AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There had been less than a handful of times that she’d been this furious with one of her siblings, and now she could add tonight at the top of the list. Slamming the door of her SUV closed, she fumbled with the key fob for a minute, locked the car doors, and had turned toward her house when a sudden, dark shadow rushed for her.
She screamed, cowering back against the vehicle, her hands lifting to protect her face as she saw hands coming for her.
She swore she heard an animal’s snarl at the same time she heard her timid neighbor, Ross Jenkins, give a frightened cry just before a hulk-sized shadow slammed into him.
“No. Jack…” she cried out.
She knew who it was, and she knew what was coming. As his fist prepared to strike, she clamped onto his arm with all her strength and was jerked off her feet and into his back before he paused.
Ross Jenkins was cowering, on the ground, his hands over his face, little frightened whimpers squeaking from behind his fingers.
“It was my fault,” she claimed breathlessly, refusing to let go of Jack’s arm. “I was startled. It was my fault.”
“Let go of my arm, Poppy,” he ordered, his voice sounding calm, reasonable. But she knew the tone didn’t matter. He was tense, muscles bunched to drive his fist into the puny little man he still held by the neck.
“I’m sorry,” Jenkins was all but blubbering. “Please. Please… a package was left for her… I’m sorry…”
“Let him go, Jack,” she ordered. “Take your hand off his neck right now and let him go.”
In the dim light, she watched his fingers uncurl, felt him ease back by inches, his body still prepared to fight.
“A package…” her neighbor gasped again. “They left it at my door… I was just gonna give it to you… that’s all.”
Sure enough, a package lay scant inches from his head.
“Let go of me, Poppy, and I’ll stand up,” Jack offered then. “Or you can dangle off my wrist, your choice.”
She let go of him hastily and watched in surprise as Jack rose and extended his hand to the still cowering neighbor.
Ross took the proffered hand cautiously, his breath expelling audibly as Jack pulled him to his feet.
“Sorry about that,” he apologized. “Poppy doesn’t usually panic easily.”
“Oh. Oh. Yeah…” Ross stared back at them dazed, the whites of his eyes showing, his thin hair standing on end. “She screamed really loud… I didn’t mean… I mean… the package…” He looked on the ground around him, still shaken, just as Poppy was.
“This is my fault, Mr. Jenkins.” Her voice was still shaking, and she just knew she was going to start crying at any minute. “I’m so very sorry.”
It had been a shit day, and wasn’t this just the perfect ending for it.
“Oh well… No harm done, I guess.” He still sounded confused and as frightened as Poppy felt. “Your package…” He looked around again.
“I have it,” Jack assured him. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Oh… yes… fine.” He swallowed tightly. “I should have announced myself sooner… Thought she saw me… The headlights, you know.”
But somehow, she had missed him.
She’d been too angry, too focused on getting into the house where she could finally cry in peace.
“I’m going to go in…” The slight man turned, looked to his house, then turned back to Jack. “Home… I’m going to go home.”
He sounded as though he were asking permission.
“Be careful,” Jack said pleasantly.
“Yes… yes…” He wandered off, glancing back at them every few seconds as though terrified Jack would follow.
A second later calloused fingers curled around Poppy’s upper arm and Jack was all but dragging her to her back door.
