The Mercenary Read online

  “Don’t just stand there!” He shouted from his refuge behind the kitchen counter.

  Jodie scrambled under the dining room table, hurriedly dragging the chairs back into place. Sounds of shattering glass and the telltale crack of splintering wood echoed through the house. Cringing, Jodie plastered herself to the floor as the beast came hurtling into the kitchen again, gouging at the cabinetry.

  Terror set in, this was a world away from what had happened to her in the yard. Without warning, the boar bunted against the leg of the dining room table. Jodie shrieked as she threw her arms up to protect her head.

  It stepped its front legs up onto the low sill of the big picture window and sniffed at the glass. The pane shattered outward as the boar hurled itself through and disappeared into the night. The silence that followed seemed even more deafening than the ruckus preceding it. A whisper of a breeze fingered its way through the debris, reminding them that nothing separated them from the darkness outside.

  “Are you alright?” Zach called from the other side of the kitchen counter.

  “Yeah.”

  “Is it safe to come out?”

  “Some knight in shining armor you are,” Jodie gave a bitter laugh.

  Zach’s sheepish face appeared above the countertop. Since all appeared well, he arose to his full height. “Sorry about that. I did try to warn you. I had one round with him before you came back inside and I didn’t want to go at it again.”

  The words tumbled out of his mouth as he averted his gaze. Jodie sighed, noticing Zach’s shame. She didn’t think any less of the guy for trying to protect himself from... Zach’s words finally registered.

  “Are you seriously implying that that was Luke?” Jodie managed with difficulty, her green-flecked olive eyes wide with shock.

  “Yes. Please come out from there so we can talk properly.” Jodie crawled out, knees crunching on broken crockery.

  “This is so not real.” She muttered, brushing the glazed shards from her clothes and hair.

  “It happened right before Mara fell pregnant with Rose. I don’t know the details. He got into a fight with a wereboar and caught the lycanthropy virus. Mara didn’t realize until the next full moon, and never slept with him again after that. She wouldn’t go anywhere near him. That’s when the drinking started. He’d been a shifter for almost two years before I found out. I spent the next year and a half trying to get him to leave her and you know the rest.”

  Without warning, Jodie snapped. “Do I? How do I know that you haven’t kept some other important detail from me? My brother is an alcoholic were-boar in a post separation melt down. On top of that, he’s just disappeared through the very expensive dining room window, to goodness knows where. What the hell am I supposed to do now?”

  Zach stood in the center of the kitchen, his shoulders slumped forward and his whole body drooping in defeat. Picking at the loose flap of fabric on his torn sleeve, he tried to dodge the questions.

  “How could I tell you what he had become? You aren’t exactly receptive to that sort of thing. I didn’t even believe in it until I saw it for myself.”

  “We’re in deep shit aren’t we?” “Up to our eyeballs,” Zach nodded.

  “I can’t believe it. Holy crap...” Jodie sat down with a thump, the chaotic surroundings a blur. It’s real, it’s actually real. Oh God, what else is out there?

  “I think the boar in the yard could have been a guy from up the coast somewhere. Luke owes money to most bars up there. I’m aware of at least two where shifters hang out and

  I know that one guy he got on the wrong side of is a boar.”

  “What about the leopard?”

  “What leopard?”

  “You didn’t see the leopard?” Jodie cocked an eyebrow in disbelief.

  Resting both hands at his hips, Zach gave her a funny look. “No, I saw the boar approaching the house. Then Luke started freaking out. He hadn’t even gained consciousness when he started to change, after that I had my hands full.”

  As she fought to grasp the reality of the situation, Jodie glanced down and noticed the blood on the floor. A scenario began to form in her mind, and not one she wanted to give credit.

  Pointing to the darkening stain, she spoke on shaky breath, “is that all his?” Zach didn’t answer and Jodie whirled to face him. “Zach, are you hurt?”

  The pause that followed seemed to amplify the silence. “I wish I wasn’t, but yeah.”

  “Oh shit.” Jodie moaned. “This means you’re going to get it too, doesn’t it.”

  “Yeah.”

