Page 43 of Invisible Scars
“You’re an impossible brat, Jonah Peak,” I say, and he cracks a smile that crinkles at the corners of his eyes.
“So you keep telling me.” He puts on his cap and pushes off the edge of the pool. “I’ve got a few more laps to complete.”
As we wave him off, Milly tells me with a wide grin about the room she and Micah are planning to convert for Levi, so he can stay with them anytime he wants. I smile and nod, but my mind is a haze, my body hot and bothered.
After a cold shower and some self-reprimand, I’m ready to call it a day. I hurry to the exit, only to find a freshly showered Jonah waiting for me when I’m on my way out of HQ, arms crossed and worry lines etched at the corners of his mouth.
“We need to talk,” he says.
“What we need to do is stay the hell away from each other.”
“I’m serious, Effie.” He steps forward. “Are we just going to let this stuff keep happening and then ignore it? Because you know it won’t stop.”
I take a moment to gather my thoughts and realize he’s right.
“Yeah, sure, let’s go somewhere and talk.”
“Thank you.” Jonah gestures to the parking lot. “We’ll take the Jeep. Think about where you want to eat.”
We’re just about to enter the underground parking when Micah comes jogging over.
“Hey, where are you two off to?” His question seems innocent, but I still feel a slight panic.
“Off to grab dinner,” Jonah answers, unaffected.
“That so?” Micah grins.
“I need to make sure Milly’s up to par with training Effie,” Jonah says in the same matter-of-fact tone. “Where is she, anyway?”
“She had a meeting in town, you asshole,” Micah answers, looking affronted as he presses the remote ignition on his car, causing a mighty explosion that shakes the entire garage.
Jonah’s on me faster than I can scream, his large body crouching over mine. There’s so much noise—the sound of crackling fire, car alarms blaring to life echoing off the cement, Jonah’s labored breathing in my ear. And the smell…
After all the times we made fun of Micah’s over-cautiousness, I’m now thanking our lucky stars for it. Luckily, we were nowhere close enough to get more than a ring in our ears from the explosion.
I try to stand, but Jonah’s still shielding me. Something isn’t right. He isn’t moving.
“Joe?” I ask, trying to wriggle out of his protective embrace, but his arms are like solid rock around me.
I look up and cover my mouth with my hand. Beads of sweat are forming on Jonah’s forehead and hairline as he gasps for air, his eyes darting around, though I doubt he’s processing anything.
Micah crouches in front of him, trying to pry his arms loose from around me, telling him everything’s okay, he’s at work, he’s safe, we’re all safe. There’s an edge of panic to his voice that sharpens with every second Jonah stays locked in this state. Then suddenly, I hear Andrew speaking.
“Lieutenant,” he barks out through the speaker on Micah’s phone, and Jonah’s eyes snap into focus. “Muster up!”
Jonah’s eyes slide shut, and he inhales through his nose, releasing an even breath through his mouth. Then he answers, “I’m here.”
“Give me your bearings,” Andrew orders in that hard tone that doesn’t quite fit the man I’ve come to know in the past year. Unlike Jonah and Sawyer, Andrew has a mellower sort of dominance, or so I thought.
Jonah looks around him, slowly taking in his surroundings, muscles thawing. “Peak Securities Headquarters, Columbus, Ohio.”
“Okay.” Andrew’s voice softens, returning to the amicable tone I’m used to hearing from him. “You okay, Joe? Need me to come over?”
“No.” Jonah shakes his head, his chin grazing the hair at the top of mine, and his head snaps down as if he’s just realized I’m there, locked in his embrace. “Thank you, Double A.”
“Talk to me later,” Andrew says before hanging up, and Jonah’s arms slowly release me.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers, shaking fingers raking through his sweat-dampened hair. “I’m sorry.”
