any attitude, Brian would make her pay for it.

“I don’t know why you bother. She’s fat. She’ll always be fat. She’s stupid too. Tammy tells me all the time what a moron she is and how embarrassed she is by her.”

“She’s not stupid, Brian. I’ve read some of the stories she’s written. She’s actually very talented and I know she’s going to be a famous author someday.”

“What the hell do you know, crip? You’re just as stupid as she is. Working as a damn waitress in a fucking bar. What a loser. You know everyone just makes fun of you behind your back don’t you? I’ve seen them. You limp around the bar and everyone just laughs and bets on if you’ll drop a tray or not.”

Jess stared at Brian, not believing the words that were coming out of his mouth. How had they gotten to this point? What had she done for him to have such horrible feelings about her? They used to be friends.

Misunderstanding her look, Brian continued. “Surprised, crip? Yeah, they all laugh at you, especially the military guys. I bet you have fantasies about them doing you? Well, give it up. They only like the beautiful, perfect ladies.”

Brian’s words struck her hard, just as he’d meant them to.

“What’s happened to us, Brian?” Jess couldn’t help the words, she’d been thinking them and with his harsh words, they just popped out. “We used to be friends.”

“Friends don’t sponge off one another,” he immediately returned. “I’ve been working my ass off for that construction company, and you bring home pennies and pretend you’re putting in your fair share. Jesus, Jess, I can’t believe you haven’t already figured this out.”

“But, Brian . . .” Jessyka started, not surprised when he interrupted her.

“No, Jess, you’re pathetic.” He came toward her and Jess took a step back.

“You limp around all day, you dress in drab shit clothes, and you expect everyone to love you.” Brian grabbed her upper arm and squeezed, trying to make his point.

“I work my ass off and you coddle my niece. My sister hates you, you just don’t see it. Fuck, I don’t know why I put up with you.”

Without warning, Brian lifted the hand that wasn’t holding her and put it around her neck. He backed them up until she hit the wall behind them.

Jess drew in a quick breath and brought both hands up to grasp Brian’s wrist.

“Brian, please . . .”

He squeezed her throat. “No, I’m done with this shit. You have until the end of the month and I want you out. Seriously. You have nine fucking days.”

Jess just looked up at Brian. It didn’t even look like the Brian she knew. His face was contorted with an irrational anger she’d never seen before. She opened her mouth to speak, to tell him whatever he needed to hear to placate him, but he tightened his grip on her neck.

Shit. He wasn’t letting go. Jess’s hands clawed at Brian’s hand around her throat and wiggled, trying to make him lose his grip.

Finally, with a smirk, he let go. Before Jess could catch her breath and get away from him, he’d wrenched the arm he still had in his grasp, spun her around, and held it up against her back.

“I’m serious, crip. Nine days. Got it?”

Jess could only nod frantically and try to block out the pain of Brian wrenching her arm at an unnatural angle. She swallowed painfully, and prayed he’d let go of her.

When he did, Jess didn’t even look back, just fled up the stairs to her room. She’d slammed the door and locked it behind her. Not that the flimsy lock would keep Brian out if he really wanted in, but it made her feel marginally better.

Now Jess was at work. She had to figure out what she was going to do. She didn’t want to go back to the townhouse, even for the nine days Brian had given her, but she had nowhere else to go. None. She also didn’t want to leave Tabitha. Somehow she knew the girl was only hanging in there because of her. Jess knew if she said it out loud to anyone, it’d sound conceited, but she knew, deep down inside, if Tabitha thought Jess had abandoned her, she’d break.

Jess picked up the heavy tray and tried not to wince. She had no idea what she was going to do, but she had to get through her shift first. Then she’d think about it.

* * *

Benny pulled into the parking lot of
Aces
and turned off his engine. He had no idea what he was really doing, but something in the back of his mind wouldn’t let him let this go. Something was wrong, and he liked Jess. He didn’t really know her, but he liked her nonetheless.

He pocketed his keys as he walked to the front door of the bar. Entering, it took a moment for Benny’s eyes to adjust to the darkness. It was later than he’d been there in a long time. Usually the team and their women came around dinner time and ended up leaving around ten or so. At eleven, the bar was busy and the lights had been dimmed.

