Jack Stratton: Jacks Are Wild Part 16

She was cleaning out and rubbing his wounds gently but, after a few moments, Jack clenched his teeth tightly together and balled his hands into fists.

"Congratulations on solving your first case," he said with some effort.

"Shut up." Replacement rubbed a little harder. "That sucked."

"Look, if his wife had paid someone else to look into it, it may have turned out differently. Trust me, his wife will be a lot better off knowing."

"I did all that for free." She pouted.

"You're not taking any money?" Jack asked.

Of course she wouldn't take it.

"No way. She's sick and he's washing dishes; how can I?"

"Maybe they'll refer you?" Jack grinned, but it quickly faded. "You need to be careful following people."

"It was easy. I just waited and drove over to where he was."

Jack leaned back as he stuck his face under the water. "How did you know where he was?"

"GPS."

"GPS? That's not going to do you any good unless... DID YOU PUT A GPS DEVICE ON HIS CAR?"

Replacement straightened up as she shrugged. "Where else would I put it?"

"Are you out of your mind? It's illegal. You can't do that. Where the h.e.l.l did you get it?"

"Online. I won it in an auction."

Jack spun around so fast he almost fell. "You used my credit card. Is that thing in my name? d.a.m.n it, kid. Great. Just great."

"Relax. I always use a throwaway account and get a different card when I'm doing anything online. The FBI couldn't trace it back to you."

Interesting choice of words.

"You can't put a GPS device on someone's car without a court order."

"They do it all the time." She grinned, and the water running down her face detoured into her dimple.

"On TV. That's not real. In reality, you go to prison for that."

She put her hands behind her head as she twisted back and forth. "I'll be more careful."

If you didn't look so stinking cute I'd... d.a.m.n.

Jack turned back to the wall, so Replacement washed his cuts again. After a few more minutes of wincing and gritting his teeth, he grumbled, "Okay. I'm good."

"It's almost there." She continued to rinse and clean it. "Put it under the water and I'll look at your leg."

"My leg?"

"It's cut, too. Face the wall."

Jack turned around as Replacement knelt down.

"Put your leg back," she commanded.

As she pulled the cut apart, Jack snarled and fought back a string of profanities that flew through his mind.

"Enough. Enough with all of this. You're always walking in and seeing me half-naked in the shower. Why? It's just too weird."

"It's not weird." Replacement scrunched up her face, leaned her head back under the water, and grinned. "You're smoking hot. It would be weird if I didn't want to see you naked."

She stood back up. Jack looked down at her. His soaking wet T-shirt clung to her body and showed every curve. He stared as the water ran down her neck and traveled down her chest. Jack always worried about how much he let instincts guide him, but right now he didn't care. Something deep inside him wanted to let go and run with it.

He surged forward. One hand snaked around her waist while the other slid up the back of her neck. Her arms fluttered at her sides as he pulled her into him and kissed her. She offered no resistance as his lips glided over hers. He pressed his mouth against hers until he felt her relax. His kisses softened, but his grip tightened and he pulled her closer.

She moaned softly as he kissed her. His hand slid lower until he cupped her b.u.m. The warm water splashed off her skin and then ran down her face. Jack felt his hand tremble as he realized how much he wanted to be with her right now.

Replacement wrapped her arms around his shoulder and kissed him with a pa.s.sion she'd repressed for years. Her fingers entwined in his hair while Jack inhaled her hot breath. Both of his hands slid down the curves of her body until they rested on her hips. He reached for the hem of the shirt and started to raise it up. He felt her breath catch, and then her hand touched his arm. Jack opened his eyes to see Replacement gazing up at him, breathing heavily. He could see the desire in her eyes, but something else was there, too.

She's going to say stop.

She stiffened.

"No, no, no," Jack whispered as he turned his kisses into quick little pecks, which headed toward her neck once more. Her eyes fluttered and closed. She reached behind her and turned the water off. Jack slumped. Blinking, he straightened up and brushed his hair back. Replacement jumped out of the shower and grabbed a towel.

"I'm sorry." She clutched the towel to her as she pressed her legs together. "I want to, I really do, but...it wouldn't be right...now." She bit her lower lip as she looked him up and down.

Jack turned his hand out and tried to smile. "It's right. Now is good."

Replacement took a step toward him and then ran out of the bathroom.

d.a.m.n.

Jack glared at the closed door.

Perfect.

If she didn't have that la.s.so...

Jack's bedroom door slowly opened until he saw Replacement's head appear.

"Not tonight," Jack grumbled as he continued to look at the ceiling.

"Can we talk?" She walked to the edge of the bed.

"No. I'm just starting to calm down, and I don't want you messing with my head anymore."

"I'm not trying to mess with your head."

"Yeah. You're not trying; you're straight-up succeeding." He put his hands behind his head.

"I'm sorry." She hopped into the bed next to him.

"You don't get 'no,' do you?"

"Do you?" She scooted over and looked down at him.

Jack frowned and then smirked.

Replacement quietly asked, "Is that why you got suspended? You didn't listen to a 'no'?"

Actually, you didn't listen.

Jack nodded.

"What's going on? What happened?" She sat up crossed-legged as she looked at him.

"I don't know where to start."

"Well, what happened to your face?" Replacement's hand went out.

"I told you. I got in a fight. I got my a.s.s kicked."

"You?" She leaned back and her smile quickly faded. "Really? Was it a few guys?"

Jack shook his head. "One."

Replacement pressed her lips together. "He must have been huge. Like real big. It's okay. You said anyone could get in a lucky shot."

Jack shook his head. "It wasn't luck. She got the drop on me from the start and-"

"She?" Replacement shook her head as if she had water in her ears.

"She," Jack repeated.

"A girl?"

He sat up. "Yeah. Is that so out of the realm of possibility to you?"

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

Jack glared.

She dipped her chin down. "Was she like an Amazon or something?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Yeah. I got in a fight with Wonder Woman, and if she didn't have that la.s.so I'd have kicked her a.s.s."

"I'm just..." She closed her mouth and waved her hands. "Why did you get into a fight with her to begin with?"

"I went to Marisa's." Replacement frowned but he ignored it. "She had broken into Marisa's apartment and-"

"She broke in? Is Marisa okay? Is that why we haven't heard from her?"

"Hold up. A couple of nights ago, Thaddeus reported-"

"Who?"

"Thaddeus. He's this homeless guy who hangs out behind the tattoo parlor. He reported two guys had grabbed Marisa and had taken her in a car."

"Taken her? Kidnapped her?" She scooted off the bed, and her hands went to the side of her head. "What the h.e.l.l, Jack? You could have told me."

Jack's hands went out. "The guy reported it, but Collins didn't believe him."

"Collins is an a.s.s."

"He's by the book, but he looked into-"

"He looked into Mich.e.l.le, too." Replacement's eyes blazed, and her words hung in the air. "Don't defend him."

Jack swung his legs over the side of the bed.

She doesn't even know about Marisa's past but she's ready to go after her.

Replacement's fists clenched and opened repeatedly. "They won't even look? You're searching for her, though, right?"

Jack nodded and stood up.

"The clothes. That's why you had the weird hair. You did go undercover..." Her voice trailed off as she looked down.

"Yeah. But I couldn't tell you."

She looked up. Jack wished she looked mad, but she didn't. She was hurt.

Way to go, Jack.

"I...I had my reasons, and most of them sound stupid now. I'm sorry. Marisa has a past, and I can't..."

Her eyes narrowed.

"If you told me your darkest secret, would you want me to tell someone?" Jack asked.

Replacement stood there, fidgeting. "Fine. Let's get started." She turned and marched into the living room.

Jack followed her. "What?"