Jack (Secret Revenge #1) Read online

  “Suddenly infuriated, he said, “Hellish you mean. You like to mess with people’s emotions, don’t you?”

  “I like to have fun,” Amelia emphasized.

  “You like being reckless, I think. I wonder if it ever bit you in the ass.”

  He couldn’t stop himself. Mel’s haughtiness, her cocky demeanor, her lips, and mouth – all of it triggered an unexplainable anger in Jack. He suddenly grabbed her by the arms, pulled her to him and kissed her hard with every ounce of frustration he had inside.

  The raw masculinity at which he kissed her had sent shivers that made her whole body tremble. “I’ll show you a game….” he started to mutter

  When Amelia didn’t respond, he backed her up against her car and opened her lips with an erotic forcefulness that made her reach up and pull him more down to her and the rest of his words were lost as they kissed. He groaned loudly, low in his throat and his arms enveloped her, gathering her tighter as he pressed more against her.

  The kiss went on for several minutes until he tasted blood. He let Amelia go right then and stepped back quickly.

  Amelia cleared her throat and adjusted her shirt. She lifted her hand to her lip and stared at the dime sized blood that was now on her fingertips.

  “I don’t like being manipulated,” Jack growled.

  “I wasn’t trying to manipulate you. I just thought it would be funny just to ruffle your feathers a little.”

  “You couldn’t irritate me verbally so you thought you could try a silly way to get a reaction out of me. That was a stupid thing to do.” He snapped and started to pace around.

  “Oh come on, you’re not as mean as you try to be,” Amelia said in return.

  He cursed to himself as he continued paced around. “There’s a big difference between you and me, Ms. Antonov.”

  “Pray tell, what is that?”

  “You have an ax to grind. You like to get a rise out of people and push them away. You feed on making people feel bad, so they don’t have the chance to make you feel bad.”

  “And you?” she questioned.

  “Me?” he laughed. “Oh, I just walk away.”

  Chapter Four

  She wanted to ask him a dozen questions right then, but the way he had reacted before he had wanted to walk away was a sign she should listen to common sense and not push further.

  He didn’t give her a chance to push him even further. He unlocked her car door, started the engine which caused a loud grinding noise and backed it slowly a few feet to unpin the vehicle from the damaged brick wall.

  He shut off the engine quickly and just sat there quietly looking straight ahead. He sat there debating with himself whether or not it was worth dealing with Mel Antonov further, and then he sighed.

  “I’ll call a tow truck for you and then I’ll take you home later.”

  “Don’t do me any favors, Jack. I will just walk back.”

  “No.” He said sharply. He kept his eyes forward and gripped the wheel tighter.

  He was strange, all right. One stupid joke and he acted like a crazy man. He seemed to be normal one minute and then peculiar the next.

  “You aren’t walking home, injured like that. Besides, unless you live within a block from here I am not letting you go off on your own.”

  “Like what? It’s just a cut lip and a bruise. It’s not a big deal, it’s not the first time for me.”

  “That’s not what I would call it.” He took the keys out of the ignition, shoved them in her hand and walked away towards the back door to the building.

  “I don’t know what will be worse, walking home or being alone in a car with you,” Amelia shouted after him.

  “Unless you want me to take you to the hospital. At the rate you slammed into the wall, you could have a concussion.” He shouted over his shoulder.

  Irritated, Amelia screamed to herself and then shouted after him, “It was just a kiss, for Christ’s sake! I was just trying to have fun!” She took out another cigarette out of the pack in her jean pocket and kicked the car’s tires. She needed to calm down.

  She didn’t know why she had done it. Jack looked like he needed to be shocked a little. She hadn’t meant to anger him, at least not really. She wondered if Jack was right if she liked stirring up trouble all the time. Was that how trouble always found her and why did he seem to get under her skin so well?

  He came outside and silently walked up to her a few minutes later with a small first aid kit.

  “Geez, why do you always do that?”

  “Do what?” Jack inquired.

  “Stuff like that! You know, like show up all of a sudden.”

  Jack didn’t answer but put the first aid kit on top of the trunk of her car. “Here, let me take care of that cut lip. It’s still bleeding a little.”

  “Don’t bother, I’m fine.” She waved him off.

  “Yeah right. Your only other option is letting me take you to the hospital to get checked out so the doctors can have a look at you.”

  “It’s just a fucking scratch. It’s not the first injury I’ve ever had.” She resigned as she leaned back against the car.

  “Have it your way,” Jack said as he closed the first aid kit. “I called for a tow. They should be here soon.”

  “Fine.” Amelia gave in and started to shake. The sun had begun to set by this time, and the sky was turning into a mesmerizing lavender color.