  She swallowed, trying to get rid of the uncomfortable lump in her throat. The air had become difficult to breathe and she found herself blinking away tears. “I thought Lycanthropy was tied to the moon.”

  “Usually it is,” replied Zach. “Apparently those who are strong and powerful can change at will. I think that Luke lost it because he felt afraid, the other shifter being here undid all his control.”

  “Are you going to need a doctor?”

  “I think I need stitches, but I’m afraid to go in case they take a blood sample.”

  “It probably won’t show up in your system yet.” Jodie said, trying to sound confident.

  “Would you take the risk?”

  The speed of his response made her shrink back a little. “What will happen if they find out?”

  “If they don’t kill me, they’ll lock me up instead. Luke has heard of that happening. Apparently, the government is aware of the existence of shifters. They’ve been covering it up for years and trying to eradicate them all the while.”

  It all became too much. Jodie didn’t want to hear about imprisonment or eradication. She wanted very much to pretend none of this had happened at all. However, she couldn’t do that, not with Zach bleeding right in front of her. He’s a good guy, he really is. He doesn’t deserve this.

  “Let me take a look at it.” The wooden floorboards creaked as she walked closer, as though trying to protest her advancement.

  Zach reddened. “I’d rather not.”

  “Where did he get you?”

  She stopped short, gasping in astonishment as Zach took a deep breath and began to unfasten his trousers. A bloody laceration ripped down his left thigh, from his hip to just above the knee, leaving the flesh in tatters. It didn’t look as though any tendons had been severed, and the femoral artery appeared to be untouched.

  Jodie opened a nearby cupboard and took out her sewing box. Zach’s mouth dropped open. Lurching to the side as Jodie brought it to the table; he scuttled away from her in horror. His hip connected with the edge of a chair, bringing him to an unexpected stop.

  “Oh you are so not doing this!” He protested.

  “You’d rather go to the hospital?”

  “No.”

  “I don’t even have any alcohol to numb the pain,” she murmured with regret.

  “Have you got any sedatives or decent painkillers?”

  “Actually I think I’ve got some tramadol. Let me just check.”

  Moments later, she returned with a small white bottle. Zach swept the table clear with his forearm, and threw a handful into his mouth as he climbed onto it. Jodie threaded the needle and got to work. It took all her willpower to keep her eyes trained to the injury, knowing that if she looked at the agonized expression she imagined he wore, she’d never finish. Despite the moaning and groaning, he lay still, trusting that her skills would be enough to repair the damage.

  As she stitched the last couple of inches, a knock sounded at the door. Jodie didn’t have time to go and see who it was; her two best friends Ainsley Elliot and Laura Chapman came charging right in.

  “Omigod are you okay?” Ainsley gushed in her sugar-sweet cutesy voice; four-inch heels clacking loudly as she crossed the room. “When we saw the broken window we didn’t know what had happened!” Then she saw past Jodie and her eyes attempted to reconcile the disaster zone in front of her and the half-naked man on the dining table.

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nbsp; Jodie stood nearby, her long black hair a disheveled mess and clothes askew. She had the sewing scissors in one hand and a thimble on the index finger of the other. Eyes darting from Laura, to Ainsley and back again, Jodie had no idea how she could explain any of this.

  “Jodie, what’s going on?” Laura’s approach to what she’d been presented with reflected her practicality. Ask questions first to determine the nature of the problem, deal with the emotive later. She walked closer, trying to see what Jodie had been doing.

  “Do you remember Zach McAllister from high school? He’s a friend of Luke’s.” Jodie explained, avoiding the real issue at hand.

  Determined not to meet her friend’s gaze, Jodie snipped off the excess thread and clumsily thrust Zach’s jeans into his arms. Muttering some sort of thank you, he climbed off and prepared to get dressed.

  “That’s all you have to say?” Laura’s eyebrows jumped as she waited for further explanation.

  “I’m sorry, I’m not sure I’m going to be able to make the girls night out after all.” Jodie’s weak attempt at nonchalance hadn’t fooled anyone. Her two best friends stood there, every bit as expectant as when they’d first rushed in.

