Society Rules (26 page)

“Go tell them goodbye,” he said in a slightly less angry tone. “I’ll give you five minutes.”

She drew a deep, broken breath. Five minutes?

To say goodbye to your children?

Indie felt the sobs rushing up into her chest, and her throat stretched as if she would never be able to speak again. She hugged her arms around her body as he opened the door and thrust her into the hallway. She looked back at him.

“Please, don’t let them think that this was my choice, that I didn’t want them!” Indie begged. “I can’t bear it if they’re hurt like that!”

Will nodded imperceptibly, but whispered again, “five minutes.”

She turned and ran down the hall to Cassidy’s room first. She sat up as Indie rushed in. Max, curled next her, looked up and growled softly. Indie scooped her daughter up into her arms, and buried her face in her silky hair.

She pulled down great lungfuls of her scent.

“I love you baby, and I will see you again, I promise, but I have to leave now, to keep you safe. I can’t explain it to you right now, but I’m sure Daddy will answer all of your questions and I know he will take good care of you!” Her voice was choking, closing off.

Cassidy hugged her back, bravely hiding her tears, trying to comfort her mother.

“I know, Mommy. Don’t cry. We’ll be okay, and . . . we’ll get to be with you soon, I know it!”

Indie stroked her hair, and laid her back down on the bed. Fighting for control, she kissed her forehead, and ran for the door. She looked back to blow one final kiss. Cassidy blew one back, and Indie caught it. “Goodbye, baby,” she sobbed, and ran for Jake’s room.

He was sitting up on the edge of his bed, his face streaked with tears. “Take me with you, Mommy, please! You’re going to
need
me!” he pleaded. Indie’s heart shattered into a thousand pieces.

“I want to take you with me so badly!” she said as she wrapped her arms around his tiny body. “And I already need you, but you have to stay here. It’s not safe for you just now. Daddy can explain.”

Indie had no idea what Will planned to tell them, but she was going to make sure that they knew that this wasn’t her choice. She smoothed Jake’s hair, and cradled his face in her hands.

“I don’t care, Mommy, I can be brave!” cried her heartbroken little boy. The last shard of her heart dropped and hit her belly with a hollow sound that she could actually hear.

“I know you are brave, and that is what I am going to ask you to be . . . for me, okay?” He looked up at her, shaking his blond head.

“I need you to be here for Cassidy. What would she do without you? And . . . and take care of Daddy, too. You know he doesn’t know what to do around this house.”

She tried to smile, and ended up just clenching her teeth, in a frightening sort of way.

Jake sighed.

“Son . . . little Son,
please
,” Indie begged him, “just look out for each other, okay? This will not be forever. I will find a way to be with you soon, just trust in that, okay?” She pulled his face up close to hers. “I have faith that this is going to work out, okay?”

He said nothing.

“Jake, you have to have faith with me . . . alright?”

“Okay, Mommy . . . but I love you!” He wrapped his little arms around her, and the tears fell fresh and hard.

“And you know I love you, my Son-shine.” She heard Will’s heavy step outside the door.

“Okay, now,” she pushed him back down on the bed, and kissed his whole face again. “Be my strong Little Son.”

Her voice broke, and she turned and ran out the door—forced to leave her whole world behind.

Will had her small suitcase in his hands. “I found this in the closet. I suppose you did plan ahead, a little,” he said stiffly, as he held it out to her.

Indie took it and drew a deep shuddering breath.

“So, will you be coming after me, then?”

He shrugged, looking down at the floor. “All of us will be,” he answered, in a flat monotone.

“You would really help them hunt me down, so they can dissect and study me, too?” she asked, icily.

Will didn’t answer. He looked down into her eyes with a haunted expression, touched her face lightly, and then dropped his hand.

“Start running, Indie,” he said softly, and pulled her toward the front door, never taking his eyes off hers. He opened the door, lifted Indie up into his arms for a millisecond, and gave her limp body a tight squeeze. She felt a shudder rip through his body, and he dropped her onto the front porch. He looked at her for one long moment.

Glancing around toward the road, his eyes hardened.

“Call your . . .
man
. I have some plans to make,” he said in an empty voice, as he turned to shut the door. He looked back once, hesitated, and whispered, “Don’t go back to your work again.” Will slammed the door in her face.

The sound made her jump. The symbolism was perfect, as a chapter in her old life came to an abrupt end.

A chapter slammed shut, like what used to be her front door.

Indie stood for a moment, shaken and at a loss for what to do next. She had no purse, no keys . . . no phone.