  “What’s wrong? Are you cold?” he asked.

  “No, I’m fine.”

  Jack gave an exasperated sigh and walked to his car. He showed up a few minutes later and came back with a navy blue windbreaker and placed it around her shoulders. Amelia slipped her arms into the jacket, and she instantly felt enveloped in warmth.

  “Why do you always have to be that way?” he said as he started applying the antiseptic cream on her cut lip gingerly.

  ***

  Forty-five minutes and a lot of paperwork later, Amelia was now in Jack’s luxury sedan as they drove down the highway to the Petrovich family home.

  “Nice car.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You must be loaded,” Amelia said to herself, not caring if Jack answered the rhetorical statement.

  “I do fine for myself.”

  “The agency must be paying you a lot.”

  “They pay adequately, not that it’s any of your business.”

  “Makes sense. Car new?”

  “No why?”

  “I don’t know.” Amelia shrugged. “Just seems new.”

  “I don’t drive it much if that’s what you're asking.”

  “Are you a homebody, West?” Amelia said with a raised eyebrow.

  “What’s wrong with being a homebody?”

  “Nothing is wrong,” she said. “If you like going crazy with no one to talk to.”

  “In the peace and quiet?”

  “Are you trying to hint that I should stop talking?”

  “If I wanted you to stop talking, I would have told you by now.” He said as he stepped on the gas to egg the car to go faster. The engine roared as they sped.

  Jack West no longer said a word then, and Amelia pretended to be interested in the passing scenery. Things hadn’t changed much since she was here last. The same homes owned by the same families still stood along the highway. But in her life, everything was different.

  Amelia spent most of her childhood training to prepare for a fight, she still didn’t quite understand. While the family had allowed her to tag along on small missions that included collecting overdue payments from petty thugs and small time drug dealers who unfortunately met their demise as instructed, they still denied her from participating in the bigger jobs. She didn’t know what the larger jobs were but insisted she continue to prepare for them. They didn’t trust her still.

  The same ones that ended Uncle Nicholai’s life. She couldn’t help but think to herself that if she was there, she could have been of assistance and he would have been alive today. She’s spent the last ten
years training hard trying to show that she was capable of taking care of the bigger tasks but she still wasn’t good enough.

  Reckless and incapable of controlling her emotions, they said. It didn’t matter to them that she had a gift for navigating through cyber security systems with ease or that she could take down men twice her size. Even then she still wasn’t good enough, she was too weak.

  What in the hell did that mean anyway? Did they mean she was weak? She was not weak, she refused to be. Once done here, they would find new respect for her. Then and only then would they finally see how she not only was good enough, she was the best choice they had.

  She had to use her cover as a CIA agent to infiltrate case files and as well as use the opportunity to obtain information as to who within the agency was responsible for Uncle Nicholai’s death. Once she found out, they’d be sorry, and she would return with the new found respect she rightfully deserved.

  Twenty minutes later they arrived at the long driveway that led to Amelia’s temporary home. Carefully, as the sedan started to bounce on the windy road, they headed down under the canopy of trees.

  The vehicle suddenly stopped, and Amelia awoke from her daydream. She was home.

  “Want to come inside?” Amelia asked as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

  “You go ahead.” He said, keeping his eyes facing forward.

  “What? Come on. Do you want some coffee? Tea? It is a rare chance I’m inviting someone, let alone you, inside my home.” Amelia teased.

  “Just go inside.”

  “Why are you trying to brush me off?”

  “I am not trying to brush you off. Just go inside.” He said stubbornly.

  “For fuck sake. I don’t know what the big deal is.” She said. She was now annoyed at his odd behavior. “Look, I’m not going to do anything nor am I inviting you in for anything more than actual coffee or tea.”

  “I didn’t think you insinuated anything more than a real beverage. Have a good evening; I’ll see you at the office.” He said still facing forward not meeting her eyes and shifting the car into reverse.

  “That’s it? You’re kicking me out of the car?”

  “It’s nothing personal.”

  “Nothing personal? Nothing personal?!!?!?? You were the one who kissed me the second time!”

  “Ms. Antonov…”

  “It’s Mel!”

  “Fine, Mel! I don’t want coffee okay! Get out of my vehicle, god dammit!”

  “Fine!” she yelled as she got out of the sedan and slammed his passenger door.

  “Finally!” he backed the car up and then turned it around to head back out down the long winding driveway. Within minutes he was gone.

  “Asshole.” She muttered to herself as she headed up the porch steps to her front door.

