Darkness Unknown (20 page)

Doc set his stethoscope aside and came around to Jarvis's side of the table. “No, I certainly did not appreciate Brenna Nichols being in my way, or the peremptory way Dr. Young took over my lab. But their interference undoubtedly saved Blake Trahern's life. There are nights I can't sleep, thinking about how close I came to killing that man unnecessarily.”

He looked back down at Chase. “If this boy needs his sister, you won't get any complaints from me.”

“Do you want me to go get her?” Jake offered.

He'd played coward long enough. “I appreciate the offer, but I need to face her sometime.” Jarvis rested his hand on Chase's bare shoulder, needing to feel the boy's body warming up as his blood started pulsing through his veins and arteries.

“She's going to be upset, Jarvis, but she'll get over it.”

“I got her brother
killed,
Jake. That's too much to get over.”

Hunter poked his nose into the discussion. “If she's anything like that Brenna Nichols or Dr. Young, maybe you're selling her short. Those two could face down a mob of crazed Others all by themselves. Hell, they managed to tame two of the toughest Paladins in creation.”

“Shut up, Hunter.” He had to get out of there before he broke down completely. It was hard enough to take that first step toward Gwen and total disaster.

But Jake joined right in. “Damn it, Jarvis, you know Gwen. She'll—”

He held up his hand. “If anything changes, call me. Otherwise I'll be back in a couple of hours.”

After all—once Gwen banished him from her life, where else could he go?

T
he crunch of gravel in the driveway snapped Gwen out of her exhausted stupor. She charged out of the house, not sure if she was going to hug the two males who were hours and hours overdue or knock their heads together for scaring her so badly. Why hadn't they called again if they were going to take this long? Jake had tried to make the accident sound like nothing major, but there'd been something in his voice that had convinced her that blood or even broken bones had been involved.

She skidded to a halt when she saw the Chevelle. The sky was just starting to brighten, but the barn lights made it clear that there wasn't a mark on the car. The grim look on Jarvis's face as he climbed out of the car worried her deeply. He looked as if he hadn't slept in days, his face shadowed with exhaustion. But what sent the blood plummeting
from her head was the lack of expression in his dark eyes. They looked dead.

Whatever had happened to her brother had been bad. Very bad. Jarvis caught her before she hit the ground, but just barely. He swung her up in his arms with ease and carried her onto the porch, setting her down in the rocker.

“Put your head down until the dizziness is gone. I didn't mean to scare you.”

She fought him. “Tell me
now.
”

“Breathe, damn it. I'll tell you everything when you're no longer the color of pea soup.”

His big hand relentlessly pushed her head forward until it touched her knees. It didn't take long for her to feel back in fighting form. She batted at his hand until he released her.

“Go slow, Gwen, or you'll be right back down there.”

She managed to raise up without her head spinning out of control again. Then she mustered up the courage to open her eyes to face the bad news she knew would be reflected in Jarvis's.

“Jake lied. Your car wasn't damaged, and Chase wasn't hurt when the car went into a ditch.” Anger burned through the accusation.

“No, it wasn't a car accident. Jake lied because I ordered him to. Be mad at me, not him.” Jarvis rocked back on his heels, giving her a little room to breathe.

“How badly is Chase hurt? What hospital is he in? They should have called me, even if you didn't! I should be with him, not waiting here at the farm!”

“Chase is doing fine now. If you'll gather what you need for a couple of days, I'll take you to him.” He slowly rose to his full height. “And I'll explain everything on the way.”

She couldn't think. She couldn't plan. “I can't leave for days. The animals can't take care of themselves.”

“I'll take you to Chase. On the way, you can write down what needs to be done, and I'll come back to take care of the farm. I might not have your touch with the alpacas, but I can shovel shit with the best of them.”

She was in no mood for humor. “That doesn't surprise me, because you can also dish it out with the best of them. Now tell me what's wrong with my brother! And I want details, Jarvis. I'm running on pure worry and no sleep, but don't you dare try to wrap it up in a pretty package for me. You have no right to decide what I can handle and what I can't.”

He jerked back as if she'd physically struck out at him. She was too furious about being kept in the dark so long about Chase's injuries to worry about hurt feelings.

“I'm waiting, Jarvis.”

