Watching You: KJ Elite Inc. (29 page)

Matt began making a mental note to reach out to a few contacts and get a new identity set up when the light lit up again in the distance, signaling what looked like Morse code.

Dash Dash, hold. Dot Dash, hold. Dash, hold. Dash, hold.

M-A-T-T.

Hmm.

Matt held up the walkie and quietly said, “Go.”

The follow up message was of the adult variety referring to his mother as a female dog and his descent from her. He laughed while holding the talk button down and waited for whatever was to come next. The near future was still a little sketchy but one thing was absolutely certain.

There wasn’t a storm he wouldn’t weather, beast he wouldn’t tame or battle he wouldn’t endure and triumph over to keep Taylor safe and happy.

* * *

Waking up alone wasn’t what worried me. It was when there were supposed to be two other people living in the same space as you and the place was eerily silent… that tended to be a bit disconcerting. I slowly and with great care, rolled myself across the oversized bed, sat up and slid my short legs over the edge. Toes barely touching the hardwood floor, I scooted over the edge and set my feet flat before standing up and walking into the bathroom.

Brushing of the teeth was a must in the morning.

A splash of water on my face to wake me up and a look at the clock had my jaw hitting the counter top. It was already ten to noon and not only was it quiet, but I slept like a rock. It was like someone dosed me with rohypnol because I don’t remember falling asleep and I definitely don’t remember the last time I slept so long or so hard. 

“I swear on all the french toast in heaven, if someone slipped me a roofie, they are getting kneed in the balls.”

When a faint sound slipped up the stairs and nagged at my earlobe, I followed my curious feet to the doorway and around the bend of the railing to the front side of the house where I had a perfect view of nearly everything exposed on the first floor. While the southern belle, lady part of me poked my ass back to the bedroom, some very small part of me, the small town part, just craved all things gossipy; the gossip hound won.

Tommy and Matt exited the library and by the looks of it, Tommy was not very thrilled with Matt.

Big surprise there.

Seriously, their love hate relationship was like two kindergarteners who insulted each other to show their affection. It was kind of adorkable. Maybe they could have a little bromance when this was all over. Matt shook his head vehemently and turned on his heel to face Tommy again, stopping near the table between the stairs.

“I already told you, no.” Matt said with a tone forged in iron.

“So help me God…” Tommy began on Matt again but immediately stopped and looked around.

That stupid magnetic pull had to be telling him I was up and near. Maybe it was sexually linked too, because I was little lot turned on by the sight of him. I scooted further back and crossed my fingers that he couldn’t see me. Matt must have been the sweet angel who got my desperate plea for a little pass because he caught back on to Tommy’s attention and moved him down the hall toward the kitchen.

“I won’t even insult your intelligence and try to lie or hide anything but find out what you can first and I’ll fill in the blanks then.”

Tommy made a sound of defiance but only asked one thing.

“What’s the word?”

I leaned over the railing, dangerously so and barely caught an upside-down peek of them before Matt leaned in and practically breathed his answer.

Damnit! I’m here for the good stuff.

Without even turning around, my missing puzzle piece raised his stern voice and pointed it directly at me.

“If you do not get off of that railing and set your feet back on the ground in the next instant I will come up there and whoop your ass.”

“Ooh, sounds fun!” I teased.

As I started tilting myself back upwards, I saw Matt’s twinkling smile flash one of his best and turn away. If ever a man’s footsteps could be considered sexy, it was now. Tommy’s heavy footsteps grew closer and I couldn’t move fast enough – I was trapped.

Meep!

Matt was supposed to be keeping him busy while I ran away to a safe place. He gave me up like a tithing on Sunday.

I ran into one of the rooms nearest me, not even knowing what it was and tried to lock the door. I fiddled with the handle for some time before turning around to find Tommy staring right back at me with a big, fat, stupid grin on his face. Well, well, well, look who was feeling playful today. Not that I could blame him. Before it went to hell, we had had a good few nights together. Also, I woke up like crack was what was for breakfast; I was feeling overly excited and giddy with no rhyme or reason.

“Ah! Since when are you a wizard?” I yelped, laughing and running to the other side of an older looking four poster bed, in an effort to stay out of his reach.

“There are two entrances to this room.”

“A modern day Sherlock.” I shook my head and grinned back at his devastatingly handsome face.

I hadn’t seen him look so carefree and truly happy in so long – years. It almost hurt, it was so beautiful. And such a lie. With all of the terrible things surrounding my, and inadvertently his life, there was no way he could truly feel so light.

“I’d rather be Watson.”

This piqued my interest. I stood tall and absentmindedly walked out from behind the other side of the bed, over to him.

“Please, explain.”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“Color me clueless.”

“Watson gets the girl.”

I was actually at a temporary loss for words. Physically.

Mentally, about a million and eight billion were all zooming around and smacking into each other, trying to make it to the receptor in my brain that sent them out of my mouth. No winners yet.

The only thing I could do was turn around and reach out for the door handle.

This was no longer playful and I made a pledge to avoid serious like the plague.

* * *

The new setup he had to use was uncomfortably closer to the house but all the better to keep his eyes on Taylor from. His inside man was really turning out to be way more helpful than he anticipated. Taylor was leaning over the banister as he spotted her through the second story balcony doors of the center bedroom, located in the front of the house. That damn house everyone in town raved about. Of course no one knew they were telling
him
all about it; they had no idea who in the hell he was. Anymore. 

