If Tomorrow Never Comes (20 page)

           
This is a key to a safety deposit
box.”
 
With his other hand, Jake withdrew
an envelope from beneath his clothing.
 
“In here are instructions as to where the box is located along with a
notarized letter granting you permission to its contents.”
 
With a smirk realigning his lips, he
continued, “After all, a bargain is a bargain.
 
You may stay at my apartment until you decide what you want to do, and
where you want to go.”
 

           
Inflicted with stunned paralysis,
the key lay in Jordan’s opened hand. When her fingers refused to grasp it,
folding them over with his Jake gently squeezed them shut.
 
“You earned it, Jordan.
 
You deserve it.
 
For God's sake, take it.”

           
Though the touch of Jake's hand and
his verbal message meeting his eyes, made her want to bolt, she couldn't.
 
The part of her he'd claimed, would be lost
forever a portion she believed had shriveled and died that never existed until
he rudely entered her life.
  
A heart
that seemed to have burst into prominence and was partying crazily, flashing
like a strobe light, gorging her brain with blood that was turning hurt and
pain into an antiquity.
 

           
Unbelievable as it seemed she'd
found someone, good, kind, and honest, who cared enough to set her free, enough
not to touch her, who gave her a reason to wake every morning, to eat, to
dream, to begin trusting again, a reason to live.
 
The worst part, he was a man. The fist
clutching the key came hard against her chest hoping to contain the heart about
to rupture through her ribs.
 
She jerked
her eyes away that always seemed to cloud up and mist whenever he was
around.
 
She couldn't cry, wouldn't.
 
Damn it all, she wouldn't.

           
Jakes tone was as smooth as his
expression.
 
“Don't be afraid,
Jordan.
 
This is your chance.
 
Take it.
 
If you need me for whatever reason, I'll be there.
 
I'd never do anything to hurt you.
 
I'll always protect you; keep you safe, I
promise.”

           
Damn him, didn't he know he was
hurting her now, tearing her to shreds?
 
Tiger-eyes' filled with renewed terror struck his face.
 
Her voice sounded very young, very small, as
if a petrified child.
 
“Don't say
that.
 
You told me you couldn’t make
promises because you don't have it in you to keep them.
 
That promises are only meant to be broken.”

           
Moving closer, he looked as if he
were going to gather her into his arms and, he was, so desperate was he to hold
her, hold her close, and draw her inside him where he could keep her safe
forever.
 
Kiss her.
 
Oh, God, yes, kiss those lips just once.
 
Whisper the words that were pulverizing his
chest, words she'd never accept that would mean nothing to someone who never
knew love from a man, if he did she’d run.
 

           
Hands that shoved his away concealed
her face.
 
Confronting her was a fear of
a horrifying dimension.
 
What if Scorpio
won, took Jake away from her just when she'd discovered the true man behind the
disguise?
 
Love always leached everything
from you the only thing it gave back was pain.
 
It took her mother, and now, it wanted her Jake.
  
           
  

           
Before she collected her senses,
Jake had started the car, turned around, and was heading in the direction of
the apartment.
 
Once they arrived, head
pounding like a freight train, feeling beyond exhaustion, she went to the
bathroom, stripped and showered until the water turned cold.
 
Returning to the bedroom she crawled into bed
with the key and envelope clasped to her breast.
 
There was no way she could sleep, not
tonight, not ever again.

           
Upon entering the
kitchen, Jake never realized he didn't pick up a cigarette, didn't search for a
can of beer.
 
Sitting in a chair, he
planned his final move.
 
Some ones
investigation was unsatisfactory, their past a blur, their record too clean,
someone who never reminisced or, spoke of the future, who covered all too
carefully his every move.
 
This person
was hiding something and Jake hoped tomorrow to have definitive proof of his
suspicions.

CHAPTER 20

           
Mind
whirling, staring at the clock on the crate, its black limbs pointing out two
A.M., Jordan assimilated and dissected the evenings' occurrences.
 
If not for the key and envelope clutched in
her hand, she wouldn’t have believed what took place.

           
Reflections
of Jake bringing on a powerful yearning to see him bolted her upright her
glance instantly searching out the chair he normally occupied.
 
Finding it vacant, with disappointment
becoming so oppressive her legs almost came from under her, she ran to the
bedroom door.
 
Stopping abruptly
sheepishly, she peaked into the adjoining room.
 
A tidal wave of relief somewhat eased an anxiety she didn't understand,
and would never admit, upon discovering him asleep on the sofa.

           
Astonishment's
residue remained indelibly written on her features. She never expected Morgan,
of all people; to uphold his end of the bargain, least of all set her
free.
 
No longer were shackles binding
her.
 
He insisted he had sufficient
evidence to get Scorpio.
 
She'd met her
obligations, he said, therefore earned her reward.
  
It was time to leave, begin a new life, now
while Jake slept, to do so any other time would be impossible due to his
manipulating emerald eyes, reflecting facets that would not permit a goodbye
without crumbling into a billion pieces.
 

           
Cunning
as a prowler, she came beside him embedding to memory every minuscule
detail.
 
Despite the rags, his face was
clean, hair brushed, the blonde threads splayed randomly across the
pillow.
 
