Texas Tornado (Freebirds Book 5) (36 page)

“Tell me what’s wrong, honey.” I said softly.

Instead of talking, she started to type on her phone in a furious burst of motion. Moments later, my phone buzzed.

Shiloh: I scared that I’m going to be a bad mother.

I read the message, and then looked up into her eyes. “You’re kidding me, right? Just four days ago, you kept my own daughter safe from a man that broke your jaw, leg, and arm. How do you think Janie would’ve faired if you hadn’t been there, made sure that she was all right?”

I waited for her to reply, but she didn’t, only staying silent.

“What about when Lyle and his mother died. I distinctly remembered you being so upset, so outraged, that you wrote a letter to the editor. Which, might I add, everyone and their brother cut out and framed.” I stated.

Shiloh: What if I don’t love that baby as much as he or she deserves?

At that absurd statement, I burst out laughing. Her scowl only making me laugh all the harder.

“You’ll love the baby as much as our own, as much as Janie, when we finally have it.” I managed to wheeze.

She threw her empty water pitcher at me, and I caught it reflexively.

Painfully, I stood, and walked to the edge of her bed, clutching my discharge papers in my hand.

Thankfully, she was propped up into a seated position, enabling me to reach her mouth, which I captured with my own.

“Ewww,” Janie squealed from the doorway, making my lips lift into a grin before I pulled my lips away.

Shiloh’s eyes were dancing with mirth at being caught by my six year old, but she looked excited, too.

She hadn’t seen Janie since the day she was taken. Both of us felt that it’d be better until some of the bruises faded from her face, and she was able to take a full shower to wash away the blood from her hair. We’d felt that Janie would be better off if Shiloh looked better, and was dealing with her pain level better.

Because, let’s face it, Janie was a very active six year old, and she wasn’t easy on injured people. She didn’t know how to be. Which was why when she launched herself at me, Silas caught her in midair and twirled her around his head.

“Easy there, midget. Your daddy just had a hole put through his body. He hurts. You’ll have to be gentle with him for a few days.” Silas explained patiently.

Janie looked at me, and then over to Shiloh. “What’s with that cast color? Who picks white?” She finally asked.

Shiloh snickered, and then looked over to me, waiting for me to explain. “Shiloh didn’t get to pick it. Guess you’ll have to decorate it for her to make it pretty.”

“I can do that. I’ll need my Sharpie’s.” She said with a determined expression. “Daddy said you broke your arm again. I told him he should buy you a horse so you didn’t have to walk and fall anymore.”

I closed my eyes, thinking how nice it would be to have the innocence of a child, and the ability to recover from a traumatizing event only days after it happened.

Sadly, I knew I would remember this for a while. Maybe even the rest of my lifetime.

Although I knew I could bear it. Having Shiloh and Janie would make anybody question their sanity, but that was my life. I looked forward to hearing what new cuss words Janie learned while helping the guys at the shop. Or what would come out of Shiloh’s mouth next. I only had one thing I had to make sure to do. That was to embrace the crazy.

***

Later that night

My door opened.

Thinking it was only the nurse, I didn’t react to the intrusion. I was used to it. Frankly, I didn’t think it was even possible to ‘recover’ well in the hospital. How does one get better when they don’t even let you sleep and eat properly?

Turning my head, I was startled to see a frightened, tiny form slipping into the room, and doing her best to close it behind her, despite the little mechanism at the top that kept you from closing it except at the speed it wanted.

“Jolie?” I rasped with sleep still clinging to my voice.

She turned sharply, gasping. Why would she be surprised when she was the one to enter my room?

“Are you okay?” I finally asked as she stood there like a frightened rabbit.

“I’m sorry. I’m just not used to not being afraid all the time. You startled me. I thought you’d be asleep.” She finally answered.

“Can you explain that?” I asked.

She walked slowly over to the chair that was beside my bed and sat.

“I don’t know if James ever told you about the bullying I’d received in high school...” She asked, looking over to me for confirmation. At the shake of my head she continued.

