Again.
The thought stopped her cold. Ah, and there it was. The entire reason for her fear. Past experience. Her reaction didn’t have a thing to do with Wick and everything to do with her. J. J. frowned so hard her forehead stung. Did that make her a coward? Or simply cautious? She didn’t know, but one thing for sure? He moved her in ways no one else ever had, and like it or not she felt the pull. Even with him out of the lair, the almost imperceptible hum of synergy buzzed in her veins. The tug held sway. Drew her attention. Pushed her north of center, tightening its grip, making her feel so alive her senses crackled in reaction.
And she knew… without a shadow of a doubt… he was the reason.
“Look,” Tania murmured. “I know you’re scared. If Wick was fixated on me, I would be terrified too. He’s a dangerous guy, totally unpredictable and—”
“What are you talking about?” All right, so she’d been scared of Wick at first. More than a little unsure of him, but that hadn’t lasted long. He was too solid to fear. Too straightforward to mistrust, and despite her track record with men, J. J. knew a good thing when she saw it. The realization, however, didn’t help matters. Or mean she wanted to jump into a relationship with him. The mere idea sent her spinning. Too many things could go wrong. She’d make another mistake. Take another wrong turn. End up neck-deep in trouble all over again. “I’m not afraid of Wick. This isn’t about him. I mean… not exactly.”
“You aren’t?” Tania asked, surprise winging across her face. “It isn’t?”
“No. He’s been great.”
Myst’s mouth fell open. “He has?”
“Yes.” Completely true. Every last word, and as her gaze ping-ponged between the two women, J. J. admitted the truth. At least to herself. She may not want to hook up right this minute, but maybe… just maybe… if she spent more time with Wick, she’d get over her aversion. Energy-fuse aside, her attraction to him was powerful. Undeniable. And if she were honest? Not something she wanted to ignore. “Really patient too, talking me through the—”
“He talks to you?” Glancing sideways, her sister threw Myst an incredulous look.
J. J. wanted to roll her eyes. She crossed her arms instead, letting the cane dangle from her fingertips. What the hell was wrong with them? Of course, he talked to her. All right, so maybe not in run-on sentences, but hey… short responses she could handle.
“Hey, Tania?” Straight teeth working overtime, Myst nibbled her bottom lip. “If he’s responding to her, we may have jumped the gun.”
“Daimler won’t be happy.”
Myst shook her head. “No worries. Her new identity won’t go to waste. She’ll need the proper paperwork if she wants to leave the lair during the day anyway.”
Surprise blinded J. J. New identity? “What are you—”
“You know, it makes total sense now that I think about it,” Tania said, cutting her off as she tilted her head. And oh boy. Not good. J. J. recognized that look, and whenever her sister wore it, trouble always followed. “He stayed with her all day. Practically kicked me out of the room to be with her.”
“Really?” Rabid interest sparked in Myst’s eyes. “What did he say?”
“Nothing,” Tania said, a clear “duh” in her tone. “He looked at me sideways. Mac said it was all right, so I made him promise we’d sleep in the next room—”
“Within earshot.” Myst grinned. “Smart move.”
“Thank you,” Tania said without losing a beat. “Then I got the hell out of there.”
J. J. opened her mouth, then closed it again. What could she say? The exchange made her feel like a twelve-year-old. A clueless one with overbearing parents who intended to take over her life. Lock. Stock. And barrel. Which was… yup. An all-too-familiar occurrence with her big sister around.
God give her strength.
“Okay then,” Myst said. “New plan. We’ll keep Daimler in the loop, but ask him to continue preparations on the safe house anyway… just in case things go south. Now all we need to figure out is—”
“All right, that’s enough.” Done listening to plans for what amounted to her inevitable demise, J. J. glared at them both. She might enjoy a good mystery upon occasion, but playing monkey in the middle? Not really her style. “What the heck is going on?”
Straight teeth worrying her bottom lip, Myst glanced away while Tania pretended to examine her cuticles. The stall tactic didn’t work. J. J. knew trouble when she spotted it. The pair were hedging, no doubt wondering how much to tell her. Which didn’t bode well. Not for her anyway. Tania times Myst equaled smart squared. A scheme was definitely afoot. One that included her—probably Wick too—so…
No. Letting sleeping dogs lie wasn’t an option.
“Well?” Ignoring the twinge of pain along her side, J. J. shoved away from the table. Expression set in militant lines, she raised a brow. When neither folded under the pressure, J. J. dug in. No way would she walk around Black Diamond blind, deaf, and dumb while Tania plotted the equivalent of a military coup. “Spill or all bets are off.”
Sheepish her new middle name, Tania sighed. “I was worried about you.”
“Since when?” J. J. asked, sarcasm out in full force. A chronic fixer, her sister worried about everything. Normally, she didn’t mind. The constant barrage of concern reassured her, telling her plainer than words that her sister loved her. Today, though, she could’ve done with a little less fretting and a lot more forthrightness. “Tell me why you’re in fixer mode.”
“I freaked out when Wick carried you in.”
Myst huffed. “She accused him of killing you.”
“What?”
“I know,” Tania murmured. “Totally uncalled for and I apologized, but that doesn’t mean I trust him not to hurt you. He’s a straight-up killer, J. J.”
“So am I,” she said, making her sister cringe. J. J. felt the answering ping soul deep. A terrible ache rose in its wake. She didn’t like reminding Tania, but fact was fact. She’d killed a man. Was guilty of the same crime her sister now accused Wick of committing. And honestly? The double standard bothered her. Wick didn’t deserve the distain. “He would never hurt me.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes… I do.” Saying the words helped solidify her certainty. Wick might be rough around the edges. He might even scare the hell out of Myst and her sister, but labeling him a woman beater was unfair. She’d insulted him once by fearing he might hit her. J. J. refused to do it again. Or let anyone else think badly of him either. “He saved my life, Tania. Got me away from Griggs, out of the hospital, and here in one piece. All while keeping me pain-free. So, I don’t care that he scares you. I like him. I’m attracted to him. I want to know more about him… even if the thought of commitment makes me want to run. So back off.”
Her outburst echoed, bouncing around the clinic like automatic gunfire.
Stunned into silence, the women stared at her. J. J. glared back, anger helping her hold the line. She was a grown woman, for God’s sake. Well able to take care of herself. So screw the new ID and her sister’s idea of a safe house. She wanted the chance to get to know Wick better. The decision was noteworthy, her first self-affirming one since getting out of prison. A tribute to autonomy and her newfound freedom. And if she made the wrong choice and it turned out badly? Well then, she would have no one to blame but herself.