The master of sleep had erased
the dark smudges beneath his eyes, smoothed the once deep lines etching his
face.
 
Now she wondered how someone so
ruggedly dangerous awake could look so vulnerable and princely asleep.
 
A deadly blow striking her chest brought her
hand sharply to her breast.

           
Never
before did she want to touch a man, feel the texture of his skin, eyebrows,
lips.
 
It would be safe now while the
labyrinth slept.
 
She need not worry
about him feeling, reacting, wanting what she could never give.
 
Maybe one day she'd call upon a memory of
Jacob Morgan, then again, probably not.
 
Why would she remember someone she hated, but if that were true,
disappearing tonight would come easy.

           
As
though blinded to the truth, her eyes flicked here, there, and everywhere,
examining the room, every crevice, every detail before stalling on the
trunk.
 
How could Brenda do what she did
to Jake?
 
What kind of woman was
she?
 
Could women be as cruel as men
could?
 
Unbelievable as it seemed, she
despised a complete stranger.

           
“No,”
her mind screamed, there was too much that remained unknown, and undone to cop
out now.
 
For the life of her, she had to
make certain Jake got his revenge before writing the only ending to her
story.
 
She had to meet the two people he
hated.
 
Kill them.
 
If she didn’t Scorpio would kill Morgan.
 

           
Determined
to make one last delivery, ever so quietly, she tiptoed into the bedroom.
 
Placing the key and envelope under the
mattress for safekeeping, she changed into her disguise, then cat like climbed
out the window and down the fire escape.
 
Maybe, if God truly existed she’d find Scorpio before Morgan.

           
An
unbearable clanging shook Jake's skull, as though the demon inside was
suffering the effects of alcohol withdrawal.
 
Anxious for a remedy, blurry-eyed, he stumbled into the kitchen and
opened the refrigerator door, the only items remaining were the workings of two
conniving women.
 
With a bang the door
closed, the racket tightening the tension seizing his muscles and escalating
the velocity of the hammer bludgeoning his skull.
     

           
Hastily,
moving to the drawer normally overflowing with unimaginable junk, jerking it
open, he saw the bottom lined with shelving paper, every bottle labeled and
placed in neat rows.
 
“Damn meddling
women,” he cursed while popping a handful of pain relief tablets into his
mouth.
 
Searching out a glass to hold the
gagging, tasteless, liquid that would wash them down he tugged too hard on an upper
cabinet door sending it crashing into another.
 
The glare from sparkling clean glasses hurt his eyes.
 
Anguish in his head plummeting to his chest
almost brought him to his knees.
 
Guzzling glass after glass of water did nothing to dose the flame's Jordan
had kindled.

           
Jordan,
he thought, her name surprisingly easing nerves twitching relentlessly.
 
Dear God, tonight he’d made the biggest
mistake of his life by, giving in too easily, granting her freedom.
 
He was an ass for purchasing a ticket, giving
her money, not knowing where she would go, or when.
 
What an idiot he was. Ridiculous as it
seemed, he wanted to know her plans, where she'd be just in case he wanted to
see her, make sure she was all right.
 

           
With a
smack, his palm connected with his forehead.
 
Jesus, he never slept, now all of a sudden he couldn’t stay awake.
 
He’d made it too damn easy for her to
escape.
  
Escape, hell, he ordered her to
go.
 

           
Sputtering
curses, he stared out the bedroom window at the iron offering escape.
 
With tremendous force his fist caved in
drywall, the action doing nothing to ease the fatal wound to his chest.
 
Tears ran down his cheek so convinced was he
it never was his destiny to love, or be happy.

           
The
phone rang and rang and rang a cruel but much needed reminder of his only
purpose in life.
   
McMaster’s’ had
ordered a last minute raid, Billy said.
 
He was to meet his team at the location.

TWENTY
21

Six
of Scorpios' expert gunmen were assigned a primary target the success of their
endeavors would gain his favor, and a sizable reward to make the risk
worthwhile.
 
Positioned behind
barricades, the assassin's eagerly awaited a cocaine delivery confident Morgan
would strike the moment it arrived.
 
Hands holding weapons were ready, any minute now, any second.

____________

Why
a raid now, Jake’s mind shouted, just when his strategy was almost
complete.
 
A plan that would organize
Chicago's entire drug force into teams lead by experienced commanders.
 
One night, with precision, hard and fast,
they'd strike.
 
Raiding one location at a
time was getting them nowhere.
 
Scorpio
was, toying with them, making them appear fools, and laughing in their faces.

It
was the biggest mistake of McMaster’s career, Jake seethed.
 
Successful raids required calculated moves of
each team member combined with precision timing.
 
Too damn young and headstrong Billy’s lack of
experience could cost his life, and those of his teammates.
 
Anxiety flaring high told Jake if there was a
spy among them, tonight might be a trap.

Duty
and the safety of his men banished all thoughts of Jordan.
  
Paying no heed to stop lights, traffic, or
speed limits, with the engine of his Mustang revved to the max, Jake's car sped
down side streets' barely missing parked cars as it swerved around corners' and
cut through alleys'.
  
Praying the short
cut would get him to his destination on time each traffic light, each street
light, each sign seemed to be flashing a fatalistic warning as fenders hurled
trash cans full of garbage.