Chapter Fourteen

As we stepped out of the cool sanctuary of the restaurant, stifling air blasted against our faces. “Wanna check out some of the shops?” Jackson asked. “I mean, if you’re okay with not going back yet.

Before I could respond, Wyatt said, “Good deal. Tell him yes...and try to walk as close as you can to him. You know, press up against him. Guys like to be touched...a lot.”

Since I seriously wanted to throttle him, I made a grunting noise that I managed to turn into a cough. “Um, sure. That’d be great.”

Trying not to look too obvious, I managed to brush up against Jackson several times. He probably thought I had equilibrium problems since I kept weaving over close to him. We hadn’t gotten very far when I stopped at one of the storefronts. “River Street Sweets!” I exclaimed, pressing closer to the glass. “My Dad always brought my brothers and me here when we were in town.”

“Okay.” The moment I entered the store, a heavenly aroma of chocolate and sugar invaded my nostrils. I closed my eyes to take it all in.

“Dude, you’re in great shape.” My gaze snapped to Jackson’s, and he immediately reddened. “I meant, with you being a runner and all, you’re in really good physical condition.”

“Ooh, Jules, he’s been checking out your bod. That’s a really good sign,” Wyatt said. Ignoring him, I asked Jackson, “How did you know I ran?”

Ducking his head, he seemed enthralled with the floor. “I-I’ve seen you out in the mornings a couple of times when I’ve been running.”

That was just fantastic. My bounty hunting skills must be seriously slipping if I hadn’t noticed him. To get my mind off of running myself down, I stared at a display of teeth rotting goodness. There was row after row of rainbow colored sugar powders in different containers waiting to be combined in long plastic tubes. They were like jumbo Pixie Sticks.

I giggled. “My brothers always had to get one of these. They would call them their ‘Pimp Canes’.”

“Yeah, they are. Don’t get me wrong. They can be a real pain sometimes, especially when they get too caught up on being overprotective.” I ran my fingers over one of the tubes. “But no matter how aggravating they are, I wouldn’t take anything in the world for them. We all really leaned on each other when my mom left.”

A faraway look entered Jackson’s eyes. “Yeah, I can imagine that did help. My brother means the world to me.”

It was lightning bolt time again. I shuddered to a stop and stared at Jackson. “Your brother? I thought you were an only child.”

Jackson rubbed the back of his neck. “Um, yeah, I am my mom’s, but my dad already had a son when they got married. His name is Evan. He’s twenty-three.”

Seeing a way in for some more information about where Evan lived, I said, “Oh cool. Is he in college somewhere?”

Since I already knew that about Evan, I felt like a giant ass for asking him about college. “Oh, I see.”

Jackson must’ve sensed my embarrassment because he rubbed my arm. “It’s okay, Jules. I felt like I could be honest with you about Evan. Some of my friends just can’t handle the fact that he’s different.”

As I started filling my pimp cane, I couldn’t help but ask, “And how does Bryn feel?”

Jackson smiled. “She’s actually really good to him. She’s been spending a lot more time with him now that he’s in Savannah.”

My bounty hunting senses were tingling all over. “That’s nice he’s so close. Well, I guess he’s close. Where’s he at exactly?”

“So what flavors should I get?” Jackson asked. After we filled our canes, we edged towards the cash register. Jackson motioned to the glass display of chocolate concoctions. “You gotta get one of their legendary pralines.”

I groaned. “Between the pimp cane, the praline and the magnificent shrimp platter, I think I’m going to be running even farther tomorrow morning.”

Before I could respond, Wyatt was in my ear again, “Score. Dude wants to hang out with you lots. Plus he wants to see you sweat. That’s hot.”

I was going to personally strangle him the next time I saw him. “Yeah, sure. That sounds good.”

When he reached for his wallet, I couldn’t help but protest. “Let me get the candy since you got dinner.”

“Now Jules, a Southern gentleman always buys on the date.” He bought us both one of the legendary pralines along with the pimp canes, and we headed back out into the sweltering summer night. We munched on the chocolates as we walked along by the river.

“Okay.” I quickly wiped my mouth to make sure I didn’t have a chocolate ring from the praline.

“His name is Homeless Joe.” I glanced over to where a guy sat strumming his guitar. Even without telling me his name, I could’ve guessed by Joe’s ragged clothes and disheveled appearance that he was homeless. Change and dollar bills littered the inside of his worn guitar case.

“Just when I thought Jackson wasn’t an epic tool, he goes and says something like that,” Wyatt growled.

Echoing his sentiments, I snapped, “Isn’t it a little rude to call him ‘Homeless Joe’?”

Jackson chuckled. “I’m not being a jerk, Jules. The guy calls himself that.”

