The Accidental Genie (28 page)

Jeannie pointed to her forehead with a finger while her stomach did somersaults. “The mind-reading thing?”

“Yeah. He deserved a good probe. I’m a cranky bitch, and I know it seems like I hate everything—”

“Your admission. See my shock and dismay.”

Nina slapped a hand over her mouth with a gentle squeeze. “Here’s the thing, you had one shitty past where men are concerned. I’m not so much of a bitch I won’t look out for another chick if she needs looking out for, and the fuck I’ll ever let a man beat on a woman. But I def wouldn’t let you trust someone I thought was a total dick through and through if I knew different. I know you’ve probably heard all this shit from a therapist. Who wouldn’t need some time on a GD couch after what happened to you? That you’re still standing is some shit to be admired, shawty. You’re one badass broad. So own it. Just like you told Sloan to.”

Jeannie pulled Nina’s hand from her mouth. “You heard that conversation?” She blushed. That had been in the confines of her bedroom . . .

Nina tugged at her ears. “Vampire hearing. I blocked the two of you Chatty Cathys out after that, but that’s not the point. This is the point. Own that you’ve got some shit—some bad, bad, fuckerly fuck shit that’s happened in your life. But don’t let it keep you from at least trying to reach the hell out. Fight like hell not to let that happen. I saw the way you were looking at Sloan. You want to—you just don’t know how. So say that to him. That’s all. Just say it.”

Jeannie gulped, but Nina’s observations didn’t make her feel defensive. It was the first time she was able to hear the words without wanting to crawl back into her dark cave. She didn’t want to live her life by rule of her past. But this last step toward Sloan frightened her like no other.

“Look, you deserve a nice guy. I definitely never would have thought Sloan was it—but he digs you. And that’s all I’ll say because of the vampire-code crap I have to stick to. We’re not supposed to probe anyone’s mind unless it’s necessary. I’m not sure finding out if Sloan’s righteous is a good enough reason for the clan, but I say fuck ’em. No one ever beat the living shit out of them the way that fuck did to you. So bad you had to hide from the motherfucker for all these years. Just know I’m telling you that you don’t have to be afraid Sloan’s just amusing himself with you. Because you deserve something nice, Jeannie, for everything you had to sacrifice. Something really nice.”

A tear stung her eye. Nice would be . . . well, nice.

So nice.

“You helped save my life today, Nina. I won’t ever forget that.”

Nina reached out her hand and put it on Jeannie’s. “Nah. I didn’t do that. You did that with your nutty genie shit. Which, you should note, you totally fucking nailed.
You
saved you. You and Sloan and your brokeback magic carpet. I just helped a little. But don’t think there wasn’t somethin’ in it for me, too, kiddo. I got my pissed-off on in a big way when you left. Victor was what I like to call a saucy motherfucker. I figured he’d put up a fight because I’m a girl. He likes beatin’ on chicks. He had to be checked. I did the checking. There’s nothin’ like a little throw down to relieve some stress.”

Another wave of relief washed over her. “I don’t care why you did it. I’m just glad you did.”

“Yeah? So am I, midget. End girlie sharing time.”

Jeannie held up her gin bottle. The bottle that had begun this madness. The bottle, that now, thanks to her big book of genies’ directions and a little thing called a curse, contained Victor.

Forever.

She couldn’t have lived with his blood on her hands, but this? This she could live with. Victor’s imprisonment brought up a million questions, but she was too tired and too battered to address them tonight. For tonight, she just wanted peace.

She shook the bottle at Nina. “And we’ll always have this, huh?”

Nina took the bottle from her hands and gave it a hard shake, her hands blurring with the motion. Then she cackled. “You bet, midget.”

Jeannie laughed, but it was through silent tears that slid down her cheeks and plopped with wet splats on her dark jeans.

Nina put an arm around her shoulder and let Jeannie rest her head on hers. Jeannie allowed Nina’s clean, soapy scent to soothe her while the slight sway of her rocking motion eased her tension.

And they sat for some time like that.

The savior and the saved.

The once broken now healed and the desperately wanting to heal, on the mend.

Just sitting.