“I was bullied quite badly after the accident with James’ best friend. After a while, I just couldn’t take it anymore and left. There was a small incident of an older senior nearly raping me, and I just broke. I left, ran. Lived on the streets in Austin for over eight months before a man found me.”

She swallowed hard.

“I was young and impressionable. I thought the man loved me. Then the man loaned me out, bet me like a fucking stack of chips at a poker game to pay, I guess you could say. Glen Larson was one of the ones at the table, and once that bet was made, he made it a mission to win. And win he did. I wasn’t too in the know, to be honest, of what kind of person the man I’d been living with for about four months was, but I learned quickly in that week I had to spend with Glen Larson. Stole some money from Glen to get away, and left. I’ve been running for about six years now. I thought that after five years of no one even looking for me, that it would be safe to come home when my Aunt died and left me her house. I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

I absorbed that news for a minute. “So, what was all that shit you were trying to do with James?”

She shrugged. “Glen. He wanted you. Told me if I got you alone that he’d consider the money I stole from him paid in full. But I didn’t want James hurt, so I tried to wiggle myself between the two of you. Once I learned what they were planning to do to you, I backed off. That’s when I truly started to try to get a hold of the police, but James just kept telling me to go away. Same with Max. I didn’t know whom to trust. God I was so fucking scared.”

She seemed to slump, and she looked totally defeated.

“That’s why you brought the wrecked bike to Free?” I questioned.

She nodded. “That was one of Larson’s men’s old bikes. It was just a way in.”

“How did you come to be where James was shot?” I asked.

I was burning with questions. The need to know more about what happened with James was absolutely killing me.

“I overheard Glen talking about a new gun before I left the last time and didn’t come back. I’d learned from working at The Gun Doctor what you would use that kind of gun for. I followed him; saw where he set himself up. I’d never intended to let anything happen. I was over confident. James came flying down the street before I could even react, tell him, and warn him. It all happened so fast, and I couldn’t let anything else happen to him, so I pulled him into my rental and took off. Dropped the car and him at the ER entrance, yelled like a frantic woman that someone was in trouble, and took off.”

I couldn’t even begin to tell her how humbled I was that she’d do that. Put herself in the line of fire when I was sure she’d been scared shitless.

There was only one thing I could think to say. “Thank you.”

“It wasn’t enough. It will never be enough.” She sniffled, trying her hardest not to cry. “Tell him I’m sorry. He was always so good to me.”

“You already told him.” I said, nodding my head towards the doorway where James was now leaning quietly, head down.

When I pointed out his presence, he looked up, eyes hard.

“You’re about to disappear.” He said with no emotion in his voice.

She rose, nodding. “I know. Thank you.”

When she tried to slip past him out the door, he grabbed a hold of her arm. “No, we’re making you disappear. We’ll give you a new identity. Money. A place to live. You’ll keep your head down. And you’ll never contact us again.”

Tears poured down Jolie’s face. “Thank you.”

He nodded. “Should have contacted me before it got this bad. You’re welcome.”

Chapter 26

To make sure we always have a happy marriage, I promise to always cop a feel when you get ready in the morning.

-Life Lesson

Shiloh

“Where are we going, Sebastian?” I asked my brother, who had to be high to take me out in this shit.

When he didn’t answer, I kept up my ranting.

“It’s fucking seventeen degrees, and raining ice. We really shouldn’t be outside.” I chastised.

“Shut up. Cheyenne has a surprise for you.” He growled, fed up with my bad attitude.

It wasn’t my fault my jaw was sore.

Nor was it my fault he had to wear an ankle bracelet that monitored his whereabouts. But he did, and he bitched about it constantly.

“What’s your problem anyway?” He snapped.

I glared at his back as we exited James’ old place, where we stayed on and off throughout the week depending on if he had to work the next morning.

My problem was that James left for a SWAT conference the night before, and I wouldn’t see him for another three days.

He missed my jaw being unwired. He missed my casts coming off. And, he took my cat to the groomers, and they’d shaved him like a lion. An honest to God lion. Why do you ask? Because my fiancé is a shit head, and I lost a bet.

“We made a bet. I bet him that Janie would like my present better, and he did the same for his. She chose his, and he shaved my cat like Mufasa.” I explained.

