The Mercenary Read online

  Even without the blood and bodies, the house looked beyond salvation. A battlefield of upturned furniture lay in wait for them, not even the draperies or the wall coverings had survived intact. Blood spatter could be seen in the oddest places and Jodie had to step over a body just to get inside the door. She tried not to see the twisted angle in which it lay, nor imagine the manner in which he’d died. Rufus had been right, it wasn’t pretty. At the end of the hallway, another two bodies lay on the floor. These two had no wounds, their necks had been broken.

  Danny and the other two men didn’t come into view until they reached the kitchen, which turned out to be a blood bath. The sheer smell alone caused Jodie to gag. Clapping a hand over her nose and mouth, she followed behind, not daring to speak. Rounding the corner of the long kitchen counter, they found Danny beneath two guys who were almost as big as Rufus. Jodie knew Danny had the Therian strength to move them, why doesn’t he just push them aside and get out? How badly is he hurt?

  Rufus dragged them off and the reason Danny needed medical attention became clear. He had a short sword through his upper thigh, pinning him to the floor. That combined with the weight of the two men had proven too much after such an aggressive fight. Danny had struggled turning the wound into a bloody mess.

  “BRO!” Eddie exclaimed in horror.

  “I’m fine, just get it out.”

  The weariness in Danny’s voice caught Jodie’s attention. She wondered how close he had come to death tonight and how often things became this dangerous. Danny’s eyes passed over Adam and Leon until he saw Jodie standing with them.

  “Why are you here?” He asked in astonishment.

  “She made us bring her,” Rufus couldn’t mask his guilt.

  “She’s scary when she’s angry,” Adam threw in. “Nearly as scary as you.”

  “Right,” Danny retorted with a bitter laugh. “Well honey, I hope you saw what you needed to see. This is who I am.” He’d assumed it would be the beginning of the end now that Jodie had been given a shock dose of reality.

  “Give me the sewing kit,” Jodie ordered.

  Adam handed it to her without question. Kneeling down on the floor beside Danny, Jodie saw a kitchen towel nearby and reached for it. Eddie warned Danny to brace himself, gripping the handle in one hand and holding down Danny’s knee with the other. As Eddie pulled out the sword,

  Danny’s face contorted in pain and a long moan rushed from his lips. Jodie shoved the towel underneath, forcing him to press down on the wound with the weight of his leg. Wincing, he offered no complaint as he did as instructed.

  Jodie tore his pants open so that she could see the damage clearer. Eddie found Jodie another towel which she placed over the wound and Danny held it in place while he waited for her to thread a needle. Nobody uttered a word as she began to stitch it shut, keeping her eyes trained to the task. Despite the short length of the sword it still had a wide blade, therefore a number of stitches were required.

  When she’d finished, Jodie made him roll onto his stomach so she could stitch the back of his leg closed. Danny lay still for her, watching in silence as the guys carted the weapons out to the SUV. Dumping the equipment back into the first aid box Jodie stood and helped Danny to his feet.

  “Where’s your car parked?” She asked.

  “It’s in a driveway near the start of this road.”

  “Give me your keys and tell me which one.”

  Danny narrowed his eyes. “No, anyone could be lurking out there.”

  “Do it, I’ll take Adam with me.” The growl had crept back into Jodie’s tone, though she didn’t realize it.

  He didn’t like the plan, but complied. Jodie could tell he’d shielded his emotions as he dropped the keys into her outstretched palm with great reluctance. Grabbing the unsuspecting Adam by the sleeve, Jodie marched off out of the house. The image she projected of herself couldn’t have been pretty as Adam didn’t make the slightest protest.

  By the time they both returned and pulled up next to the SUV, Leon and Eddie had begun dousing the house with gasoline. I guess grade-five damage is the worst-case scenario. They’d never have cleaned up all of Danny’s blood; Jodie could understand the need for arson.

  Roused from her thoughts, Jodie noticed Rufus had helped Danny out of the house, almost having to carry him.