CHAPTER

16

The next morning she awoke to the clatter of dishes and something scraping across her floor just outside her door. She’d fallen asleep while sitting with Nina, whom, she vaguely remembered, had tucked her in. But it hadn’t given her the chance to see Sloan.

Her heart began to throb and ache as she slid off the bed, avoiding Mat and the twins, and headed to her bathroom to brush her teeth. She and Sloan had to talk now that the imminent danger of Victor had passed.

Her first glimpse of herself in the mirror didn’t even make her gasp. She’d been down this bruised, discolored, distorted road before. It just took time to heal. Running a brush through her hair, she threw on her robe and wrinkled her nose. It was too big. Everything she owned was too big or too colorless and as nondescript as she could get. She hoped to change that soon.

Because she could. Because it was time.

A renewed sense of hope welled in her. One she planned to foster.

As she made her way out of the bathroom and toward her door, her head cocked. Where was her other half? Her eyes flew to the bed; the half Sloan had slept on the two prior nights was still neatly made-up.

She raced to the door, flinging it open to see suitcases and coats littering her floor.

Nina gave her a tired smile as Wanda rushed up to hug her. “You’re free!”

“Free?” Jeannie repeated, bewildered.

“Yes!” Wanda crowed, a smile wreathing her face. “I can’t believe not one of us geniuses even noticed that when you came back from the warehouse yesterday, Sloan wasn’t trailing behind you like some stray dog.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Nina moaned. “Big fucking high-fives all round. Now let’s get yer shit together so I can get the fuck home to my man where I plan to sleep for the next GD year.”

Leave? They were leaving?

Marty, in a swirl of perfume and sunshine, enveloped Jeannie in a gentle hug so as not to hurt her wrapped ribs. “Good news, right?”

“News?” Jeannie murmured, wincing at the sunlight blaring in from her living room window.

Nina lifted her sunglasses and looked at Jeannie. “Yeah, midget. You’re free of the ass sniffer.”

Her head spun. How could she be free? She tightened her robe’s belt around her waist. “I don’t get it.”

Wanda stopped buttoning her coat and gave Jeannie a soft pat on the cheek. “You’re no longer tethered to him, honey. When you put Victor in the bottle, you must have freed yourself from Sloan, according to Nekaar. I’m not going to pretend to understand it, but I’m certainly not going to question it, either.”

Oh. Right. And that was good.

Wasn’t it?

“So while you’re still a genie, you’re in no more immediate danger,” Wanda continued. “Which means we can go home, and we can let Nekaar handle it from here. You don’t need the head djinn, or whatever they call him, to untether you. Yes, he’s still missing, if the update on the Bottle Babes Facebook page is right, but Nekaar seems to have a good grip on keeping you from granting random wishes with his genie force field or whatever. And Nina tells us your warehouse adventure was quite something—one to be applauded, FYI. That means you’re getting your magic under control, too.

“We tweeted Nekaar to see if he’d come and take care of you until you’re totally back on your feet, and he’ll be here later for more genie lessons. We just wanted to let you sleep in. It’s been a rough week, so we asked him to wait until tonight. Betzi and Charlene, now that they’re over their shock, are going to pop over tonight, too, to make sure you’ve eaten and rested. They’ll take the twins out, as well. Other than that, our paranormal part in this is done, sweetie.”

Yep. All the bases were covered. That was it? It was just over?

Nina wrapped an arm around her neck and brought it in close to her chest. “But don’t worry, midget. We’re not far if you need us. I texted you all our shit like our Twitter and Facebook info, and we’ll do follow-ups to see how you’re adjusting. And we’ll hang soon. ’Kay?”

Follow-ups? Like she’d just been to the dentist and had a root canal. Well, okay.
Chin up, Jeannie
. “Okay . . .”

Wanda held her arms out and gave Jeannie a hug. “Don’t look so glum, kiddo. We’ll see each other soon. For now, I really need to get back home and see my husband.”

“Ditto,” Marty chimed in, pressing a quick kiss to Jeannie’s cheek before turning and grabbing one of her many suitcases. “And, God, it’ll be good to sleep somewhere Nina isn’t.”

Nina slung a large brown bag over her shoulder, poking Marty in the shoulder. “Fuck you, Marty. And what the fuck is in this bag? Jesus Christ, even you don’t need this much makeup.” She grinned at Jeannie, pinching her cheek. “Laterz, shawty. Remember what I said last night.” And with that, she was gone.

