The Mercenary Page 15

“I guess I can’t stop you,” Luke sighed.

  “I really like him and I’m going to keep seeing him, but I couldn’t bear it if he came between us.” Jodie said, dreading the response she would get.

  “I have no right to judge,” he conceded with reluctance, features contorting as he came to grips with it. “I won’t make trouble for you.”

  “Well if you can bring yourself to be civil to him, I’d love it if you came in for coffee.”

  Jodie held her breath as he thought about it. When he opened his door and got out, she closed her eyes and mumbled a prayer of thanks. Luke helped Jodie get back out of the car and accompanied her to the house. Across the entire distance from driveway to porch, Jodie couldn’t turn away from the look of apprehension on Danny’s face.

  “Danny,” Luke said with a pert nod, offering his hand. Danny hesitated a moment before shaking it.

  After Luke had gone inside, Danny stared at Jodie, both eyebrows arched. Jodie shook her head, not about to repeat anything Luke had said. Danny would not accept her dismissal.

  “What did you say to him? Are we supposed to be friends now, just like that?” He drilled her.

  Danny’s approval had been the last thing on Jodie’s mind, “please don’t tell me you are going to be childish about this.”

  “He tried to kill you,” Danny said quietly.

  “He got drunk – he didn’t know what he was doing.” Danny tilted Jodie’s face upward, forcing her to look at him. “That isn’t going to make a bit of difference if you die as a result. I’m prepared to play happy families, but I won’t let him hurt you again.”

  “Okay that’s fair,” she agreed, but inside she thought something different. This is going to be a disaster.

  Things were a little forced to begin with. Conversation felt strained and overly polite. Penny started to get anxious. She actually thinks they’re going to start swinging punches. Jodie observed.

  “He said sorry for hurting you, Daddy.” Rose said. “Is it all right if I like him now? When people say sorry it’s meant to make it all better.”

  Luke looked at Danny who watched him with interest. “I caused this Rose, not Danny. Even if I felt angry, I shouldn’t have behaved the way I did. Danny tried to stop me from making a big mistake.”

  “Okay,” she accepted his explanation without question. “Am I allowed to like his stupid bloody long hair too?”

  An air of silence swept across the dining table. Jodie looked at Danny with wide eyes. He appeared amused by the comment. Seeing his smile, Rose laughed. After that, the tension vanished and soon everyone began making small talk. Danny didn’t say a lot, but Jodie could tell he paid close attention to what everyone else said. He seemed to be taking particular notice of John and Luke. It seemed a little strange, but nothing she could put her finger on.

  Ainsley came over after work. By this stage, Danny had gone again. Zach moved around in the background but he didn’t bother them. Waking up and finding Danny in her bed turned out to be the hot topic of conversation for Jodie. After worrying she’d over reacted, it came as a relief that Ainsley seemed as shocked as Jodie had been. It also surprised Ains that Zach had given Danny a key without letting Jodie know about it.

  The relationship between Jodie and Danny seemed to be off to a good start, which pleased Ainsley to no end. She even asked if they had done ‘it’ yet. Jodie reminded her about the injuries and said that talk of such things was both cruel and insulting. Ains found this hilarious. They talked about what Ainsley had been up to, which ended with talk of her going to The Furnace that night. Jodie felt jealous and wished that she could go too.

  Matt also stopped by. Ainsley grabbed a bottle of Riesling out of the fridge and poured two glasses, Jodie made do with orange juice. Matt asked a number of questions about her state of health and Jodie went into a momentary panic that her job could be in jeopardy. What he ended up offering, was for her to work from home. Jodie would keep in touch with the oce via phone and email until she felt ready to come back physically. She breathed a huge sigh of relief, having worried about the job the moment she woke up in the hospital.

  Jodie knew that Matt had been well informed as to how she became injured, so she didn’t broach that subject. It would have been in the paper at some point, though they often used name suppression. Then Matt said something unexpected, he asked if Jodie and Daniel Archer were dating. Wow, he’s certainly popular around town. Is there anyone who doesn’t know him? Jodie told Matt that yes, they were.

  “Good for you.” Matt grinned.

  “Do you know Danny?” She asked.

