Jessie's Jewels [Submissive Sirens 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (8 page)

She turned her attention once more to the scene outside, her heart in her throat as the driver dropped the branch and looked back at the car after the sound of the horn shattered the nighttime stillness. He spun around with a cry as the footsteps behind him registered, and Jessie cried out as one of the masked men brought the butt of a crowbar down on the driver’s head. The man collapsed and lay nerveless, a bloody gash beginning to ooze from the side of his head.

Jessie’s immediate instinct was to climb into the driver’s seat and go straight back to Gabriel’s, but she couldn’t leave the driver lying in the road, bleeding and very obviously badly hurt. She weighed her options quickly, noticing that the men had started toward the car. That settled it. She couldn’t phone anyone and expect them to arrive before...well, before the masked men did whatever it was they were planning to do, so she discarded her phone and clicked the safety off the Glock.

Jessie waited in the car, cowering in the front seat as if she was terrified and helpless. She kept an eye on the men, and as one of them reached out a hand to open the car door, she made her move.

Kicking the door open with all her strength, Jessie was satisfied as the masked man howled, doubling over and dancing backward as the door smashed against his hand. He cradled his fist, snarling now, and both men started forward toward her.

Quick as a flash, Jessie raised the gun, holding it steady and taking careful aim. “One more step forward, gentlemen, and one of you dies.”

The men looked at one another, clearly unsure how to proceed.

“You won’t be able to shoot us both before we get to you.” The uninjured man spoke with bravado, but Jessie could sense he was nervous.

“Well, I suppose I might not be able to. But then again…” Jessie cocked her head as if she was considering her odds. “Then again, I might.” She smiled coldly. “It’s your choice, gentlemen.”

The men looked at one another and then back at Jessie. She could tell that they were trying to decide if she was bluffing, or if she was only pretending to be competent with the gun she held. She decided to give them some inspiration to leave.

The two men howled and jumped as Jessie fired a round, grazing so close to the man on the right that he had to have felt the disturbance of the air before the bullet was embedded into the branch behind them.

“You almost shot me!” the man accused, almost hopping up and down in rage.

“Yes, well I can’t believe I missed.” Jessie aimed the gun again, but before she could fire, the men turned tail and ran, making quite a racket as they stumbled and ran on in the darkness.

“You haven’t seen the last of us!” The shout trailed back toward her, making her wonder what the hell it was supposed to mean.

Jessie waited silently a moment with the gun still primed and ready until she heard an engine roar to life and the squealing of tires making a hasty departure.

Once sure of herself, Jessie lowered the gun and moved quickly to the driver, who still hadn’t stirred. She reached down and breathed a sigh of relief as she felt the steady beat of his pulse.

She took stock of the situation and sighed. No way would she be able to move that branch by herself, and she’d rather have help before trying to move the driver. She estimated that they were still closer to Gabriel’s estate than her own, so with a feeling of trepidation she went to the still-running car and switched it off, palming the keys before dialing Gabriel’s number.

“Hello?” Gabriel’s voice wasn’t sleepy at all, and the fact that he’d answered on almost the first ring told Jessie he hadn’t yet gone to bed.

“Hello, Gabriel.” The precariousness of her situation dawned on Jessie, and she looked around herself as the nighttime sounds seemed louder than a moment ago.

“Lady Jessamy? Are you all right?” Gabriel’s voice cracked like a whip.

“I’ve had a bit of an incident.” She filled him in briefly, not wanting to waste time explaining while she was still outside in the middle of the night with an injured man and a promise of retribution from two masked men.

“I’m coming. Get back in the car and lock the doors.” With that, Gabriel ended the call.

As if that’s going to happen
,
Jessie thought to herself. She wasn’t about to leave the driver lying by himself in the road, especially if those two assholes came back, so she took her phone and the gun and sat down beside the driver to wait. She took off her wrap and laid it over the driver, knowing it was more important right now for him to be kept warm than for herself.

She estimated that ten minutes had passed when she heard a powerful roar coming from the direction of Hartley House, and she watched as a pair of headlights became visible in the darkness. Not content to assume it was Gabriel, Jessie roused herself and trained the gun on the approaching vehicle. She sighed in relief a moment later, lowering the gun as she recognized Gabriel’s Hummer. Frankly, she was delighted to see the massive vehicle. She knew it was bulletproof, and right now she was feeling a tad vulnerable.