“What’d you get her?” He asked in surprise.

I know, I was surprised, too!

I gave great gifts. I always did. I took a lot of time planning each what to get everyone. It started months in advance for the big day. Which was good for me that I’d finished all of my Christmas shopping since I was in the hospital over Christmas. We ended up celebrating Christmas on the first of January.

“I got her a bicycle. It was shaped like a Harley. I mean how freaking awesome is that?” I asked vehemently.

“That’s pretty cool. What’d James get her?” He asked as he opened the door to the garage that led us into the down room.

At first, I didn’t quite comprehend what I was seeing, and then I gasped at the beauty of it. Twinkle lights shone everywhere. All in the LED white lights that made them look faintly bluish in color.

Sparkly snowflakes hung from the rafters, as well as fake ice crystals. Inside, in the middle of the room, was a dress. My dress. The one I’d cut out of a magazine when I was sixteen and fantasizing about my dream wedding.

I turned to study Sebastian, and his surly attitude, his shadowed eyes, and flung myself into his arms. “Oh, Sue. I love you.”

His arms tightened in warning, but they were warm and comfortable as he held me close to his chest. “Had your shit packed up by the boys about a month ago, and found that in the closet. Showed it to Cheyenne, and she made it happen. Do you like it?”

“I love it, thank you.” I whispered with tears in my eyes.

He grunted, pecked me on the forehead, and unceremoniously dropped me to my feet. I promptly returned the favor by punching him in the stomach, and then turning away to the ladies who’d stayed quiet during my moment with my brother.

“Y’all are fabulous.” I proclaimed with gusto.

They laughed.

“We had a little longer than planned, but hey, at least you don’t have to worry about fitting into the dress. Getting measurements the first time wasn’t so hard, but you’ve lost a lot of weight over the past six weeks. The second measurements weren’t so easy, but it should fit you perfectly.” Cheyenne confirmed with a nod of her head.

That was the God’s honest truth. I’d lost so much weight, over thirty pounds, that I looked almost sickly. Where before my body was well rounded and muscled, now it was skinny and bony. I did not look good, no matter how much James told me otherwise.

Which was to be expected with nearly six weeks of smoothies. Yes, I could ground up a cookie, but why bother? What was the point in blending that up when I couldn’t get the chocolate chunks through my clenched teeth?

I resumed my job, because for the most part, I could be heard and understood. James resumed his job with the SWAT team about a week ago, much to his chagrin. He hated the fact that he had to be one hundred percent healed, but it was understandable when the SWAT team had to be in perfect shape. The lives of others could very well depend on it.

He’d argued that all he did was lay there and shoot people, but the Captain was adamant, and wouldn’t let him back until he passed the physical in the same amount of time it’d taken him the first time. He’d argued with that one, too. However, that was the only way the Captain could play it since it was obvious to everyone that James could’ve passed the test in enough time even with a hole in his chest. His pain tolerance was very high, and that was why he pushed himself sometimes further than he should have.

“At least you still have good boobs.” Ember supplied helpfully from across the room where she was shoving cheese whiz into her mouth directly from the squirt can.

That was true also. Out of everything I’d lost, mostly muscle, the fat stubbornly remained. I looked horrible. I really did. My boobs were fat and healthy looking. The stubborn pooch of my belly remained. Then there was the jiggly stuff on my thighs that used be lean muscle. No more. My arms jiggled when I waved, and I couldn’t help but stare at them every time I did so, making sure to wave extra-long, just so I could stare at the hideous flap of skin.

James always made sure to smack my ass when I got too carried away though. He was helpful like that.

Which always seemed to get us in to trouble, but he’d never finish the act, which was another source of my bad attitude. He’d refused to have sex with me. He’d told me that we both needed to heal, and I couldn’t disagree with him, but it was still rather frustrating.

He’d promised me that we only had to wait until all my casts came off, and then all bets were off. I’d been so extremely upset that the day I was to get them off, he’d be gone, that I’d cried myself to sleep. Then he had to go and plan my mother fucking dream wedding, and my anger had evaporated.