Common Enemy (5 page)

“Connor, you’ll make someone a great wife someday,” she jokingly remarked after supper. “The house is beautiful and your cooking is better than mine. You’re spoiling us.

“Now that the downstairs is finished, what are you going to do next?”

“If you’re up for shopping tomorrow afternoon, I could get started on the upstairs.”

“We only have three rooms up there.” The realization of how fast the work was getting done made her sad, but she couldn’t keep him here forever.

“I have to get back to the outside sooner or later.”

“I guess we could start tomorrow.” Getting it over with would probably be best, for her as well as Lizzy.

“The security system is being installed in the morning. It’s state of the art with a battery backup. It covers all the doors and windows upstairs and down. They monitor for fires and break-ins. It even has a panic button for medical emergencies and whatever.”

“Lizzy, it’s time for you to go upstairs and get ready for your bath,” Jordan said, frowning. After Lizzy flitted from the room, she turned back to Connor. “I don’t remember paying for a security system. I hadn’t even made up my mind yet about having one.”

“I’ve got some money put back. It’s a gift. You can pay the monthly service fee. I got you a good deal,” he replied, lightly.

“What makes you think I need it?”

“Don’t argue with me about this.” His tone reminded Jordan of her old life. It made the food she’d just eaten feel like a rock in her stomach. “And don’t pull that boss card out either. We both know why you need it. Mr. Coleman told me about your ex-husband. I looked into it. I know he’s getting out of prison at the end of the month. Do you realize how soon that is? It’s less than a week away.”

“You had no right digging into my business.” If she didn’t assert her independence now, she never would.

“I had every right.” He rubbed his hands over his face, before he went on. “You and Lizzy have become very important to me. I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you. I have to do all I can to protect you. Why are you so against protecting yourself? Do you plan on being a victim for the rest of your life?”

How dare he take control that way? This was her home, her family, and her life.

“Look who’s talking. You hide yourself away in a beat-up old van. Do you ever plan to return to the real world? What are you so afraid of?”

“I’m not afraid of the world, it’s afraid of me. There’s no way to hide these scars.” He tilted his face up and to the side to make his point. “Have you seen the looks I get when I’m in town? Pay attention some time. People look at me with disgust or revulsion. I’ve heard kids ask their moms if I’m a monster. Even after people get used to me, they look at me with pity. Can you honestly say it wasn’t the first thing you saw when we met?”

“Of course I noticed. I felt bad because of how much it must have hurt. Don’t you realize that people look at you the way they do because they see themselves in your place? If they saw you the way Lizzy and I do, smiling and happy, they’d get past it. But you don’t give people a chance.”

“How did this get turned around to me?” Connor threw his napkin onto the table. “I’m going to bed. I’ll be here to watch the security people when they get here in the morning. That system will be installed and you will use it.” He stormed out of the house with Jordan close behind him. He turned around halfway to his van and she almost ran into him. “What?” he yelled at her.

“We just had our first fight and I don’t feel like it’s over,” she yelled back.

“So what do you want now? Are we supposed to kiss and make up or something?” he sneered.

“Well, as they say, never go to bed mad.” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard on the lips. It was the first time she’d kissed a man in more than five years, but it had never felt this good.

“I don’t know who they are,” he said breathlessly, “but I like them.”

“Okay, well, goodnight, Connor.”

“Good night, boss.”

They turned in separate directions and walked away.

****

The next morning the security system was hooked up. The installers instructed Jordan in how to use it. They even showed Lizzy how to find the panic button. Then Connor went over the instructions with them twice more. Finally, Jordan threw her hands into the air and walked away.

“Can I take a nap now?” Lizzy asked. “This whole thing has worn me out.”

While she slept, Connor and Jordan went through the upstairs rooms to decide what had to be replaced. A couple of boxes sat in the hallway, outside Jordan’s room.

“What’s all this?”

“I need to get those up to the attic. It’s just stuff I brought from Tampa, Lizzy’s baby clothes and toys, old photo albums. Things like that.”