Homeless Joe stopped strumming as Jackson and I strolled up. “Well, if it isn’t Captain Jack,” Joe mused.

He and Jackson exchanged handshakes, and then he gazed up at me. “Ah, and who is this lovely young lady?”

“Joe, this is my friend, Jules. She’s Bryn’s cousin,” Jackson introduced.

“Nice meeting you, too. I’m Homeless Joe, by the way,” he said, grinning at us. Jackson shot me an “I told you so” look.

“I’m just showing Jules around the city. She’s hasn’t been here in a while.”

Joe began strumming his guitar again. “And where are you from, Lovely Jules?”

He nodded. “I’ve been through there before. Nice place, but it’s not like Georgia. Especially Savannah.”

Joe returned my smile and then glanced over at Jackson. “How about a song for the lovely Jules?”

Joe winked at Jackson, and with a flurry of his fingers, he began strumming a melody. It didn’t take me long to recognize Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight.” Dad happened to be a big fan, and if he could’ve gotten away with it, he would’ve named me “Layla” from the Clapton song, but Mom vetoed it. Several people gathered around to hear Joe sing. They swayed to the music in the fading twilight.

Then out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a familiar face. It took me a second to place the guy - it was Tattooed Timmy—the repeat jumper whose picture I’d seen on Raye’s board. The world seemed to crawl to a standstill. Timmy was casing the area, eyeing the tourists whose attention was focused on Homeless Joe’s song, not their wallets or purses. My hands went to my purse. I snatched out the can of mace Raye had given me.

My mind was buzzing like a beehive. I needed to tell Wyatt to get Raye. And then I had to find a way to subdue Timmy until Raye could get here. Most of all, I had to do it without raising too much suspicion in Jackson, which meant I had to get away from him. Fast.

“I, um...I have to go to the bathroom,” I said, before I started inching away from Jackson and towards Timmy.

Jackson gave me a funny look. “Now?” he asked at the same time Wyatt blared, “What the hell are you doing? You’re ruining a prime romantic moment!”

He nodded and then turned back to face Joe. With Jackson’s attention elsewhere, I started moving faster towards Timmy. “Wyatt, you need to get Raye down her ASAP. Tattooed Timmy’s about to jack somebody’s wallet.”

“Shit. He just left with the guys to do some surveillance,” Wyatt whispered. “Listen, Jules, don’t do anything crazy.”

It was at that moment that Timmy met my gaze. Something in my expression must’ve triggered him because his eyes traveled down my body to my right hand where I had a death grip on the mace. And then his gaze snapped back to mine for a second before he turned and sprinted away.

With all the people packed on River Street, I had to dodge in and out of the crowd. I got tripped up on twins in a double stroller and pitched forward, falling flat onto the ground. My knees skidded along the concrete, sending stinging tears to my eyes.

Wyatt’s voice, rich with concern, vibrated in my ear. “Jules, are you okay? What was that noise?”

“Good. I just texted Raye, and he’s coming just as fast as he can. Thank God he was close by.” Wyatt was talking so fast he had to stop to breathe. “Do you still have a visual on Timmy?”

I jerked my head up just in time to see him getting tangled up in a group of elderly tourists. When he tried to shove a man with a cane out of the way, a group of the man’s cronies circled around Timmy, shouting at him. “Uh-oh, I think he’s about to get the shit kicked out of him by a bunch of Senior Citizens!”

Leaping to my feet, I caught up to them just as Timmy was getting whacked in the head with a cane. Hard. “Oh yeah, he just got owned by an eighty year old.” Timmy started stumbling up a side alley. “I’m not sure who he’s running away from now—the militant oldsters or me.”

Sprinting up behind Timmy, a metal trash can lid caught my eye. I snatched it and bonked him in the back of the neck. “Did you just take him out?” Wyatt asked.

“Yeah,” I murmured, as Timmy went tumbling to the ground. When he rolled over onto his back, I positioned myself over him. My boot heel pushed down on his throat—a disabling technique Dad had showed me when I was ten.

As he started choking, I trained the can of mace on him. “I’m moving my foot, but I will seriously hose you if you even blink! And this isn’t just chick mace. It’s manufactured strictly for bounty hunters!”

I whirled around to see Jackson standing behind me. If the situation hadn’t been so tense, I might’ve laughed at the horrified look on his face—especially since he was clutching my purse to his chest.

“Don’t tell me Richie Rich just saw that! Dude, he’s going to ruin everything,” Wyatt said.

Ignoring him, I thrust the can of mace into Jackson’s hand. “Here, hold this on him.”

He stared at me like I was some alien life form. I jerked his arm and pointed it at Timmy. “If he moves, spray him, okay?”