Her hair was disheveled and her eyes were swollen and red. She knew she was more than the usual train wreck . . . more like a nuclear disaster. The sound of a car pulling into the driveway barely caught her attention.

A sleek bronze colored vehicle came into view, out of the rapidly dissipating blackness.

Come,
Indie,
let
me
take
you
home
 . . . The weary voice that entered her head was a balm to her torn and jagged nerves. She leaped into the car, and buried her face into the soft leather jacket that was covering Jackson’s strong shoulders.

She let the tears flow, while breathing deep gulps of his warm and comforting scent. Her entire body was shaking, and Jackson wrapped his right arm protectively around her, as he drove with illegal haste, to where, Indie had no idea.

She couldn’t bring herself to care now.

He kissed the top of her head, keeping his eyes on the road, as well as on the rear view mirror. Indie had no concept of time or distance. She was completely numb.

Only when Jackson turned off the main road, did she look around, becoming aware of her surroundings. The sun was starting to climb its way up from behind the mountains; a very faint purple aura beginning. They were in an area where the forest was thick, heading up a very steep incline.

The road finally leveled out and turned into more of a dirt path as they wound their way through the trees.

In what appeared to be a large clearing, and nothing more, Jackson slowed and parked the car. He leaped out, and came around to open Indie’s door.

She didn’t move. He dropped to his knees, taking both of her hands.

“It’s going to be okay, Indie. Please, come with me.” His voice was pleading. Indie stared at his beautiful face.

Of
course.
I
would
go
with
you
anywhere,
she thought, wearily. She tried to step out of the car, but her legs seemed to be missing. Jackson remained kneeling beside her, watching her with anxious eyes.

“Sorry,” Indie spoke, wanting to reassure him. “I’m just waiting for my legs to re-form into a solid.”

Wordlessly, he picked her up like a child and carried her forward. But being held so closely against his warm hard body was making her feel dizzy and out of breath.

“I think I can walk now, really,” Indie panted, after a few yards, and extracted herself from his arms. She couldn’t think straight when he held her that way.

“Where are we?” she asked.

“We are at my home, which is now also yours!” He was watching her carefully.

Indie looked all around, but could see no house.

“What, are you homeless . . . you live in the woods?” She laughed shakily, but really, the questions that Will had asked about him came into sharp relief in her mind. Indie really did not know. He smiled now, and took her hand.

“Walk with me,” he said, in his most irresistible voice. They walked toward what looked like a sharp drop-off at the clearing’s edge. She was surprised to see steps leading down the face of the cliff. These led to a level walkway where Indie saw two huge windows and a large wooden door built into the wall of the cliff.

Jackson opened the door and swung her up into his arms again. She yelped in surprise, and clung to him, aware of the cliff’s edge being disturbingly near.

Indie closed her eyes in a panic; she didn’t care for high places. He carried her inside, and shut the huge door with his elbow. Only then did Indie feel it was safe to look up.

She was set down lightly, and Jackson kissed her hand. He then narrowed his eyes at her.

“I’m offended. Do you
honestly
think I would ever let anything happen to you?” Indie looked at him anxiously, but he smiled at her, his eyes soft.

He did not look offended at all.

Chapter 14

The end of the pretense

Indie looked all around at the spacious, cabin-like great room where Jackson had brought her. It was beautiful, with the entire front wall facing out of the cliff constructed of some sort of light deflecting glass. There was no glare, but a perfect view of the valley below.

The room was warm and cozy, with large overstuffed furnishings. An enormous stone fireplace, complete with a walk-in hearth, was in the center of the room.

However, even as Indie was taking in her surroundings, noting that the house was stunning, the test of her inner strength overwhelmed her; an emotional hit and run. Without even realizing it, she began to tilt forward.

Like a cat, Jackson sprang, catching her in his arms, and dragged her to a suede chair that was oversized and indulgent in its comfort. He settled into it, tucking her tightly against his chest.

She could feel the fluid strength of his body as he arranged her into a comfortable position. Finally, safe and secure, Indie began to wail. The force of her sobs shook them both, but he just held on, moving in a gentle rocking motion, stroking her hair, allowing her to release the pent up emotions of the night. Her tears soaked his shirt, but he didn’t seem to mind.

After a solid hour of sobbing, and having gotten past the hiccupping and shuddering breaths that followed, Indie became dimly aware of the sun’s position in the sky outside his wall of glass.

It had burst over the horizon, unleashing intense fiery colors, and as it had the day before, it brought with it an unusual amount of heat for the season. She became aware of Jackson casting uneasy glances out toward the flaming orb, and was surprised at how late it had become.

