N. Walters - Jackson’s Jewel

“I have to.” His face was grim as he unlocked the back door. “Lock this behind me and then go back upstairs and wait for Nathan.”

Opening the door a crack, he slid out and disappeared into the shadows. Emerald locked the door and raced back upstairs. If there was a chance she could do anything to help him, the last thing she wanted to be was naked. Ignoring the twinge in her back, she ran into the bedroom, dropped the comforter, grabbed her shorts and began to dress.

Jackson kept to the shadows as he moved stealthily toward the barn. He didn’t see much in the way of flames yet. Thankfully, he’d sent off the last load of alfalfa and hay a few days ago. There wasn’t much left in that barn, but the wood was old and dry and would go up like tinder. He didn’t even want to think about the orchards beyond. With the dry weather, the entire place could go up quickly.

He didn’t care.

If the place burned to the ground, he’d rebuild and replant. It was all replaceable. The only thing that mattered was keeping Emerald safe. The deputy would be at the house within seconds and he would keep her safe. As long as he was between her and the barn, her stalker would have to go through him to get her.

He stood in the shadow of an old oak tree just beyond the yard and watched. Nothing moved. He inched forward, drawing in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. The rifle was solid in his hands. He’d never shot a man before, but he knew he’d do it without a moment’s hesitation to protect Emerald.

Sweat rolled down his back as he eased up to the open door of the shed. He could hear the crackle of fire as it began to eat at the structure. He needed to close the door. That would help cut off the supply of oxygen and slow the flames. At least he hoped it would.

Jackson slipped in the door, trying to see through the thick, black smoke and the dark of the night. He grabbed the edge of the door and began to pull. Something. A sound, a movement or just plain instinct told him he was no longer alone. He jerked at the last second, but he wasn’t fast enough. Something hard glanced off his head and hit his shoulder. He dropped to the dirt. The sound of a door closing seemed impossibly loud above the crackle and roar of the growing blaze.

The stalker was heading toward the house. Toward Emerald.

Cursing himself for falling prey to the stalker’s tricks, he shook off the pain in his head and pushed to his knees. The rifle was still in his hand and he slung it over his shoulder. It was incredibly hard to push himself to his feet, but he did it. Something slick ran into his eye and he brushed it away. His fingers came away sticky and he knew it was blood. Ignoring it, he staggered to the door and pulled. Jammed!

Turning, he faced the growing inferno behind him. There was no getting out through the back way. Lurching forward, he plunged through the blaze and dove into the tool room. The smoke made seeing impossible. Going totally by feel, he ran his hands over the wall until he found what he was searching for.

The handle was smooth and familiar and he gripped it tight with both hands. Three steps were all it took until he was facing an outside wall. Drawing it back over his shoulder, he threw every bit of his strength behind it as he struck forward. The axe bit into the dry wood, sending chips flying everywhere.

Emerald hauled on the rest of her clothing and then pulled on her shoes. Grabbing the cell phone, she shoved it in her back pocket as she pounded down the stairs. She needed a weapon.

Stumbling into the kitchen, she swore under her breath. With everything torn up, she didn’t know where to find anything. She didn’t dare turn on a light and give away her position to her stalker.

Worry for Jackson was eating at her. She loved him. There was no denying it any longer. And if they both lived through this, she was going to tell him. She was also angry with him for going out there alone to face her stalker. He should have stayed with her where she could keep an eye on him.

God, she was losing her mind. Making her way over to the kitchen drawer, she yanked the top one open and reached in. Sure enough, her fingers folded over the handle of a small paring knife. It wasn’t much, but she had no idea where to find the knife block that usually sat on the counter.

Closing the drawer, she went to the kitchen window and peered out. Where was Jackson? For that matter, where was the deputy? Biting her bottom lip, she debated going outside. The problem was that Jackson thought she was inside. There was always the possibility that he might shoot her by accident if she went out. She was well and truly stuck inside. Something else she was going to yell at him about when this was over.

Calm. She took a deep breath. She needed to stay calm. The sound of glass tinkling caught her ear. Her room downstairs. There was no time to run. He’d surely hear her. She eased back into the corner of the dark room and stayed very still. Footsteps grew louder. The roaring inside her head intensified until it deafened her. Where was Jackson? Had he been hurt? Her fingers tightened around the handle of the knife, which was down by her right thigh.

“Emerald! Where are you?”

She bit her lip to keep from gasping and tasted blood. The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but with her heart pounding so loud in her ears she couldn’t quite place it. She didn’t move. Didn’t dare to breathe.

“Your lover is dead,” the voice intoned calmly. Her stomach roiled, but she refused to believe him. She couldn’t believe him. Jackson had to be okay.

“You can’t hide from me,” the voice continued, moving ever closer. Her fingers tightened on the blade. “This is all your fault. If you’d only listened to me, none of this would have happened. It’s all your fault.”

Disbelief filled her, followed by acute betrayal as recognition hit her.

“You need me. If you’d done what I asked of you, I wouldn’t have had to do this.” He sounded perturbed more than anything.

Anger pushed out the disbelief and betrayal, filling her until nothing else existed. This man had ruined her life and threatened the people she loved. This was no nameless, faceless fan. This was a man she’d known all her life, a man who’d sat at her parents’ table for dinner many, many times.