“Well, there’s no time like the present.” Connor hefted the biggest box to his shoulder. “Open the attic and I’ll take them up.”

Jordan pulled the rope letting down the steps and Connor carried the first box up without incident. When he lifted the second box, the bottom let go. Pictures and photo albums scattered over the floor. He set the box down to scoop the loose photos together. There were pictures of Jordan throughout her school years and baby pictures of Lizzy. A lot of people he didn’t know…except one.

The face of the man from his dream lay in the middle of the pile. The face smiling up at him had the same sneer as it did that night in the parking garage. He fell back against the wall and slid down. He sat with his knees up and head down drawing large amounts of air through his nose and blowing it out. Jordan ran to soak a washcloth for his face. Before she could finish he was leaning over the toilet beside her, his stomach heaving as it emptied.

“What happened? Is it the heat?” She wiped his pale face.

“I need to lie down for a while. I need to get out to my van.”

“You’re not going anywhere. You’re staying in this house until I know you’re okay.”

“I’m not sick, I just…why do you have a picture of that man?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have a lot of pictures.”

While she was in her room turning down the bed he returned to the hall and found the picture he’d dropped. He held it out to her when she came back.

“I forgot I had that,” she whispered. “I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Who is he, Jordan?”

It was the first time he’d called her by her first name. He tried to keep his voice even and calm.

“That’s my ex-husband, Bobby Ray Butler. I don’t understand.” She took the picture from his hand holding it by its edge as though it were covered in something vile. “Get some rest. We can talk later.”

Connor lay with his back to the window. He couldn’t stand the sunlight right now. His stomach and head hurt. His heart was breaking. Lizzy’s father, Jordan’s former husband and lover, this couldn’t be happening. He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. He wanted to rip the man’s heart out and feed it to him.

His attackers had never been identified. He had never had the satisfaction of justice. He would never have justice now. Even if he could prove this was the man who had used that knife on him, even if he watched him fry in an electric chair for the crime, he had stolen something much more precious from him now. He’d stolen the first dream that Connor had allowed himself to have in six years.

Could he look at Lizzy and not see that man somewhere in her little face? Could he look at Jordan and not picture his hands on her body? Connor wished he had died that night in the parking garage. He wished he could close his eyes and never wake up. All the visions, past, present, and imagined ran through his head. His brain couldn’t function any more. He fell asleep with tears of anger on his cheeks.

Chapter Six

Jordan went through the afternoon on autopilot, but her nerves were wearing thin. Finally, she decided to make a call.

“Hey, Holly, I hate to ask, but could you do me a favor?”

“Sure, girl, I’d do anything for you.” There was a pause. “You don’t sound so good. What’s the matter?”

“I’m under the weather today. I don’t think I can handle Lizzy tonight. She’s been getting along with the boys so well, I was wondering…”

“Don’t even ask. She’s welcome here anytime. I’ve always wanted to spend the evening baking cookies with a little girl in my kitchen. All my boys care about is eating them. Can I polish her little fingernails?”

“She’d love it.” Jordan was thankful to have such an understanding friend. “I’m really sorry to impose like this.”

“Don’t give it another thought. Just see if you can get a pair of pajamas packed before I get there. Then, you can climb into bed and get to feeling better. Do you need me to pick anything up for you on my way over?”

“No, I’m sure I’ll be fine by tomorrow. You’re always such a lifesaver, Holly. Thank you.”

“Just get yourself better darlin’. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

Lizzy was excited about her sleepover. She waved out the car window as they pulled away. This was the first time they wouldn’t be sleeping under the same roof. It felt strange.

Jordan sat on the front porch and finally allowed herself to think about the incident with Connor. There was only one thing she could think of that would cause him to have such a strong reaction to Bobby Ray’s picture. Guilt coursed through her body. Maybe if she’d found a way to stop Bobby Ray sooner Connor would be a happy, successful man today. He’d have a home, a family and friends. He wouldn’t feel the need to hide from the world.

