I dried my eyes as I heard her light footsteps climb the stairs and stop beside the bed.
“Wow,” she deadpanned, chomping on a wad of gum too big for her petite mouth. “Why don’t you take a shower?” she asked.
I ignored her.
Claire sighed and sat down on Jared’s side of the bed.
I froze for a moment, bracing for an obnoxious comment from her. She sat quietly.
I shot a confused glance her way. “W…What are you doing?” I asked, sniffing.
“I’m supposed to sit with you,” she said, sounding bored.
“Sit with me? Why?”
“I just am. Go take a shower, wil you? You’re a mess.”
I sniffed again and ambled to the shower, too baffled to argue. Claire never missed an opportunity to make me feel like an idiot, but surely she could understand my tears. I hurried through my nightly routine, anxious that every noise outside the bathroom was Jared returning home.
When I finished, Claire was downstairs. I slipped on one of Jared’s t-shirts. It was a poor substitute, but it would have to do until he came home.
With impeccable timing, she returned as I slipped under the covers.
She looked away from me, suddenly uncomfortable. “That’s Jared’s favorite shirt.”
I looked down and noticed the dead giveaway: It was ratty and worn. The dark grey heather cotton was thin, and I smiled as I made out the faded words across the front; it was from a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert four years ago. I looked up at Claire who showed signs of a slight grin.
“My dad took him to that concert,” she mused, sitting on the bed beside me.
“You look like him,” I said. Gabe had light blonde hair as wel , and Claire had inherited his ice blue eyes.
Those eyes instantly glazed over with anger. “Don’t talk about him. You…,” she stopped herself, “just go to sleep, Nina.”
Fal ing asleep with Claire sitting over me like a prison guard wasn’t likely, so I turned my back to her, focusing on Jared. I wondered what it was that he was doing, and wondered why he hadn’t cal ed. I opened my mouth to ask Claire, but given her mood I thought better of it.
The clock switched from P.M. to A.M. as the numbers changed to midnight. Jared stil hadn’t cal ed, and I was almost worried enough to ask Claire to cal him. At that moment, Claire stood up and walked over to the railing. The outside door slammed, footsteps echoed up the iron steps, and then the front door opened and closed quietly. Claire’s eyes fol owed the footsteps up the stairs until Jared came into view.
The sight of him shocked me. His face was smudged with dirt and blood, along with his shirt, jacket and jeans. His knuckles were swol en and bloody. I noticed that on a few of them the hide had ripped away and hung by just a few centimeters of skin.
“Jared?” I said, ripping the covers off to run to him.
“I’m okay,” he said, holding me away. “I’m dirty. Let me jump in the shower.”
Without a word, Claire retreated downstairs.
I paced the room, chewing on my nails until he reappeared. He was dressed and clean shaven, the only remnants of his earlier disheveled appearance was his already healing knuckles.
“What happened?” I asked in firm tone.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there. Something came up,” he said, eyeing my bandage free hand.
“Obviously,” I said, crossing my arms. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Dawson stopped by The Rock to pay you a visit. I had to act quickly.” He walked by me to pul the first aid kit from under the bed.
“Mr. Dawson?” I asked, shocked.
“He was armed, and he also had…,” Jared’s jaw tensed, “he had paraphernalia.”
“What kind of paraphernalia?” I said, sitting on the bed.
“The kind you use to tie someone up and torture them. He was planning on getting that package tonight.”
I swal owed loudly. If Jared hadn’t been there to protect me, I didn’t want to think where I would be.
He didn’t look up when he spoke, “He won’t bother you again.”
“You….”
I watched as he worked silently, dabbing antibiotic ointment across my hand. The cut was now the beginning of a bright pink scar, the infection had dissipated days ago.
After a long pause Jared answered me. “I didn’t kil him. Not that I didn’t have to exercise restraint. He gave up information, but not nearly enough. I let my emotions get in the way,” he sighed and shook his head, “he was never conscious long enough to tel me everything I needed.”
“You tortured him,” I said, watching Jared fasten the last piece of tape on the flawlessly wrapped gauze. I braced for his answer; the Jared I knew couldn’t be capable of the horror that I imagined.
“I wanted to snap his spine and throw him in the Narragansett to drown, Nina. He’s lucky he ended up with his life.”
His job was to protect me by any means necessary; I just hadn’t stopped to think what that would be. “What did you find out?”
“We’l discuss it tomorrow. You need to rest,” he whispered. He placed me gingerly on the bed, kissing the palm of my bandaged hand.
When he tried to pul away, I squeezed his fingers with mine. “I was worried. I drove here prepared to beg you back.”
He laughed once. “In what alternate universe would you ever have to beg me back?”
“I’ve had to rip out two microphones and nearly freeze to death in the pouring rain to get you back before. Driving to your apartment and knocking on your door isn’t the most extreme measure I’ve taken.”
Jared’s expression was pained. “I noticed your car out front. I’m sorry I had to leave without an explanation. I didn’t have a choice.”
“It was better than the alternative,” I said, my grin fading as I considered the possibilities.
Jared touched the side of my face, and then left me to walk toward the stairs. I sat up to protest, but Jared paused. “I’l be right back,” he assured me.
Relaxing against the bed, I listened to his footsteps jog down the steps, silence when he reached the couch, and in the next moment climb the stairs again.
He sat beside me and held a smal red box in the palm of his hand. “Don’t get too excited. It’s nothing major.”
I smiled and took the box from his hands, pul ing on the smal silver loop on the top. I looked at him, raising my eyebrows in surprise.
“It’s to make up for tonight. So? What do you think?”
Hanging from the lid was a shiny silver key.
“To the loft,” he explained. “Next time something comes up, you won’t have to wait outside in the cold.”
“When did you have time to do this?” I asked, stil processing the shiny object spinning around from a thin red ribbon.
Jared shrugged. “I had it made a few days ago. I’ve been meaning to give it to you, but you haven’t needed it until now.”
“You’re giving me a key?” My eyebrows lifted in disbelief.
Jared nodded and then his brows pul ed together. “I promised you I would never leave you. I meant it. If something like this happens again, come here. Wait for me.” He touched his hand gently to my cheek. “I’l earn your trust back.”
“I trust you,” I said, mimicking his expression.
Jared leaned over and pressed his lips to mine. “And I trust you. Nice work in your room today.”