Jackson mumbled something incoherent, but his eyes stayed focused on Timmy. I needed a phone because there was no way I could communicate to Wyatt my location via the earpiece with Jackson standing there. In my panicked silence, Wyatt said, “It’s okay, Jules. I know you can’t talk right now. To find you, Raye’s going to need to trace the GPS in your phone. So call him right now.”

Even though I felt better having a plan, it still wasn’t fool-proof . First, I couldn’t just whip out my phone after pretending not thirty minutes earlier that I didn’t have one. So I was going to have to improvise. So for the second time that evening, I got up close and personal with Jackson’s crotch by reaching into the pocket of his shorts. The moment my hand started delving inside the pocket Jackson widened his eyes.

“Um, sorry,” I mumbled. Once I had the cell phone, I quickly punched in Raye’s number. Thank God he had made me memorize it or I would’ve been screwed.

“Yeah and what if you hadn’t? Can you imagine what it would have been like to try to explain to your dad what had happened?”

“Whatever. We’re almost there. If Timmy even breathes wrong, don’t hesitate to hose him.”

With the mace gun still trained on Timmy, Jackson said, “Could you please tell me what’s going on?”

Timmy snorted on the ground. Before he could open his mouth to blab my secret, my boot heel was back on his throat. After his gaze snaked up my leg, he choked out, “Nice thong.”

Before I could react, Jackson knocked me out of the way to put his own heel on Timmy’s throat. “Watch it perv, or I’ll totally hose you!”

Wyatt snickered in my ear. “Ooh, dude’s got some balls. But I gotta say, I’m envious of Timmy getting a glimpse at your thong.”

“I really, really hate you,” I murmured, which sent Wyatt laughing hysterically.

Luckily, Jackson thought I was addressing Timmy. “So, your cousin?” he prompted.

Darn, I had to continue spinning my tale. “Yep, Raye works for the cops. And, I-uh, I’ve been seeing the Wanted posters on this guy for a while. So when I saw him tonight, I knew had to do something about it.”

He rolled his eyes. “Well, you sure as hell should have. I mean, you’re a teenage girl, not the Terminator.”

“Look, I get with your dad being a lawyer and your cousin in law enforcement that you’ve got this need to seek justice and all, especially against low lifes like him.” He motioned down to Timmy who only rolled his eyes. “But it shouldn’t mean the potential to get hurt. The best thing you can do is use your brains and follow in your dad’s footsteps.”

I bobbed my head. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ve got to stop this whole hero complex thing.”

We were interrupted by the Land Cruiser screeching up to the edge of the alley. Raye hopped out and glanced around, surveying the situation. Before he could say anything, I quickly stepped between him and Jackson. “So glad you made it. I was trying to explain to Jackson how you and your partner have been hunting him for awhile.” I raised my eyebrows to signal him to play along. He quickly followed my lead. “Oh yeah, the boys down at the station will be really excited to see Timmy.” Raye pulled Timmy to his feet and then handcuffed him. Raye’s two associates came jogging up the alley. With the same ex-marine haircuts and beefy builds, they were pretty intimidating looking. “Would you two mind getting our buddy here down to county?

As they led Timmy down the alley, the old man with the cane and his gang were waiting on them. They continued to shout and rail until Timmy was loaded into the SUV.

“I guess I better get on to my next case. Jules, I really do appreciate your help on this one, but next time, leave it to me, okay?” Raye said, as he hopped in the front seat.

“Yeah, nice evening to all of you,” I replied. As Jackson watched Raye roar away on his bike, I jerked out the listening device and earpiece and shoved them in my purse. I’d had enough of having Wyatt in my head. I figured I could make the rest of the date on my own.

When we were alone in the alley, Jackson shook his head at me. “Seriously, did all of that just happen?”

I glanced down at my skinned knees. Blood trickled down my legs and stained the hem of my dress. “Yep, it totally happened.”

Jackson rubbed his eyes like he was trying to wake from a dream. “I know this is probably normal and all for you, but damn, I feel like I’m tripping or something.”

“I’m really, really sorry for ruining your night with all this craziness.”

Jackson cuffed the back of my neck playfully. “All right, all right. Guess we better get home before you take out a gang of Hells Angels or something.”

Later when we pulled into the driveway, Jackson once again played the gentleman and walked me to the door. “I had a really good time tonight,” he said.

“I had a nice time, too. I really appreciate you taking me out on the town.”

We stood awkwardly for a moment. I guess on a regular date this was when you did the “to kiss or not to kiss” dance, but I knew there was no way that was happening. Even though Wyatt wasn’t in my ear anymore, I knew he would want me to do something a little sexier than a handshake or a pat on the back. So, I leaned over and kissed Jackson’s cheek. “Thanks again,” I murmured, before heading in the house.

