Change Me (The Protector Series Book 2) Read online

  When the water started turning cold, I turned off the shower and stepped out onto my fluffy bathroom rug. I put on lotion and slipped into my shorts and t-shirt before brushing out my hair.

  I walked out of the bathroom and heard Jasper talking down the hall.

  “Can't you wait? I'm only asking for an hour or two,” he said into his phone. He sounded angry.

  “Damnit, Sam. You know I can't say no,” he snapped as he tossed his phone onto my couch and ran his hands through his hair.

  “I thought you left,” I said quietly.

  When his eyes met mine they seemed to soften slightly, but I could still tell he wasn't happy about the way the conversation with Sam had ended.

  “I should have. But I need to know where you're going and when you'll be back.”

  “You need to know? Or you want to know?”

  “Both,” he snapped.

  “I’m going back to Washington. My brother needs some help with a few things,” I said as I put my hands on my hips.

  “When will you be back?” he asked, ignoring my attitude.

  “I'm not sure,” I shrugged.

  He grabbed his phone off of the couch and shoved it in his pocket as he nodded.

  “Have a nice trip,” he muttered as he walked out of my apartment. Before shutting my door he paused. “Brooke means nothing to me,” he said simply. He didn't wait for my response before clicking the door shut behind him.

  I rolled my eyes and let out a frustrated groan as I locked the door. I didn't have time to dwell on the confusion that was Jasper White. I had more important things to spend my time on. And with that thought, I called a cab and was on my way to the airport soon after.

  I parked my bike a few blocks away from the location Sam had given me so it wouldn't be seen. We had been hitting businesses that were a few towns over so we wouldn't cross paths with the other Raiders as often.

  Sam was waiting in the shadows under the awning when I walked up to the jewelry store. I noticed his arm wasn't in a sling tonight and a half-smoked cigarette hung from his lips.

  “Thought you quit that shit,” I said as I waved the smoke away from my face.

  “Not tonight,” he shrugged.

  I quirked a brow at him as he took a long drag. I could tell this job was going to be big by the way he was acting. He nodded his head, letting me know he was ready, before tossing his cigarette on the ground and stepping on it.

  “So, you want to tell me what was more important than this? You realize this job alone will set us up for an entire year, right?” He asked as he got to work picking the lock on the thick glass door.

  I ignored him and walked past him as he shoved the heavy door open. The alarm started blaring, and Sam walked calmly to the key pad. He removed the cover and cut one of the wires with the pocket knife he always carried. The alarm silenced and Sam led the way to the safe at the back of the building. It was obvious that he'd been staking this place out for a while. I stood back and watched as Sam opened the safe on the first try. I wasn't surprised to see that he already knew the code. That's the best thing about being able to transfer: nobody knows we're there, so we can see things nobody wants us to see.

  “Thank God for old school business owners,” Sam said with a chuckle as he stepped aside to let me see the contents of the safe.

  My eyes grew wide as I stared at the stacks of bills. It wasn't often we found a place that kept so much cash in one place. Sam was right: we’d hit the jackpot with this one.

  We glanced at each other and smiled before we emptied the safe. I had considered leaving some of the money because it was more than enough for us, but I was a Raider, and Raiders always took it all.

  I tossed my half of the cash into the backpack Sam had brought for me.

  “Meet me at the apartment,” Sam said as he left the store. I nodded and started to jog in the direction of my bike.

  It took a little under an hour to get back into Jacksonville. Sam was parking his truck when I pulled into the spot beside him. We walked up to our apartment in silence.

  “I'm going to ask Blaire to marry me,” he said once the door shut behind us.

  I looked at him with what I'm sure was a shocked expression.

  “Marriage? Man, are you sure?” I asked.

  “I can't stay away from her, J. I've tried and I just can't do it.”

  “Are you going to tell her what you do for a living?” I asked with one brow raised.

  “I'm going to get a real job,” he shrugged.

