Then & Now (30 page)

Tilting her head up to meet his he gently pushed lose strands of hair away from her face.  She was soft everywhere.  From hair to toe he couldn’t keep his hands from caressing each and every inch.  Lowering his mouth to hers he teased her lips until she fell asleep in his arms.

His brain was still slightly fogged over when a familiar sound rang though his head.  He blinked a few times trying to figure out what exactly the noise was.  Taking in a better view of Leya’s room he realized instantly that it was later in the day.  He must have fallen asleep.

The sound chimed again and he glanced over the side of the large bed to where his pants lay.  It was his cell.  Lifting his body he heard a small whimper of protest from the angelic creature snuggled against him.

“Don’t answer it.”  Leya purred as she pressed her still naked body against his.

Groaning, he rolled over and took her deep into his arms.  His lips sought out hers receiving adorable moans while he did.  Making love to her until they were too weak to move became his only goal as he pulled her on top of him.

Nearly two hours later he was waken by the thrill of his phone once again.  He rubbed a tired hand over his face then snuck a quick look at the digital clock on the nightstand.  It was only eight-thirty in the evening and yet it seemed so much later. 

The relentless phone stopped only for a few moments before it started to scream once more making him realize that the call must be urgent.  Gently he pulled away from Leya’s peaceful form, wishing he didn’t have to. Slightly irritated he grabbed his pants and removed his cell.  Before he left to the bathroom he turned to give her a once over smiling like an idiot as he did. 

Closing the thick door behind him, he flipped open his phone to find that he had missed several calls.  A few from a number he didn’t recognize, a few from the home line, and the rest from Victor’s personal line from the guest house.

A small tremor of unease had him on alert.  The intense feeling was old but familiar.  Although it had been years since his training, every instinct became charged.  Something was wrong he could feel it.

Dialing Victor’s number he waited one ring before his friend answered.  “Where are you?”

“I’m in the house.”  He answered keeping it as low-key as possible.

“With Leya?”

“Yes.”

“Is she with anyone?”

“No.”  The tension in the older man’s voice pushed Jasper over the edge.  “Victor what is it?”  He asked fearing that he already knew the answer.                

    “He’s out. The hospital called to warn us.”  Victor said gravely.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Jasper tried to make sense of his friend’s statement.  “What do you mean ‘he’s out’?”

“Apparently he had one of the nurses helping him.  She got him out only to be strangled and left for dead.”  Victor informed sounding disoriented.  “He’s coming here, Jasper.  He wants her.”

Opening the bathroom door he gave the room a quick look.  This was why he had been hired.  Why Leya’s mother begged from him to stay, to be her guard.  To guard her from
him
.

Grabbing his pants from the floor, Jasper balanced the phone between his ear and shoulder.  “Are you sure?”  He asked not wanting to hear the truth.

“They found letters that he had left behind.  They even found some of the other letters that were thrown out.”  Victor took a breath before saying. “Jasper, it gets pretty cryptic on the details of what will happen when he gets her back.”

Every nerve ending tensed at his words. “Get her back?”

“Yes.  The letter’s talk about how although she was beautiful she still held the untrue and toxic beauty that her mother had.”  He paused as if reading from the actual letters. “He talks about her losing her beauty will change her for the better so he will cut her face so that she won’t be corrupt by the physical.”

Cut her face
?  What in hell?  “Victor, do you have one of the letters with you now?”  Jasper asked as he fastened his pants.

“I’m sorry…” The older man whispered over the line.  “I didn’t want her to see them.”

“What are you saying?”

“They came a few days ago.  I thought he sent them from the hospital…he’s done it before.  But then I realized they had no postage.”  Victor’s grim answer had Jasper opening her bedroom door and down the hall to his own room in a matter of seconds.

Pulling out his semi-automatic pistol he checked the clip before returning back to Leya’s room. He gave Victor quick instructions to pack light and grab one of her many cars and meet them in the front, before he signed off.  Turning on the overhead light he moved to her side of the bed.

She blinked awake looking well loved and slightly confused. 
“Jasper?  What’s wrong?”

He ignored the husky sound of her beautiful voice.  “We have to leave, baby.”

“Leave?”  She giggled.  “Where?”

“To somewhere I think you’ll really like.  Hurry and pack, okay?  We’re leaving in ten minutes.”  Kissing her forehead he moved quickly around the room.

“Why are we leaving so soon?”  Her question followed him to the door.

Turning to see that angelic face twisted up into concern he winked to help ease her.  “I’ll explain everything on the way. 
Alright?  Just hurry, baby girl.”

He rushed down the hall to pack his own bag knowing that it wasn’t his place to say anything.  He would let Victor tell her.  Then he would be there to hold her when she realized that everyone had lied to her.

Just hurry, baby girl
.  Shaking her head Leya slowly climbed out of bed.  Where in the world did he plan to take her?  And why was he in such a hurry? Maybe he was taking her away for the weekend. 

Excitement raced through her while she hurried into her closet.  Pulling on a close fitted
sweeter and jeans she wondered where he was going to take her. He did say that she would like it.  Every inch of her body ached in the most wonderful ways.  If he felt the need to sweep her away to some exotic location just to make her ached all over again, then fine by her.

Grabbing only her most sexy clothing she couldn’t contain the smile that took over.  Alone with Jasper for the whole weekend doing nothing but keeping each other satisfied had her on cloud nine. 

The smell of something burning suddenly caught her attention.  Leaving the room she headed down the stairs to the long hallway to the kitchen.  The stench of smoke had her moving a little faster.  As she came into the vast kitchen she noticed the back sliding door along with the screen, stood open with the long certain following slightly in the late evening breeze.

