Part 14 (1/2)
It made his skin crawl.
Nick shot out of her seat. ”Micky!” She pushed past the tall man, whom Jackson a.s.sumed was Mich.e.l.le's bodyguard, and threw her arms around her sister.
Mich.e.l.le's brilliant smile lit her face. Alec fidgeted uncomfortably as the sisters embraced, but, when Jackson followed Alec's gaze, he found himself looking past Mich.e.l.le to the man who had boarded the plane after her.
John Wesley Peyton was taller than Jackson had imagined, and even more intimidating than the bodyguard. His glanced around, his sharp eyes taking in everything in the jet's cabin, and he smoothed his silvered hair with one hand, a gesture that jarred Jackson, since he'd seen Nick do it hundreds of times.
It was a shocking reminder that, though she lived like a bohemian in the French Quarter, Nick had grown up in this world of private jets and business executives built like professional wrestlers. He watched as she stepped past Mich.e.l.le to hug her father. She barely reached his shoulder and was dwarfed by his bulk. Peyton may have been trying to move the wolves away from using physical challenges to settle disagreements, but it obviously wasn't because he couldn't win them. The man was huge.
John released Nick and smiled at Alec. ”Alexander. Nice to see you again.”
”John.” Alec's voice had lost its usual lazy, aggressive edge. Though Jackson wouldn't have called his partner's demeanor submissive, it was close to wary. Alec faced the world with a domineering confidence that set most people's teeth on edge, and seeing him defer to someone felt surreal.
The Alpha's gaze fell on Jackson, and the politician's smile returned. ”You must be Holt.” He offered his hand. ”I heard your father might come out of retirement to run for one of the Senate seats down in Georgia next year. Is that true?”
Jackson rose and shook his hand firmly. ”Not sure if Mama will let him, sir. But he's thinking about it.”
”Excellent. Have you met Mich.e.l.le?”
Mich.e.l.le smiled shyly as she offered her hand. ”We haven't met, but I've heard so much about you. I'm glad there's someone keeping my sister out of trouble in New Orleans.”
He was barely able to reach out his own hand in return. The power wafting off Mich.e.l.le was intense, almost overwhelming, and his stomach churned as he fought not to recoil from her. Instead, he grasped her hand and managed a smile. ”Nicky usually just finds enough trouble for both of us.”
He felt a brief surge of power before Mich.e.l.le's eyes widened, and she pulled her hand away, a guilty flush staining her cheeks. ”I'm sorry, Jackson. I forgot-” The aura of magic around her disappeared in an instant, which unnerved Jackson more than its presence had. ”I'm sorry.” Resigned loneliness clouded her eyes.
He swallowed hard and shook his head. ”Nothing to be sorry about.”
Nick touched Jackson's arm as John disappeared into the c.o.c.kpit. ”Daddy's going to speak to his pilot and get us underway. Come on, Micky. We'll sit toward the back. I need to talk to you.”
Mich.e.l.le followed Nick, with the bodyguard hard on their heels like a gigantic shadow. When they'd walked past, Alec rose and moved into the seat next to Jackson's. ”You okay?”
Jackson tried to speak, but sank to his seat instead. He closed his eyes and breathed heavily as he tried to conquer the waves of nausea roiling through him.
”He'll be okay.” It was Mahalia's voice, soft and sure.
Thick paper pressed into his hand. He looked into Mahalia's sympathetic eyes and down at the airsickness bag she'd given him. ”I'm not going to puke, May. I just need a minute.”
”s.h.i.+t.” Alec shot them both a concerned look. ”Is that gonna happen every time they accidentally b.u.mp into each other?”
”No.” Mahalia clucked her tongue. ”Poor thing forgot to turn it off before she touched him. But you didn't want to be rude, did you, Jack?”
He gave her a wan smile. ”My mama raised me better than that.”
Alec glanced over his shoulder toward the back of the plane. ”It's pretty jarring. She's tiny...and packs a h.e.l.l of a punch.”