  I thought my eyes were going to bulge out of my head.

  “A real job? You're joking, right? This whole conversation has got to be a joke.”

  “It's not a joke, man. I've already asked her to move in and I'm—“

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa, you asked her to move in? Move in where?” I interrupted him.

  “In here, with us. She's bringing her stuff over in the morning.”

  “What the fuck, Sam? You don't think you should talk to me about shit like that? I don't want some chick living here.”

  “She's not some chick. And I pay for this place just like you do, I can let whoever I want move in,” he said as he crossed his arms over his chest angrily.

  I stalked to my room and shoved a few things into the bag of cash and left the apartment without another word. I was pissed at Sam. I don't know why he’d always wanted the fucking normal life. The one with the nagging wife and the bratty kids. What was so wrong with the setup we had going? Why did he have to ask her to move in? And since when was he interested in getting a real fucking job?

  I sped through the city streets, breaking too many traffic laws to count. I hadn’t realized where I was going until I pulled up outside of the bar near Macie’s place. I told myself I was going inside because I needed a drink and that I wasn’t looking for her friend Taylor. I tried my best not to scan the stools surrounding the bar, but when I saw the bright red locks of hair I went straight toward them.

  “Have you talked to Macie?” I asked from behind Taylor.

  “What? Oh, hi, Jasper. What’s up?” she said in a giggly voice. She was clearly buzzed.

  “Have you talked to Macie?” I asked again.

  “Not since she made it to the airport. Why? Is something wrong?” she asked with wide eyes.

  “No,” I said shaking my head. “Nothing is wrong; I just wanted to know if she had made it safely,” I shrugged.

  Taylor stared at me with the same worried expression for a moment. I waited for her foggy brain to comprehend what I’d just said. I knew she had caught up when her eyes started squinting and her mouth formed a wide smile. She stuck her chin up and poked me in the chest with her finger. “You miss her, don’t you?”

  “Miss her? She’s been gone for less than four hours. That would be ridiculous,” I said as I rolled my eyes. I waved at the bartender and was trying to order a beer when Taylor interrupted me.

  “So, I guess you wouldn’t want her number or anything, right? There’s no need to call her if you’re not missing her, I guess,” she said with a grin.

  My jaw dropped and I stood in silence. The bartender walked away, irritated that I’d wasted his time. Taylor turned around and took a seat on her stool again.

  “I want it,” I said as I spun her around to face me.

  “I’m going to need you to admit that you like my best friend. Then, I’ll consider giving you her number,” she said, lifting her chin again.

  I knew I could have her phone out of her purse in a matter of seconds, but I thought that admitting it to her would make it easier for me to admit to Macie.

  “I like your best friend,” I shrugged. I kept my face calm, acting like the admission was no big deal to me. It was a big deal, though. My heart was hammering inside of my chest. It was a huge deal.

  Taylor started bouncing up and down and clapping her hands like a five-year-old before she held out her hand and asked for my phone. I watched eagerly as she programmed Macie’s number into it. She handed my
phone back to me, grinning ear to ear. I put it in my pocket and sat down beside her, finally ready to order that drink.

  “You know that her flight doesn't leave until midnight, right?” Taylor asked nonchalantly. I glanced at the clock on the wall behind the bartender and saw that it was a quarter past eleven. I looked back at Taylor, who must have known exactly what I was thinking. She smiled and waved as I stood up to leave.

  “Have a nice trip!” she called after me.

  I jogged out to my bike, thankful that Sam had pissed me off enough to grab a few changes of clothes. I'd just mounted my bike when I realized I didn't know where the hell I was supposed to be going.

  “Damnit!” I cursed as I jogged back inside.

  “Back so soon?” Taylor asked as she sat her empty shot glass down on the bar.

  “I know she's going to Washington, but where at in Washington? If I can't find her on the plane, then where do I go when we land?” I asked in a rush.

