MIDNIGHT QUEST: A Short 'Men of Midnight' Novel by Lisa Marie Rice Page B
Authors: Lisa Marie Rice
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together. I’d bought you that big thick cashmere scarf, remember?”
God yes. It was in his vehicle.
“You always take such good care of me, Jacko. Always making sure I’m comfortable and safe. I wanted to do something for you, so I bought that scarf. This was before I realized you honestly don’t feel the cold. I got it for you because you made me shiver every time you went out in the dead of winter with a tee shirt and a jeans jacket. I noticed you always put my scarf on before going out, even though it probably makes you sweat. I’m sure you snatch it off your neck the instant you drive around the corner.”
Bingo. He hung his head and smiled, his first smile in two days. It was a beautiful scarf and hot as hell. He hated wearing it.
“So I wrapped that scarf around your neck and kissed you and told you to be careful, to take care of yourself, and you froze and your eyes grew wide, as if you’d never heard those words before. And I thought—maybe he hasn’t. Maybe no one has really looked after Jacko, cared enough about him to say those words. Your teammates sure wouldn’t tell you to be careful. You guys are such hardasses, I am absolutely certain Metal has never told you to be careful. Not once, in all the time you’ve known him.”
Yeah. No one had ever told him to take care of himself. Since childhood Jacko had done a really good job of taking care of himself, and SEAL training just made him stronger.
But…the thousand ways she showed she cared for him blew him away. She watched his diet, fussed over him if she thought he was getting sick. Jacko never got sick, ever, but he’d contemplated faking a sneeze because man, being on the receiving end of all that care was amazing. It took her a long time to realize he didn’t feel the cold and she was always buttoning up his jackets, trying to get him to wear a wool cap. The big scarf was just the one thing out of many.
He heard her sigh and then she continued. “So I guess all of this is my way of saying—take care of yourself. Wherever you are.”
She closed the connection and Jacko sat in the room while the sun disappeared and the room grew dark. Holding his phone in his hand, unwilling to break this connection with Lauren.
Finally, it was time. He stood up, walked downstairs. He took one final long look at the row of family photos, studying each face. Lee. Alice. Sara. He could see no resemblance whatsoever to him in any of the faces, but he was tied by blood to them. Two good human beings, one train wreck. Two out of three.
Not bad. Better than some.
Take his buddy Joe, for example. Drunk mess of a father, mom who ran away when he was a kid, drunk grandparents on both sides. And look at him now. Decorated SEAL, successful member of ASI. Engaged to Isabel Delvaux, scion of America’s top political family, though they were all dead now except for her brother Jack.
Peace was settling inside him in this quiet room. He’d come to find out where he came from and now he knew. He came from two good people. His mom—she’d fallen into drugs so young it had scrambled her brains. His dad? Who the fuck knew? What difference did it make at this point?
None.
The blood of two good people flowed in his veins; that was all he needed to know.
The weight of a lifetime of unspoken doubt lifted from his shoulders. Jacko cracked his neck, shook his hands. He felt light. Free.
Time to go. He’d come back here, with Lauren. They’d decide together what to do with this house, the land. Sell it, keep it. Whatever she wanted to do was fine with him. He was okay with all of it.
Who knew? Maybe they’d keep it. Vacation here. God knows a vacation spot away from Portland’s rainy climate might be fun. They could all fly down for long weekends. The house was big enough for the whole crew.
There was one last thing to do, one last burden from the past. It would take him a little over twenty-four hours. He hadn’t slept much last night and the smart thing to do
God yes. It was in his vehicle.
“You always take such good care of me, Jacko. Always making sure I’m comfortable and safe. I wanted to do something for you, so I bought that scarf. This was before I realized you honestly don’t feel the cold. I got it for you because you made me shiver every time you went out in the dead of winter with a tee shirt and a jeans jacket. I noticed you always put my scarf on before going out, even though it probably makes you sweat. I’m sure you snatch it off your neck the instant you drive around the corner.”
Bingo. He hung his head and smiled, his first smile in two days. It was a beautiful scarf and hot as hell. He hated wearing it.
“So I wrapped that scarf around your neck and kissed you and told you to be careful, to take care of yourself, and you froze and your eyes grew wide, as if you’d never heard those words before. And I thought—maybe he hasn’t. Maybe no one has really looked after Jacko, cared enough about him to say those words. Your teammates sure wouldn’t tell you to be careful. You guys are such hardasses, I am absolutely certain Metal has never told you to be careful. Not once, in all the time you’ve known him.”
Yeah. No one had ever told him to take care of himself. Since childhood Jacko had done a really good job of taking care of himself, and SEAL training just made him stronger.
But…the thousand ways she showed she cared for him blew him away. She watched his diet, fussed over him if she thought he was getting sick. Jacko never got sick, ever, but he’d contemplated faking a sneeze because man, being on the receiving end of all that care was amazing. It took her a long time to realize he didn’t feel the cold and she was always buttoning up his jackets, trying to get him to wear a wool cap. The big scarf was just the one thing out of many.
He heard her sigh and then she continued. “So I guess all of this is my way of saying—take care of yourself. Wherever you are.”
She closed the connection and Jacko sat in the room while the sun disappeared and the room grew dark. Holding his phone in his hand, unwilling to break this connection with Lauren.
Finally, it was time. He stood up, walked downstairs. He took one final long look at the row of family photos, studying each face. Lee. Alice. Sara. He could see no resemblance whatsoever to him in any of the faces, but he was tied by blood to them. Two good human beings, one train wreck. Two out of three.
Not bad. Better than some.
Take his buddy Joe, for example. Drunk mess of a father, mom who ran away when he was a kid, drunk grandparents on both sides. And look at him now. Decorated SEAL, successful member of ASI. Engaged to Isabel Delvaux, scion of America’s top political family, though they were all dead now except for her brother Jack.
Peace was settling inside him in this quiet room. He’d come to find out where he came from and now he knew. He came from two good people. His mom—she’d fallen into drugs so young it had scrambled her brains. His dad? Who the fuck knew? What difference did it make at this point?
None.
The blood of two good people flowed in his veins; that was all he needed to know.
The weight of a lifetime of unspoken doubt lifted from his shoulders. Jacko cracked his neck, shook his hands. He felt light. Free.
Time to go. He’d come back here, with Lauren. They’d decide together what to do with this house, the land. Sell it, keep it. Whatever she wanted to do was fine with him. He was okay with all of it.
Who knew? Maybe they’d keep it. Vacation here. God knows a vacation spot away from Portland’s rainy climate might be fun. They could all fly down for long weekends. The house was big enough for the whole crew.
There was one last thing to do, one last burden from the past. It would take him a little over twenty-four hours. He hadn’t slept much last night and the smart thing to do
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