They were all gone. Off to their already established lives.

And here she was with a brand-new one she didn’t have a clue how to live.

And where was Sloan? She’d had too much pride to ask. But he certainly hadn’t wasted any time, now had he?

Once he’d realized he wasn’t tethered to her anymore, he’d probably skipped off to somewhere flocks of blondes gathered and dove right in.

The loss of the OOPS women’s suitcases and shoes stacked in her corner left her feeling lonelier than she ever had before. The only thing that remained was the mixed scent of their perfumes and the lingering sound of their laughter.

She made her way to her bedroom, peeking at Mat and the twins to see they still slept soundly. Her eyes were drawn to the side of the bed Sloan had slept on. As if looking at it would make him reappear.

Sitting at the edge of the bed, she fought the visual that Sloan was immersed in a pool of leggy women, laughing at her because he’d managed to talk her into bed with his snazzy reverse psychology.

But Nina had said . . .

Yeah. Nina had read his mind and he was all gushy stupid about her.

Of course, you couldn’t tell that from his lack of presence, now could you?

Wow. This sucked.

*   *   *

S
LOAN
texted Jeannie once more in order to let her know he was grabbing some things at the store so they could have a decent meal together tonight, but only after he checked on some things long needing checking at the Pack offices.

The freedom their broken bond allowed him didn’t feel quite as good as he’d thought it would. He missed the warmth of her presence next to him and knowing when he looked down, she’d be right next to him. He’d been as surprised as anyone when they’d all realized he and Jeannie were no longer stuck. But it also afforded him the opportunity to get some things together for them, and free up some of his time so he could woo her properly.

He glanced at his phone. Nothing.

Damn, he should have woken her before he’d left so abruptly, but she’d been sleeping so soundly, and if anyone deserved some rest after yesterday, it was Jeannie.

His chest tightened with pride. She’d clawed at that fuck Victor like a cage fighter, refusing to allow him to win again.

Of course, there was no way in hell he would have with him and Nina in the picture, but Jeannie had rallied without even realizing they could take Victor out in one shot. He’d smelled her determination. Sensed that she would try to protect Charlene and Betzi at all costs—even if it meant her life was up for the taking.

The sight of her screaming at Victor to shoot her had broken him, torn at him until he wanted Nina to let him finish Victor off. But Nina had made a promise to Jeannie, and if Nina was nothing else, she was a woman of her word.

Sloan made his way to the elevator at the Pack offices and pressed the button, nodding at fellow Pack employees. Lost in the fastest route to get back to Jeannie, he checked his phone once more.

Nothing. She was probably still sleeping.

He’d hit his office, check his messages about the big meeting they had next week, then he’d grab some food and be back with her within the next couple of hours.

“Sloan!” his brother Keegan greeted him as he stepped off the elevator. His rough features and hard good looks were filled with concern.

“Bro.” He gave him a quick shoulder bump.

Keegan flung his arm around Sloan’s shoulder, walking with him toward his office. Shutting the door behind them, he gave his brother a concerned glance. “You okay? My wife tells me yesterday was a shit storm.”

“Like you wouldn’t friggin’ believe,” Sloan answered, scanning the pink slips of paper filled with messages on his desk.

Keegan plopped down in one of the leather chairs. “Jeannie okay?”

He smiled. Yeah. She was okay. “Yep.”

“Holy shit!” Keegan yelped, slapping a hand to his knee and shaking his head.

“What?”

“You’re in, brother.” Keegan chuckled sinisterly, mimicking Vincent Price.

“In?”

“Hot for Jeannie. I’ve never seen you look like that when I mentioned a woman’s name before. Does she know?”

Sloan gave him a grin. “She has an idea.”

“And she likes you, too?”

“I think she does.”

Keegan barked a laugh. “Hah! You’re the luckiest sonofabitch I know, brother. With your past, I can’t believe she didn’t run the hell screaming from you the minute she knew you two didn’t have to be in the same space.”

“She doesn’t exactly know yet. She’s still sleeping. But hope burns alive she’ll still feel the same when she finds out.”