  The door was strangely closed but unlocked. Amelia slowly pulled out her gun out of holster underneath the windbreaker Jack had loaned her earlier that day. She ascended the porch steps and slowly opened the front door. As Amelia slowly walked into the house passed the threshold, she listened intently for any sounds of a possible intruder that could still be present. Carefully, she stepped further into her living room and peered around the corner, with slight relief she saw her mother and father in the middle of what might be a private discussion in the den. The living room fireplace was already burning a glowing ember that emitted warmth throughout the house.

  “Mama, Papa? Is that you?” Amelia said as she walked into the den.

  “Amelia!” Her mother, Natasha Petrovich smiled.

  “Mama.” She said as she hugged her mother.

  “Amelia Melina Petrovich, who gave you permission to travel by yourself?” Her father, Denis asked.

  “Papa.” She smiled as she hugged him tightly.

  “What are you both doing here? How did you know where I was?”

  “What happened to your face??? You are all bruised and cut?” her mother, Natasha asked worryingly.

  “It’s nothing. I got into a minor accident at work, and one of my colleagues was kind enough to take me home.”

  “Work? Where are you working?”

  “Mama.” Amelia sighed.

  “Amelia, where do you work? Tell me.”

  “The Central Intelligence Agency.” Amelia with her head hung low.

  “The CIA, Amelia!?” Denis exclaimed.

  “It’s not what you think, Papa. They murdered Uncle Nicolai. I knew you wouldn’t let me come with you to handle this, but I had to do something. I was angry, and I decided right then that I had to come up with a plan. I figured I’d try and get into the agency and find out who did it and kill them. They think I am someone named Mel Antonov from Virginia and they believe it.”

  “Amelia, you had no permission to do this. We have told you many times to stay out of things like this. You are not ready, and you didn’t tell anyone let alone get permission from Aleksandr before you taking off. We are going to take over from here, handle this and smooth things over with Aleksandr Baladin if he doesn’t already know.” Denis decided.

  “Of course he knows. He knows about everything!” Natasha overreacted.

  “Papa, Mama! I can do this. You guys are always saying I am unrestrained. I can prove to you that I can do this! Give me a chance. Please!” Amelia begged.

  “Amelia, you know it isn’t up to us.”

  “Please!” Amelia begged.

  “We will be watching you closely. Any sign of trouble or discovery and you are going straight home and back to training, and we will talk to Aleksandr. Do you understand?”

  “Thank you, papa!” Amelia smiled and hugged Denis again. “How did you guys find me?”

  “We hadn’t heard from you in a couple of months, and we started to get worried about you seeing as you disappeared right after Nicholai’s death, we were afraid the same thing happened to you. So we had you checked into, and the trail leads here.” Natasha said.

  “So Aleksandr doesn’t know where I am?”

  Her mother glanced at her father quickly and said “I don’t think so, but then again he always knows what’s going on at all times. He pays particular attention to you.”

  “Me why?” Amelia asked.

  “You need to be careful, Amelia. The Americans can be dangerous. You can’t spend more time than what’s necessary, you understand?” Denis said changing the subject.

  “Yes, Papa.”

  “Find out anything that will assist us and report back to us.”

  “Yes, Papa.”

  “Okay, my darling,” Denis said as he kissed her on the forehead. “I think it is time for me to rest, the plane ride has me exhausted.”

  “Goodnight, love.” Natasha kissed him on the cheek.

  “Night, Papa.”

  As Denis Petrovich headed to the master bedroom, Amelia decided to confront her mother about her history with Jack West.

  As Natasha picked up the wine glasses from the coffee table and proceeded to the kitchenette, Amelia questioned her about Jack.

  “Mama, do you know Jack West?”

  Natasha froze and said nothing for a few seconds and then turned around asked, “How do you know Jack?”

  “He was the one that took me home. He’s the lead agent for my division, and he’s also who all of us report to.”

  “Jack West is dangerous, Amelia. You need to be careful and stay away from him as much as possible. Let us deal with him.”

  “Dangerous? How? You had known him before he joined the CIA didn’t you?”

  “The man is violent – he’s a dangerous man. He may be one of the ones responsible for Nicholai’s death.”

  “He doesn’t seem like the one responsible for Uncle Nicolai. It must be someone else in the agency.”

  “He’s involved, Amelia. I’m surprised he even spoke to you. Keep away from him as much as possible, you understand?”

  “Yes, Mama.” Amelia resigned.

  “He’s bad news, Amelia. I wish you hadn’t met him.”

  “I stil
l don’t get what is so bad about him?”

  “He’s just messed up. Things that happened to him a long time ago.”

  “But you knew him a long time ago too, right?”

  “Yes, I did. Jack worked on his graduate degree and working for his Uncle’s law firm when I met him. I ran into him one day, and we were friends for a time.”