”I can't believe you let a five-foot-nothing girl kick your a.s.s. At least Mich.e.l.le hit me with magic.”
”She caught me off guard,” his partner protested. ”She's f.u.c.king fast, that girl is.”
”Both of you, hush, now.” Mahalia made a face. ”I'm not listening to this all the way to New Hamps.h.i.+re.”
Jackson flashed her a crooked grin. ”How about halfway?”
John came back through the door from the c.o.c.kpit. ”Everybody strap in. We'll be in the air soon.”
Jackson saw firsthand what exorbitant amounts of money could accomplish. When the jet touched down in New Hamps.h.i.+re, two cars waited for them on the private airstrip, both black SUVs with tinted windows and stone-faced drivers.
”John's secured a rental property for us about two hours from where Charles's wards begin,” Steven told Jackson as they carried their spa.r.s.e belongings from the jet to the second SUV. Mich.e.l.le's bodyguard was already packing the Peytons' small carry-on bags into the back of the first vehicle, and Mich.e.l.le and Nick sat inside. ”We don't want to get any closer than that until we've got our protections in place.”
”How long is that going to take?” The words were terse, but Jackson couldn't help it. G.o.d knew what Talbot and his crew were putting Mackenzie through. ”The sooner the better, and all, Steven.”
Steven held open the door for Mahalia. ”A couple days at most. I realize it's hard to hear, Jackson, but Mackenzie is going to be fine. If Charles thinks there's any way he can talk her into doing this willingly, he'll take the time to try.”
He felt his jaw tighten as he gritted his teeth. ”And if he can't?”
”It's not going to come to that.” Steven's voice was firm. ”It's not, Jackson. I'm going to take care of him this time, once and for all.”
Mahalia cleared her throat as she settled onto the seat. ”This isn't about you, Steven,” she reminded him gently. ”Don't forget that.”
Jackson climbed into the backseat beside Alec. ”Have you gotten in touch with Kat yet about the security installation records?”
”She told me she'd call me back.” Alec closed his phone. ”I got the impression she was going to be doing some of the less legal sorts of digging around, since she couldn't find anything through the normal methods. I called Derek Gabriel too. Told him some nasty stuff was going down and that he should keep an eye on Kat. Last thing we need is someone s.n.a.t.c.hing her to f.u.c.k with us.”
”I doubt that was necessary.” Talbot already had what he wanted, and the very fact that he'd not only spared Mahalia but called Steven, as well, told him everything he needed to know about the kind of threat the Seer felt they posed. ”I don't think Talbot is worried enough about us to bother.”
His words made Alec shake his head. ”Jesus. Either we're in serious, serious s.h.i.+t, or he's gone off the deep end.”
Jackson tried to find the right words to explain the situation to Alec. ”Mich.e.l.le almost made me puke by shaking my hand. Now imagine if she was fifty years older and trying to hurt me.”
”I don't care how powerful you are,” Alec said stubbornly. ”The minute you start thinking you're invincible is the minute you lose.”
”Let's hope you're right.” He couldn't afford to let Charles Talbot intimidate him, not if he wanted to be useful when it came to making sure Mackenzie was safe. ”Of course, you're right.”
”d.a.m.n straight. He's going to make mistakes, and we've got the Peytons and their Seer and their private jet. One wrong move and we'll be ready to take him down.”
”Yeah. We will.”
Mahalia turned and raised an eyebrow as she glanced between them. ”Y'all are making me nervous.”
Alec smiled ruefully. ”Sorry, Mahalia.”
Jackson leaned forward. ”How far is it to the-what? House? Apartment?”
”House.” Steven didn't look up from the map he studied. ”Maybe an hour's drive. This was the nearest public airstrip to Charles's estate.”
Jackson tugged a small notebook and pen out of his jacket pocket. ”Okay. Let me know if you need anything from me.” He sat back and started sketching out a small grid. Even the simple act of sectioning the paper calmed him.