Page 22 of Nomad
A storm rolled in quickly. The sun hid behind the fluffy gray clouds, and the smell of rain permeated the air. Thunder sounded and lightning flashed in the distance. The sky continued to darken every minute that passed. I wasn’t a superstitious man, but I hoped the ominous weather wasn’t an omen for what was coming with this situation involving Samuel Allen.
The humidity kicked my ass despite the light breeze weaving overhead through the leaves of the massive oak tree I stood under. My t-shirt clung to the fine sheen of sweat covering my skin. It was a day I was thankful I’d stowed my leather cut away at the cheap motel I’d spent last night in to keep anyone from identifying me based on my patches.
Jade tossed her hands in the air before they landed on her wide hips. Allen pushed up from the dining room table so fast, the wooden chair slid back, hitting the wall behind him, and then tipped over onto the floor. Startling her, she swiftly faced him and flung her hands in the air, again. From where I stood, I couldn’t hear their argument, but it was escalating. She was getting more frustrated, and he was getting angrier.
He left me no choice but to say fuck it.
I stalked towards her home. He wouldn’t touch her, not with me here.
I quickly crossed the street, looking both ways, hoping no one would notice me. Normally, I’d hide in the shadows, but today, there was no other choice. I’d have to show myself to the person I would kill because right now, getting to Jade before he touched her was my only concern.
Veering from his normal routine and showing up here was only a minor hitch in my plan. It wasn’t like I couldn’t adjust. My time in the special forces had trained me to adapt to the situation or environment. He’d die soon, although not today. There were still four days in my timeline to get the job done.
When I reached her bright red front door standing out amongst the other generic doors of the neighboring homes in her suburban neighborhood, I turned the doorknob as quietly as possible, hoping not to tip them off to my presence. I thanked God it was unlocked which I would discuss with Jade after I handled this situation.
I gazed around one last time to make sure no one saw me before slipping inside. Once I entered, I quietly closed the door behind me.
Hopefully, Jade doesn’t have nosy neighbors, or the cops will be here in minutes.
I prayed my heavy boots wouldn’t alert them to me being inside the house. I crept as quietly as possible for a man my size the short distance from the foyer to the dining room, although I doubted they’d hear me over their booming voices. It was a good thing it was a school day and Junior wasn’t home to witness this argument. Junior was like his father. He would step in to protect Jade, like Aaron would if he was alive. Like I was getting ready to do.
“I don’t have to listen to any more of this shit! Get out!” Her voice was frantic as she pointed towards the door. Fear clung to every word she spoke, and it pissed me off more. He got a rush off her fear, I could see it on his face. “You can’t barge into my home, especially after I broke things off with you! You have no right being here. If you don’t leave now, I’m calling the cops!”
“The cops aren’t going to do a goddamn thing to me, Jade,” he responded smugly. He stepped closer to her and grabbed her arms. “I’m not leaving until we get this shit straight. You can’t walk away from me. I won’t let you.”
“You won’t let me?” His grip on her arms tightened when she tried to snatch away from him. “You won’t let me? You don’t own me, asshole.”
“But I do, my sweet Jade. I own all of you.”
I hated the way his eyes moved down her body. I clenched my fists at my sides.
“Do you hear how crazy you sound?”
“Crazy?” A muscled flicked angrily in his jaw. “You haven’t seen crazy, yet.”
“Sam, let go of me.” Her eyes widened while she struggled against his hold. “You’re hurting me.”
I couldn’t take anymore. I needed to step in and got him out of here before I executed him in front of her. I leaned against the archway separating the living area from the dining room, the top of my head grazing the arch.
“If I were you, I’d listened to her,” I said as calmly as possible, making my presence known to them. The unbearable rage swirling inside me was the opposite of the calm voice I’d used. I wanted to rip his fucking head off for touching her. However, I wouldn’t be able to kill him now and get away with it. I had no other choice but to calm my anger before I did something that landed me on death row.
Samuel’s grip loosened, and he faced me. She quickly stepped away, putting as much distance between them as possible in the small dining room. Jade’s eyes landed on me. Seeing such hurt in them made me want to fuck him up more for causing her any kind of pain.
“Who the fuck are you?” He glowered at me like he wanted to beat the hell out of me for intervening.
“It doesn’t matter who I am.” I stepped further into the room in case I had to defend her from an attack. I wasn’t worried about myself. With the amount of fury moving through me, he’d never get the upper hand. “She asked you to leave. Now, I’m telling you.”
He wanted to respond. Anger was visible in his eyes. He looked me up and down, contemplating whether he should heed my warning or take his chances with me. While I itched for any response from the bastard so I could beat the fuck out of him, it was best if he left without another word.
His glare instantly shifted to a shit-eating grin like none of the shit I’d seen had happened. I would have guaranteed Jade had never seen this side of him or the anger so clearly in his eyes. Samuel Allen was a fucking chameleon, and when she broke off their relationship, he changed on her in a heartbeat. She couldn’t trust him.
He fastened the button of his blazer and smoothed down the non-existent wrinkles from his navy, tailored suit. He was the ultimate sleazy snake oil salesman but posed as an upstanding businessman and son of a senator from a wealthy family to everyone, including Jade. But I knew the truth. He was a drug addicted woman abuser. A predator in every sense of the word, hiding behind that boy next door façade and his money. Samuel Allen was nothing more than dog shit stuck to the bottom of my shoe. A stain on humanity. A stain I’d wipe off the face of the earth soon. While this job was for Demons United, I would enjoy taking Samuel Allen’s life.
He faced her again, forcing her to take another step back. Tears pooled in her eyes, and I wasn’t sure if they’d come from her confrontation with him, or whether they were happy tears because it relieved her to see me. I wished it was the latter.
“So, this asshole’s the reason you’re trying to get rid of me?” He pointed his thumb in my direction over his shoulder at me. “Is this who’s been fucking you for the last three months? You haven’t been sleeping with me.”
Relief raced through me. I was ecstatic she had cut him off after what I’d seen him do.