“Gabriel,” she called, “Help me get him into the Hummer. You can drive him back to yours and I’ll borrow your car. I’ll ask Liam to drop it off…”

Jessie’s words stuck in her throat as she got a good look at the fire blazing in Gabriel’s eyes. She stopped, jaw practically on the ground, as he strode over to her. His long legs covered the distance between them in a matter of moments, and Jessie was shocked when Gabriel stopped directly in front of her and gripped her shoulders.

His teeth were clenched. “Did I not instruct you,” he grated, his fury evident, “to wait in the fucking car with the doors locked?”

Jessie was solemn. Gabriel was seriously pissed. “I didn’t want to leave him alone, Gabriel. What if those two bastards came back?”

Gabriel released one shoulder to pinch the bridge of his nose, and Jessie could see his nostrils flare as he took deliberately even breaths.

“That’s exactly my point, Lady Jessamy. What would you have done if they had indeed returned?”

Jessie smiled, a small, lopsided quirk of her lips. “I would have shot them.” She held out the gun. “Thank you, Your Grace, for keeping your vehicles so well stocked.”

Gabriel’s face was unreadable as he took the gun from her. “Dammit, Jessamy, you can’t guarantee that nothing would have gone wrong.”

Jessie gently removed his other hand from her shoulder, holding it in hers for a moment to try and calm him. “But, Gabriel, it didn’t. Nothing went wrong.”

“But it could have, dammit!” Gabriel raked a hand through his long dark hair, and Jessie noticed for the first time that it had come undone from its neat queue, giving him the air of a pirate.

“Jessamy!” Gabriel barked at her, his hand moving to her chin and holding her head immobile. “I gave you an order! You deliberately chose not to follow it!”

Jessie stared at him, dumbfounded for a moment before her sense of righteous anger bubbled to the surface. Put like that, Gabriel sounded like the domineering asshole he usually was, and Jessie forgot in an instant the pleasure of having him rub her feet.

“An order?” Jessie took a step forward, directly into Gabriel’s chest, poking him with a lacquered fingernail. “You gave me an order? Who the hell do you think you are?” She was fairly trembling now, furious with him for trying to control her.

“You spend an evening rescuing me from those horrible people at the party, and now you think you get to tell me what to do? I have also been trained by MI6,
Your Grace
, and am perfectly capable of looking after myself. I have no need to hide in a car, leaving a helpless man to who knows what!”

As Jessie’s anger peaked, she realized that her breath was coming in gasps. With each gasp, her breasts heaved directly into Gabriel’s chest at the bottom of his rib cage, and without her wrap she was conscious of the beaded tips of her nipples as the silk of her gown caressed them on every inhale.

She came back to herself an instant later, realizing that she’d pressed herself right against Gabriel in her wrath, hoping to force him backward. Of course that hadn’t worked, she thought angrily, since the jerk just stood there staring down at her, all dark and angry and totally sexy as hell. She found herself getting lost in the dark pools of his eyes, and her breath hitched as he licked his lips.

Just as Gabriel opened his mouth to deliver what Jessie was sure would be a scathing retort, the driver moaned and stirred. Jessie spun guiltily toward the man lying in the road, horrified that she’d totally forgotten about him while she’d been busy staring at Gabriel’s mouth. She started toward him, but Gabriel reached for her and caught her by the hand.

“This is not finished. We will continue our conversation later.”

With that, Gabriel strode around Jessie, releasing her hand and leaving her fuming. He picked up the driver with no visible effort, being careful of the man’s head and laying him down in the backseat of the Hummer.

Once he’d arranged the driver and closed the door, Gabriel walked to the big branch that was still lying across the road. He took an end and tugged, hauling the heavy branch off the road with apparent ease. Jessie looked at him enviously, wishing she’d been able to move it as easily. If she had, she’d never have had to call him in the first place.

Jessie stalked toward the car, intending to drive herself home while Gabriel could go drive off a cliff, for all she cared. She hadn’t made it more than two steps when she felt a big hand on her shoulder for the umpteenth time that evening, an evening that, at this point, she felt would never end. Gabriel spun her around to face him again.

