Jacob(37)

Tori looked over her shoulder at the woman in complete disgust and spat. “Oh for God’s sake! Stop your sniveling. Nobody is going to shoot you.”

Turning back to the guard, she raised an eyebrow. “When was the last time you remember this woman being in this house?”

“Ahh…maybe six months ago? I can check the security log for the exact date.”

Tori smiled tightly at him. “You do that, Earl. You do that.” Turning back to the woman, she flipped the safety on her gun and crossed her arms in front of her, laying her gun casually over her upper arm. She tapped it against her arm absently as she asked. “What’s your name?”

The woman drew a shaky breath, hiccupping and suppressing a sob. “Karla. Karla Miller.”

“Well, Karla Miller, I have some information for you. Jacob is married now.”

Tori watched the news settle into the not too crowded brain of the redhead kneeling on the floor. She watched nervousness turn to confusion. The confusion morphed into anger and the redhead glared at the clothes that spilled from Tori’s drawer. “That son of a bitch! He married someone after giving me a key to his house?” Karla’s head shook back and forth as she stared at the floor trying to gather her thoughts. “That son of a bitch. He tapped the next piece of ass he found and then married her?”

She looked beseechingly up at Tori, her eyes pleading. “Who in their right mind does that? Who marries that quickly? What kind of woman is she?”

A look of misery suddenly fell over the redhead’s face as tears once again threatened. “Oh, oh…I need to talk to Jacob. Won’t you please just call him?”

Tori carefully handed her weapon to Earl, who breathed a great sigh of relief when she surrendered it. Tori snorted. “What’s the matter, Earl? Worried I’d shoot first and ask questions later?” Tori closed her eyes and put her hands on her hips trying to collect herself before she spoke. “You realize, of course, what you want really doesn’t matter. The fact is you are here without his wife’s permission. Please gather your belongings and leave. You won’t be coming back. Surrender the key too.”

Karla’s shoulders pulled back and she stood up, her eyes suddenly narrowing suspiciously. She looked at Earl and Keith, who regarded Tori with looks that bordered on fear. “Who are you?”

Tori gave her a tight smile. “I’m the person asking you to leave. If you refuse, I’ll have Earl physically escort you from the premises.”

Karla’s face went scarlet red and clashed violently with the burnt orange color of her hair. “It’s you isn’t it. You married Jacob!”

Tori cocked her head. “I married Jacob, and you didn’t. Earl please escort Ms.?” Tori looked at the redhead again. Her headache raging she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. Not coming up with the name she looked at the woman. “I’m sorry. What was your name again?”

“Miller! Karla Miller and you better remember it. I’m the one who is going to ruin you. My father is a senator! This is far from over!” The tiny redhead snarled the warning to Tori.

The farce of a warning struck a chord buried deep within. A smile pulled at her lips, and then a chuckle hinted at becoming a laugh. Tori put her hand over her mouth as she broke out in laughter bordering on hysterical. The woman and the two men looked at her like she had lost her mind. Maybe she had.

“Oh God, thanks. I needed that.” Lifting both hands up in an act of surrender, she laughed again. “Sweetheart, if you think you or your daddy scares me, you had better regroup.” Tori’s eyes immediately flashed as her laughter turned into a vicious snarl. “I was held and tortured for almost four months in a third world warlord’s prison. I’ve endured hatred and pain you could never conceive.” Turning deadly serious, she pointed at the stunned woman. “Get your shit and get out of my house. If you come near me, my home, or my husband again I’ll show you what a true threat is and how to carry it out.”

The woman didn’t move. “Now!” Tori’s shouted command seemed to propel the frozen woman’ into action. Tori stood to the side and watched the woman throw her expensive clothing into the bags at the foot of the bed. Earl escorted her out of the bedroom towards the front door.

“Just a minute. I want my key.” Tori held out a hand with every expectation that the woman would capitulate. And capitulate she did—with a vengeance. The thrown key struck Tori’s chest violently and then bounced on the hardwood flooring. Gritting her teeth, Tori growled. “Get her out of here now, Earl.”