What must he think of her? She had been married to a violent animal, had his child. Everything he’d done to her couldn’t compare to what Connor had been through. How many other people’s lives had her ex-husband ruined?

The setting sun shined on her like a spotlight. She suddenly felt exposed. She went into the living room and just sat, numbness inching through her limbs and into her body. She watched the sun disappear, leaving her in total darkness. She closed her eyes.

****

Connor found Jordan sleeping in a living room chair. It didn’t seem right to just walk past her. Not after he’d spent the last two hours sleeping in her bed. But what could he say to explain how he’d reacted to the picture? He didn’t have a chance to figure it out before her eyes blinked open.

“Are you absolutely sure?” she murmured. “Are you positive it was him?”

“It was him.” How could she be so perceptive?

A tear streaked down each cheek before she had a chance to turn her back. Her sobs tore at his heart. Suddenly she jumped from the chair and ran toward the stairs. He couldn’t leave her like this. When he caught up to her he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her against his chest. He rocked her in his arms until she regained some composure.

“Did you love him?”

“I thought I did, a long time ago. That didn’t last long.” Jordan sniffed and wiped her eyes. “He was an animal. All he cared about was taking whatever he wanted and destroying everything else. I got the worst of both. When he was mad, it was really bad. When he was happy, it was even worse.”

She couldn’t look him in the eye. He understood what she was saying and it made his skin crawl. He hated this guy worse now than he had six years ago. What kind of hell had the man put Jordan through?

He lowered himself onto the sofa with her in his arms. They clung to each other for several minutes.

“God, what a pair we are,” he scoffed. “Both of us were victims of the same monster.”

“When were you in Tampa?” she asked. Bobby Ray had never gone far from the area.

“I was born and raised in Tampa. My parents and brother still live there.” He knew she really wanted to know when he’d been attacked. He ran his finger down the scar on his cheek. “This happened six years ago. They didn’t try to make it pretty, because they didn’t think I’d live. I was in a coma when they found me. They thought I’d probably suffered extensive brain damage from the beating. I have more scars.”

“I know,” she admitted. “I saw you out the window the second day you were here. Can you tell me what happened?”

It took him a minute to gather it all in his mind. Then he told her everything he could remember. Sitting in the dark in each other’s arms made it easier.

“I’m glad your family was there to support you,” she said when he’d finished.

“I suppose it helped, but it was hard. My mother couldn’t stop crying. My father and brother were angry and frustrated that they couldn’t do anything about it. My wife visited once. Divorce papers were in my hand within a month. She said she was sorry, but she just couldn’t live with it.” He pointed to his left cheek.

“I didn’t know you’d been married. Do you have children?”

“No, she didn’t want any. When I was young and arrogant I didn’t think I did either. Now that the chance has passed, I do want them, badly. Isn’t that ironic? I guess you always want what you can’t have.”

“Why can’t you have children?” Her brows knitted in concern.

“Look at this face. Do you think any woman would want to walk down the aisle with me? Besides that, I’d probably scare a poor baby to death. I’m getting too old anyway.”

“You are so full of shit. You can’t be over thirty-five. That’s not too old. And for your information, babies don’t judge. They don’t have any frame of reference. And tons of women would have you. You’re smart, kind, funny, and you have an awesome body.”

“Have you been peeking?”

It felt good to laugh again. Jordan started to stand, but Connor tugged her back into his lap.

“Where’s Lizzy?” he asked softly.

“She’s spending the night with the Douglases.” Her voice was low and her eyes watched his lips.

He pulled her face down to his. He hesitated and Jordan leaned in to meet him halfway. Her kiss was the sweetest he’d ever known. When he pulled back, her hands were splayed across his chest. His heart beating strong and fast under her palm. His erection throbbed insistently against her leg. He leaned his forehead to hers, savoring their closeness. She stroked his left cheek, just once before he grabbed her wrist.

“Does it hurt?” she asked.

“No.”

“I want to touch every inch of you.” She stood and led him to the spare bedroom.