  “Oh, Shiloh lives in Puyallup. In a house south of town. Or is it north of town? One of the two,” she said through her giggling.

  At least she gave me the name of the town. I thanked her and ran back out to my bike and hauled ass to the airport.

  It was a quarter ‘til midnight by the time I had parked under the parking garage. I rushed inside and waited in line at the ticket desk, silently thanking Sam for forcing me to do that job so I would have plenty of cash on hand.

  “May I help you?” the small, elderly woman behind the desk asked.

  “I need a ticket for the flight to Washington. It's leaving in ten minutes,” I said quickly. I wrapped my knuckles on the counter anxiously as I waited for her to tell me how much I owed.

  “Sorry, sir, but that flight is full,” she said with a small frown.

  I let out an audible groan as I roughly rubbed my hands over my face.

  “We have another one leaving in three hours. Would you like a ticket for that flight instead?”

  “No. Thanks anyways,” I said, feeling defeated.

  I had decided it was a stupid idea to follow Macie to Washington. She didn't even want to tell me where she was going in the first place. I started making my way back to the parking garage, wondering where I would be staying for the night. I sure as hell wasn’t staying with Sam and getting stuck moving Blaire’s shit in at the ass crack of dawn.

  “Giving up that easy?” I heard someone ask from behind me.

  I turned to see Macie standing behind me with one hand on her hip and the other holding her bag.

  “Did you miss your flight?” I asked, looking around for a clock.

  “I cancelled it. My brother found out I was coming and called and forced me to agree to stay and finish my classes.”

  “How did you know I came?”

  “Tay called me half an hour ago and said she thought you were on your way. She sounded drunk so I wasn't sure she knew what she was talking about but figured I'd wait by the ticket desk and find out.”

  She was smiling as she gave me her explanation. I went ahead and assumed that meant she was happy I'd come.

  “So, what now?” I asked.

  “I guess I'm going to call a cab and go back home,” she shrugged. I laughed as I grabbed her by the hand and pulled her toward the parking garage with me.

  “I'll take you home, if you let me crash on your couch tonight.”

  “Uh, okay. Why are you not crashing on your own couch?” she asked with one eyebrow raised.

  “I'll explain when we get there,” I told her as we walked up to my bike. I held out my helmet to her and she looked at me hesitantly.

  “I'll go slow,” I lied with a small grin.

  “What about my bag?”

  I took the bag out of her hand and handed her mine. “I can hold yours if you'll wear mine on your back.” She nodded as she put the backpack on her back and then slid my helmet onto her head.

  I mounted my bike and sat her bag in my lap. Once I was situated I held out a hand to help her get on behind me. She didn't take it. She climbed on and wrapped her arms around me like she had done this a hundred times.

  “You're going to want to hold on tighter than that,” I said as the engine roared to life. I revved it a couple of times before backing out of the parking spot. I took things slow getting out of the parking garage, but once I hit the highway we might as well had been flying. Macie had a death grip on my waist, and I loved every second of it.

  We were at her apartment complex in no time. She scrambled off the bike before I could turn the key off. She took the helmet off and shoved it against my chest before grabbing her bag from my lap.

  “You're such a dick,” she called out as she stormed off. I chuckled quietly as I walked behind her. Once we were inside she kicked off her shoes and tossed both of our bags onto the floor by the couch. She walked back to her bedroom without saying a word.

  I laughed to myself as I pulled my t-shirt over my head and slipped my own shoes off. I was unbuttoning my jeans when Macie came back down the hall.

  “What are you doing?” she asked. She had a blanket and a pillow in her arms.

  “I was getting ready to sleep on the couch,” I shrugged.

  “Most people don't strip down when they're sleeping on a stranger’s couch,” she said as she tossed me the pillow and blanket.

  “Since when are we strangers?” I asked before pulling my jeans down and stepping out of them. I stood there in my boxer briefs and socks waiting for her reply, but it never came. Her cheeks turned red and she rolled her eyes before stomping off to her bedroom again.