  Jodie and Adam jumped out of the car, running to assist.

  “I’m going to drive your car home for you. You can choose whether you ride with me or with Eddie,” Jodie announced.

  Danny’s eyes widened. “I’ll ride with you.”

  Rufus helped him into the passenger seat of his car, while Jodie climbed back behind the wheel. As they pulled onto the lane, Jodie could see flames engulfing the house in the rear-view mirror, sending a chill up her spine.

  “Why did you come?” Danny asked of her, his smooth voice cutting through the silence.

  “I had to see.”

  “See what?”

  Jodie sighed, “I had to see you, who you are and what you’re capable of. What makes you better than the others and worthy of your title.”

  “You didn’t have to see it, I could have told you.”

  “It’s not the same,” she gripped the steering wheel tighter as she shook her head. “...And besides, you never tell me anything, I have to drag everything from you. It isn’t until I find something out on my own that you will divulge any information on the matter. I am so sick of secrets, why can’t you just talk to me?”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry isn’t enough Danny, I don’t want an apology. I need to know who you are! I might not like everything that makes you ‘you’ but I need to make up my own mind on that. I’m not a judgmental person; I’m quite tolerant and accepting if you stop to think about it.”

  “Fair comment,” said Danny, his voice husky.

  Jodie felt glad that she’d decided to drive the vehicle. The temptation to look at him disappeared while her eyes were on the road. If she looked at him, Jodie knew her firm resolve would disintegrate. With virtually no protest from Danny, Jodie continued full swing giving him a piece of her mind.

  “Why didn’t you tell me I was your Eros? Why didn’t you even tell me what that was? I had to find out what that word meant from Ainsley. Ainsley, Danny.” Taking a deep breath Jodie let it out in a long slow exhale. When she started again her voice began to get louder and louder. “Why didn’t you warn me about the dinner? How could you do that to me?”

  “I didn’t know that would happen! You have every right to be angry but you have to understand, I never meant to hurt you. I honestly thought I could do it without pain or suffering.”

  “Why don’t you trust me?”

  “It’s not about trust.”

  “Then what is it about? Talk to me Danny,” she pleaded

  “I just wanted to protect you from the horrors of my world.”

  “I’m a big girl; I can deal with almost anything if you give me the chance.”

  “Every time I close my eyes, all I can hear are your screams.” He said with difficulty. “Knowing that the guys have been the ones supporting you through this is killing me. I did this to you and I can’t even be there to pick up the pieces.” He shut his eyes, hiding his face behind a hand.

  “Do you know what made it the most difficult to endure? You paraded me in front of a room full of strangers. It felt almost as bad as if you took my virginity without my permission and in front of an audience. It was the most humiliating thing I’ve ever been through! Then you forced me to change back, so I ended up naked in front of a room full of strangers. I don’t like being a pawn in your games and I won’t be anybody’s entertainment.”

  “I don’t know what else I can say.”

  “You said to Adam that you chose the lesser of two evils, tell me what would have been worse.”

  “Lancaster planned to change you himself. I didn’t realize until the last minute.”

  “You said that couldn’t happen!”
<
br />   “I also told you I couldn’t change you but I was wrong about that too. I didn’t know a powerful enough Therian could change their Eros.”

  Jodie pressed her lips together and frowned. “You’re still not telling me everything.”

  “I’ve recently found out that Lancaster and your grandfather were brothers.”

  With her mouth gaping open Jodie almost drove the car off the road. Thoughts raced through her mind, wondering if Lancaster had had anything to do with Irene turning up at her place in animal form. Jodie had so many questions she didn’t know where to start.

  “If he’d changed you it would have been a lot worse, more frightening for you,” said Danny. “Though in the end, what I did wasn’t much better. I thought you would trust me, then when you kept resisting I panicked.” With a heavy sigh, he rubbed his face again.

  “My leopard recognized him in the basement.” Jodie whispered as a great deal of her anger melted away. “And it scared me.”

