Jack This Heart, page 5
“Not if you saw the way he acted toward her this morning,” Snapper volunteered.
Had it really been only half a day, no more than a few hours? Jack’s animosity had faded with each fantasy he let play out in his mind. Idiot.
He turned sharply and a twinge of pain shot up his cybernetic leg at the quick movement. “I’ll do what I must. If she doesn’t deliver or if she does but shows signs of betrayal, I’ll get out of there. No way am I going to jeopardize Full Throttle. Not with Hemi’s status unknown.”
Drag gave him a smile and a nod. “Exactly what I want to hear.”
The bell rang, echoing through the town. Work was complete in the mines for the day. The mechanics would shut down as well. People would gather at the Watering Hole and Jack… He’d be leaving town.
“You’re all set?” Snapper asked.
“Yeah, hauler is prepped. Need to swing by my place for some clothes.”
Snapper grinned. “Did Gina visit you? She’s pretty worried.”
Jack would ignore the tightness in his chest, the reminder people cared about him. “Yeah, so did Hemi. Like you are giving me some sort of ‘never coming home’ send-off. I’m not a kid, but a grown-ass man.”
“Humor them,” Snapper said, his smile melting away to a somber expression. There was a memory there. Hell, they all had them… Jack recalled the last time he’d spoken to his father, before the mining accident.
“I did. And I’ll humor you both too. Any words of wisdom or fuzzy feelings?” Jack tried to go for a light-hearted tone.
“Wear protection.”
“Don’t stick it without permission.”
Snapper and Drag spoke at the same time, then all three of them broke out into laughter. The words were a joke they’d shared countless times about racing and fucking.
“The best advice to live by.”
* * * *
The hauler pulled up in front of her makeshift work building exactly thirty minutes after the closing bell. She’d been ready, a bag slung over her shoulder with everything she owned.
“Travel light.” Those were words to live by and ones she did, ever since she’d lost everything leaving Mars for a life on the Earth’s moon. The fact she didn’t stick in one place very long or that her adoptive parents preferred to move around the various moonie bases to keep things ‘fresh for their minds’ made Shannon appreciate having a small amount of personal possessions.
As long as she had clothes on her back, boots on her feet and her necklace, everything would work out.
A weapon on person is nice, too.
But she could make weapons. Her knowledge of the human body meant she could as easily poison someone as fast as she helped them.
“Wow.” She smiled at the squeaky-clean hauler stopped in front of her. The metal gleam of the hood, the shine on the glass…even the wheels looked brand-new. “You got this baby all dressed up for me?”
Jack rolled his eyes and put the hauler in park. “Afraid it’s more a precaution and to ensure no damage than to impress you.”
Of course, he didn’t like her, but she had to keep trying. The clock was still ticking and she was pissed at the flash she’d already tossed away without anything to show for her sacrifice. Her life was still on the line. One way or another, after this trip, she’d change how things played out.
She tossed her bag in the backseat and it clunked. “Did you have to pack your whole house?”
“I thought women liked a guy with plenty of luggage?”
She snorted indelicately and didn’t give a damn. “We meant what you’ve got in your pants. Where I come from, you learn to pack light. Never know when you’ll need to be on the move, or the next opportunity is going to strike.”
“You mean, not knowing when the law is coming after you?”
Shannon let out a mocking gasp as she stood there on the other side of the hauler door. “Are you honestly accusing me of being a criminal?”
“If the shoe fits… You did associate with Kascade, leader of Humans First, a terrorist organization.”
A big mistake. One she’d come to peace with a long time ago. It served as a reminder not to let stars get in her eyes. People she tended to care for often didn’t give two shits about her. “And, if I remember correctly, you and your brothers associated with us as well?”
He mulled that one, grinding his jaw as he looked at her. “Fair enough. Hop in and let’s get a move on.”
Shannon refused to hop. She opened the door, listening for the tell-tale creak found on vehicles made from heavily cut and re-used metal. Instead, it was smooth sailing. Sliding into the seat, she shut the door behind her then looked for the safety strap. “Do you supply protection in these vehicles?”
One eyebrow raised, Jack glanced at her lap then slowly dragged his gaze upward. Her skin heated at his perusal. Suddenly she started to second-guess the idea he didn’t like her. Maybe he disliked being attracted to her?
Even better.
“You’re sitting on it.” He glanced away then, taking stock of the gauges and measurement on the dash, while she dug her hands under her ass.
Sure enough, she pulled out two straps with a metal buckle at one end.
“How fast does this go?” she asked as she secured the strap and tightened it down to keep her locked in the seat.
“Fast enough you’ll want to stay locked in. Also, once we clear the main roads it can get a little bumpy so I hope you emptied your bladder because we’re not stopping until we’re halfway to the territory marker.”
* * * *
As the sun set and Shannon took her sun goggles off, they kept silent. The ride did get bumpy as the main clear paths through Wespero gave way to the less traveled areas where Jack had to get a little more creative with his driving, avoiding plants, rocks, and in some cases, animals.