  “He dated my sister about three years ago, he’s a hell of a nice guy. I have no doubt that he will take care of you and keep you safe. Luke ought to take a leaf from his book to be honest.” The surprise must have been evident on Jodie’s face because Matt gave her a lopsided smile. “You find it odd that someone thinks highly of him?”

  “No, I think I am just amazed at how well known he is. I’ve only met the guy a short time ago, yet everyone I talk to seems to be familiar with him. Luke is the only one who has a negative opinion and I’m not going to take notice of that.”

  “Good.” Matt smiled. “So how have you been Ainsley?”

  “Pretty good,” she replied with a smile. Ainsley and Matt had been an item a couple of years after high school. They’d gone out for almost a year and managed to stay friends afterward. “How’s your mum?”

  “She’s great. She’s just lost fifty pounds and is now a new woman.”

  Ainsley grinned. “That’s awesome.”

  “You’re looking good Ains. I hope you have someone special in your life.” Matt said with genuine affection.

  “I do actually. I’m going out with Eddie Pirini.”

  Matt’s eyebrows shot skyward. “Really? I’d never have imagined you with someone like Eddie, but I’m happy for you.”

  “Thank you. How about you? Is there a future Mrs.

  Ormsby on the horizon?” Ainsley asked.

  “Sadly no,” he replied with a chuckle.

  Jodie zoned out after that. A number of things were niggling at her and random snippets of conversations popped into her head. The way Matt had said ‘someone like Eddie’ stuck in her mind. It felt like it had a deeper meaning. She itched to ask what he meant by that, but she didn’t want to appear rude.

  The conversation with her parents earlier replayed in her mind. The way Danny analyzed Luke and John, everyone’s comments about Danny, and the fact that he appeared to be so well known. Had she been living life with a blanket over her eyes? It’s like I’m lost in a thick fog. She thought. The air is heavy and I can’t breathe. Something doesn’t make sense and I just can’t figure it out.

  “Are you all right Jodie?”

  Ains had started talking to her. How much of the conversation had she missed? “Yeah I’m just a little tired, sorry.”

  “Do you want us to go?” Matt wanted to know.

  “No,” she shook her head. “No, I’m okay. It’s nice having the company.”

  “Is Zach working tonight?” Ainsley asked.

  “Yeah, I don’t think he’ll be home for hours yet. He had to go to Tauranga for some kind of triathlon meeting or something. He said he would go straight to work afterward.”

  “You’re still not meant to be on your own.” Ainsley observed. “I’ll order us a pizza. Do you want to join us Matt?” “Sure, why not,” he smiled.

  “I can be on my own,” Jodie muttered. “It’s not like I’m going to faint or anything.”

  “We know you can cope without us,” said Ains. “But it’s nice that you don’t have to.”

  Ainsley went home at 8:00 pm to get ready to go to The Furnace and Matt stayed on, so Jodie had quite a social evening in the end. It seemed strange to be socializing with her boss. Even when Jodie went to Jive with her colleagues, Matt didn’t usually accompany them. Since he’d be the one to authorize her paycheck, Jodie almost felt as though she should be on her best b
ehavior.

  Matt stayed until Jodie wanted to go to bed at around 10:30 pm. She insisted that she could get ready for bed by herself, so he went home. It took Jodie half an hour to shower, brush her teeth, get her pajamas on and climb into bed. By the end of it, she felt exhausted.

  Jodie cast an expectant glance at the other side of the bed the next morning, only to find it empty. Though they hadn’t discussed it, Jodie assumed that Danny would spend the night again and felt disappointed that he hadn’t. Frustration kicked in. Hating not knowing where things stood, Jodie dragged herself out of bed and shuffled into the kitchen. She made coffee and toast before Zach wandered out in a pair of striped pajama bottoms.

  “Morning,” he mumbled as he rummaged in the fridge for something to eat.

  Emerging laden with fruit and dumping it on the counter before pulling out the blender, Zach looked half-asleep with his dazed expression and bird’s nest of hair.

  “How did your day go yesterday?” Jodie asked.

  “The meeting with my trainer and team mates went well. Work was a pain in the ass.”

