Page 7 of Hidden Desires

Jackson figured as much. He and Jeffery weren’t exactly the best of friends, and he could only imagine what Autumn told them about the day she came by his house. Jackson did know the Major protected his only daughter. There was no way he knew their past because if he did, Jackson had no doubt he’d be six feet under. He silently thanked Autumn for keeping their dirty deeds a secret from her father.

“Well, we’re not dealing with the past right now.” Jackson grabbed a tissue from her dresser and handed it to her. “Will you tell me why you think someone would send you a bomb? Did you piss someone off recently? Is this more of a scare tactic or a death threat? I need to know as much as I can about you and your life if we’re going to catch this creep.”

He watched her hesitate, knowing she didn’t trust him. If she didn’t trust her family with the details of her life, why would he assume she’d trust you? Jackson waited patiently while she had her silent debate.

“Fine. I don’t know why someone would send me a bomb. It wasn’t a professional bomber because I studied with Nick. This person used cheap equipment that was seriously unstable. I haven’t pissed off anyone out of the ordinary that I can think of. And I believe it’s more of a scare tactic than anything.” She ran her hands through her hair and then moved to toss the used Kleenex. “Any more questions?”

Jackson held back the smile that accompanied the question he had in mind. “What about past boyfriends or lovers? Anyone in that category this person could be?”

Autumn snorted. “Well, I can count on one hand all the men in that category with you included. I suppose it’s a possibility, though. Did you send me a bomb?”

The old Autumn reappeared again, and Jackson couldn’t have been happier. At least the tears were gone and the some of the awkwardness left with them.

“If I was ever stupid enough to try and harm you, I wouldn’t use a bomb.” Jackson met her stare. “But I’d like to think I’m not stupid enough to even consider it.”

“You really have a thing with intelligence, don’t you?”

“Knowledge is power.” He glanced around the room. The place was clean and feminine. Her room was decorated with dark woods, her bed covered with deep red sheets. The king-size poster bed took up a great deal of the master bedroom, somehow making the room feel lived in. Why a single woman needed such a big bed, he didn’t know.

“So no boyfriend or spastic lover after you. No enemies. Who do you think this person could be? An animal hater or something?”

She shrugged. “Funny. I don’t know. I live in a small town outside the big city. We pretty much get along here.”

He walked over to her dresser and picked up the bottle of lotion that sat there. She still wore the same strawberries-and-cream-sherbet scent that smelled good enough to eat. Jackson couldn’t believe he remembered that after so long. He never proclaimed to be a monk, but the finer details of Autumn slipped into his thoughts, little bits that he had no reason to recall.

All at once, they flooded his mind. Her favorite food was a grilled cheese sandwich with not one slice but four, toasted light brown. He couldn’t even begin to count how many she ate that summer. She liked the color red, and it looked great on her. She went barefoot nearly every day while sipping on a popsicle with a book in hand. She liked romance novels with half-naked men on the front holding the woman in a seductive pose. She was just seventeen. A sweet seventeen-year-old who had allowed herself to fall in love with him. Or so she thought.

“Can you take me to the clinic and show me the scene of the crime?” Jackson put the lotion back and turned toward her. “I need to know as much about everything as I can. I figure what better place than to start there?”

He saw her hesitation. Her teeth scraped against her lower lip, chewing on the plump flesh while she debated. He may not be the man of her dreams, but he was here to help. Honest to goodness in the very least that’s what he wanted to do. All the other stuff didn’t matter right now.

“I’ll get my purse.” She motioned for him to exit the room before her. “There really isn’t anything there, but we can go I guess. You drive.”

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