Page 9

9

JEREMIAH

‘Miah’

Damn, I’m beyond exhausted but still need to make this phone call because something is telling me to do it sooner rather than later. Looking toward the bed, I can barely see Lourdes with all the covers on the bed, not to mention that she’s curled up into herself.

I turn back around, picking up my phone, looking for Nova’s number then push dial. As I wait, my mind is trying to figure out how to bring the subject up. Right before he answers, I think to myself, Fuck, just gonna tell him the truth.

“Hey, Jeremiah.”

“Hi, Nova, got a minute?”

“Sure, give me a second.”

I hear whispering but can’t hear or even make out what is been said, or who’s even speaking, Then I hear shoes on what sounds like hardwood floors.

“Sorry about that, you caught me in the middle of something. So tell me what’s up, I’m all ears.”

So that’s exactly what I do. I give him everything and he never interrupts me at all. When I finish, the only way I know he’s still on the line is I can hear him breathing. I’ve known Nova long enough to know that once he processes everything then, and only then, will he give an idea if he can help you and how.

“So are you looking for somewhere to stash Lourdes, help with your internal problem—including the security of your entire life and portfolio—or you just want to move on, away from all the drama?”

That makes me smile. Fuck, this guy is good. Right now it’s everything, so I just throw that out there. The information doesn’t seem to shock Nova. I think I even heard him let out a chuckle. He starts to ask me all kinds of questions and I try to answer each and every one, When I’m done, he asks if I’m going to be up for a while and I tell him, “Fuck yeah, got to get through the emails at least.” Nova tells me he’ll call me back in like thirty minutes and hangs up.

Turning, I see Lourdes hasn’t moved an inch, so I know that exhaustion has finally caught up with her. Leaving the door open, I walk down the hall to my office and place my hand on the screen. Once it reads my palm, it asks for verification of my voice. When I do that, I hear the locks opening and as I walk in, the lights automatically turn on. Going directly to my table/desk, I engage my computers immediately. I go into my security application and disconnect external connections which, as far as I know, the only one is to Dino’s company. Something isn’t sitting right, so until I can figure out what that means, hopefully with Nova’s help, I can protect not only my company but my employees and myself also. As I start to go through emails and make notes on shit I need to review tomorrow, I get so involved that when I hear my name in a raspy voice, I jump up, reaching for the gun under the desk. When I look up, gun held in both hands, I see Lourdes literally drop to the ground, hands on her head. Holy fuck, what is wrong with me? I just freaked the shit out of this woman after I warned everyone to be careful around her. Bending down, I replace the automatic in the holster under the desk, then quickly make my way to Lourdes, who is still on the floor covering her head. The closer I get; I can see she’s literally shaking. Son of a bitch. Slowly, I kneel next to her but don’t put a hand on her.

“Lourdes. Hey, come on, it’s just me, Jeremiah. Swear to Christ, Violet, I’m not used to there being someone other than me in the house, so I panicked when you spoke. I would never hurt you, swear. Can you please sit up? Please.”

She doesn’t move at first, but she slowly starts to unfold herself until she is sitting back up, facing me this time. Her eyes are moving back and forth erratically, so I reach over and grab her hands, squeezing them, trying to give her some reassurance.

“I’m sorry, Jeremiah, didn’t mean to scare you. I woke up alone and didn’t want to be, so I came looking for you. I’ll just go back to bed and leave you to whatever you were doing. Good night, and again, I didn’t mean to freak you out.”

She goes to stand up and I pull her back down, right next to me, so I can get my ass down first. Then I gently bring her to my lap. I can still feel tremors going through her body. I feel like a total asshole, though it’s true, I normally don’t have guests unless it’s family. We stay like this for some time until my cell starts to ring. Lourdes jumps up and as I go to push myself up, she almost jogs to my desk, grabs my phone, and hands it to me. I grin at her then answer without looking. It’s Nova already.

“Okay, Jeremiah, this is what I’ve been able to do. First, I called a friend in New Mexico, who along with his partners, run a PTSD facility called ‘The Refuge.’ It helps folks from the military and other life situations deal and recognize their weaknesses and strengths. I reached out because Drake’s woman was almost taken and sold into human trafficking. He’s gonna send me some information for Lourdes so if things keep getting hot, she could go there. He said she’s welcome to come stay at The Refuge at any time because they always have Cabin Thirteen open, not to mention the lodge that’s up there. Secondly, I put a call into Tex. I’m sure you’ve heard about him from when Danny and Claire had their thing. We talked a little and he told me he’s already gone through your hard drive to check for any bugs, spyware, and whatever else shit could fuck you up. We both agreed you need to contact Malachi Dagon. That’s the kid we were talking to. He owns Dagon Security Systems (DSS). We spoke with Dino and if you remember your guy, Dino, put the kibosh on having him look at your systems. That struck me as odd, so when Tex and I were talking and he was going through what he could, he noticed sections of your system he couldn’t get into. Now let me say, Jeremiah, there generally is nowhere Tex can’t get into. He’s been in the computer systems of our government, every branch of the service, and Home Land Security, CIA, FBI, and whatever else you can think of. Not to mention how many countries and offshore banks he’s hacked. So something is up with that. Tex also said, if necessary, he’d work with Malachi, though his time is sparse right now as he’s on some secret special project at the moment. So next I’ve put a call out to Malachi to keep some time open for us. We will speak with him in the morning to get his input. Personally, I’m working on partnering up with this kid, and gotta say, Jeremiah, he’s such an asset. His mind is brilliant, swear to Christ. Anyway, let’s say between ten and noon tomorrow. If you need anything else, let me know. My men and women are on the rotation to make sure you and Styx are safe. Try and get some rest, brother.”