  “How do you mean?” She watched as he spooned some kind of nutritional supplement into the blender.

  “Every time I had to approach people loitering or break up a fight, I wondered if they were shifters. I started to get paranoid, I really struggled last night.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, having had no idea how to respond.

  “I’m going to have to deal with it better if I want to keep my job. If I’m going to be fighting the urge to run the other way every time I come across a situation, I shouldn’t be doing this.”

  “It’s understandable.” Jodie nodded as she tried to sympathize with him. “Maybe you just need some time.

  “I hope so. I don’t want to have to look for another job.”

  A string of mundane tasks filled up the remainder of the day and nobody called or visited that afternoon, so when Zach went to work that night Jodie would be on her own. Zach seemed concerned but Jodie insisted she could manage, and she did. She had a long bath, a TV dinner, and watched the Saturday movie on channel 3. Feeling very proud of all she’d accomplished, including taking herself to bed, Jodie slept like a baby.

  Sunday morning Jodie woke up alone again. After the level of concern Danny had shown when she first got hurt, she didn’t know what to make of his absence. Is he always so inconsistent? Should I be worried?

  Penny phoned mid-morning to check in and see how she’d been doing. She asked if Jodie would be home for her to drop off some home cooked meals for the freezer, naturally Jodie told her to come right over. Her mother’s cooking had always been amazing. Nothing gourmet mind you, but wholesome and delicious all the same. A much better option than the TV dinner she had eaten the night before.

  It felt good having some one on one time with her mum; though Jodie wished she could get Danny out of her head long enough to have appreciated it. Penny brought lasagne, a chicken pie, and a large pot of beef stew. She also brought some photos that she had taken on the trip to Europe. Jodie loved looking at them, and hearing all about the places and things she and John had done while they were there. She felt sad for her parents that their vacation had been cut short because of the ‘Luke’ situation. She and John had been planning this trip for years. Jodie wondered if they’d been able to get any of their money back.

  Jodie started working from home on Monday and to her surprise the week passed quickly. She rather enjoyed lounging back on the couch with the laptop, and cruising over to the kitchen anytime she felt like coffee. She seemed to get more work done too, due to there being no interruptions from colleagues and the lack of gossiping opportunities.

  The physiotherapist recommended by the hospital made house calls, which Jodie thought fantastic. It would have been a struggle to make the appointments if she’d had to make her own way to town. Even if she did feel up to driving, Jodie didn’t currently own a car.

  Jodie didn’t see Laura that week as her shifts were all over the place, but Ainsley visited briefly once. Zach left Wednesday afternoon for a three-day sports event in Auckland and wouldn’t be back until Sunday. Jodie’s parents called in a couple of times, but they didn’t even stay for coffee. After the endless stream of visitors in the hospital, she began to feel neglected. Jodie loathed self-pity, so she didn’t feel very impressed with herself for indulging in it.

  By the end of the week, Jodie still hadn’t heard from Danny. It left her upset and perhaps a little angry. I know he is a busy person with many responsibilities, but seriously, how hard is it to make a phone call? Come to think of it, I don’t even know his number or where he lives. What a fantastic arrangement. He shows up in my bed because he feels like it, and I can’t even phone him. How do I get myself into these situations? Oh yes, I remember, he’s super gorgeous and makes me lose all common sense the moment he walks into the room. Damn it!

  Jodie begged Ainsley to talk to Eddie and find out what had happened, but Eddie had gone to visit family and wouldn’t be back until Saturday. Ains claimed she knew where their house was and stopped by on Jodie’s behalf. She’d talked to some guy she’d never met before who said he didn’t know where anyone had gone. Gee, how helpful.

  By Saturday, Jodie had started to get depressed about it. She felt sure that someone would tell her if something was wrong. The next moment, she convinced herself the opposite was true. Why would anyone tell her anything? Since she’d known Danny for a few short weeks, she didn’t have any privileges. Though still somewhat physically impaired, Jodie decided that she needed to go to The Furnace. Even if she didn’t find Danny there, someone would give her some damned answers.