  “I suppose I’d be skiving off too if I had him on my dining table.” Laura quipped, the off-handed remark a ploy to get Jodie to talk. Her grey-blue eyes belied the casual tone of her voice and demanded answers.

  “Laura!” Ainsley frowned in disapproval. “Can’t you see that Jodie has got a situation? We should help.”

  Ainsley was lovable; no other word would suffice. Fivefeet tall with a dainty figure, she had to look up to everyone, including Jodie. With enormous soulful brown eyes and piles of mahogany ringlets all the way down to her waist, Ains was cuter than a Disney Princess. Her huge heart and unfailing loyalty were a credit to her, both protected her from freaking out over what she had just walked into.

  Ains stood there beside a puddle of Zach’s rapidly congealing blood unaware of the level of tension in the room, oblivious to the disaster zone of a house. Jodie shifted her weight from one foot to the other, fidgeting as she always did when uncomfortable.

  “Everything’s fine, honest.” Jodie could hear Zach beside her as he struggled into his tattered bloody jeans, bunny hopping across the floor. He grunted as the fabric pressed against his wound and Jodie quickly cast her gaze back to her friends.

  “Yeah, and that would be why Mister tall dark and half naked is letting you play nurse with him.” Laura had crossed her arms over her chest, the look she gave Jodie suggesting that she wasn’t thrilled at the lack of explanation.

  Ainsley had noticed a pile of shattered crockery and her fingers were twitching. Oh great. Jodie sighed. Ains wants to clean. “Are you going to tell us anything at all?”

  Jodie tried to give Laura an apologetic look. She wanted to talk more than anything, but had no idea what to say or where to begin. Especially when Zach still stood there, complicating everything. Battling with her conscience, Jodie found her gaze drifting back to him, cringing as Laura shook her head in dismissal.

  “Ains, Jodie has some weird kinky date with a hot guy. We should leave, now.”

  Laura’s tone invited no challenge, forcing Jodie’s guilt up another notch. Jodie could see the effort she had gone to with her appearance that night. She’d showcased her tall athletic figure in a pair of fitted leather pants and a wide belt. A peach tank top set off her ash blonde hair, perfecting the look. She’d even put on make-up. That was huge for Laura and she wouldn’t appreciate that being wasted.

  A nurse at the hospital’s emergency department, Laura would have been the first to pitch in if something had been wrong but Jodie hadn’t played fair. Laura’s grey-blue eyes hardened as she swept her shoulder-length hair out of her face. If Jodie didn’t plan to divulge anything truthful on the matter, Laura wanted the hell out of there before anything else crazy went down.

  “Don’t be silly Laura, he’s injured! Zach, can we give you a ride to the hospital?” Ainsley toyed with her mane of curls and readjusted her shiny leather handbag.

  “You can see that Jodie has done an excellent job of stitching him up, he’ll be fine. We can go out on the town and leave her to it. Jodie will call if she needs us and we’ll come straight back. Right Jodie?”

  However indifferent Laura appeared, the measure of steel in her gaze demanded immediate response. Jodie nodded furiously, grateful that someone else had taken control.

  “Okay...” Ains didn’t want to go, leaving Jodie to wonder if just maybe she might be smarter than people gave her credit for.

  “Nice to see you again Zach,” Laura said with a forced smile. “Hope to see you under more pleasant circumstances next time. C’mon Ains.” her long slender fingers closed around Ainsley’s tiny wrist, yanking her in the direction of the door.

  Alone with Zach once more, Jodie picked up the needle and scissors, packing them back into her sewing box. She kept her eyes fixed on the spools of thread and dressmaker’s pins as she closed the lid, trying to suppress the guilt she felt over the way she’d just treated her friends.

  Zach sighed, “I’m going to have to call in sick tonight. I wouldn’t want to risk having to break up a fight with this injury.” He said of his security guard position.

  “Good idea,” Jodie murmured.

  “I’m sorry that I didn’t say anything sooner, you had every right to know.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “Not really.”

  “No, not really,” She smiled. “But I forgive you anyway.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that since you just had a needle and thread embedded in my thigh.”

  Jodie laughed. “So... how long will he stay in animal form? How much do you know?”