“Victor?”  She called out when she saw
eggs sitting on a red burner without a pan as if dropped unexpectedly. While a coffee cup lay on its side spilling its contents down the countertop.

A hand suddenly snake around her waist and mouth.  “Victor isn’t here.”  The deep male voice hummed into the shell of her ear. 

She knew without turning to see who had her that it wasn’t Jasper.  Fear seized her lungs when the scene before her rapidly sunk in.  She took slow breaths through her nose as she eyed the sizzling eggs only a few feet away.

“Walk with me to the door, little sis.  I have something for you to see.”  The man behind her said happily.

Little sis
? She wanted to ask him why he called her that, but unfortunately her mouth was still covered.  Without any effort on his part her captor had her out the door and into the woods behind her house before he let her go.

She spun to see his face only to be caught off guard by his boyish good looks.  In the rose colored night fall he looked like a fashion model or actor.  Her brain raced to think if she had dated him in the past.  It would make sense for him to be so disgruntled.  She had a knack of pissing off many men his kind.

“Hello, Leya.  It’s been awhile.”  He smiled as he handed her a flashlight.

Nothing sparked to mind.  No.  No, she had never dated this man before.  Maybe he was one of several that she had turned down. 

“You don’t remember me do you?”  He asked with an eerie chuckle.  “Didn’t think so.  But that’s not your fault. I blame Victor and that big boy friend of yours.  They have been keeping you from me.  Just like mom and dad.”

Jumping back she flipped the switch of the small flashlight.  Aiming the beam at his face she saw her father’s eyes staring back at her. 
“W-what?”

“It’s okay, little sis.  I doubt you were told much about me.  Apparently I’m crazy.”  He laughed as he lifted his hands to the sides of his face wiggling his fingers.  “They locked me up and everything.  Truth was that mom wanted that perfect child and dad let her decide that you were more perfect then me.”

“Wait….No. You’re not…”  But as she tried to deny it the reality hit her hard.

“Yes.  Little sis, I am.  I’m the brother mother and father gave away.”

Jasper stopped in the middle of throwing some pants into his duffle when the smell hit.  He knew instantly something was wrong.  Pulling out his handgun he dashed out of his room and carefully swept Leya’s.

Nothing. She wasn’t there.  Everything inside him went ridged.  Racing toward the smell he fought off the feeling of foredoom.  Lifting his gun he took the kitchen in all at once.  Without dropping the pistol he knew what he was looking at.  

The woman he was in love with had just been snatched right out from under his nose.

Leya wrapped her arms around her as she slowly made her way through the woods.  She was thankful for sliding on her slippers shortly before she was grabbed from behind.  Even through the soft cotton and plastic bottoms she could feel the sticks and rocks digging into the souls.

“Just a little further, Leya.”  His voice was kind as if what he was doing was no big deal.  “You’ll be out of the cold in only a few moments.”

No!  She didn’t want to be out of the cold.  She wanted to stay out in the open so Jasper can find her.  How long until he noticed?  He said they were leaving in a few minutes.  Did he come looking for her when he realized that she wasn’t ready yet?

“I’m so sorry, Leya.  I really didn’t want this to happen.  I just wanted mom and dad to see that they could love both of us.  To see how much hurt they caused us.”  He explained.  “They didn’t just take you from me, they took me from you.”

Franticly she tried to remember the landscape.  She had only been in the back part of her home a few times.  It was usually with someone or when she been trying to hide from her over protective parents.  Now she knew why.

“I’m sorry that I haven’t kept in better touch.  I’m guessing you didn’t get any of my letters.  No.  Victor probably didn’t give you them.  Can’t blame him for that though.  He was getting paid to do mom and dad’s biding.”  He rattled on, with the gun pointed at her back. “I think that’s why you’ve been acting out.  Because you feel like I’ve neglected you. I blame myself for that.  Even though I am slightly disappointed.”

She kept silent, not knowing how to respond. After all what do you say to someone who was crazy as hell?  Only a few more yards and they would come to the end of her property and the security cameras would pick them up. 
Hopefully.

“Is that why you slept with your guard?  I heard you with him earlier.  I must say you two were holding nothing back.”
 
He laughed without humor.

Spinning on him she ignored the gun in his hand.  “What!  You listened to us making love?!”

“Love?  Really?”  He asked skeptical.

“Yes!”  She cried.  She had always loved Jasper probably now more than ever.  Agony clogged her throat at the thought of never seeing him again.  At least she finally got to know how he felt in her arms.  To know what it felt like to be touched by the man who owned her heart.

“Wow.  I just thought he was a part of your little man club.  I had no idea you loved him.”  He scratched his chin with his gun.  “Well, cool.  I would like to have him as a brother in law.  I’ve seen the way he protects you. But I guess I couldn’t call him little bro.  He’s even older than me.”

  Her stomach coiled at his words. Keeping her mind focused on escaping, she tried to disregard the one
sentence that threatened to ruin a fantasy that she had envisioned for the last nine years. Jasper will never know this man as a family member, if he even wanted the roll of husband. 

Pushing forward, she ignored the December chill on her
face and hands. Her mind flipped through ways to stall him.  Using her twisted ankle to limp even slower along or tripping over her feet, any of those could work.

“When I bring you to Victor, we will ask him what he thinks about your new boy toy.”  His tone was frighteningly composed.

Realizing what he said, she whirled to face him.  “What do you mean by bringing me to Victor?”

“You’ll see.  Just keep walking.” The twisted smile on his absurdly handsome face kept her from pursuing any of her potential ideas of delaying.  Waving his hand in front of him, he motioned for her to get moving.  “He’s not far from here.”

Oh, God
!  No longer caring about her own safety, Leya hurried in the direction he had pointed.  Rushing to the edge of the property she noticed the tiny shed that belonged to the grounds keeper.