  Chapter 12

  Jodie wanted to care what she looked like but her anxiety had overshadowed everything else. Standing at the open closet, Jodie realized that she still did not have a replacement ‘little-black-dress’ or colorful equivalent. She would have to wear pants. Is it just me, or is it harder to feel feminine and sexy in pants? Hmm, it’s probably me. She thought, rifling through the garments.

  She found a suitable black pair and put them on. They were a little loose; Jodie must have lost weight over the whole toaster incident. Come to think of it, she hadn’t been eating well since Luke came to stay. Her super snug high-waisted trousers were sitting on her hips. All the tops that looked good with those pants were quite short. Oh well, she would have to bare a little midriff.

  Though the bruising on her face had almost gone, and would not be noticeable in the club, the toaster scar still made Jodie self-conscious. It looked awful, so she styled her hair to hang across that side of her face. It wasn’t a dicult act, as Jodie’s hair seemed to gravitate to her face any time it got the chance.

  Arriving at the club alone in a taxi felt nerve-wracking. Jodie wondered if that had more to do with her concern over Danny’s absence. Admittedly, she had a colossal amount yet to learn about him, but it seemed so out of character to disappear. As crazy as it might be to base everything on a feeling, which was what it came down to; Jodie just knew that something had gone wrong. That gnawing sensation got worse as she neared the entrance to the club. Feigning confidence, she strolled past the long line of waiting patrons outside the door, to find a stranger standing guard. Oh no, I didn’t plan for that!

  “Can I help you?” He asked tone polite.

  From a distance, Jodie had thought she’d seen Rufus. He appeared to be the same height, had a similar haircut, and also boasted a solid block of muscle. Upon closer examination, he looked completely different and didn’t even have any tattoos. For a moment, she stood there speechless. Wretched lack of articulation!

  “Um I thought you were Rufus,” Jodie blurted.

  “I’m Jarvis,” he said, “Rufus is my brother.”

  “Oh. I came to talk to Danny. Is he working tonight?” She threw back.

  Jarvis took on a look of recognition, “oh Jodie! Sorry girl, I didn’t recognize you. Danny isn’t here, but Eddie’ll talk to you. Go on
in.”

  Jodie almost walked into the doorframe as she looked back at Jarvis. How on earth could he be expected to recognize her when she’d never met him before? She wondered if he might be the other polar bear. That’s a rational conclusion right? She thought about it... two brothers being the same kind of shifter and seen together. It did make a strange sort of sense, but Jodie would wonder about that later, she’d come here for another purpose tonight.

  Packed from one end to the other, the club pulsed with activity. Jodie harrumphed as she jostled her way to the bar. The guy filling Danny’s slot was nowhere near as good looking as Danny and didn’t perform any tricks. Jenna and Summer were both run off their feet too, and it looked as though they couldn’t get the drinks out fast enough. Jodie stood in line for five minutes before deciding that she didn’t want a drink after all. What am I even doing here? Danny isn’t around. I should just go home. She gave a dejected sigh.

  “Jodie!” Called Adam, signaling at her furiously.

  Trying to appear casual, she went over to him. “Hi,” she said with a forced a smile.

  “Danny isn’t here.” He announced, burying a hand in his blonde mop, the other resting at his hip.

  “I noticed that,” she said, a little distracted by the noise and activity around them. “Do you know where he is?”

  “Yes...”

  Jodie did not like the way he said that, “you aren’t going to enlighten me, are you?”

  “No, but you could try talking to Eddie. I’m not about to risk get my ass whipped again after the last time I talked to you.”

  “You got your ass whipped? That’s terrible!” Jodie’s mouth fell open.

  “Well not literally,” he said with an uneasy laugh. “Go talk to Eddie.”

  “But he’s...” Jodie stammered as she pointed to the DJ box way up near the high ceiling.

  “Climb the ladder,” he said, shaking his head.

  Feeling like an utter dork, Jodie nodded. The ‘how’ to get up there was something she could have figured out on her own, it just hadn’t been what she’d meant. She’d assumed that interrupting Eddie mid-shift would be a no-no. Thanking Adam, she headed for the ladder. Leon stood at the base of it and while Jodie didn’t think he guarded the ladder in particular, he didn’t seem pleased to see her.