Jared (4 page)

“Broke him out?” Pam piped in
.

“
He
and
a woman came in while Jared was interrogating
Chad
.” Duncan answered when Sid chuckled.

“Fuck you Sid.” Jared growled.

“Well
,
it isn’t every day you see the mighty warrior Jared tied to a chair by a little woman in a baseball cap and sunglasses.” Sid snorted.

Before Jared could make a comment Duncan’s cell rang. After a few seconds and a few words he hung up. “Got ‘em.”

Jared’s grin was evil in a happy sort of way. “Now the mighty warrior Jared gets his revenge.”

Tessa
found her
grandfather
sitting at a
table in the rec room of the nursing home. Every once in a while he would talk, but as time went by less words were spoken and it broke her heart.
Alzheimer’s
was a cruel disease. It took loved ones
far
away, yet they were right in front of you.
Sometimes just looking into
his
kind eyes she could see him, just knew he was in there somewhere, but then the vacant
stare
would glaze
over
those eyes that had watch
ed
over her and her brother when things got tough at home.

“Sorry I’m late
Gramps
.” Tessa sat everything down before pulling a chair close
r
to
him
. Opening the McDonalds bag she pulled out a napkin
spreading
it across
the table. Taking a peek at him to gage his mood
,
she smiled when she caught him staring at her. “Do I have something on my nose?” She teased.

His smile spread wide as he tapped her nose gently with a laugh.

“I see you’re having a good day.” Tessa
chuckled
along with him
as she pulled
out his large order of fries. She watched as he grabbed
one
holding it up to her mouth. It was the same thing every day and had been for the past six months. Before she could take a bite he pulled it away and plopped it in his
own
mouth. “Hey!”
Her mouth turned down in her fake frown face which made him laugh loudly drawing everyone’s attention.

“I see he got you again.” Tammy Sims, one of the nurses chuckled as she passed them. “He’s a trickster.”

“Yes, he is
.
” Tessa grinned. This time when he held a fry up to her he let her have it. “Thank you. Now you eat those, okay.”
McDonalds
fries were the only thing she and the doctors at the nursing home could get him to eat. At least three times a week or more he had to get fed through feeding tubes so he could get his nourishment.
He recovered from the stroke he suffered a
year ago only to have onset of
Alzheimer’s
devastate his mind.
He had always been her rock and her heart hurt watching him lose more of himself every
day.

It
had
killed both her and Adam when they
came
to the realization they couldn’t take care of him anymore. He had always taken care of them
and they had felt
so guilty
when they had to let
him
go and
take
him somewhere experienced people could take care
of him
properly.

Tessa was surprised when he gently took one finger to her mouth to raise the corner in a half smile which made a larger smile curl her lips. His eyes, which were more vacant than not, were alert
now
. “You rascal.
I know you’re in there somewhere.” Tessa hugged him. “I miss you.” She whispered softly in his ear before pulling away.

“Hey big guy.” Mark P
eterson
walked up patting him on the shoulder. “You ready to get handsome for the ladies?”

Tessa smiled. Mark
worked nights with the male patients helping them shower and clean themselves. He was great with her grandfather. “Hey Mark. How’s Julie and the baby?”

“Julie’s great. Motherhood agrees with her.” Mark grinned
,
pride radiating from him like a beaming light. “Little Mark is growing like a weed.”

“Well, tell her I said hello.”
Tessa stood gathering the empty McDonalds bag, cleaning up.
“Whenever you two need a night out don’t forget to call me. I would love to babysit.”

“I sure will, but I don’t think I could get her away from the little guy long enough to do anything.” Mark laughed
as he helped
her grandfather to his feet.

Tessa threw the garbage away then went to hug her grandfather. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She hugged him tight. “Don’t break too many hearts, ya hear?
”
As she pulled away he clasped her face between his large hands staring deeply into her eyes, sadness and something else shadowed in their depth
before he let her go
.

“
I
love you
Gramps
.”
Tessa stood still waiting patiently. Every once in while he would speak and she loved the sound of his voice, the voice that had calmed her as a child. She yearned for that voice. He once again pulled her into his tight embrace before patting her cheek
. This time
his huge smile reached his eyes and made
her day much brighter because that was his way to say he loved her to
o
.

Heading out of the nursing home Tessa groaned. Mr. Weston was
buzzing his wheelchair
toward
s
her, bless
h
is old soul.

“You got my condoms?” Mr. Weston’s saggy wrinkled face jigged as he
sneaked a peep
behind him to make sure no one was around.

“Excuse me
?
” Tessa all but choked.
This little old man surely did not just ask her for a rubber.

“Adam said he would get me a box.” His anxious face turned sour. “He didn’t send them with you?”

“Ah, no. No, he didn’t.” Tessa eyed
him
,
wondering
if the little old man could even….ugh, okay not going there.