His eyes slid past her toward the east, where the
rising sun was setting the hills afire. “He was gutted with a sword because of a lapse in my judgment. Is that blunt enough for you, Gwen? Or do you want to know how much blood he lost before the doctor got him stitched back together?”

She gasped. A sword?

He winced and ran his fingers through his hair. “I'm sorry, but I haven't slept either. I made a bad decision, and it cost Chase a lot of pain. Saying I'm sorry won't change that, but I promise that he's going to be fine. You, of all people, know how well he heals. It'll only be a matter of days before all he has left is a scar, and eventually even that will fade.”

“But the memories won't, will they?” She brushed past him to pack. “He'll carry those for a long, long time.”

“Yeah, he will. We all will.”

For a moment, she thought he was going to follow her upstairs, but he went only as far as the kitchen table. He sank down in his usual chair and reached across to pick up the cold cup of coffee she'd left sitting out. He swigged it down without even a grimace at its cold, bitter taste. She considered telling him to make a fresh pot if he wanted to, but right them she didn't have it in her to be nice.

She made it all the way to the top step before she stopped. Damn the man, anyway! She marched back down the stairs. “Are you hungry?”

“You don't have to play hostess for me, Gwen.” He sounded weary beyond bearing.

“I know that, but you look like death warmed over. I don't want to get in a car with you running on empty. Food and caffeine will help.” She grabbed a skillet and banged it down on the stove. “You make the coffee.”

He didn't argue, just headed for the cabinet where she kept the coffee and filters. It hurt to be reminded how at home he was here in her kitchen. How could he know her house so well, and her so little? She could forgive almost anything but dishonesty. If he'd told her the truth about Chase, she would have hated waiting until Jarvis got there to pick her up, but she wouldn't have spent the night pacing the floor and imagining horror upon horror. Somehow she'd known deep inside that Jake hadn't been completely forthcoming about what had happened. Then the truth had been so much worse than anything she could have thought of.

She set the eggs down before her shaking hands lost control and dropped them. Or threw them at him. “Did you really say someone used a
sword
on Chase?”

“Yes, I did.”

There was far more to the story; she'd bet her last dime on it. “Since when were weapons part of his training? Did you think I would allow him to get
involved in whatever you and Jake do for a living? Especially considering how we met?”

Then realization hit her like a physical blow. She wheeled around to face him. “I can't believe I was so naïve. That was your plan all along, wasn't it? From that first morning: to drag him into your secret little world.”

He didn't have to answer. The truth was there in the straight slash of his mouth. For a moment she couldn't think. Couldn't process. What had she been doing? Oh yes, breakfast. She broke egg after egg until Jarvis stopped her by moving the carton out of her reach.

“I think eight eggs will be plenty for the two of us, Gwen.”

That did it. The dam broke, and the tears she'd been fighting gushed down her face. Jarvis gently pulled her into his arms, probably figuring he was the last person she'd want comfort from right then. He was wrong about that, but that only made matters worse.

His right hand moved in soothing circles on her back, and the left gently cradled her head against his shoulder as she soaked his shirt with tears.

“He's going to be fine, Gwen. I wouldn't lie about that.” His voice was thick and rough.

“But you've lied about other things—like what you were really doing with Chase, and why.”

“Yes. Or at least, I didn't tell you the full truth.”

“Same thing.”

“I know.”

He went back to making coffee. She took the overheated skillet off the stove to give it and her temper time to cool down; then she whisked the eggs and poured them in. Some bread in the toaster, and breakfast was under control. She wished it was as easy to do that with her life.

They ate in silence. She choked the food down, figuring she'd need all the strength she could get to deal with Chase's injuries. While she went upstairs to pack her overnight bag, she could hear Jarvis cleaning up the kitchen. Maybe they'd get past this, but it would be hard. Even if she were willing to forgive him for this mess, something about his attitude made her think that he'd have a harder time forgiving himself.

She was chilled-to-the-bone scared for her brother. Yes, she knew firsthand about Chase's ability to heal, and that Jarvis had the same talent. She should have known that he'd think Chase would be a perfect candidate for the same kind of work. How many times had she looked at Chase with Jarvis and Jake, and thought how well he fit in with them? But she'd turned a blind eye to the situation because she'd hoped they'd help him gain some control.

Her conscience pricked at her. Maybe she hadn't wanted to see it, because having Jarvis around had been such a wonderful change in her life, too.