Nova disconnects and I put the phone on the charger. I look up to see Lourdes is curled up on the leather love seat, so I walk toward her, lean down, and pick up her slight body. Then I walk down to the bedroom she’s staying in. I gently lay her on the bed, then try to straighten the covers so I can place them over her. It feels cold so when I go to check the windows, one is slightly cracked, which I close. Will talk to Beatrice in the morning. No open windows for a while. I turn to walk out of the bedroom when Lourdes starts to toss and turn, moaning also. I approach the bed, sitting on the edge. As soon as my hand cups her face, she starts to settle. That is right before her eyes pop open.

“Please don’t leave me tonight, Miah. I don’t want to be alone. Hate to admit it but I’m kinda freaking out. Not sure why someone is after me. I’m just a nobody firefighter, for Christ’s sake. Got no money or anything really worth any kind of value.”

Again I stand, lean down, and pick her up, then manage to make my way to my bedroom. Putting her down on the floor, I turn toward my walk-in closet, open a drawer, and pull out one of my sweatshirts and gym shorts. I hand them to her, telling her to take the bathroom first to get ready for bed. Then I go to check the house. Everything is locked up tight, but when I go into the kitchen to make sure all is good, I almost scream like a bitch when I see both of Nova’s guys, Mayhem and Coma, lounging close to the house with a small tabletop fire going and the heaters under the patio. I walk over, unlock the door, and step out.

“Jesus Christ, guys, I don’t want ya to freeze to death watching the house. There’s a pool house and a garden shed out there, both have heat and running water.”

They both look at me and I can’t tell which one looks crazier. It’s Mayhem who replies back to me.

“Yeah, thanks, Jeremiah, we know. Styx’s friends are in there, so we figured we’d stay close to the house. Between those heaters back here and the tabletop firepit, it’s pretty cozy. Not to mention we have our kits, so we’ll be fine.”

“Well, to be sure hang on.”

I go to the what Beatrice calls the junk drawer, which I call the drop-shit-in drawer, and shove shit around until I find what I’m looking for. I walk back outside and tell them this key will open the door. Then I remember something, open my phone, and find the code. I explain to them that if they don’t have time to get the key out, to hit the panel next to the door and put this code in. Not only will the door open but an all-house alarm will go off and notify the police. We talk for a few minutes, then I go back in as they both come in to make a coffee and grab some food. Thank God for Nova and his guys. I know Lourdes’s friends want to help, but those two men of Nova’s probably are comparable to Lourdes’s entire firehouse. At least we know it’s highly improbable that someone will be able to get in the house with so many folks watching.

Slowly, I climb the stairs as my exhaustion hits me. Fuck, what a long-ass day , I think to myself. As I enter my bedroom, Lourdes is once again curled up on my bed, under what looks like every blanket in the room. Oh well , I think as I grab clean boxer briefs and a T-shirt and make my way to the bathroom. Quickly I drop my clothes, throwing them in the laundry basket, and step in the shower for a quick rinse down. Don’t spend more than a couple of minutes, then grab a heated towel off the rack to dry myself. Finally, I brush my teeth, pull my clothes on, and make my way back to the bedroom. I walk through the walk-in closet to what I call the bedroom butler’s pantry. It houses a marble counter with a Keurig and a wine fridge below that I keep water, juice, creamer, and milk in. There are some snacks also stashed. Reaching down, I grab two waters and first drop one off on Lourdes’s side of the bed, then make my way around to my side, placing the bottled water on a coaster. If I don’t, Beatrice will be giving me the business in the morning. Sometimes I wonder whose house this is. More importantly, who’s the boss.

Crawling into bed, I let out a sigh before I try to get comfortable. Not used to someone spending the night here, so don’t want to overstep or whatever and upset the woman next to me.

“Quit overthinking it, Miah. Just go to sleep. It’s not like we haven’t—well, you know—seen every inch of each other. We’re both exhausted, so don’t worry, won’t be jumping your bones tonight. Sleep good and thanks again for making me feel safe.”

She turns away from me and curls up in the tiniest of balls, like she’s trying to hide from the world. I turn toward her and just the smell of her has me getting hard as a rock. Fuck, can’t have this, I think to myself as I turn around, putting my back to hers, just for a small amount of protection and manners. At first, I can’t sleep, so try counting sheep, then go over my plans for the trip for my family to come out, though I will call in the morning and share that maybe we push it out a few weeks ’til we get a handle on what’s actually going on.

As I continue to plan and think, my head gets foggy, and I can feel my eyes getting heavy. Before I fall into a deep as fuck sleep, I hear Lourdes muttering in her sleep like she’s afraid, so I pull her back toward my front and spoon her. She instantly settles down and I fade fast into the never ever land of sleep.