Page 57 of Jacking Jill

Romeo’s guys nodded. They turned to go, but stopped when Romeo called them back.

“What’s up, boss?” one of them asked.

Romeo gazed past his guys as an idea popped into his head like a suggestion from the subconscious, a backup plan in case everything else went to shit. “My nephew’s airheaded junkie fiancée . . . bring her along for the ride. Gagged and bagged, just like Kay. She might come in handy if we need a hostage.”

One of his thugs glanced at Kay, then frowned at Romeo. “Isn’t one hostage enough, boss?”

Romeo snorted. “Somehow I don’t think a snake like Benson is going to give a rat’s ass about Kay. He probably thinks she led us to the Darkwater hideout by making that phone call in the first place. Hell, if Benson and his guys manage to get any shots off, the first bullet will be for Kay.” He shrugged at Kay, then gestured with his head towards his guys. “Bring Nina. Go on. And take Kay down with you.”

Romeo watched his guys drag Kay out of the room. He closed the door behind them, strolled back to his desk, pulled open the third drawer, took out the gun-safe with his German-made H&K machine-pistol.

As he unlocked the gun-safe and checked his weapon, Romeo wondered about bringing Nina along. It would mean he’d have to kill her too. He couldn’t have a witness to the night’s attack running around blabbing to anyone who cared to listen. Especially Nina, who’d already proven she couldn’t keep her mouth shut. Yeah, he’d have to put her down tonight along with Kay.

But Nina was a dead woman either way, Romeo thought with a shrug. She was a junkie who’d just lost her fiancé. That was an overdose waiting to happen anyway. All Romeo was doing was speeding it up to tonight. He would arrange for the inevitable OD to happen once they got back to the mansion after finishing off Benson and Darkwater. The morning maids would find Nina cold in her bed, foaming at the mouth, system full of alcohol and a dozen other intoxicants.

Too bad, Romeo thought with a sigh. She seemed like a good enough kid. Still, she chose to hook up with a loser like Bobby. She deserved what was coming, Romeo figured. She was just collateral damage, a casualty of war. Besides, Nina was a hysterical, unstable junkie that nobody would miss. The girl didn’t have any family, didn’t invite any relatives to the wedding, didn’t seem to have anyone in the world. Yeah, nobody would miss her.

Except maybe her stupid best friend.

20

“She’s my best friend, Jack. I understand we can’t get to her now, but we can’t just forget about her either.”

Jill turned off the bathroom light, padded back to the bed, got under the covers, turned on her side and glared up at Jack in the chair. She’d woken up suddenly out of a dream, had seen Jack sitting on that chair and watching her with a strange depth in his gaze, almost like he was looking right into her. She’d smiled at him, then crawled out of bed, the blanket wrapped around her naked body even though Jack had seen it all, touched it all, tasted it all, claimed it all.

Jill had peed and washed her hands and emerged from the bathroom to see Jack still in that sentinel position on the straight-backed metal chair. She’d sighed as she passed him on her way back to bed. “I know that Benson has higher priorities. But I don’t, Jack. Nina’s the reason I was on that highway. She’s the reason we met. She’s the reason we—” Jill frowned when she saw Jack’s expression. “Why are you smiling like that? Is this funny to you?”

Still smiling, Jack shook his head. “No. It’s not funny. It’s amazing. You are so beautifully selfless, Jill. Loyal in a way so complete that it’s reckless, so absolute that it’s dangerous.” He smiled warmly, leaning forward on the chair, reaching out and gently stroking her cheek as Jill peered up at him from where she was snuggled in the bedclothes. “You’re going to be such a good mom.”

Jill almost tumbled out of bed with surprise. “OK, I don’t even know how to process that comment. Is that a compliment? Is it an insult? Is it . . . ohmygod, you’re blushing! Jack Wagner is all red-faced and flustered!” She sat up in bed now, her eyes wide in the dark. “You didn’t mean to say that at all, did you? It just popped out?”

Jack rubbed the back of his neck, his gaze darting all over the room before settling sheepishly on her smiling face. “You’ve brainwashed me. Scrambled my signals. Suddenly I’m dreaming about you pregnant with my babies, Jill. The two of us raising a family together.” He raised an eyebrow, darted his gaze towards her chest, that familiar wicked grin breaking on his face now. “Your boobs all heavy with milk,” he whispered, slurping his tongue and smacking his lips as Jill buried her face in the blanket and shook her head. “What?” said Jack innocently. “That does happen, you know. It’s a biological fact.”

“Oh, I’ve heard some of your gross biological facts.” Jill peered out from her blankety cave. “You invent new ones to suit your perverted fantasies.”

Jack stood from the chair, tossing it aside like it was a dollhouse-prop. Grinning like a wolf, he stalked towards the bed. “Speaking of perverted fantasies, since we’re both wide awake now, perhaps we can—”

“Oh, no, you don’t.” Jill giggled as she rolled her way to the far side of the bed, curled up on her side, covering her entire head with the blanket. After a few moments of giggly tingly anticipation, Jill didn’t feel Jack’s weight on the mattress, and so she stuck her head out. “What are you doing?” she asked with a quizzical smile, cocking her head at Jack’s strange behavior. “OK, you’re freaking me out a little.”

Jack didn’t respond. He was staring at the ventilator shaft on the wall high above the bed, his neck straining towards it, nostrils flaring as he sniffed like an animal who’d just picked up the scent of something interesting.

Or something dangerous.

“Smoke,” Jack said, his eyes wide and alert, body rigid and poised for action. “Filling up the ventilation system, which means it’s a big fire that’s just getting going.” He flicked his gaze to Jill, his tone deadly serious. “Get your clothes on, Jill. Do it now. Shit. Shit. Shit!”

Jill froze for a second, momentarily unable to process what Jack was saying. Then she smelled the smoke too, and suddenly panic ripped through her when she realized they were several floors underground in a sub-basement. The only air-supply was through the ventilation system, and even in the dark Jill could see the room beginning to cloud up from the rapidly thickening smoke pouring in.

Jill coughed violently as thick smoke began to fill the room. She stumbled out of bed, almost falling on her face as the bedclothes got wrapped around her ankles. Jack grabbed her around the waist to steady her, releasing her when she found her footing and nodded quickly to let him know she understood.

Still coughing, Jill wriggled into her dress, not bothering with her underwear and tights. Covering her nose and mouth, Jill felt around for her shoes. Her eyes streamed with tears, and it was only when Jill felt herself being lifted off the carpet that she realized she’d been on her hands and knees, was perhaps close to passing out as the smoke choked out all the oxygen in the room.

“Hold on to me and don’t let go.” Jack pulled her against his body, lifted her off her feet, then stormed to the room door and kicked it open. “Fuck!”

A furnace-hot blast of smoky air almost blew them back into the room. Jill screamed against Jack’s chest, burying her face in the space between his pectorals, taking smoky breaths that had just enough oxygen to keep her conscious.

“I can walk,” she gasped. “Put me down, Jack. You’ll suffocate if you have to carry me. I can walk.”

Jack wasn’t listening. He was running down the smoky corridor with Jill in his arms. Jill could feel his chest expand and contract, almost hear his lungs getting clogged with smoke because he was taking deep breaths thanks to the added burden of carrying her.

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