She laid her hand on his forearm. "That's wonderful, Zach. I'm happy for you. Maybe once all this is over, we can get together. I'd love to get to know her better."
"We'd both like that, Ava. The four of us will have dinner or something."
She didn't bother to mention that they may not get Jordan back. Hope rallied through her, but she didn't want it to get too strong. The disappointment would be terrible if they couldn't get her husband back, and she didn't want the fall to be too hard.
What if they didn't get him back? What if he didn't come around? What would Joe do with him? It wasn't like Joe could just let him go … Jordan would only come after him again.
Would they kill him?
The thought rolled her stomach. She'd have to ask Joe exactly what the plan would be, but she couldn't allow herself to get too worked up over unanswered questions.
"You know, in a few moments, Ruben is going to come down here and tell you that Jordan is awake."
She turned to him, absolutely stunned, even though she knew he saw things that would happen in the future in the mirror.
"Really?"
"Yes. I saw it this morning. If you want to leave Grunt down here with me, Ella said she'd be coming to the beach in about ten minutes."
She gazed at the dogs running around. Her initial plan had been to bring Grunt with her, but she'd decided it all may be too much for Jordan. She didn't want to over-stimulate him again. A chill ran down her spine as she recalled his pain in Pioneer Square.
Turning as she heard footsteps, she saw Ruben coming down the stairs, and she stood. "He's here, Zach. If you and Ella could watch over Grunt, I'd appreciate it."
"No worries, Ava. Go say hello to Jordan, and good luck."
Nerves coiled in her belly as she walked over to Ruben. "He's awake?"
He nodded. "I'll take you there."
As she followed him up the steps up to the house, she noticed the gun in his waistband. Others had been carrying theirs, as well, which let her know how dangerous they considered Jordan to be. She only hoped her husband didn't do anything that would force any of them to use their weapons.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the house and trailed after Ruben to the stairs that led down to the basement.
21
"At some point, you have to remember her, man," Brody said from behind him. "You were married to her."
He recalled her screaming at him in Pioneer Square. Jordan! Please! It's me, Ava! Jordan!
Something within him stirred, but he fought it. These men were simply trying to plant seeds in his head. The question had become, why? Why were they going through all this trouble?
"She'll be here momentarily," Joe murmured while he stared at Jordan over his glasses.
As they waited, the question of 'why' continued to rumble around his brain. What did these people want from him? He figured it couldn't hurt to ask. "What, exactly, are you looking to get out of me being here?"
Joe smiled. "Well, first, with you being here, I'm alive. That's a pleasant thought for me, but probably not for you. Second, like I've told you, you weren't always part of Group Nine. You used to be a marine, and these men served with you in your unit. You once had a happy marriage to a woman who loved you very much. What I want is for you to remember all the good in your life, and come back into the folds of those who truly care about you. Group Nine isn't it, Jordan."
He scoffed and glanced up when he heard footsteps on the stairs. Cowboy boots came into view, then the man wearing them. Ava followed him as she worked her bottom lip between her teeth, her brow furrowed. She seemed anxious as she met his gaze, and he stared intently at her, unable to look away.
The back of his head began to pound, just as it had every other time he'd seen her. As she approached, he wondered which would be softer-her skin, or her long, wavy blonde hair.
As she sat down in the chair across from him, he pulled at his hands which they had restrained at his back. His fingertips itched to caress her cheek and thread through her hair.
Her voice came out soft and almost shy. "Hi, Jordan."
The ache slowly crept up the back of his skull, then wrapped around his head like a vise, making his eyes feel as though they may pop out.
"I wish you could remember me."
The pain became so intense, he didn't think he could speak, even if he wanted to. Instead, he concentrated on the tip of her nose, hoping she'd go away soon. He fought the desire to scream, and found himself happy his hands were clasped because he had the urge to tear out his own hair to try to make the agony subside.
"We were married for five years. We had a good life together. I'm really happy to see you're alive, and I would have come for you sooner, Jordan, but I didn't know. They told me you were dead, and I believed them."
