The Mercenary Read online

  Her face must have reflected her thoughts for Irene reached out and clasped her hand. “Whatever it is child, it can’t be that bad. There isn’t anything you could do that would make me stop loving you, the same goes for Luke.”

  Jodie looked at her Grandmother. Soft silver curls and green- flecked olive eyes gave her a homely appearance, her creamy complexion not nearly weathered enough for her age. She looked like a sweet old lady, but there were many hidden depths to Irene Fletcher. Jodie knew this from experience.

  Therefore, Jodie told her about Luke’s separation from Mara and the alcoholism. She mentioned how Mara had abandoned the girls, who along with Luke were living with her. Hoping to reassure Irene that they were coping, Jodie also added that Zach, Laura, and Ainsley were all helping whenever needed. Irene nodded as if she understood.

  “I’m glad you told me the truth dear.” She said. “I thought for sure you were going to come up with some hair brained story.”

  “I thought you said I was a terrible liar.” Jodie wrinkled her nose.

  “You are. I never implied you wouldn’t try.”

  “Oh. So Luke has already told you everything?”

  She nodded. “I know about the drinking and he told me that he had been fired. I know a few other things too, though I’ll not break his confidence. I’m glad he had the sense to come to you, but I’m sorry you have to bear this burden.” “I’ll manage.” Jodie said.

  “I know you will, you’re a good girl.” Irene gave her a loving smile.

  “I’m sorry Gran.” There I go apologizing again, I sound like a stuck record.

  “Jodie, Jodie, Jodie.” She sighed. “Come here.”

  Jodie moved closer and Irene hugged her. There’s nothing like a grandmotherly hug to make you feel the need to get it together. Just when Jodie had started to get the warm-fuzzies, Irene whispered something in her ear that sent a shiver up her spine. “Be very careful next Friday.” “Next Friday?” Jodie echoed.

  “It’s a full moon, lots of crazy things happen.”

  “Oh Gran he didn’t tell you about-”

  “Hush. Not here, dear. Yes, I know his secret. For heaven’s sakes don’t tell your parents. Your mother would have a nervous breakdown.” Irene chattered as she fingered her silvery curls.

  Jodie gaped at her. The fact that she had been thinking the exact same thing about her mother escaped her. She struggled to comprehend the fact that not only did her Grandmother know about the shape shifting, she seemed rather calm about it. Jodie wondered what would possess Luke to tell her in the first place. How could he know she’d be so composed about it?

  Irene must have known what crossed Jodie’s mind. “I knew before Luke told me.”

  “How could you know before he did?”

  “I didn’t know it had happened to Luke, but I knew that it was out there.”

  Jodie’s head started to spin. She toyed with the gold signet ring on her right index finger, struggling to understand, wishing that just once something would make sense without complicated explanations. She sat down on the edge of Irene’s bed. “Is there any chance we can talk sometime without having to choose our words so carefully? I have so many questions.”

  “I hoped you’d say that.” Irene smiled. “I’m not here under lock and key you know. Why don’t you make the necessary arrangements with the staff? I would love to spend a day with you sometime.”

  “Okay.” Jodie said with more enthusiasm. “If it’s okay with Seaview, can I pick you up after work on Tuesday? You could come for dinner.”

  “That would be lovely dear.”

  As she left, Jodie realized that Irene was an incredibly smart woman. She’d steered the entire conversation to her advantage. Gaining all the information she wanted, she’d spoken volumes without saying the words, and she’d scored herself an evening out. Until Jodie had walked away, she’d been oblivious of the fact.

  Monday proved to be long and stressful, and Jodie couldn’t stop worrying about Zach and Luke. Since her car couldn’t be driven, Jodie had walked to work, a long forty-minute hike. She’d stayed late trying to make up for the week off, and ended up walking home in the dark. Jodie had phoned ahead to let the guys know she would be late and Zach volunteered to cook.