  “Night, Macie!” I called after her. She slammed her door and I smiled.

  I had to force myself not to think about her being right down the hall in order to fall asleep. I don't know how long I had been out when I woke up to a loud thud. I glanced out the window and saw flashing lights outside. I rubbed my hand over my face trying to get out of the sleepy haze I was in, then I heard another thud. I jumped off the couch and could clearly see an ambulance and police car outside on the street. I didn't waste time taking in the scene before going down the hall to Macie’s room.

  I was just about to knock on her door when I heard her whimpering. I opened the door quickly to see her lying in the fetal position on the floor beside her bed.

  “Shit, are you okay?” I asked as I kneeled down beside her. She slowly shook her head.

  “I need my pills,” she groaned. I looked around the room for a pill bottle. The tops of her dresser and nightstand were empty.

  “Where are they?” I asked. She didn’t answer. I scooped her up and laid her down on the bed. Her eyes were barely open and she was covered in sweat. I gently grabbed her face with both of my hands.

  “Macie, where are the pills?” I asked again. More frantically this time.

  “My bag,” she said hoarsely. I ran to the other room and grabbed her bag. I dumped the whole thing on the floor and rummaged through the contents until I found a bottle with little red and black pills inside. It wasn't a pill bottle you’d get from a pharmacy, but I didn't have time to think twice about that.

  Macie was back in the fetal position when I came back to her room. I sat her up and handed her one of the pills. She took it from me without hesitation and popped it into her mouth. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and her whole body was trembling. I had no idea what was going on, but I knew I had to comfort her. I laid her back down on the bed and pulled the covers up over her. Without considering the consequences, I lay down beside her and pulled her against my chest. She eventually stopped trembling and her breathing calmed as she drifted off to sleep. I tried to relax and get some sleep of my own, but it was impossible. What were those pills and why did she need them so badly? Why hadn't I labeled her as a user when I first met her? Those types of tendencies weren’t usually overlooked by me.

  When I was certain she was in a deep sleep, I slowly slid out of her bed. I had too much shit running through my head to sleep. I considered leaving. But I w
anted answers, and I wasn't going to get them from anyone but her. So I made myself comfortable on her couch and waited for her to wake up. By nine o’clock, I had become too impatient to wait any longer. I slipped on a pair of sweats and went down the hall to her room. I knocked lightly and waited for a response. When it never came, I let myself in.

  The sound of the door shutting behind me caused Macie to stir in her bed.

  “We need to talk,” I said sternly. I had let myself get angry about the whole situation while I waited for her to wake up.

  She opened her tired eyes and looked up at me as I stood at the foot of her bed. She openly checked out my toned chest and stomach, but I ignored the way it made me feel.

  “Why are you in my room? And why are you waking me up?” She asked sleepily as she pulled the blanket over her head.

  “What are the pills you take, Macie?” I snapped, wanting to get straight to the point.

  She didn't move a muscle or attempt to answer my question. I jerked the blankets off of her bed and threw them onto the floor. “Tell me.”

  She sat up and glared at me. Her eyes were still sleepy-looking and her hair was a mess. I would have commented on her beauty if she hadn't looked so pissed. There was pure anger written all over her face. “It's none of your damn business.”

  “None of my business?” I asked as I nodded smugly. I took the clear plastic bottle filled with the little red pills out of my pocket and held it up for her to see. “If you want me to even consider giving these back to you, then I suggest you start talking.”

  Her eyes grew wide at the sound of my threat, but it only took her a second to school her features back into a glare. “I don't need those,” she said as she continued to stare at the bottle.

  I came closer and took a seat on her bed. “Liar,” I said quietly.

  “Go to hell, Jasper,” she said with an eye roll.

  “Tell me what the pills are for.”

  Another glare and no explanation.