Benny looked around and didn’t see Jess. He made his way to the bar and sat on a stool on the end so he could see the entire room. He ordered a draft beer and took his time nursing it. Ignoring the looks the two women across the room were giving him, he wasn’t there to pick up a woman, he kept his eyes peeled for Jess.

Finally he saw her. Jess was his age, probably late twenties or early thirties. She had pale skin, which somehow made her look more fragile than she was. She was shorter than his six feet by a few inches. She was curvy, and as Benny noticed for the first time tonight, she filled out her clothes in a way which was sexy as hell.

She was struggling to hold on to a tray filled with empty bottles and glasses and make her way across the crowded bar. Benny stood up and went toward her.

It looked to Benny that Jess was limping more than usual. He had no idea why she limped, he only knew that she always had. They’d all noticed it the first time they’d met her at the bar, and when Wolf had commented on it, she’d given him a death stare. No one had asked about it again. She was entitled to her secrets, and besides, it was kinda rude for Wolf to have asked in the first place.

He reached Jess just as she got bumped by someone behind her. She would’ve gone flying, but Benny grabbed the tray with one hand and her waist with the other. He spun them in a move that would’ve gotten them high points if it was being scored, and saved her, and the tray, from sprawling on the floor.

“Thanks,” Jess breathed, thankful she wasn’t sitting in the middle of the grimy floor surrounded by broken glass.

“You’re welcome.”

The voice was low and strangely familiar.

Jess looked up. Wow, it was one of the SEALs. She wasn’t sure of his name. She’d heard all of their names more than once, but it was confusing as hell because sometimes she heard their nicknames and other times their real names. She couldn’t keep them all straight.

The man continued to hold her to him, finally she shifted, trying to break his hold. He held on for another beat then finally let her go, brushing his hand along her hip in the process.

Jess held back a shiver. “I’ll take that.” She gestured toward the tray he was holding up. Some of the bottles had fallen over, but nothing was broken.

“Lead the way, Jess, I’ve got it.”

Jessyka stared at him for a beat. “You know my name?”

“Yeah, I’ve only been eating here with my friends for an eon now and you’re always our server. I know your name.”

Jess blushed. Shit. Of course he knew who she was. She shook her head and tried to play it off. “Just checking. Come on.” She turned her back on him and led him back to the busy bar. When they got there he finally allowed her to take the tray out of his hands and she placed it on the bar.

Turning back she said, “Thanks again, that would’ve sucked to have spilled all those bottles.” Looking around she asked, “Where are your friends?”

Jess knew this guy was always here with the other SEALs. She’d watched them with a bit of jealously over the last few months. Most of the men were now either married or in a serious relationship. Jessyka had watched how they treated their woman. It was a mixture of tolerance and protectiveness with a bit of caveman thrown in. But it wasn’t over-the-top. It looked delicious. If Jessyka had a man who looked at her like those men looked at their women, she didn’t think she’d ever give him up.

“Don’t know.”

“What?”

The man smiled at her as if he knew she had slipped into a daydream for a moment. “I said, I don’t know where my friends are. They’re probably all at home with their women.”

“Then why are you here?” Jess paused, then blushed. “Oh, never mind. Sorry. Yeah, why does any single man come to the bar? I’ll just . . .” Her embarrassed words were cut short.

“I’m not here to pick up a woman, Jess. I’m here to check on you.”

“Me?” Jess just looked at him incredulously.

“Yeah, you. I’m worried about you.”

“Uh, I don’t mean to be rude, but you don’t even know me.”

“Jess, remember what I said earlier in this conversation. I’ve been coming here for a while now. I know your personality has changed over the last few months. I know while you always limp, it’s gotten worse. I know that the last time I saw you, I touched your arm and you flinched. I know you used to wear cute little tank tops and short sleeves, now you’re wearing a damn turtleneck. This is Southern California and I can’t remember the last time I’ve even seen someone wearing a fucking turtleneck. I’m a Navy SEAL, gorgeous, I’ve been trained to be observant. Maybe someone else wouldn’t notice, but I have. I don’t like it when women grimace when I touch them. I don’t like knowing
why
they might do that. So I’m here because I’m worried about you.”

Jess just stared at the handsome man standing next to her, baffled. As usual, her mouth opened before her brain could stop it. “I don’t even know your name.”

He smiled and shook his head. “Will you ever stop surprising me?” It was obviously a rhetorical question, because he continued without letting her answer. “I’m Kason. Kason Sawyer.”