  All the way, Jodie found herself looking at every shadow and jumping every time a car went by. She wondered why she felt so on edge and couldn’t shake the idea that she’d been followed. Feeling eyes upon her, a crawling sensation fingered its way up the back of her neck but each time she turned around there was nobody there. I think I’ve had too many incidents involving enormous pigs and giant cats. Oh and the bears, heaven forbid I forget the freaking polar bears.

  In a bid to avoid the hysterics accumulating beneath the surface, she began to think about the leopard. Wondering if she would ever see the human side of him, Jodie tried to picture what he might be like.

  Overwhelmed with curiosity, she hoped he’d keep coming to the woods by her house. She would be heartbroken if he didn’t. Is that healthy? Should I be worried at the relationship I’m forging with an unidentified shifter? What would happen if she did meet him and didn’t like him? Should she risk that?

  Jodie checked the mail on the way into the driveway and found a brown envelope with her name on it. No stamp or address, just her name. Her heart fluttered as she opened it.

  Jodie,

  I’ve enjoyed our encounters and I would like it if we continued to see each other. However, I don’t want to cause trouble with your family. Is it possible for us to meet later in a more private setting? Say 1:00 am? I won’t be able to do this every night, but for tonight, I am yours if you will have me.

  Overweight Retiree

  Jodie almost laughed aloud when she saw the name he’d signed. She looked all around, trying to see if anyone lurked nearby. Is he still nearby somewhere? Is that why I felt as though someone had been watching me? Clutching the envelope to her chest, Jodie readjusted the satchel on her shoulder and hurried up the driveway.

  Mentally planning the evening, Jodie knew she would have to go to bed early. Otherwise, she’d be too tired to cope with work the next day. She would have to climb out her bedroom window because Luke and Zach slept in the living room and when sober, Luke was a light sleeper.

  She had expected her early retreat to raise a few questions but her long day seemed to be explanation enough. Jodie set her phone alarm for 12:45 a.m. and switched it to vibrate so as not to wake anyone else.

  A mountain of clothes lay discarded on her bed. Jodie had gone through it all ten times trying to decide what to wear. I must be crazy. I’ll be running around in the woods in the middle of the night, when it’s dark, and I’m stressing over my outfit.

  Jodie settled on a pair of dark jeans and a violet knit shirt with white raglan sleeves, one of those tops that were loose but still clung to the body in all the right places. Dark or not, there seemed no harm in looking her best. She put a pair of sneakers on the floor at the end of the bed next to the folded clothes and eagerly crawled beneath the covers.

  Chapter 6

  He kept his eyes trained on Jodie as she opened the window and swung her legs over the sill, lowering herself down to the ground. She stared up at the pane jutting out into the night, and the bedroom curtain floating in the wind. She couldn’t reach to close it and seemed to have just realized she would have difficulty climbing back in. He wondered why she hadn’t just come out the front door.

  When she got as far as the clothesline, Jodie hesitated. She must have realized how exposed she’d become standing in the middle of the yard, continuing with more caution from then on. He thought this to be somewhat pointless when she couldn’t see in the dark like he could, and he almost felt guilty for watching her. Almost.

  He waited until she neared the edge of the property, and bounded toward her. She stopped mid stride, wary as she eyed him up and down. Purring before he’d even gotten close, the leopard nudged her several times, brimming with affection. Jodie hug
ged him back, her gentle hands gliding through his fur.

  “You seem glad I came,” she said and averted her eyes as her cheeks turned scarlet.

  Didn’t she mean to say that aloud?

  Even with limited visibility, she seemed to feel the weight of his stare. Shit, I just got caught checking her out. She toyed with her hair and began to fidget, choosing not to meet his gaze. Trying to ease her discomfort, he rubbed his furred cheek against her arm.

  “Pirrrt?” He said and began purring again.

  “So what are we going to talk about today?”

  Trotting into the trees he looked back at her, moved a little further and looked back a second time. He wanted her to follow him, pleased when she got the message. After a distance, the leopard saw the light up ahead and checked for the billionth time Jodie still walked beside him. She didn’t seem at all worried about getting lost, placing her complete trust in him. Though a good thing, he wondered if such willingness to assign her safety to him wise when she knew so little.