“Well don’t that just chap my ass!”
The old man
huffed. “I got
women lining up at my door and I got me a hot date tonight with Laverne.”

Tessa could not believe she was standing in the hallway of Villa Spring
s
Nursing Home talking to an eighty something year old man about condoms. She was going to kill her brother. “I’m sorry.” Was all she could think to say.
Seriously, what could she say?

“You’re sorry?” The old man huffed aga
in as he buzzed past her in his automatic
wheelchair. “You ain’t
the one who’s gonna
have a case of blue balls.”

S
tanding there in
complete
shock she slowly turned to watch the old man make his way down the hall pinching every ass he passed.
A
huge smile brok
e out across her face, uncontrollable laughter close behind
as she quickly made her way out of the nursing home
. Yeah, she was definitely going to kill her brother.

********

This time Tessa parked in the driveway. Anxious
,
she jumped out of the car and ran into the house. “Adam.” She called out throwing her bag on the couch as she passed. “I am going to kill you. Old Mr. Weston cornered me at the nursing home wanting to know if I had his condoms. What in the hell are you doing promising that old man condoms
?
He pretty much is going to blame me if he gets a case of blue balls….” Tessa stopped cold as she stepped into
her
now very
crowded kitchen.

“Hello Red.” There leaning against her kitchen sink was the warrior she had silver chained to the chair
wearing
a grin that sucked the breath right out of her
and h
e
wasn’t alone. Two o
ther warriors stood in the room. A
noise from behind her
was fair warning
she ha
d
passed
a
fourth warrior
on her way in.

Fear like nothing she ever felt before paralyzed her.
Okay be cool she told herself, but being cool with nervous sweat breaking out on her body was hard to pull off. “Who are you?” She was proud her voice held strong. Playing dumb was the only way she might be able to get out of this mess. “What are
you
doing in my house?”

Everyone looked to the one leaning against the sink. “It’s her.” He told them
,
his eyes never leaving hers.
“I smelled honeysuckle a mile away.”

He tossed
her baseball hat and sunglasses on the table
which
pretty much
shot the playing dumb card down the toilet. Dammit. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She took a step back, but ran into something hard. “You need to leave now before I call the police.
”
She demanded pulling out her cell phone.
A
huge hand snaked around her grabbing it.

“Sit down.” The one behind her gave her a small push toward the kitchen table where he just threw her phone.

“Hey.” She reached for her phone but was pushed into a seat and had to grab the edges of the chair before she hit the ground. “What the hell is your pro…” The words died i
n her throat when the biggest, scariest man she
had
ever seen snarled down at her with huge fang
s,
eye
s
black as midnight.

“Damon.” One of the others called out
, Tessa didn’t know which one since her eyes were glued on her current threat
.
“We need her to talk, not pass out from fear
.
Back off.
”

Tessa let out a whoosh of breath when he backed away to lean against the door frame, his snarl still in place and eyes as black, but out of arms reach. “I think you guys got the wrong house.” She
tried one more time
to
lie her way out of this mess.
Maybe if she hadn’t had her mind on condoms and blue balls she might have noticed something wasn’t right before entering into this nightmare.

“Oh we got the right house Red.” The one she had chained to the chair and her brother held the gun to his head pushed away from the counter
slamming
both hands on the table in front of her. He leaned in so close she cringed away. “Where’s your brother?”

“I don’t have a brother.” Tessa was getting really, really nervous
,
so nervous in fact she had to pee. Nerves did that to her. Just like water made people have to pee,
nerves were
her water going straight through her.

“Give me five minutes with her and I bet she’ll remember she has a brother.” The one they called Damon growled.

She had no clue where Adam was, obviously not here. Damn
,
she had to think and think fast. Standing up
,
she pushed her chair taking a step away from the huge warriors. Never had she been in a room so full of male
s
that radiated power from their pores. It was almost overwhelming. Hell
,
what was she talking about, she was about to pee her pants
,
the
pure male alpha
power was so overwhelming. “You need to leave now!” She pointed to the door as if that was going to make them do as she ordered. “Get out of my house!”

They all stared at her with no emotion at all, well they all looked pretty pissed, but she was trying to ignore tha
t fact
. “Honey
,
you might as well come clean. We know you were at our compound with your brother. All we want to know is where he is and where he took Chad Evans. As soon as we find that out we will be on our way.”

Her eyes shot to the back door as it swung open praying it wasn’
t Adam. Another warrior walked
in
, not as big as the others, but he had Adam’s eyes, the eyes of a
half-breed
. “He’s good. He covered his tracks well.” He announced to the others before his mismatched eyes landed on her. “Having a little trouble boys?”

“She’s coming around.”
Jared
replied glancing back at her. “Aren’t you honey
?
”