“Going somewhere?” His voice was silky, that aristocratic eyebrow raised high.

Jessie gritted her teeth, reminding herself that she was a titled lady, and as much as she might like to hop up and down screaming at him, it was beneath her. She raised her chin a notch. “I am going home. I wish to go to bed. This evening has become...tiresome.”

Gabriel grinned at her. “I won’t stop you. In fact, I’ll ensure you arrive safely.”

Jessie frowned at him. “Really, Your Grace, you’ve done quite enough this evening.”

As if he hadn’t heard her, Gabriel took a firm grip on Jessie’s elbow, his other hand pressing against the small of her back. “Those men could still be on the road. I’ll drive you home.”

Jessie huffed as he bundled her into the Hummer, buckling her seat belt for her and taking the keys to the car. She twisted her hands in her lap. She was uncomfortable with this for so many reasons. She watched as Gabriel moved the car from the road, parking it alongside for someone to pick up later. She was enthralled by him even as she was cross with him. She loved the way the night wind whipped his long hair around his chiseled face.

Gabriel got into the driver’s seat, putting the big vehicle into drive and maneuvering it carefully down the road. Jessie could tell he was looking for other signs that something was amiss, and she was secretly grateful for his presence. As annoying as he was, he was wonderful to have close by during sticky situations.

The silence stretched between them, and Jessie cleared her throat, trying to think of something to say. “Your Grace is welcome to stay the night. It will be very late by the time we arrive.” Belatedly, Jessie recalled the unconscious man in the back seat. “And of course your driver will be welcome to stay as long as necessary for him to recover.” She cursed inwardly, knowing she’d have to ask Liam to give up his bed. She didn’t have the extra rooms in the house open, and even if she did, there was no furniture in them to speak of. She’d give up her own bed, but she knew Gabriel and Liam would never accept.

“Thank you, Your Ladyship.” Gabriel was intent on the road ahead of him. “Once Paul here is back on his feet, I’ll have someone come and pick him up, and at the same time drop off my things.”

Jessie blanched. “Your...things?”

Gabriel glanced at her for a moment, and Jessie was startled to see that he was amused. “Those men told you they’d be back. You didn’t honestly think I’d leave you on your own, did you?”

Jessie stared at him. “I have Liam with me. I’m sure, Gabriel, that it won’t be necessary.” Even as she said the words, she thought about the threat the masked men had made against her, realizing she hadn’t considered that they could attack her in her home. The thought made her shiver, and she kind of hoped Gabriel would insist on staying with her. She realized she needn’t have worried and rolled her eyes as his innate arrogance took over.

“We don’t even know who they are,” Gabriel asserted. “If I thought you and Liam would consent to staying at Hartley House, I’d be driving you back there right now. But I know how headstrong you are”—Jessie snorted, and Gabriel looked at her disapprovingly—“and I know you’d never leave your home. So this is the next most reasonable option.”

Jessie sighed. “And if these men never come back?”

Gabriel didn’t look at her when he answered. “Then I suppose I’ll be a permanent houseguest. I’ll stay as long as it takes.”

As they drove on and the lights of the manor came into view, Jessie stole a glance at Gabriel. She could have sworn he was smiling.

Jessie winced as she braided her hair, the tugs on her locks harder than necessary. She scowled at her reflection and kept going, annoyed at herself for noticing. Once finished with the braid, however, she sighed and conceded defeat. The French braid she’d constructed was so tight it was already making her forehead throb, and her eyes were pulled into slits, giving her the appearance of having had a truly unfortunate face lift. She undid the braid and ran her fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp that still felt like it was on fire. Rather than rebraiding, Jessie grabbed a jaw clip and clipped her hair into a careless knot high up on her head before whirling away from the mirror and grabbing her riding boots. She flounced onto her bed and tucked a foot into the first boot, zipping it up before giving the other boot the same treatment. Once she was ready to go, Jessie sighed.

It had been just over two weeks since the night of, as Jessie liked to think of it,
The Incident
, and Jessie was feeling seriously uncomfortable. She was also seriously annoyed, and she flopped backward on her bed, throwing an arm over her eyes and groaning as she thought of the various sources of her annoyance.