His breath caught up in his chest, and suddenly, it seemed to get very warm. Sweat formed in his armpits and on his brow.
"Do you have anything to say to me? Do you remember anything about me? About us?"
Sweet Jesus. He wished someone would put a bullet in his head just to make the suffering stop.
He supposed he should answer her, but his tongue had thickened, making it impossible.
"Jordan?"
He heard footsteps above him. It sounded like a human, and maybe an animal. He guessed a dog.
The pitter-patter came closer to the door leading upstairs, and everyone turned to see what, or who, was making the noise. After a moment, the ugliest dog he'd ever seen appeared, and his headache intensified further.
The dog ran into the room, stared at him a moment, then proceeded to almost have a nervous breakdown.
It barked and barked-well, not really-the sound seemed to be more of a grunt, its tail wagging so hard, it looked as if it would break its own spine.
Jordan's stomach clenched as the dog jumped on his lap, and heat exploded in his chest, as if he burned from the inside out. As he thrashed about trying to keep the dog from licking his face, he couldn't breathe, the pain in his head now almost completely blinding him.
The dog jumped down to the floor, and Jordan moved his leg. It connected with the mutt, pushing him across the concrete. Within seconds, Ava stood up and grabbed the dog. Through his haze of agony, he felt her hand connect with his cheek, and he heard her yell at him, but it sounded far away, almost like an echo.
"Don't you ever kick my dog, you son of a bitch!"
His back bowed as the heat in his chest consumed him. As he struggled for breath, a hand landed on his shoulder. "Calm down, man!"
"My husband would never hurt this dog! How dare you kick Grunt!"
The dog, apparently named Grunt, began making that strange noise again. Combined with the voices around him, it had all become too much. He'd never experienced such horrible agony in his life, and he almost wished the Grim Reaper would take him.
With his last breath, a guttural scream left his throat, and then his world went completely black.
22
Hours had passed since the fiasco with Jordan, and Ava lay in bed staring at the ceiling, Grunt snoring softly next to her. She'd opened the windows, and a nice summer breeze blew in cooling not only her skin, but her anger.
The more she thought about it, the more she realized she'd overreacted. She'd replayed the whole scene over and over in her mind, and she'd come to the conclusion that Jordan hadn't tried to kick Grunt, but more likely shove him away. And, frankly, she questioned that, as well. They way he'd been thrashing about, it could have been an accident that his foot had pushed the dog across the floor. If that had been the case, guilt washed through her for hitting him. She'd just been so scared at Jordan's reaction to her, and to Grunt. The physical pain he experienced looked torturous, and it just about killed her as she could now be certain that she caused it.
Sighing, she rolled over and tried to think of happier times with Jordan. He'd always been such a good man. Tall and strong, he spent hours taking care of his physique. As he pumped iron in the garage, she used to joke that his muscles were building muscles. However, she had to admit she did appreciate all his work-to her, he'd been the sexiest man she'd ever known.
For their third date, she had invited him over to her apartment for dinner. She had decided to keep things simple and serve sandwiches and a Caesar salad with homemade dressing and garlic croutons. As a knock sounded, it occurred to her that the salad would make both of their breath stink, which wouldn't be very conducive to kissing him.
Sighing, she opened the door, wishing she'd thought about that beforehand.
It turned out she'd had nothing to worry about.
Jordan took her in his hold, pressing his lips against hers as she snaked her arms around his neck. He pulled her close to him as he ran his hands up and down her back, their tongues gently dueling as their lips moved over each other's.
Heat swarmed throughout her body; the longing for Jordan an intense ache in her lower belly. Her head swam as he pulled her flush to him, the hard planes of his body intensifying her lust.
A moment later, he stepped away from her and grinned. "Can I come in?"
She laughed when she realized he still stood outside in the hall. "Yes. Please do."
When she shut the door and turned around, he stood in front of her. Taking her hands in his, he kissed her again, this time with far more passion and longing. He pressed her against the doorframe as his fingers tugged at her T-shirt.