Page 43 of Joshua's Mistake
Joshua said, “Yeah, I’m at Will’s place. And Kane, I’m pretty sure it’s Banta.”
A string of loud mumbling made its way out of the phone. Joshua pulled it away from his ear. “I’ll be there in a few hours.”
Tessa heard the last words before Joshua said goodbye to his brother and hit the End button on the phone and tossed it into a nearby garbage can.
“He’s upset,” Joshua said.
“I gathered that.”
“Banta hurt his wife pretty badly.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting your brother.”
He smiled. “You may be the first. Kane’s a little rough around the edges.”
“Now I’m intrigued.” She imagined his brother was similar to him, polished and in control. This new information was interesting.
“Did he mention the Flacks?” she asked.
Joshua nodded. “They’re both fine. The house was completely trashed, but the bomb shelter is deep enough no one ever sensed them. Kane and Lena went over and got them out that afternoon. Peggy was pretty upset about the house, but otherwise they’re fine and Kane took them back to their place until this is over.”
“I’m glad to hear they’re all right.”
He took her hand and kissed it. She had no idea why he looked so pleased, but she enjoyed the attention.
“You didn’t have to send him to check on my parents.” She was trembling and she had to make an effort to stop the flow of giddy adrenaline coursing through her body.
He cocked his head to one side. “I assumed you’d want to check on them.”
“I do, but…”
He stopped walking and pulled her around to face him. “Look, I get it, you’re not used to people doing things for you. To be honest neither am I. Your parents might be in danger, probably not, but it’s possible. I know you’ll be more at ease if you know they’re safe. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to them. Kane is not far from Ohio. He’ll make a quick stop, check on them, let them know you’re safe and then he’ll come down here.”
He was right, she wasn’t used to anyone doing things for her. She was used to being self-sufficient and taking care of herself. Suddenly she needed someone and the crazy part was she didn’t mind. What was happening between them? It had been a surprise to see the great Joshua Lakeland was jealous that afternoon. Not that he had any reason to be jealous. She’d never had any interest in Jess. He was a great agent and a good friend and maybe a long time ago Jess would have liked it to be more. But she had always known for Jess it would have been just sex and would only complicate their working relationship. As a result, they had become good friends and Jess had stopped making passes. Maybe he also saw the benefits of not complicating their relationship.
She’d expected questions from Joshua about Jess, but once she’d taken his hand all the worry and jealousy had gone.
The most amazing thing was that little Tessa Clark had so much power over the most powerful Psi Agent in the world. The notion made her a little nervous as they headed back to Will’s.
Once he parked back at the small airport he tugged her toward a smaller building that looked as if it was a storage shed. He slid open the barn-style door and flipped a light switch to reveal an authentic dojo. Brown beams separated opaque Asian-style windows she imagined they let natural light in during the day but kept the glare down and the place cool. The ceiling was the same off white with the dark-brown beams while the floor was covered with white padding to keep injuries down. At one end were three small poufs that were low to the ground and she guessed were used for meditation.
“This is really something.” Kicking off her heels, she stepped all the way inside and heard the door slide shut behind her. The matted floor was warm under her feet and she curled her toes into the foam.
She heard him move half a second before he swept her leg and she crashed to the mat she had just been admiring. Instinct took over and she popped back to her feet, spinning in his direction.
“I noticed in the kitchen you have some skills.” He circled to the right and stood in the middle of the dojo.
She ignored the fact she was not dressed for a fight and took her stance a few feet in front of him, but out of range of his arms or legs. “I can hold my own.”
“We’ll see.” He came forward and threw a series of punches she easily blocked, right to the face, left to the gut, right to the gut, left to the face.
She kept her eyes focused on his before spinning back out of range. She couldn’t beat him with force. He was bigger and stronger. She would have to outmaneuver him. When he came forward again she ducked into a low kick that took his right foot out and sent him to the mat with a loud thud. She should have gone in for the kill while he was on the ground. He’d been surprised. She had the time. Instead she reached behind her back, pulled the zipper at her waist, reached the back of her neck, tugged the bow there and let the red silk dress fall to the ground.
In just her white thong she reached her hand down to offer him help up.
His eyes were still on her body when he took the offered hand and jumped to his feet. His hands came up in a fighting stance. “Are we continuing or are you taking the match in a new direction?”
“You started this.” She was already in her stance and ready when he stalked forward and threw two quick punches, which she blocked before throwing one of her own that connected though it did little damage to his shoulder.