I closed the door behind me and tried to still my rubbery feeling legs. I had just gotten oh so very close to Jackson. He had smelled heavenly, and my lips could still feel the stubble on his cheek. And then my bubble burst as I remembered I had just kissed the cheek of my cousin’s boyfriend.

Huffing in frustration, I started across the foyer to the stairs when the sound of someone clearing his throat in the sitting room startled me. “Nice touch with peck on the cheek.”

I practically jumped out of my skin when I saw Wyatt lounging on the settee. “What are you doing here?”

“But how did you get in?” I scanned the room for Mom or Aunt Vivian. “Please tell me you didn’t break in.”

He was about to respond when Aunt Vivian came down the hall with two lemonades. “My, my Julianne, two gentleman callers in one evening. I’m very impressed.”

He smirked at me as Aunt Vivian handed him a glass. “And why ever not? Did you know he drives a motorcycle?” She winked at me. “Isn’t that sexy?”

Why did I have to have a horndog for an aunt? “Where on earth did you get that?”

Aunt Vivian nodded while waving her hand dismissively at me. Then she stared in horror at my legs. “Oh honey, whatever happened to your knees?”

Wyatt and I locked eyes before I quickly lied, “Um, I tripped down on River Street. You know how those cobblestone streets are.”

“You need to clean those up immediately.” She turned to Wyatt. “Would you be a dear and help Julianne? I would, but Andrew’s waiting on me in the theater room.”

“Thank you, darlin’.” She patted him on the leg. “Julianne, the first aid kit is in the kitchen pantry.” She then sashayed over to the basement door and gave us a wave.

Wyatt hopped up from the couch. “Come on. Let’s go get your boo-boos fixed up.”

“You really don’t have to do this,” I protested as we started to the kitchen.

“I see,” I replied, as I headed over the pantry. Ugh, I didn’t like hearing about Wyatt’s potential booty call, and I certainly did like the knot that twisted in my stomach at the thought of him being with another girl.

I snatched the kit off the top shelf and then practically slammed it down on the counter. “Don’t let me keep you from your social life. I can certainly take care of some scraped knees.”

When I finally dared to look up, Wyatt grinned at me. “It’s not what you’re thinking, Jules. She doesn’t get off work until 10, so stop being all riled that I’m some asshole who only cares about girls for one thing.”

Patting the countertop, he said, “Now ease up on being so in control and let me take care of you.”

“All right, all right. I will.” But when I tried hopping up with my skinned knees, I slid right back down. “Crap.”

Before I could try again, Wyatt brought his hands to my waist. As his fingertips molded into my skin, I sucked in a breath. He hoisted me up like I was as light as a feather. “Thanks.”

“No problemo.” He grabbed the hem of my dress and started pushing it over my knees.

Cocking his head, Wyatt flashed me a perfectly innocent look. “Just trying to assess the situation.”

He busted out laughing. “One can only dream.” He then flipped open the lid on the First Aid kit and started laying out antiseptic and gauze.

“Think it went pretty well tonight with Jackson? You know, with your considerable expertise?”

“Yep, you did me proud, Julesy,” he replied, as he warmed a cloth under the hot water. When he brought it to my knee, I flinched. “Sorry,” he murmured.

“It’s okay.” I brought my free foot up to nudge him playfully in the chest. “I’m surprised you’re not giving me shit about being a big baby.”

“Nah, you took a pretty hard spill tonight. I mean, the first few layers of your skin are somewhere down on River Street. ” He worked the cloth down my leg, methodically wiping off the dried blood. I hated to admit it, but it felt really, really good.“Sounds like you got a lead tonight with Evan.”

“Yeah, I sure did.” I tapped him with my foot again. “You’re catching on quick.”

He raised his eyes momentarily from my legs and grinned. “Thanks.” Once he finished with the cloth, he took the antiseptic and dabbed it on the gauze. He hesitated before saying, “This is probably going to sting a little.”

The moment the gauze touched my skin tears stung my eyes, and I had to fight the urge to scream some strong obscenities. I clawed at Wyatt’s shoulders, digging my fingers into him. “Ow, ow, ow! Sting just a little? It burns like the raging fires of hell! What is that, kerosene?” When he did the other one, I dug in even harder.

“Sorry,” I whimpered. “I usually have a pretty strong threshold for pain.”

When he finally started putting on the bandages, I sighed with relief. “You’re going to be pretty bruised up for awhile, and you’ll need to change those tomorrow.”

“Don’t mention it.” As he started down the hall, he glanced back. “See ya at Raye’s tomorrow?”

After I closed and locked the door, I couldn’t help shaking my head. Tonight had been totally and completely crazy. But as I hobbled up the stairs, I knew there was the prospect of scoping out the Brandewine Institute tomorrow. All in a day’s work.