She took the silence as a chance to reflect and confront her fears of the person who’d threatened her last night. She’d met Bridget’s would-be assassin only once before and hadn’t been intimidated. Not until I saw those damn eyes.
Her brain chose that moment to recall Hemi’s kind-hearted plea for Shannon to be safe. She’d almost laughed at him because she’d never played things cautious and wouldn’t start any time soon. But the man’s amber gaze and his concerned bearing made her give him reassurances even if she couldn’t keep them.
Her focus needed to be on her future. How would she get access to the plans? Jack’s little reveal with his eyes told her there were still areas she could exploit. Now that she’d be in close proximity to him, maybe it was worth trying to build his attraction to her.
Funny. She’d always thought him the best looking out of the other Full Throttle cyborgs. He had dirty blond hair, kept short and cropped, and a myriad of tattoos on his arms she found interesting. There were phrases in other languages, images of moons and suns…and a symbol, the same one on her necklace.
Maybe her necklace meant something else. She was tempted to ask him about it. Instead, she kept silent and pondered how getting Jack to engage with her sexually would get her anywhere near those plans. She’d have to break into the damn mechanics bay. Lull him into a stupor, steal the hauler and head back… No, stupid idea.
Each potential idea fail only wound her tighter until she was clenching her fists against her thighs. She raised one to her stomach and rubbed against her belly.
“You get motion sick or something?”
“What?” Jack’s question threw her for a minute.
Then he pointed at her stomach. “You’re acting like you don’t feel good. Do I need to drive slower or stop? I’m not a fan of puke and definitely don’t want this hauler smelling like vomit for the next week.”
She chuckled. “No, I’m good. Got a lot on my mind…”
I need to say something. Fuck, what?
She couldn’t go with the present truth but could definitely stick to the past. “Where we’re going…Auster. It’s not exactly the nicest territory on Mars. I think that award goes to Wespero. The gang-towns there are more—”
“Barbaric. I think we’ve all heard the tales. People living in mounds of dirt. No buildings, barely any shoes or clothes. Lots of sandstorms.” Those words were spoken as if they were rumor. Fairytales, similar to those from Earth. Told with a slight humor in their phrasing, the concept of being too far-fetched to be real.
“Those are exaggerations, but they hold truth. The storms are real though. Horrible things. We definitely were given the worst part of Mars to inhabit.”
“We? You grew up in Auster?”
She refused to share stories of a past she’d taken great pains to block out, of memories she’d stuffed down inside her so deep not even a top-notch Mars mining crew could reach them.
“I’m not here to tell you tales of my childhood. I am saying we need to be prepared to take shelter without hesitation, stopping in optimal places that don’t leave us in the open. The wildlife isn’t too friendly either. There are yoties and coon cats. The worst are the damn slithers.”
“Slithers is a damn made-up word. We deal with plenty of those first two in Wespero, though the populations aren’t big. I imagine as we get more species here, fur-buns and the like, we’re going to see an increase.”
She frowned. “Slithers are real as the ground we drive on. They were brought, a case full, to a gang-town leader who wanted to use them to display wealth after their gang-town won Auster its first and only racing championship. Only the leader made a mistake, thought the things were harmless and they escaped their enclave. Ate the whole damn town. Now they roam Auster, underground and coming up periodically.”
Jack shivered and gripped the steering wheel tighter. “That’s some bullshit story designed to scare kids and keep them from wandering off to places they shouldn’t. I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“You see one of them and you’re too late.” Shannon recalled the loss of several able-bodied miners due to a slither encounter. She refused to repeat the scenario. “Best way to ward them off is with heat. They don’t like heat, which is why they tend to come out more at night.”
“And you didn’t think to mention this before we took off and the sun went down?”
Shannon bite back a smile. “We’re not in Auster territory yet.”
“Good news is we’ll be fine. I have a heating unit that is solar powered during the day and will last for up to twelve hours on a full charge. Should heat up the tent and the surrounding area nicely.”
“You mean tents, plural?”
Jack chuckled, his gaze periodically glancing her way. His laughter became more pronounced with each look. “I’m talking tent, singular. The food and all the other supplies meant we had to economize.”
She crossed her arms, not liking how this would force her toward being closer to Jack. Which is what you want, right?
She hadn’t decided how she wanted this to play out. Seducing him would help her cause, but her body liked the idea too much. Though there was no sense fighting against sharing a tent with a too big, too sexy man who disliked her. Sleeping outside on the hard, cold ground would be unacceptable.
“Anything else I need to know about this foreign territory?”
His question got her mind hurtling toward the deep cave of memories she swore never to let out and she focused on the basic facts—the ones she didn’t need her childhood to recall.
“You were right. These gangs are a little more barbaric in the fact they take what they want. Doesn’t matter your affiliation—if you get caught on your own, expect trouble. Best to travel through the towns, not stay in them. There are a couple that might be safe.
“Auster and the gangs here have won the least amount of racing championships, as you know, so I wouldn’t volunteer where you’re from. Best to say traveling from the dome or even say you’re coming from Aurora territory. Where we’re headed, Wespero folks are the enemy.”