  “I know he’s made a terrible first impression but he’s not a bad man. I swear to you that he does have your best interests at heart.”

  Jodie shook her head, “I wish that I could believe that.”

  “He took me under his wing when I had nobody, he trained me himself.”

  “He made you a killer.”

  “I was already a killer!” Danny said, causing all the tiny hairs on Jodie’s neck stood on end.

  “Tell me about your life before you arrived in New Zealand.”

  “No,” he said, teeth clenched. “I won’t talk about it, not even with you.”

  They drove the rest of the way home in silence.

  Chapter 25

  Eddie must have called ahead to give the guys an update. As soon as Jodie drove in, Jarvis, Mark and Luke came charging out of the house to meet them. All three began issuing a barrage of questions before they’d even reached Danny’s sports car. None were met with answers as she and Danny made their way to the house. In the kitchen Doug paced back and forth, anxiety spiking as he waited. His eyes locked on Danny first, once he saw that his superior wasn’t at death’s door, he relaxed a little and turned to Jodie.

  “I can’t believe that you went,” his face darkened with disapproval.

  “Neither can I,” Luke muttered, walking in behind his sister.

  “Well it’s already happened, so you’re just going to have to accept it.” Jodie said in an airy voice, wrapping her arms around her body and avoiding eye contact.

  After a brief and awkward exchange of words, the group shuffled out of the kitchen and moved to the living room. Though Jodie had done a great job of stitching Danny’s leg, the bandage around his thigh had already soaked with blood both front and back by the time he got to the couch.

  “Damn,” said Mark, sinking into a chair and cupping the back of his head with both hands. “You took a good one tonight.”

  Danny offered a wan smile. “I need a drink, make it a big one.”

  “You’re the barman,” Mark smirked.

  “I’ll get it,” Jodie said.

  “I’m going to take a shower,” Luke interjected. “I assume there are towels in the bathroom?”

  “Help yourself.” Jarvis shrugged and gestured toward the door with a sweep of his arm.

  Jodie knew that Luke had left because of the alcohol but she let it go. Flinging the cupboard door open wide, Jodie stared at the liquor in front of her and realized that she had no idea what Danny liked to drink. The only times she had seen him consume alcohol were when they’d had dinner on Mark’s boat, and Lancaster’s dinner. Both times had been wine and she doubted that it was his preference.

  “Vodka on the rocks,” Doug called out, trying to be helpful. “There’s an ice box in the bar fridge.”

  “Straight vodka?” Jodie wrinkled her nose and looked at Danny, “ew.”

  Mark and Jarvis seemed to find her reaction rather amusing. Ignoring their smirks, Jodie stood at the shelf, staring up at the array of bottles just out of reach. She huffed out a breath as she tried to figure out what to do about it and almost didn’t hear Jarvis come up beside her. He fetched the bottle of vodka and set it on the shelf nearest Jodie but she couldn’t reach the glasses either, so Mark grabbed one for her. He started to direct her toward the bar fridge for the ice, but gave up and put it into the glass for her. He ended up pouring the drink and everything. Feeling silly, Jodie took it over to Danny.

  “Thanks honey, great job,” he chuckled.

  “I can’t help that I’m short,” having the grace to blush, Jodie crossed the room and sat down.

  “Are you guys good now?” Doug asked.

  Jodie would never have expected Doug to have such an interest in their relationship, so it took her a few seconds to respond.

  “Sort of,” Danny said at the same moment that Jodie answered: “No.”

  Mark raised an eyebrow. “Should we leave you two alone to talk?”

  This time Danny said ‘no’ and Jodie said ‘yes.’

  “Who’s up for cards in the kitchen?” Jarvis asked, already making his way to the door.

  The three guys departed, leaving Danny and Jodie alone. Jodie felt pleased, though they’d spoken in the car on the way back from Danny’s assignment, there were many words left unsaid. She turned to him, her face hopeful and saw that Danny appeared to have reservations on the matter.