She tossed in more clothes than she'd probably need, but there was no telling how long she'd be gone. After grabbing a spiral notebook, she went back down the stairs.

“I'm ready.”

Jarvis took her bag from her. On the way out, he turned off the kitchen lights and locked the door behind them. The dogs were waiting outside on the porch, and she noticed their bowls were full of kibble and their water had been topped off. Dozer whined softly, clearly picking up on her emotional state.

“I'll be back with Chase, boys. Be good.”

The Chevelle roared to life, and then they were flying down the highway, driving right into the morning sun.

 

Gwen was doing her best to ignore him, keeping her eyes focused out the passenger side window, but she wasn't going to wait much longer for him to make good on his promise. And delaying the inevitable wouldn't change the outcome.

“What I'm about to tell you is not for public broadcast, Gwen. I'll be up to my ass in alligators for telling you—but that's not why I'm asking you to promise you'll honor that secrecy.”

He waited until she looked at him before continuing. “There are a lot of good men and women
who work hard to keep this world safe. More than just their lives would be at risk if word of their mission were to get out.”

She didn't exactly sneer, but it was a close thing. “And this super secret mission involves my brother?”

“Yes, it does. And I need your word on this, Gwen, or I'm going to turn this car around and take you right back to the farm.” He would do no such thing, but hoped she wasn't completely sure about that.

“You have my word, for what it's worth.”

“I mean it, Gwen. Lives depend on it.”

“I said you have my word, Jarvis,” she snapped, holding her hand up as if swearing an oath in court.

She looked insulted that he'd been so insistent, but too bad. If she went to the media with stories of aliens and warriors who could survive even death, all hell would break loose.

“Okay. I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Chase. And just as with him, I want you to hear me out before you start asking questions or telling me I'm crazy.” He glanced in her direction. “Let me start by saying I'm sorry you had to run up against the world I live in.”

“But not Chase. You aren't sorry about Chase getting involved, are you?” Those green eyes saw too much.

“If he had any choice in the matter, I would have disappeared from your life after that first morning,
Gwen. But as much as you're going to hate it, the bottom line is that he doesn't.”

Her temper exploded in the small confines of the car. “Do not—I repeat,
do not
—try to tell me that my brother is condemned to live like you! I won't have it, Jarvis. You have no right to screw up his life like that. No right at all.”

God, could there be a worse time to be having this discussion? They were both tired and worried and totally sick about Chase. But she had to know what she was walking into; he owed her that much. Rather than get into a shouting match over Chase's future, he settled for explaining the present.

“You've known all along that Chase and I share the same ability to heal, as well as the inborn aggression that makes us good fighters. Some of the best in the world.”

“Maybe that's true for you but—”

“Damn it, Gwen, stop it! You want the truth? I'm giving it to you. I never promised you'd like it, but you're damn well going to hear me out because I won't take you to Chase until you do.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him some more.

Then he let the truth pour out—the Paladins, the Others, the Regents, the ongoing war, everything. And right at the end, he let slip the one thing he'd meant to keep to himself. He foolishly told her he loved her.

Her silence spoke far more than any words could have.

 

Gwen felt the stares and heard the whispers from the men they passed by, but she ignored everything except the soft pressure of Jarvis's arm around her shoulders. She would've shrugged off the protective gesture, but right now she needed his support. And maybe he needed hers.

The guard at the gate had clearly not been happy to see Jarvis drive through with her in the car. They'd had the elevator to themselves, but after that they'd passed a number of men who'd looked startled by her presence. When Jake had stepped out of a doorway to join the two of them, she'd almost wept at the relief of seeing a familiar face. At least he had the presence of mind to run the others off.

“Come on, guys, let's give her a break. She's here to see her brother.” He made shooing motions with his hands until the men broke ranks and disappeared back to wherever they'd come from.

Satisfied they'd be left alone, he took her hand in both of his. “Sorry about that. Can you tell we don't get many women through here?”

“So it appears.” She didn't bother smiling. She was too tired, too wired, and just as mad at Jake as she was at Jarvis.

She pulled her hand free and stepped clear of Jarvis's embrace. “How's Chase?”

Jake met Jarvis's gaze over her head before he answered. She poked him in the arm to force his attention back to her. “Take me to my brother. Then you two can swap secrets to your hearts' content.”