Jack scoffed. “And you wanted to bring the racer. What’s our first stop after we get to the border?”
“Let’s focus on the border for now.” She uncrossed her arms and rubbed her palms against her thighs. A thin layer of sweat had gathered on her palms, the curse of her body heat and the cooling night air.
“You cold?” His observation and general interest in her wellbeing wreaked a little havoc on her senses. This was unlike what she’d become familiar with from him. She didn’t want to catch any feelings with this one. Not when she had a job her life hinged upon.
She shook her head. “No, fine for now.”
Because either way, whether she stoked this attraction between him or he did, Jack was going to hate her by the time she wrapped this whole mess up.
Chapter Seven
Jack had meant to ask about the necklace. It had been on the tip of his tongue to bring it up. Where had she gotten the jewelry? How had it come into her possession?
Instead, he’d seen those clenched fists and found himself worried she’d be ill, concerned with the trip affecting her. He shouldn’t have cared, yet there was no lying to himself that since he’d seen the necklace she wore—the necklace he’d created for his mother all those years ago—the urge to protect had emerged something fierce.
The idea they would share one tent, constantly in close proximity to each other, failed to help him focus either, which was why he pushed the hauler farther, driving an extra couple of hours past when he’d planned to stop until they were on the road long past sundown. The moons of Mars were visible and bright overhead.
Eventually he’d have to confront this attraction to Shannon, along with this growing desire to get to know her, all because she wore his jewelry. Dumb idea, but one he’d clung to since he was small, since his father had soothed him to sleep after a day of crying and devastation.
“The necklace will come back to you, and when it does, it will bring someone to share a life with.”
Those words were ever present now as the Auster Territory sign appeared in the distance, two bright lights reflecting off the words carved and painted into a large rock.
Jack slowed the hauler to a crawl. “Do we cross into the territory or stay on the Wespero side for the night?”
“Wespero side. I mean, the checkpoint is literally three buildings. The checkpoint, the housing and the bar. We’d be better served to keep people unaware of our presence until tomorrow,” Shannon replied. She sat leaned back in her seat, goggles around her neck, gaze upward at the twinkling sky above. “Just camp near the sign, behind the boulder.”
He drove the hauler into place and immediately got to work setting up camp. Shannon wasn’t much help, but she unloaded a few things and took basic directions for getting their water ready. Then she started to assist with the tent.
Her struggling grunts as she tried to stake a pole into the ground got his attention.
“Need help?”
Shannon huffed a few curls out of her face, her skin flushed from exertion even with the cooler night air. “No, I’ll figure it out eventually or choose to sleep in the hauler. Is that an option?”
Jack sided up close to her and bent down to wrap his hand around the mallet she held. “Can I show you?”
She tensed briefly then relaxed as she gave a nod.
He moved in closer, taking in the scent of soap and a flowery healing balm she’d given Hemi to use on his cybernetic parts. Seemed she used the same stuff as well.
They worked together, him showing her how much pressure to put with her strikes and using his leg to fix her stance.
“I thought you were familiar with roughing it, being a nomad on Mars.” He felt her stiffen beneath him again. “I don’t mean that as an insult, just wondering.”
She took control over the next swing, adding more of her weight and Jack let her direct the mallet. “I tend to plan accordingly so I’m never out in the elements by myself.”
“Not a fan of camping?” The stake secure, Jack reluctantly moved away from her, immediately disliking the separation.
Shannon walked over to the next stake and proceeded to follow Jack’s previous direction perfectly. “I can’t say I like the idea. But you haven’t lived in Auster. Even underground is better than exposure like this. The heat should work but…” She shrugged. “I don’t trust it.”
“Well, you won’t be alone.”
She snapped her head up and looked at him, a surprised glint in her eyes.
He cleared his throat. “I didn’t mean…I’m not expecting anything… Shit.”
“So much for the infamous Jack Renfrow charm. Could it kill you to pretend to find me attractive?”
“It’s got nothing to do with whether I want you or not.” He turned on his heel and went back to the hauler to make sure they had everything. Let those words sink in for a moment.
This attraction wasn’t something he should fool around with, not until he knew her plans. Would she go wandering off again when Hemi was recovered? Hell, he still wasn’t even sure why she’d taken the job to begin with, and her fascination with the mechanics bay, the racer…too many odd inquiries to not suspect something more sinister. She reminded him of his mother, looking out for only herself and thinking nothing of others. He needed to cut this interest off before it messed with him even more, necklace be damned.
With the tent secure, Jack started to move the heating element, a heavy box with handles toward the tent entrance. It would stay outside to project heat from the coils within.
“Damn, Shannon. Can you grab that black box in the back of the hauler?”
She dropped the mallet in her hand and walked over to the four-seater. “Which box? There are several.”
“The one…ugh, looks about the size of this damn element in my hands.” Usually lifting heavy objects didn’t tax him. Though the cybernetic limb had even more strength, the nanites in their systems gave him and the other cyborgs in Full Throttle more strength than the average human.