“What time is it?” she asked hoarsely, sitting up in his lap. He held out a slim, silver rectangle.

“Time for you to give your resignation, effective immediately.” His voice was quiet, holding back an emotion that it was obvious he did not want her to see.

“What’s this?” Indie looked at the object he held out to her.

“It’s a digital recorder. You will have to give your resignation via recorded statement. I will then transmit your recording to an out-of-state phone. It will be sent to your employer from there.”

Indie met his eyes.

“So is this how it’s going to be now? Life on the run?”

“Not exactly on the run,” he answered reassuringly. “Just a different way of doing things. You learn never to leave a trail that leads directly back to you, when the men in mourning suddenly take an interest in you.”

Men
in
mourning?

“The guys that like to wear black suits, all in the name of ‘Homeland Security’.” Jackson answered her thoughts.

He ran his free hand through Indie’s hair, smoothing it down gently and studied her, his own eyes heavy with the weight of her burden. Indie fought down the choking need to sob again.

“Would you like some privacy, to formulate what you will say?” he asked. “No. I really don’t want to move. Not just yet.” He leaned back as she took the recorder, focusing his gaze on the expanse of glass in front of him.

Indie drew a deep breath, and pressed the button.

“Hi, this is Indie Taylor. I’m sorry to have to do this so suddenly, and in this manner, but I have to give my resignation, effective immediately. I obviously would have liked to give notice, but, unfortunately, it just was not possible. Thank you.” She clicked the machine off.

“Good job.” Jackson smiled, quickly returning his attention to her face. “Yeah, I thought I would keep it short and sweet,” Indie sighed. His voice was soft, compelling.

“Yes, that is usually the best way to break things to people, so I’ve come to understand.”

His face was serious. “When you are feeling more up to it, we will begin the question and answer session that I know you are dying to lead, alright love?”

His voice was sending shivers up her spine. She could barely focus on the words he spoke, simply because of the sound of his voice when he spoke them.

Indie frowned. She was going to have to learn to overcome her lack of concentration, because she
did
want him to tell her everything, and how could she absorb any information if she continued to swoon like an idiot every time he opened his mouth?

Looking up at him, she noticed that he seemed to be seriously busy trying to hide the fact that he found something very entertaining.

“Oh no!” Indie gasped, remembering that her thoughts were no mystery to this man. Well, this was going to take some getting used to. She hoped her dignity survived. She decided to ignore the issue for the moment, and just respond to his comment, trying her best not to act like such an emotional twit.

“Yes, I actually do have questions. A lot of them.”

He allowed this change of venue, pulling her to her feet before suddenly pausing and speaking sharply.

“Hold that thought. I need to ask you, when was the last time you had something to eat?”

What? Food? Indie had not thought about food in God knows how long. She thought hard. When
had
she last eaten? Well, it had been too long then, she supposed, if the answer was not forthcoming.

Jackson scowled in disapproval as he flipped her back into the chair they had just vacated.

“I’ll be right back.” He pressed his index finger to her forehead for a moment. “Do not move!”

He disappeared into the kitchen, and Indie could hear him mentally growling as he moved around, opening and closing the refrigerator door. She could feel his stress because she had neglected her own needs, and it made him . . . angry! Indie had a crazy impulse to laugh at his extreme reaction to such a thing.

She closed her eyes and leaned back into the softness of the chair, working to absorb this new sensation.

Jackson taking care of
her
. Never in her life had she had this kind of experience and her need to laugh dissolved into a fresh round of tears, although quick and silent this time.

Indie had always found herself performing the role of caretaker and, although she did it very well, she had always secretly yearned to be the cared for . . . the protected.

Well, it was happening now, and it felt pretty darn good.

So right.

Yet she felt, out of habit, a little guilty. She struggled with the autopilot in her head . . . the voice that wanted to say,
“Oh
no,
you
don’t
have
to
do
that.
I
can
get
it
myself!”

She heard a snort from the kitchen. Jackson appeared in the doorway, with a plate of food in one hand and a glass of what looked like orange juice in the other.

“I’m going to need you to get over
that
.” He knelt down in front of her. “Seriously, like, right away!”

Indie stared at him. Surely she had accidentally stepped into one of those wormholes you hear about . . . the ones that transport you into some parallel universe.

This unbearably handsome man was kneeling in front of her, telling her to get used to being cared for in this way. Well, what could she say?

She nodded slowly and said gravely, “I’ll give it my best shot.” “Yes . . . you do that,” he replied with a narrow-eyed smile.