  “Around twelve hours but it varies. He will come back eventually, most likely after he’s eaten.”

  “Crap...” Jodie paled. “What does he eat?”

  “Relax. He retains enough humanity that he wouldn’t attack a person.”

  “Right,” she said, feeling stupid. Tilting her face away, she tried to hide the color rising in her cheeks.

  “What he eats tonight will depend on where he hunts. Pigs are omnivorous so he may not attack anything at all.”

  Jodie rolled her eyes, “I just can’t picture him tucking into some ferns and grasses, Zach.”

  She put the sewing kit back in the cupboard and decided to make a start on the rest of the debris strewn about. Zach stood there watching for a while and just as he pulled down his pants a second time, to examine Jodie’s stitching efforts, they both heard a knock at the door.

  “Hellooo,” a high-pitched melodious voice called

  “Mara?” Jodie gasped, almost keeling over with shock. Gaze whipping to the side, she discovered Zach equally as surprised.

  Mara Fletcher sauntered into the room, a seductive sway to her slender hips. Impeccably dressed and wearing an entire cosmetic counter worth of make-up, her pale salon-acquired curls hovered around her shoulders like a misbegotten halo. She looked amazing for a woman with two kids under six but wholesome didn’t enter the equation.

  Behind her trailed Jodie’s two nieces. Rose had Luke’s green eyes but both had gained their fair hair and coloring from Mara. They too, were over-dressed. Each had a small suitcase on wheels.

  “My goodness, I didn’t know you two were an item.” Mara drawled. “How cozy. Are you into the rough and kinky stuff or has my husband been throwing tantrums? It would be a shame if he was responsible for that nasty mess.” She waved toward Zach’s leg with a flippant hand gesture.

  “Mummy, he doesn’t have any pants on.” Grace announced. Turning an impressive shade of red, Zach hurried to rectify the situation.

  “Yes baby.” Mara dismissed her daughter without even so much as a backward glance. She had eyes only for Jodie. “Well, everything you’ll need is in the suitcases.”

  “Everything I’ll need for what?” Jodie asked in a crisp tone, her temper starting to rise.
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br />   “The girls of course.” Mara breathed, as she patted at her immaculately coiffed hair. She turned and walked out without bothering to say goodbye to either of her daughters. A sly chuckle escaped her lips as she descended the porch steps and she didn’t look back at all.

  Jodie narrowed her eyes in disapproval. “Stop right there!” Mara broke into a run.

  “Where’s Mummy going?” Grace asked as Jodie ran past her. Though she gave it her best shot, Jodie couldn’t catch her.

  The sassy blonde was gunning the engine before Jodie’s feet even left the doormat and gone moments after. Jodie looked back at the broken house and the two wide-eyed little girls standing on the porch. She wondered how things could get any worse.

  Chapter 2

  Tucking the girls into her bed for the night with promises of seeing their father in the morning, Jodie prayed she wouldn’t have to let them down. Once they’d settled, Zach helped her to clean up the mess in the living area. With little to be said in light of things, they both pitched in and got on with it.

  Jodie found some thumbtacks and Zach covered the broken window with a sheet. It wouldn’t do anything for safety, but it made them feel better and gave them a degree of privacy back. Most of Jodie’s dinner set lay in pieces. Her heart sank as she recalled her grandmother giving it to her. If it had been anyone other than Luke that had demolished it, she would have been furious. The pair salvaged what they could and set it aside.

  Zach stared at the new couch, where Luke had torn a hole right across the back. With the framework visible through the gaping hole, stitching it back together only solved half the problem. To save continual explanation of the damage, she’d have to position it against a wall to hide the patch up job. Jodie slumped with defeat. She stood there following Zach’s gaze, unable to take a step forward. As it became too much for her to bear, self-pity crept in. Why me? I’m a good person, what did I do to deserve any of this?

  When he looked back at her with dark haunted eyes, Jodie pushed her own compunction aside. She couldn’t tell what bothered him, but knew it wasn’t the couch. So much had gone on that she didn’t feel like guessing. If he wanted to talk, he would have to make that first move.