The light came on so suddenly it blinded her. He was on her before she had a chance to react. The back of his hand hit her face, driving her head back into the wall with a sickening snap.

But she was beyond pain, beyond fear. If Jackson was hurt, he needed her and this man was standing between them. He was dressed as suavely as usual, his expensive suit immaculate, his imported shirt and tie crisp. But his hair was disheveled, his face darkened with soot and his eyes flat and cruel. How had she not seen this before?

Without a thought, she attacked. Bringing the knife up as she went. But he was quick and jerked to the side. Instead of hitting his heart, the blade sank into his shoulder. He howled with fury and hit her again. Emerald tumbled to the floor and he was on her in a second. His hands wrapped around her throat, his fingers squeezing the life out of her as he thumped her head against the floor.

“All you had to do was marry me and make a record. If you wanted to do it, your sisters would have fallen in line. What person doesn’t want fame and fortune? I would have made millions and the old man would have gotten off my back for once. Was it too much to ask for you to just do this one thing for me?”

Emerald clawed at his hands, trying to fight, but it was becoming impossible. He was literally choking her to death. The handle of the blade still stuck out from his shoulder and she used her last bit of strength to reach out and twist it. Yelling, he fell away from her.

Rolling to her side, she coughed and gasped for breath. Her lungs desperately pulled in air. He grabbed her by the hair and began pulling her toward the door. “You’re coming with me. It’s not too late. We can still make this work.” His voice was calm, almost conversational, as if he were asking her to join him for an afternoon tea.

She was dealing with a madman. There was no sanity left in his dark blue eyes.

“Let me go,” she managed to choke out.

He turned and looked down at her and shook his head. Blood seeped from the wound in his shoulder, but he didn’t even seem to notice. He straightened his tie with one hand, keeping the other securely tangled in her hair. “I can’t. We belong together. You’ll see.”

“What will your father say?” The words were barely a whisper, but his reaction was anything but.

He yanked on her hair, pulling her to her feet. “He will be pleased.” He dragged her head back so hard she thought her neck might snap.

She was running out of time. Clenching her hand into a fist, she drove it into his groin as hard as she could, just as Jackson had taught her. He dropped to the floor like a stone, dragging her with him. While he curled into a ball, groaning and crying, she grabbed his hand and pulled. She knew she’d left quite a bit of hair with him, but she didn’t care. She had to escape.

Crawling, she headed for the door. His hand gripped her ankle, yanking her back. Her head bounced off the floor and light exploded behind her eyes. The world seemed to dim and she struggled to remain conscious.

The click of a gun’s hammer being pulled back was as loud as an explosion. Emerald froze. “I’m sorry,” he said as he sat up and aimed the weapon at her. “But you’re not cooperating. This won’t work if you don’t cooperate.” He spoke to her as if she were a child who had been slightly naughty. Where were the police?

As if on cue, she could hear the sirens in the background.

“Bitch.” He struck her again. She felt her lip split. “You called the cops.”

“Of course I did.” She spat the blood away. “I didn’t know it was you.” If she could make him believe she might want to go with him, maybe she’d get a chance to overpower him.

He slowly stood and stared at her, his eyes suddenly sad. That frightened her more than his anger. “No. You won’t go with me.” Disappointment filled him. “Maybe you’re not the one. You were my first choice, but Sapphire would do just as well. They could sing as a duo instead of a group. Or maybe she could have a solo career. She’s young and beautiful enough.”

“Derek.” His name came out as a hoarse whisper, but he heard her. His head snapped down to meet her gaze. “It’s not going to happen.” Terror filled her as she thought about him going after one of her sisters.

“Of course it will,” he continued calmly. “No one will know who did this.” He tilted his head to one side as if considering something. “Maybe I’ll frame your old boyfriend, Beau. Or perhaps that interfering investigator you hired. I’ll console Sapphire over your death. It will be so sad, but the publicity it will bring to your family will push your parents’ records sales up. We can reissue their greatest hits album and add the new song that you and your sisters recorded for them. It was too good.” His finger tightened slowly on the trigger. “You owed it to me and to the world to share your talent. You thought yourself too good to sing, to let me represent you. I bet you’re sorry now.”

Emerald gathered her strength. Her only chance was to roll quickly and tackle him. “Derek.” She added a pleading note to her voice. The sirens were getting louder.

“Goodbye, Emerald.”

A shot rang out as she rolled to one side. She expected to feel the bite of the bullet somewhere in her body. Had he missed?

A roar filled the air as a huge body flew into the room, tackling Derek where he stood swaying and sending them both to the floor. Emerald dragged herself up onto her hands and knees just as Jackson sent Derek’s gun flying. Drawing back his fist, Jackson struck the other man in the face, over and over again. Blood flew as Jackson pummeled him.

Emerald forced herself to move. If he kept this up, he’d kill Derek and that would lead to another set of problems. Crawling toward him, she threw her arms around his shoulders. “Stop.” It was almost impossible for her to speak, but she managed. “Stop, Jackson, please.”

Jackson’s large body shuddered, but he stopped. Turning his back on Derek, he pulled her into his arms. “Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?”

Unable to speak, she buried her face in his chest and shook her head. Jackson was safe. Her sisters were safe. She was safe. Nothing else mattered. The rest would heal in time.