Page 40 of Thor
“I’m sure he will.”Jake reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone.“This is for you.It’s got Thor’s number in it already, along with a few others, just to get you started.”
Janet looked from the phone to Jake.“You got me a new phone?”
He shrugged.“You need to be able to call if you need help.Shadow said your old one was toast.The kidnappers smashed it, but they didn’t do a good enough job.The tracker was still active.That’s how they found you so fast.”
I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close.“She was waiting for us in the woods.Didn’t even have to go near the place.To hell with Beast,I’mproud of her.”I dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
Mom was waiting in the kitchen.When we entered, she threw her arms around Janet and hugged her tight.“I was so worried!You have got to stop getting yourself kidnapped!”
Janet hugged her right back.“I intend to.Any idea how I go about that, because I thought I was doing everything right and they still got me.”
Mom’s face turned grim as she narrowed her eyes, pinning me with her gaze over Janet’s shoulder.“Well, that’s been taken care of.You won’t be seeing Sketch around here anymore.”She sighed.“I could understand if they had something over him, like threatening his family or something, but he did it for money.”She shook her head.“Like money is worth more than what Riptide can offer.”
Jake wandered in and snatched a warm cookie from the counter.“Amen to that.But she’s home and she’s safe so let’s just be thankful.”
I agreed with Jake.I couldn’t even begin to imagine how I’d deal with it if something had happened to her.I cleared my throat to get her attention.Both Janet and Mom turned to look at me.
“I hate to do this when we just got here, but I need to go check in with Ace.You okay with Mom and Jake?”
Janet nodded.“What I really want is a shower.I’ll just head up to your room and wait for you there, okay?”
I immediately pictured her naked with water streaming down over her breasts.“Yeah.I’ll be as fast as I can.”
“You do that.”She grinned and blew me a kiss.
Chapter Eleven
Janet
Something about standing under a hot shower helped me to relax.I stood with my face tilted up and my eyes closed for a long time, letting the water stream over me.So much had happened in the past few weeks.Thor was in danger.That much was very clear.Riptide might have found me and brought back one of the kidnappers to question but I had no doubt they were just hired guns, doing the dirty work for someone who wanted Thor dead.There was a good chance they didn’t even know who had hired them.
That was the part I had trouble understanding.Thor.MyThor.The Thor who played with Willow and teased the twins like they were his little sisters.He was the kindest, most gentle man I’d ever met.How could anyone possibly want him dead?
I knew he’d been in the SEALs and he’d probably done his share of things he’d rather not talk about.I was equally sure he had never deliberately harmed anyone unless under direct orders.Ever.
I gave my head a mental shake.All this thinking was giving me a headache and not doing anyone a lick of good.Ace and Beast and the rest of them would figure it out and make sure he was safe.I had to believe that.
What I needed to do was decide how to bring up the subject of my family.Somehow, I couldn’t picture myself telling Thor I came from a super-rich family that had made their money by exploiting orphans and poor children in their factories.Admittedly, it had been generations ago, but far from being ashamed of the fact, or trying to do good to make up for it, they’d used that money to finance other ventures, some almost as bad.They attended church on Sundays, and had other people do their dirty work.
Now they wanted more.They wanted to enter the political arena, so they’d arranged to marry me off to a senator’s son.My mother, all excited at the prospect, had pointed out that if I produced a son, we’d have a shot at putting him in the White House.What a coup that would be!She truly did not understand why I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of being treated like breeding stock.
As if thinking of them summoned their attention, my new phone rang.I glanced down and saw my mother’s name on call display.I hesitated.How had she gotten my new number?We hadn’t talked since I’d walked out, and I wasn’t sure I was up to sparring with her now.The phone kept ringing, and I realized I hadn’t set up messaging on it yet, and I had no idea how long it would ring before it stopped.Sitting on the edge of the bed, I took a deep breath and picked up the phone.I hitACCEPT.
“Janet?”My mother sounded hesitant.Almost scared.Not at all like the self-confident mother I knew.
“Yes, it’s me.”
“We want you to come home.”She said it so fast I almost didn’t understand what she was saying, like she had to get it out before I hung up or interrupted her.
I felt calm, almost sad.Too much water under the bridge.It was much too late.“Why?Why now?It’s been years since I left.I’m not going to marry the person you want me to, and I’m not going to be part of the family business.You know that.Nothing has changed.I’ve moved on.”I hesitated to tell her I’d met someone and put him in the crosshairs.That was assuming Montgomery had been right, and this hadn’t been my family’s doing all along.
My mother sighed.“We know.”
Of course they knew.They’d probably had me followed since the day I left.“Well then you know I’m happy.I’ve found someone that cares about me, and we’re going to move in together.”
“Thor.The biker.Yes, we know.And he sounds like an impressive young man.”She paused and her voice trembled just a bit.“We would like to meet him.”
“Why?”Not that I was paranoid or anything, but Thor wasn’t part of their world, and neither was I.Not anymore.I liked the life I’d built for myself.I didn’t want them to interfere.
