Page 60 of Fight for You
“It’s nothing.” I giggled. “Okay. Old movie.Fried Green Tomatoeswas old when I first saw it. Still watch it on occasion, though. I wonder if they cut up the bodies and …”
Jamie blinked.
Yeah. He hadn’t seen that movie. Horror widened his eyes. “Jordyn … don’t tell me they eat more than tomatoes in that movie?”
Another laugh. “Just once. Apparently, abusive husbands make for great barbecue ribs. But it was a joke. And I’m sorry for upsetting your stomach, soldier. Anyway, I’m glad they’re fine.” I remained in my position at the upper railing. I didn’t want to get any closer to this beautiful man who had high standards.This is a cruel joke. “Let’s change the subject. Before I ask you about good ol’ Uncle Nolan,”—I smirked—“where’s Reb?”
“I got her some dog food, water, and cleansed her wound. Rebel’s about as triggered as I am when you call that man ‘good, old Uncle Nolan.’ ” He thumbed behind him. “She’s out on the deck. Refuses to come in. I might need to find my girl a therapist.”
I offered a sad smile, knowing he might need that same therapist after he brought up Nolan.
Jamie cleared his throat. “Nolan McGregor was a detective with LBPD when I was growing up. He brought me out of captivity without getting the cops involved. A favor for my dad. Used all the law enforcement resources at his disposal.”
“Sounds like … a good guy?”
“We didn’t start calling himUnclefor no reason.” Jamie patted the seat next to him. “Come sit.”
Nope.I’m fine right here. Had to protect my heart—because Jamie had set up his mind to protect him. Okay, so maybe it wasmy body I needed to protect. My heart was fine with the romance of it all … a slow burn. But my body had turned into a traitor the second I set eyes on him. Every part of me reacted to him. Without even a touch.But you might wait forever, dummy.
But I owed Jamie. If he said jump, I should say how high, right? He’d rescued me.
And the confusion wins again. Annoyed, I shuffled down the stairs across the wood floors and sank onto the couch next to him.Don’t breathe him in.Don’t breathe—dang. Woodsy. Amber. Frenzy. Strength. I remembered every second of having his hardened body flush against mine at MacKenzie Freight. The torture was real. Sinking onto the couch, I leaned against the armrest to give us space.
“I think he’s … the reason I forgot about you.” Jamie’s voice was tight. His eyes dropped. Shame flickered across his marble face like a shadow.
“What?” I whispered, shifting beside him. My leg brushed his as I turned to sit crisscross on the couch, fully facing him.
But Jamie didn’t respond. His lips moved. Barely. I caught the words that spilled out under his breath.McDonald’s. Lincoln Continental.
Sounded like nonsense. Then, the repetition, the focus—it clicked. These weren’t just random words.
They were keys. Keys unlocking the doors of his mind that had been bolted shut for decades. His whole body stiffened like a current had gone through him. His jaw clenched, and a storm rolled into his eyes—grief, rage, recognition.
Like he’d swallowed poison but somehow lived through it.
I didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.
“Jamie?” I asked finally, my voice barely a whisper. “What is it?”
He looked at me, but not really. His eyes were somewhere far away.
“Three Scots took me,” Jamie said slowly, voice hollow. “Flipped me to the man who owned us in less than a day.”
Owned us.
That hit me like a slap.
Jamie went on, his voice breaking like he couldn’t stop now that it had started. “I remember getting out of his Lincoln Continental like it was yesterday. But before we got home, we stopped on the side of the road. One of the men—the first three—he was still in the trunk. Slammed his hand against it, repeatedly.” Jamie’s eyes narrowed. “He wanted out.”
“Oh my gosh.” The words seemed to spring from me as I sat frozen, heart pounding, throat tight.
The love of my life had protected everyone but himself for so long … and now here he was, breaking open.
“The sounds. Nolan’s trying to get me to eat some stupid McDonald’s.” He suppressed a dry heave. “To this day, I still gag when I think of Mickey D’s. I associated that with the day. But I didn’t really assess the way Nolan acted when we sat in that Lincoln. He couldn’t care less about the three in the trunk. Fine by me. But he didn’t care about me either. It was like he was presenting gifts to a monarch.”
“You included?” I frowned.
“Yep. Except I didn’t belong in the basement with the others.”