  He put the analysis on hold as he became aware of her smile in the half-darkness. It pleased him to see her happy. She gave the most captivating expressions, gazing at his efforts with wide-eyed appreciation; this was what he’d hoped for.

  The light came from a thick squat lavender scented candle. A small cloth blanketed a stump, supporting the candle, a bottle of wine, and a glass. A single red rose sat beside it.

  “This is for me?” Jodie squeaked in disbelief. “You didn’t have to do this!”

  She seemed stunned for a few moments and didn’t appear to know what to do first. Kneeling down she ran a fingertip along the stem of the rose. Her eyes darted from candle to bottle to flower, and eventually Jodie decided to pour the wine. After a small sip, she picked up the rose, taking a delicate sniff. Again, she smiled, entrancing him with her beauty.

  She’s impressed... thank God I didn’t screw this up. The leopard lay back down and tried to get comfortable. Once she’d taken a few sips to sample the wine, Jodie put down the glass and crawled over to him, stroking his fur and snuggling up against him. He wished they could have a proper date, one where he could talk back. I’ve never wanted to kiss anyone so badly in my life. Lying awake at night, he’d imagined how it would feel to have his lips on hers. He’d visualized running his fingers through that glossy mane of hair, and though he’d never felt her skin against his, he knew just what it would be like.

  How is that ever going to happen when I’m a leopard? Could I have made this any more complicated? No, you’re an imbecile. And now I’m arguing with myself in my own head...

  Even considering getting involved with her was insane, but he couldn’t seem to help it. On some level, he knew an arranged meeting had been a mistake but he did it anyway.

  Everything confused him and he didn’t understand it at all.

  Just when he began to relax a little too much, a familiar odor wafted by. No, no, no! Not now! The leopard’s whole body tensed up. His head whipped around, ears flattening and he began to emit a low growl. Fear gripped him like a tourniquet, knowing it might be more than he could handle alone. He didn’t feel fear often; this woman had a very unattractive effect upon his personality.

  The leopard turned and bunted Jodie towards a tree with his large furred head. She knew exactly what he wanted her to do, but she couldn’t reach even the lowest branch. He watched anxiously as she threw herself at the trunk and hoped for the best. She would never make it at that rate. Using his shoulders to give her a boost, the leopard tried to hoist her up. It was enough that she could grab a branch, but she lacked the upper body strength to pull herself up.

  By now they could hear something hurtling through the trees. Cold dread settled over him. I won’t let them have her. He jumped up onto the branch, dragging Jodie upward by the back of her shirt and she gasped as it started to tear across the collar seam. The grunting sounds grew louder and they both knew the boars were coming.

  He had no choice but to change form. Though the feel of his warm strong hands startled her, she kept her eyes downcast as he hauled her up. It appeared she didn’t want to turn her back on the enemy; perhaps she wasn’t as foolish as he’d first assumed. With as much agility as he’d shown in leopard form, he leapt upward to the branch above her.

  As soon as he’d pulled her up to the next level, he dove back down to the ground. It looked as though someone had poured him from one form to the other. Flowing from human to leopard in a way that defied all logic, his swift change required little effort. It took skill to do so in such a fluid motion, one of the things that made him so adept at his job.

  The leopard found it impossible to judge how many boars snarled and grunted beyond the beacon of light, but he knew they’d been surrounded. He felled a couple and still they kept coming. She’s unprotected and it’s my fault. The date had been a foolish idea, one he would not forgive himself for if anything happened to her.

  As the fight escalated, one of the boars knocked over the candle and extinguished the flame. Awful sounds permeated the darkness. The leopard could see perfectly well, but he knew that Jodie would be blind to what lay below her.

  She’d be terrified.

  JODIE HAD A VAGUE RECOLLECTION of her shoes hitting the soil beneath the tree, and sensations of manhandling prickled her flesh. The wind cut through her hair, dragging it out behind her and without warning, Jodie lurched forward. I’m moving... Why am I moving? Oh God, where am I going? Beneath her hands, she could feel coarse hair and a bulky body mass. As she began to grow accustomed to the surroundings and things started making more sense, Jodie realized she rode on the back of one of the polar bears.