“Did you hear that the Kane boy built it for the Jameson girl?”

“It’s magnificent and all done by him.”

“Set back off of the main houses and off on its own for privacy, it is.”

“He built it when he got home from war. What a hero and a good man.”

“Ten rooms, state of the art kitchen for Taylor – she cooks like her mama, you know. Detached oversized three car garage and so much more.”

“Old southern plantation style – the way it ought to be.”

Blah, blah, fucking blah. Who built a house like that anymore?

If Taylor wanted a house, he could have one made for her that would trump any outdated civil war era house.

As he adjusted his position in the overgrown maple tree, he watched as Taylor ran, laughing, from the banister, frantically trying to lock the door behind her. Tommy snuck through another door and stealthily toed over to her back before she turned around.

He cheered noiselessly as she ran from him and out of his reach. Tommy had no business touching her and her actions showed that Taylor knew it, too.

The first thing he would do when he got Tommy where he wanted him, was cut one of his hands off, very slowly and painfully, for every time he ever touched Taylor and then he would do it all over again to the other for the time Tommy laid his hands on him. He would pay with his life for all he had done.

* * *

“Damnit, Taylor, don’t run away again!”

“I’m not, I just…”

He put his hand on hers, pulling it away from the doorknob.

“This isn’t all my fault, Tommy.”

“I never thought that for one second.”

“Then, why?” She pleaded.

“Why, what?”

He took a step back to give her space, but not too much.

She swiped a tear off her cheek and regained her composure.

“I wanna go to mamas. Charlie said she aint gonna be home today.”

Regardless of her mood, Tommy loved it when Taylor let her country show; he savored her voice. With a nod to no one, he walked around her to open the door.

He
was
still a gentlemen.

Taylor led the way out, stopping when she reached the overgrown, 100 year old Willow tree in the front yard. She loosened her arms at her sides, tilted her head up to the sky and with closed eyes, took in a deep breath. No words were needed. Tommy understood perfectly well. All around the world and nothing felt or smelled as good as home.

Instead of walking the dirt road, Tommy insisted they drive.

And by they, he meant him.

Though it hadn’t been too long since he was last here, stepping into his unsuspecting mother in law’s home, was cathartic in a way. So many memories, almost as many as were made in his own parent’s home, were sealed up in this precious house. Looking around the oversized kitchen, he focused on the large island where a lot of those memories were made. Considering it was a farm and the Jameson family was mostly men, the kitchen was probably the biggest highlight of the whole first floor. Up the stairs and to the right was Taylor’s bedroom; everything was still in the exact same place she had it when she left.

Before heading up to the room, she took her sweet time walking around the kitchen and living room; smiling at the same feeling that there always was; home. Taylor stood savoring every familiar piece. Once in the living room, Tommy picked up a throw pillow and before thinking, chucked it square at her back and stood smiling, waiting. Taylor turned around ever so slowly with her lips puckered in amused disbelief.

“Really?”

It was rhetorical, but he nodded still and couldn’t help his smile. Smiling was definitely contagious – at least for Taylor and he had to do whatever he could to wipe that disheartening frown off her beautiful face.

She backtracked it on over to the love seat and picked up a pillow of her own. Then another. Her frown turned into a malicious yet mischievous smirk and she hurled them at his head before turning and running as fast as she could for the front staircase.

Tommy ducked and ran to the left, for the back staircase off of the kitchen that landed him directly in front of Taylor’s bedroom door.

“You better hide, woman.” He threatened playfully.

With Tommy in front of her door, she wasn’t able to make it into her room but she was upstairs and watching him from the other side of the second story, prepared to run.

“Whatchya got?” She taunted.

Studying her little frame, rocking side to side, Tommy devised a plan and answered back, “Come over here and find out.”

“See, I already fell for that once.” She laughed out.

“Aw, so you did. C’mon, do it again. You know it’ll be fun.” He wiggled his eyebrows exuberantly.

“I don’t succumb to peer pressure, as you know, Mr. Kane.”

“All too well, Mrs. Kane.”

“Shh!” She jumped at his clever call out of her new-ish legal last name.

“Who do you suppose is going to hear us?”

“The walls.”

“The walls have eyes, not ears – or so they say.”

Tommy straightened and with deliberate slowness, creeped to the right. Around the banister and to her, who was looking flush.

“What are you doing?” She asked.

“Walking.” He said.

Sexy and light. He was drawing her in.

“I love it when you leave your hair down like that.” He said, pointing to her chocolate locks, curling around her bare arms.

“You always did.”

He noted the color of her succulent lips and could already smell the strawberry gloss. Tommy longed to taste it, always. Once was never enough.

“What?” She asked, putting her hand to her face, self-consciously.

“You’re stunning.” Perfect in every way.

“I’m wearing…” she had to look down and be sure. “Khaki shorts and a navy tank top. There isn’t a lot about that that says runway model.”

As he got closer, she turned to face him automatically, instead of running. She should have run. When Tommy was just before her, he grinned like the trouble he was and tossed her over his shoulder in a fireman hold.

“I should’ve known.” Taylor didn’t fight, but crossed her arms over her chest in a defying move that really accomplished nothing. With her hair falling in her face, she blew out a hot breathe and then smacked his rear as hard as she could manage from her position.