Chapter Forty-Nine
The drive to Kyle’s house only took me fifteen minutes, but it seemed longer because I was completely on edge. When I pulled into the driveway, the front door sprang open and I was pulled out of the car and held in the tightest Ethan hug ever. He clutched me and kissed my head, then pushed me away so he could look at me, as if he still wasn’t positive I was real.
“It’s me. I’m safe, so it’s all good now.” I reached up to touch Ethan’s cheek and he grabbed my hand and squeezed it.
“But how do you feel? Oh crap, I probably shouldn’t have hugged you so hard. Sorry.”
I looked at the human male across the street who was watering his lawn. “Can we go inside? I could go for a soda.”
“Sure, sure, I’m sorry. Come in. Kyle will be back in twenty minutes. He said his car was overdue for an oil change, but I think he just wanted to give us some time alone. He and Peter have been really great letting me stay here.”
Peter and Kyle’s home was modern, spacious and comfortable, with large couches and chairs, beautifully crafted area rugs resting on polished floors, warm colors and lots of windows to let in the sunshine. Ethan got me a Coke and I sat at the kitchen table across from him. We stared at each other for a few seconds, neither of us wanting to be the first to ask the serious questions. Ethan and I wouldn’t lie to each other, which would make the next few minutes even tougher.
I started. “Are you quitting the team?” I couldn’t keep the catch in my voice from betraying what I hoped his answer would be.
He looked down at his hands, smiled a quarter smile and looked up at me again. “I was ready to call Garrett last night to tell him I was quitting, but Kyle practically tackled me before I made it to the phone. To quote Kyle, ‘If you effing even think about quitting the effing team I’ll shoot you with the effing crossbow.’ He had a lot of other choice words for Sinc, which I won’t repeat if that’s okay.”
“I could have predicted that reaction.” I laughed. “If I’d been here, I might have tackled you too.”
He gave me a crooked smile, a clump of hair flopping over his eye. “I’m sticking with it. It’ll suck hard core for a while, working with both of them, but I’ll have to be a grownup. I know that she did it because I’ve been pushing her so hard. She tried to tell me a few times to back off, but I kept thinking I could change her mind. Even you warned me. So it was partly my fault.”
“You know she doesn’t really give a shit about Sasha. He was…just her way out.”
“To be honest, that upsets me more than if she’d actually fallen for someone else. She used him. Are they together?”
“No.”
“Maybe I didn’t really know her very well.”
“She doesn’t think she deserves a guy like you.”
He turned away. “Well, I can’t live that way. She thinks I’m so great and then she sticks a knife in my heart? If she decides she wants me back and pulls the same shit again, it’ll be ten times worse for me the next time and then again the time after that. She closed the door and it’s staying closed. I still love her, but I don’t think… I don’t trust her anymore.”
There were dark circles under his large golden brown eyes, probably because he hadn’t slept. I decided I’d better tell him. “Did you hear what I did to Sinc?”
“What did you do, Jackie?” Kyle was standing in the doorway with a pizza and a huge grin. “Could you hold that thought for one minute?” He threw the box on the table and grabbed me for a hug and a kiss on the forehead. He pulled plates out of the cabinet, retrieved a bottle of soda from the refrigerator and sat down next to me. “Tell me you beat the crap out of her.”
“I punched her and broke her nose.” Kyle doubled over with laughter, but Ethan shook his head and frowned.
“Having some anger issues, are we?”
“You sound just like Rob.” He narrowed his eyes, waiting for me to be as honest as he’d been. “Okay, yes, I exploded. I should never have done it and I apologized. I don’t know why it happened.”
“C’mon, we all know why it happened. You need to talk to someone who can help you. We’re here anytime you feel like you want to talk to us, but you need a professional.”
“I’ve been to shrinks before, they’re okay. But I already know what they’ll say, so it’ll be a waste of time.” They didn’t respond. “I’ll be fine if I just take some time off, and get enough sleep.” They didn’t look convinced so I grabbed a slice, plunked it on my plate and got busy eating, not wanting to meet their eyes.
“He terrorized you.” Ethan reached across the table to grab my hand, but I pulled it away from him.
“I’m not afraid anymore.” I snapped at him. “Kennet is out of the way. There’s nothing for me to be afraid of.” They looked at me warily, wanting to help, but not knowing what to say.
I stood up, leaving my slice of pizza on the table. “I’m angry, you’re right about that.” I paced back and forth. “I’m angry that he put me in that shitty little room and made me…kiss him and then…then fucking chained me up…and beat…beat me until I…until I couldn’t stand up.” I found myself in Ethan’s arms, sobbing into his shirt while Kyle ran to get a box of tissues. Ethan led me over to the couch and urged me to sit where I buried my head in his shoulder and kept sputtering, “I’m sorry…I’m sorry.”
Kyle was practically growling. “I wish I could have seen him taken by Lord Caelen. He’s going to be executed now?”
I pulled away from Ethan and wiped my eyes. “You guys don’t know, do you?”
“What?” Kyle was instantly on alert. If he’d been in leopard form, his ears would have been straight up, facing forward.
“Relax, ’cause this will take a while to explain.” As I wiped away the last of my tears, I told them everything about Isaiah, our discovery regarding my ancestry and our bargain. Kyle asked a million questions about learning to travel the lines, then they both sat shocked and silent when I told them about summoning Isaiah in Faerie, to take Kennet to the Demon Realm for two months. When I’d finished, I waited for a sign from them to give me a clue as to how they’d taken the information.
Kyle reacted first. He jumped from the armchair and kneeled at my feet. “Jackie, you are my freakin’ hero. No, I mean it. Rogues, Inc. has become the premier supernatural crime-fighting agency on the planet. Our salaries are going to triple. No one else has an ass-kicking demon on their payroll.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that raise, Kyle. Garrett signs the checks.”
“Well, I’m just sayin’ is all. Hey, don’t you have an in with that guy?” He grinned and plunked himself back into the chair. I turned to Ethan.
He looked thoughtful. “You say you did it for Isaiah, because you owed him. But wasn’t it also about you taking your power back from Kennet?” I shrugged. “How did it feel?”
“Kind of amazing.” I cracked a smile.
We chatted and ate a couple of slices of pizza each, joking around over some of our funnier experiences during our training. They asked me about how Garrett’s nest was fitting in and how Bridgett was doing and we talked about hitting a movie together soon. I felt more relaxed than I had since I’d gotten back.
Ethan had been watching me closely as we’d talked. “I think I’ve changed my mind. Forget about taking too much time off. Get involved with a really juicy case. The more you work and use your powers and skills, the less what happened with Kennet will affect you.”
“I knew we made you team leader for a reason.” I hugged him. “I have to go guys. I’ll see you tonight at the meeting.” They walked me to the door. “Thanks for all you did to find me.” I gave them each a kiss on the cheek, then backed the car out of the driveway and onto the street, heading home to Garrett.