  Grabbing fistfuls of his shaggy white coat, she somehow convinced herself not to scream. She struggled to stay on as he jostled her about, but managed to get a good grip, clinging tight as they lumbered through the forest.

  They arrived back at the house in ten minutes, though Jodie felt certain it had taken more than twice that to reach the candlelit picnic. Traveling by polar bear is apparently an ecient way to get places. He lowered himself down near the clothesline and she tumbled off. Before she could even pick herself up, he’d gone.

  Not about to wait around for anything else to happen, Jodie ran around the side of the house and looked up at her window, clicking her tongue in frustration. If she couldn’t swing up onto a branch that she was already holding, Jodie had no hope of jumping in through a window she couldn’t even reach. Hurrying around to the back porch and grabbing a folding chair to stand on, she discovered that she still couldn’t make it.

  Feeling frustrated and wary of trouble finding her, Jodie ran back to the porch and grabbed a second chair. Somehow, she managed to stack one chair on top of the other and leaned the top one against the side of the house. Climbing up as fast as she could, Jodie pushed off the top chair. She got most of the way through the window before both chairs toppled over with a deafening crash. Jodie scrambled the rest of the way into her bedroom, slammed the window shut and jumped into bed. Seconds later, she heard a knock on the door. “Are you okay Jodie?”

  Luke. “Yeah, is something wrong?” She called back, trying to sound casual.

  “I heard a noise. I’m just going outside to check it out.”

  Jodie lay back against the pillow and closed her eyes, holding her breath and waiting for Luke to return. Please don’t let him find the fallen chairs.

  Another light knock sounded on the door. “I had a quick look but I couldn’t find anything,” Luke said. “Sorry for waking you.”

  With a sigh of relief, and feeling like a teenage delinquent, Jodie sank into the pillows. She’d never snuck out of the house before and doing it now as a grown woman seemed ridiculous. My life is so out of control. Lying there in the darkened room, she turned it over in her mind. Wild boars kept trying to kill her and she had a schoolgirl crush on a leopard. Her alcoholic brother and his best friend currently slept in the living room, and her nieces down the hall. Her grandmother, who seem
s quite fine with shape shifting, thank you very much, would arrive for dinner the next day and Jodie had to work in four hours. She had the sinking feeling things were going to get worse before they got better.

  Miraculously Jodie made it through the day without anything going wrong at work and even managed to secure an appointment with the manager at Glam Interiors. Determined to repair the damage, Jodie knew personally shouldering the blame, might help them reconsider the advertising contract. Jodie owed it to Matt to put things right, but also felt the need to prove it to herself.

  Irene Fletcher came down with a cold, so she phoned to postpone dinner. Jodie pushed aside her disappointment; she couldn’t do anything except wish her a speedy recovery. All her questions would simply have to wait.

  Luke and Zach had an uneventful day and the girls seemed happy, things appeared to be settling down. Jodie remembered to ask Ainsley and Laura to look after the girls Friday night and they didn’t hesitate to accept.

  Wednesday and Thursday passed without incident. Jodie hadn’t heard from the leopard and wondered if he was all right. Would she ever know if anything did happen to him? She doubted anyone would tell her, leaving her both dejected and frustrated. Jodie tried to convince herself it was an overreaction, knowing how many other things she had to focus on. It didn’t help much, the leopard continued to plague her thoughts.

  Jodie filed a claim with her insurance company regarding the damage to her car. She told them vandals had done it, since it sure looked like someone had taken to it with a crow bar or lead pipe. They didn’t seem to think that there would be a problem with the claim. Meanwhile they arranged for someone to come and collect the car.

  The school nearby told Jodie that Grace could start the following Monday and Rose had been put on the waiting list for day-care. Jodie purchased some new shrubs for the back yard. She couldn’t afford much, so the gardens seemed sparse when compared with before the incident. However, the back yard looked a lot less derelict than before. Luke and Zach planted them while she went to work, with the back fence the only thing still to be done.