Leticia (27 page)

“I can’t agree to this
.
”

“That’s your problem, but
it’s
not all about
you
.
They’re
also coming for
my
family now and
I
will protect
them
any way I can, regardless of the consequences
.
” he thundered
.
“Do you agree
with
that
?”

I didn’t respond, what could I say? In a way I knew he was right, but still...

“Look, I’m not one for enjoying killing people, I never have been, but I will do what is necessary
,
” he told me
.
“
Regardless
of what you think
. I hope you can respect that.
”

“
You
should never have helped me
,
” I sighed
.

He walked closer to me and put his hand to the side of my face.
“Leticia even if I could have foreseen all this I would have
still
helped you. I wouldn’t have left you
.
”

“I’m so sorry
.
”

“You might not believe this, but meeting you is one of the best things
that have
ever happened to me
.
I wouldn’t change it for the world
.
”

“No?”

“
No
,
” he breathed
.
“I wish I’d met you years ago
.
”

He came closer and closer to me, and I found myself holding my breath. He cupped my face in his hands, looking
deep into my eyes
.

“Am I interrupting something?”

I turned around to see Tristan in the doorway, a huge smirk
appearing on
his face.

“No
,
” Jackson responded, letting go of me
.
“Nothing
.
”

“Oh, shame. Well since I’m not, maybe you can sort me out some guns, Nancy too
.
”

“Yeah sure, I was going to anyway
.
”

“
W
e
’re
going to have a look around the grounds, just
to
check nobody is lurking.”

He smirked again and then left us alone.

Jackson didn't come back over to me
.
He
took to rummaging through his weapons and getting the right ammunitions out of the trunks. I went downstairs and made myself a drink. I sat in the kitchen, my mind working overtime, but I wasn’t thinking about the ones who were trying to kill us. All I could think about was Jackson. One thing was for certain, if Tristan hadn’t just appeared he would have kissed me. Why else would he have been moving so close to me? That actually made me really annoyed with Tristan
.
I mean, talk about bad timing. He’d just ruined the moment. Having said that though, once he had left the room again, what was to stop Jackson trying again? He was nervous, that was obvious, I’d even go as far as to say he was scared.

“Have I got one?” I heard him say as he walked in the kitchen
.

“What?”

“A drink?”

“Sorry, I’ll make you one now, I thought you’d be up there a while
.
”

“It’s
OK
, I’ll do it myself
.
”

“Sit down!”

To my surprise he actually did as he was told, and I made him coffee. I sat down again facing him. He didn't look at me, in fact he was trying his damnedest to look
anywhere
but
my direction
.

“What’s the matter with you?” I asked
.

“Nothing
.
”

“Oh right, are we going cold again
?”

“
No
.
”

“That means yes!”

“Whatever you say
.
”

“Are your weapons all sorted?”

“Yes
.
”

“Do you need help moving them?”

“No
.
”

I lost my temper. I jumped out of my seat so quickly that the chair went flying half way across the room.
That
made him look at me.

“I’m sick of this
.
This stops now!” I shouted
.

“Don’t shout at me in my own house
.
”

“
Fine
,
” I said grabbing his arm. I dragged him outside in
to
the gardens at the back of the house. “
Here
we go, is th
is
better
?
Now
we
’
re not in your bloody house and I can say whatever the hell I want
.
”

“
Piss
off
.
”

“Time to make a decision, either stay an
ass
hole or stop. You can’t keep doing this to
me;
one minute all kind, loving and caring,
and the
next like you don’t give a
shit
. It’s like you’re just not interested
.
”

“Really?” he started
.
“What
about you
?
You’re
all understanding one minute, you understand I have problems opening up, saying what I feel. You say you’ll have patience with me and then I get this
crap...
”

“You can’t keep using that
as
an excuse!”

“It’s
not
an excuse, it’s the truth!”

“
I can’t do this anymore
.
”

“
Well
you know where the door is
.
”

“Yeah I do, I’m about to use it
.
”

“Oh here we go, go off in a mood
.
”

“Well it makes a change it’s normally you doing it
,
” I shot, making my way towards the door
.
“I’ll get my things and go
.
”

“Go where
?
”

“What’s it to you?”

“You’ve got nowhere to go Leticia, you
’
r
e
being pathetic
.
”

“
I’m
pathetic
?
” I gasped, stopping and turning to face him
.
“
I’m
pathetic. You’re a fine one to talk,
oh feel sorry for me, oh I’ve had my heart broken, oh I’m going to treat everyone like shit but then play badly done too
.
”
I mocked
.

“Don
’
t talk to me like
that;
sarcasm is the lowest form of wit
.
”

“Whatever, you make me
sick;
I can’t believe I actually allowed myself to like you
.
Why am I still even talking to
you?
”
I snapped, attempting to walk away again.

He grabbed my arm and dragged me against him. “Leticia if you walk out on me
now
don’t ever come back
.
”

“I have no intentions of coming back anyway
, why would I want to be anywhere near
you
?”

“I’m sorry
OK
, I’m sorry
.
”

“Too late
.
You’re like a teenager, I’m more grown up than this.
”

“Please
.
”

“Look,
you’ve been warned, you act so cold, then the next minute
you’re
as close to me as you are now, you act like you’re about to kiss me then you just walk off and go cold again
.
”

“I
do
want to kiss you
.
”

“Then stop messing us both around and just do it!!”

“Fine
!
”

The next thing I knew his lips were on mine.
My whole body felt as though it was about to turn to jelly. He tightened his grip on me and I melted into him.
He was a beautiful kisser, soft yet passionate. I
wrapped my arms around his
shoulders;
I don’t think he expected that, his grip tightened even more.

When the kiss ended, and that was a good few minutes later, he kept his face close to mine.

“I should have done that a long time ago
,
” he
whispered
.

“Yeah
.
”

“Tell me you’re not leaving me
.
”

“If I stay, what happens next?”

“I don’t know
.
I never expected
this
to happen
.
”

“What do you want from me Jackson?”

“Everything
.
”

“And will I get the same in return?”

“I can try
...
”

“Not good enough
,
” I sighed, pulling away from him
.

“All I can do is try and get better at being the old me
.
”

“You’re fully capable of being the
old you
. You let it out when you feel like it and shut it away when you don’t. You’re not prepared to let it out fully, so I’m not prepared to take this any further. I’m
sorry;
tell Nancy I’ll keep in touch
.
”

I walked inside and packed my things, I didn't have that much with losing it all in the fire. I made my way back
downstairs;
Jackson was nowhere to be seen. I tried to open the front door, but it was locked. I looked on the holder for the keys
;
not
one set was there. I tried leaving
through the back, but that too was locked and again all keys were missing. I walked into the living
room;
Jackson sat on the sofa staring at me.

“
Looking
for these
?
” he
asked,
dangling several sets of keys in front of him
.

“Don’t be an
ass
, let me out
.
”

“No
.
”

“Jackson I’m not in the mood...”

“I don’t care
.
”

I dropped my bags and went over to him. I tried to get the keys off him, but he was quite a bit taller than me so when he held them up I couldn’t reach. This seemed to amuse him, and as much as I tried to stay annoyed and serious, I couldn’t help but smile.

“I didn’t
realize
just
how
little you were
,
” he laughed
.

“Erm, I’m 5ft5, that’s not
little
.
”

“Yeah it is
.
”

“Well good things come in small packages
...
like poison and bullets
.
”

“Oh so vicious
,
” he laughed again
.

“Just give me the keys
.
”

“No
.
”
He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me against him again. “Don’t leave me, please...”