The men hustled the fuming redhead out of the house. Tori’s hand went to her chest. The key or fob had cut her right breast and blood soaked through her white shirt. “Oh, damn it! I liked this shirt.”

Walking into the living room, she bypassed the couch and stopped at the bar to pour a small shot of whiskey. She turned when the door opened again. Keith and Earl stood at the doorway waiting her dismissal or instructions.

Taking a sip of the whiskey, she pointed to the alarm panel. “Get that code changed immediately. I want a copy of the entry authority listing for this residence. There are obviously changes that need to be made.”

“Yes ma’am. Ah…Mrs. King? Ma’am, you’re bleeding.” Keith pulled out his cell phone and started dialing.

“Put your phone away. It is a scratch. I’ll get cleaned up soon.” Tori took a sip of the whiskey waiting for him to do as she asked.

Keith shook his head. His eyes held hers. “You might need stitches. When was your last tetanus shot?”

Tori snorted and took another small sip. Her nerves were shot and the whiskey gave her something to think about as it burned down her throat. The run in with Jacob’s ex was beyond disconcerting on so many levels. Shrugging she dismissed his comments, “I have no idea. I’m assuming when I came back from Afghanistan last year.”

Keith pushed the issue. “But you don’t know, not for sure, do you?” He ran his hand through his short brown hair in frustration. “Look if I don’t take you in for a quick checkup and do a report on what happened here, I’ll be fired. If you won’t go because it is the right thing to do…and believe me it is the right thing to do, then at least have pity on me. I have a family and bills to pay.”

Tori sighed deeply and shifted her weight while she considered his plea. Finally, closing her eyes and bowing her head she chuckled. Her head popped up and she pointed to Keith with her whiskey glass. “Okay, but this is the one and only time a guilt trip like that is going to work.”

She put the whiskey down and walked past them to the hall where she left her purse. “I want my gun back and we’re taking the Hummer. Your car doesn’t have enough leg room in the backseat.”





Chapter Twenty-Three


Tori sat in the examination room wishing she hadn’t caved. The cut was deep but so minor especially considering the past year’s medical trauma. Her mind spun in a loop replaying the events of the evening. Jacob’s ex? So not what she expected. Not. At. All. But then again she hadn’t really expected an ex. Why hadn’t she? He would have exes, wouldn’t he? God knew he was a phenomenal lover. One didn’t get that way without experience. Right? Men just didn’t automatically know how to make a woman melt. Did they? She chuckled and scrubbed her face with the palms of both hands. No…of course not…exes should be expected. Then why hadn’t she? God, to be taken by surprise like that. The feelings bordered on violation. That woman was in their bedroom. Her bedroom. And Jacob made love to her there. In the same bed, he had taken his ex-girlfriend.

What did he see in that woman? Tori shook her head and looked at the ceiling. That answer was way too obvious. Long red hair, smoking hot body, and oh hey…let’s not forget she is petite and beautiful. Designer clothes, shoes, luggage and purse. Impeccable make-up. First class all the way. Not a jean and t-shirt wearing ranch hand, not a damaged intel analyst who still suffered from nightmares and had anxiety attacks. No! God forbid! In a nutshell, Karla oozed everything that Tori wasn’t. He liked Karla. That was obvious. Well…duhhh! He’d given her a key to the house and the code to the alarm.

Her mind’s whirling stopped with that thought. But when? Earl said she had been with Jacob six months ago. Her first and only date with Jacob was just over four months ago. Okay, so Karla existed before she and Jacob had started a relationship. She chuckled, a sad sounding huff. Well, it would have to be wouldn’t it? Jacob was with her each night since that first evening. Every night and every day, sometimes several times a day. Her face blushed at the memories. Okay. Exes she could deal with. She didn’t like it, but Jacob had never said he was a virgin.

The door to the exam room opened and a middle-aged woman walked in. Her brown hair was sprinkled with grey, but her pudgy face was smooth. The woman’s personality lit up the room when she smiled radiantly and extended her hand to Tori. “Hi. I’m Doctor Carter.” She held up a metal clipboard and chuckled. “I understand you had a run in with…a key?”