Keegan steepled his hands under his chin. “You tell my incredibly hot, but seriously nosy wife and her two busybody friends what you been up to lately? Or do they still think you’re shit on their shoes?”

He rolled his tongue in his cheek. It was better the girls didn’t know just yet. He wasn’t up to the shit they’d surely lob at him. For now, he just wanted to be with Jeannie. “I’m stickin’ with shit on their shoes. There’s no pressure to perform that way.”

“You know they’re not known for their subtlety. They’ve probably trashed the idea of your horn-dog past and hiding it with Jeannie.”

Sloan shot off a snort of derision. “Oh. Trust me, brother. They’ve had their say. But it’s cool. They didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.”

Keegan let a low whistle escape his lips before smiling. “You got it bad.”

His stomach tightened into that knot of anticipation that meant his mind was on Jeannie. “I think I do.”

“She’s got a pretty shitty past to overcome,” he warned in only the way an overprotective brother could.

“That she does.”

Keegan rose, reaching over the desk to slap his brother on the shoulder. “Don’t fuck with her, okay?”

“Not a chance,” he responded, holding Keegan’s warning gaze with one of his own.

“So, I guess you get it now, huh?”

Oh, he got it. He totally, unequivocally got it. His smile was stupidly high school, but he didn’t give a damn. “You bet your ass I get it.”

Keegan broke into a grin and clapped him once more on his back. “I’m goin’ home to see my wife. Keep me in the loop. Oh, and good luck. Go get your woman.”

If it were the last thing he did, he’d make sure he worked it out.

*   *   *

A
FTER
a long bath, iPod in her ears, Jeannie was feeling better and more optimistic. While she’d bathed, she remembered she’d forgotten to check her phone to see if Sloan had left her a message.

Now, she tore her nightstand apart looking for it while Mat and the twins looked on.

“What’s all the racket about, dollface?” Mat sputtered.

She frowned. God save her, but one fine day, she was actually going to organize her life. It would include listing the places she put things after she’d bought them or carelessly flung them somewhere without remembering where somewhere’s location was. “I can’t find my cell phone.”

It occurred to her that she was being rather dramatic over Sloan’s disappearance. Last night, before she and Nina had cursed Victor to the bottle, she’d turned her cell on vibrate and completely forgotten about it. Maybe she’d condemned Sloan before he deserved to be.

Mat grumbled and hunkered down on her bed. “You look. I’ll take a nap. I wanna be wide awake when that joker shows up for our genie lessons. I’m damn tired a bein’ labeled brokeback, thank ya very much.”

Her answer was distracted. “You’re not brokeback, Mat. You just need some fine-tuning. You stay with the twins while I go look in the kitchen, okay?”

“Won’t hear me complain,” he groused, and almost as quickly, he was snoring.

As she made her way from the bedroom to the kitchen, she noted how much she missed Sloan’s presence next to her. Missed looking up and seeing his tall frame and handsome face smiling down at her. Cell—she had to find it.

Jeannie flipped on the light in the kitchen, eyeing her phone on the counter, but a voice nearly had her jumping out of her skin when she heard the words, “Boo, tulip!”

As her eyes adjusted, they widened.

Victor, in sparkling genie garb, floated in her kitchen with Nekaar, who hung by his neck from Victor’s grasp.

With a shiny jeweled knife to his neck.

Whoomp, there it is.

*   *   *

S
LOAN
glanced at his watch and cursed. He’d forgotten that he’d left his spare set of keys to his apartment at the OOPS office just before this whole thing had begun. He frowned as he unlocked the door and pushed his way in. The door stuck, reminding him he needed to come over and oil it for the girls.

Flipping on the lights, he scanned the desktop and located his keys when the phone rang.

Sloan cocked his head. Shit. He’d forgotten to have the calls rerouted to the girls’ cell phones as he’d promised he’d do just before he left Jeannie’s this morning. He’d told them he was whipping up a surprise for Jeannie, made them promise that they wouldn’t tell her where he was, and offered to drop by the OOPS office because he had to pick up his keys anyway.

But he’d forgotten that he’d promised to drop by OOPS first—before he went to Pack and got involved in the thirty or so small fires he’d ended up putting out before leaving.

The shrill continual ring pierced his ears.

Damn. If he didn’t pick up, he was a total shit.