She looked at the square, white plate Jackson was holding. Of course, it was full of things that she loved.

Naturally. The man was uncanny in his anticipation of what she needed.

Indie loved things that were cool, crisp and fresh, and Jackson had assembled on the plate treats like star fruit and kiwi, giant red grapes, and slices of a milky white cheese.

Her belly roared. Suddenly ravenous, Indie took the plate and began to eat hastily, rolling her eyes a little. How good it tasted. He watched with amusement at first, but then flashed her a warning through his eyes.

“Don’t ever go that long without eating again!” He spoke a little gruffly. In an instant, the look was gone and his gentle smile returned. “Now that I think about it, since it is now my honor to care for you, I don’t think I’ll have to worry about it happening again.”

Indie shook her head in amazement, and continued to eat. He held out the juice and she took it, gulping it down greedily. Thank goodness he didn’t stare at her while she scarfed her meal like a jackal.

Looking lost in thought, he seemed content to sit on the floor at her feet, leaning back against the base of the chair, one hand rubbing absently along the top of her right ankle.

A small remote control was on the arm of the chair where Indie was sitting, and he absently lifted and pointed it toward an intimidating sound system against the far wall.

Quickly, he lowered the volume on
Slipknot
from ear-shattering, to background noise. His mind was cluttered with a menagerie of emotions, and she left him to them for now.

Finally, Indie fell back into the chair, full and exhausted. Jackson took the plate and glass from her hands, and set them on the floor next to him. He turned on his knees to face her, and squirmed his way into the v-shaped space between her legs as she sat in the chair.

Placing one arm on either side of her, he looked into her face with a wistful expression.

Indie’s heart began to flutter around her ribcage in an irregular rhythm.

He leaned in tantalizingly close, bringing his lips very deliberately to her ear before speaking.

“Feeling better?” he asked in a whisper that was as seductive as an intimate touch.

“Much,” Indie whispered back, using all of the air she had reserved in her lungs.

He leaned back, ever so slowly and locked his eyes on to hers. His hands came up to cradle her face and he stopped, allowing himself to study her, as if committing the moment to memory.

“I can’t believe it . . . that I’ve finally found you, and you’re really here, right in front of me!” He spoke in a voice that conveyed all of his wonder at this feat.

Indie said nothing, mostly because she was out of air, but also she knew that he could pull the feelings that she could not speak directly from her mind. It just felt so right being here. So incredibly right, there were no words.

Her life had been like a puzzle that was put together, but was missing the most important piece; the one that made the picture complete. It was as if he had reached out and shaken awake her sleeping soul.

Now that she was aware of what she’d been living without, Indie knew that she would never allow herself to be in that condition again.
Welcome
to
existence.

Jackson closed the space between them in one swift motion, his lips brushing hers softly, intensifying as she responded automatically.

Her hands came up to lock behind his neck, and then slid upward to tangle into his deliciously disorderly hair. A low sound of pure need snarled from deep within his chest, as he pushed Indie farther back into the chair, his hands sliding from her face to encircle her body.

He tightened his grip behind her, and abruptly Indie was swirled out of the chair on to the soft area rug in front of the fireplace. His lips did not leave hers during this daring maneuver, and she quivered with excitement at his strength, a force so controlled.

Jackson situated himself so that he could rest his weight on one arm, and pulled back to look at her. His fiercely blue eyes sparked with an intensity that took away all thought, and any trace of fear or despair. He traced her features gently, and his eyes gradually softened into a look of unconditional love.

Indie had the distinct feeling that if she cracked him in the head with the fireplace poker, it wouldn’t shake him. She looked up, curiously.

“How is it possible . . . ?” she began. “How can you have such strong feelings for me, just like that?”

Jackson looked thoughtful.

“Hmm . . . well, tell me, how do
you
feel about
me
?”

“Pretty intensely attracted,” she had to admit.

“Attracted?” he asked, wide eyed, but his tone light, teasing. “
Attracted
.”

He pretended to ponder the word. “So that’s it, is it? You are
attracted
to me, huh? I’m just another pretty face, then?”

He bent and nuzzled her neck, his warm breath doing strange and wonderful things to her equilibrium.

“Maybe attracted isn’t exactly the right word.” Indie shivered.

“No?” he asked against her ear.

Okay, so they both knew she felt
love
! They’d already dropped the “L-bomb” on each other the day before, shocking her as it fell out of her mouth, just as it did hearing Jackson say it at the same time. However, that was just not rational. A person can’t literally fall into actual
love
with someone instantly, can they?