  All of a sudden the distance between them seemed to grow smaller. Jodie looked at Danny’s lean body and felt something stir within. How can that be, what is the matter with me? Angry with herself for responding to his presence despite the way things were, Jodie moved just out of arms reach. Close enough that they could talk quietly, yet far enough away they would not be distracted by physical impulses.

  “So I take it we’re not done talking,” he said, presenting an unnatural calm.

  “I take it you’re confused about the status of our relationship.”

  Danny’s eyebrows lifted in amusement. “Why don’t you enlighten me?”

  “Is your glass empty already?”

  “You can pour me another if you promise to stop changing the subject.”

  Jodie leaned over and snatched the glass from his hand, scooting backward out of reach before he could get any ideas. He chuckled again. Choosing to ignore him, Jodie busied herself with the bottle of vodka, taking her time to refill his glass.

  “Things can’t be irreparable between us. You’re afraid to touch me in case you lose control of yourself, you want me.” The look on his face bothered Jodie, his arrogant and cocky tone the last things Jodie wanted to hear right then. How dare he assume things!

  “Well as if that’s going to happen, look at you!” Slamming his glass onto the coffee table, she chose not to sit back down.

  “But you want it to,” he’d grown serious, his eyes imploring more than she wanted to submit to.

  Groaning in frustration, Jodie covered her face. “I’m still angry with you Danny. It doesn’t matter what I feel for you, nor does it matter what fantasies are playing in my mind. I won’t go back to the way things were until I’m satisfied that

  I mean something to you.”

  “Honey, you know that you do.”

  “No, I don’t. You feel something for me and you want to be with me. That isn’t the same as meaning something to you.”

  “I’m really confused. I know I screwed up, tell me how I can make it up to you.”

  “I don’t know if you can.” Her statement bore no malice, just the honest truth.

  He sighed and a long silence followed. Downing his vodka, Danny got to his feet.

  “Where are you going?” Jodie demanded.

  “I’m going to finish what I started tonight,” he stated, his voice devoid of all emotion.

  Struggling over to the fireplace, Danny knelt down before the strands of globes. Almost all his weight rested on his good leg but the pain still bothered him. He moved into a cross-legged position and sat with his palms resting on his knees, grunting a
s he got comfortable. When he spoke, in a low voice, it sounded like German. Jodie wondered if he always prayed in German, or if he did so because of her presence. Concluding that it was wrong for her to watch him begging God for forgiveness, Jodie knew she had to leave. She needed to decide where the heck she would sleep tonight.

  After mentally arguing with herself over the various options, Jodie headed for Adam’s room. She didn’t want to be anywhere near Danny and needed to put as much distance between them as possible. She’d been stupid to think that they could talk their way through everything that had happened, it would take much more than a chat to fix everything wrong.

  Jodie sat in Adam’s bed, wishing that she knew how long he and the guys would be. The more she tried to relax, the more everything played on her mind. Images from the grade-five aftermath repeated over and over and the moment she saw Danny with the sword embedded in his thigh kept coming back to her. At some point she fell asleep, waking again as Adam and Eddie climbed into bed either side of her.

  “You should tell someone where you are before you go to sleep.” Eddie complained, still testy from having had to search for Jodie.

  “Sorry,” she mumbled in a sleepy voice, sweeping the hair out of her eyes.

  “You’re lucky you didn’t have any episodes before we got here.” Adam said.

  Jodie’s apologetic look must have had an effect on the pair because Eddie changed the subject.

  “So, did you and Danny get things sorted?” His voice sounded optimistic. Jodie hoped he wanted them to be back together and hadn’t just grown sick of helping her through her transitional phase.

  “Not even close,” she replied, dejected.

  “Give it time,” said Eddie with sympathy. After getting comfortable at last and tucking the bedding around himself, he looked back over a shoulder. “I hope it was us you wanted in here tonight. “