Jordan was distant for the next day or two, she knew it was because she had come to his office without telling him beforehand and he hated when she just showed up on her own. She focused more on her kids than anything, growing tired of Jordan and his random mood swings.
A few days went by and she didn't hear from the man her husband owed money too, the phone didn't ring, she didn't receive any text messages and she didn't see him. She hoped he had forgotten about her, she watched the news in hopes of seeing he was arrested or possible shot, anything that meant he would leave her alone.
She was folding clothes at the dining room table when Jordan came home one evening, he set his briefcase aside and dropped his jacket and tie on top moving to the fridge for a cold beer.
"Don't forget you promised Alexander we would go to the movies," She said.
"I won't forget my own son, I'll take him a night."
"What night?"
"I don't know, Liz. work is hectic."
"He's really looking forward to it."
"I know, me too."
He took a long drink, leaning against the kitchen counter he eyed the cell phone lying beside her. The one the man had given her, he watched it a second but didn't ask.
She folded a small blue shirt and set it aside in the pile for Alexanders room, she wanted to grab the phone and stick it somewhere he wouldn't see it but didn't want to look suspicious.
"I have to go out of town, for a few days." He said suddenly.
"When?"
"Next week," He admitted.
"All week?" She stopped folding and turned towards him.
"No, I'll leave Sunday morning and be back first thing Friday morning. It's for a conference in Houston. I don't want to go but...I don't have a choice if I want this promotion."
"But...this is Friday."
"Yeah, I know what day it is."
"You won't be able to take Alex to the movies if you're gone," She pointed out.
"I'll take him tomorrow," He replied.
She gave a small nod, doubting he would follow through and hoping he did she turned back to the laundry.
"Is Trinity going with you? to Houston?" She ventured.
"No, of course not." He set his beer down giving her his full attention.
"She's very pretty," She pointed out.
"Yeah, she is and?" He shrugged.
He either didn't get the point that Elizabeth was trying to make or he was pretending not too. She wasn't sure which.
"You spend a lot of time with her."
"She's my secretary, Liz. Geez, I can't believe how jealous you can be," He turned to pick up his beer heading towards the living room.
She watched him disappear and when he was gone she quickly shoved the cell phone into the laundry basket, she would get it out later.
She followed him into the living room where he had turned on the television and was watching the news, she waited before sinking onto the couch next to him.
"Anything good going on?" She asked, forcing conversation.
"A drive-by in the city between two gangs, five people are dead...looks like the shooters escaped on foot," He replied taking a long drink of beer.
She turned her attention to the television with a bored sigh, she didn't care for the news but Alex did. As she watched the evening news with her husband she thought twice she heard the phone vibrating in the laundry basket but she ignored it, certain it could wait.
Around midnight Jordan finally had so many beers he passed out in front of the television, take a blanket from the back of the couch she covered him and switched off the television and light.
She carried the empty beer bottles to the kitchen, throwing them in the recycle bin and then walked to the laundry basket. She was going to take it upstairs when she remembered the phone and quickly dug it out.
She had several missed calls from a number she didn't know but could only assume it was the man and he would be pissed.
She shoved it into her pocket and lifting the laundry basket made her way upstairs, she opened her bedroom door and set the basket on a nearby chair without turning on her light.
She walked to the ensuite bathroom, turned the light on and started a shower, it was after midnight but a hot soak sounded too tempting. She stripped off her shirt and walked into the dark bedroom, she was pulling off her jeans when a rough voice startled her.
"Damn mama,"
She jumped, her heart seeming stop. She covered her mouth to muffle the scream that broke free as she spun flipping on the light.
In the corner of her bedroom next to the large open window he sat in a lounge chair.
"What are you doing here?"She hissed.
He didn't reply and it was then she noticed how terrible he looked, his usually tan skin was turning a pale grey color and was covered in sweat, his brown eyes were black around them and he seemed weak.
"What happened?" She rushed closer forgetting that she was clad only in a bra and jeans that were undone.
He coughed and she noticed his mouth was full of blood it dripped onto his full lips. He was leaning back but one hand was under his hood pressed to his side.
She hesitated, a large part of her wanted to help him. He was a human being and she was a caring person by nature the other part of her was afraid to touch him, afraid to make this real.
"You just going to stare?" He managed.
She gripped the zipper on his hood pulling it down she saw the blood soaking his undershirt and seeping through his fingers.
"It was you...on the news," She whispered.
"Yeah, I tried... to call you. You didn't answer the damned phone."
He stood suddenly and she stumbled away, the sudden movement scaring her. He only glanced at her and then on unsteady legs made his way to the bathroom.
She waited a minute before grabbing a shirt from the laundry basket and pulled it over her head before following him, when she got there he was peeling off the hood and she saw the gun tucked in the back of his jeans.
He tossed the hood onto the counter and it made a wet sound as blood splashed onto the white marble, his free hand went to the hem of his t-shirt and she found the strength to move.
"Here, let me." She opened the medicine cabinet and retrieved scissors.
She caught the hem of his shirt and carefully cut it from his body, he didn't move and she did her best not to let her hands brush his heated skin. When the shirt was cut away she carefully moved his hand and examined the wound.
Not at all sure was she was looking at, she was used to normal scrapes and bruises that a five-year-old got from playing outside, not this.
"I think you need a doctor," She said her blue eyes meeting his tired brown ones.
"No, no doctors. Just patch me up."
"I can't I don't know how."
"Figure it out, I won't make it somewhere else." He admitted.
"Why did you even come here? my husband is downstairs...my children are here."
"I came here in case someone else did, I had a rat in my operation. I don't know who he talked to or what he said but I can't afford to lose my investment here." His voice was sharp, she didn't know if it was from the pain he had to be in or annoyance but she fell silent.
He reached behind him slamming his gun down on the counter next to them the metal making a harsh sound in her ears, scraping her already raw nerves.
"Patch me the hell up."
With shaking hands, she turned back to the medicine cabinet and retrieved tweezers, peroxide and bandages.
"If you make any noise...if Jordan hears us.."She started.
"I won't I'll be fine."
The bullet had entered his abdomen to the left of his belly button, his hand was holding pressure but she knew it was still bleeding. She took a deep breath and tried to hold herself together.
"I didn't come here to stand and bleed out," He said impatiently, his other hand using the sink to hold himself upright.
She shoved his hand away and plunged the tweezers into the wound, trying to block out what she was doing.
He tensed and let out a hiss of pain but that was it, his other hand tightened to a fist but he didn't squirm or cry out as she would have thought.
The bullet popped free and she quickly splashed peroxide on the wound, watching it foam.
"Fuck." He cursed softly between teeth he was grinding together.
Moving quickly she pressed gauze and then began wrapping it around him as quickly and tightly as possible.
He wasn't huge but he was well muscled, a tattoo over his heart, up both arms, on both hands and then the dominant one on his neck. When she finished she felt her own knees threaten to give out and realized she was sweating as badly as he was.
"How did you get here?"
"My boys dropped me off, I came in while you and hubby watched television."
"Those men...will they come here looking for you?"She asked, needing to know.
"I don't know," He said honestly.
He suddenly seemed completely exhausted and he sagged against the sink, she watched him a minute.
"You can't stay here."
"I ain't asking," He said quickly.
She winced at his tone and he seemed to soften just a bit, he sighed heavily.
"I can't go to any of my usual spots, the rat knows 'em all."
She moved to shut off the shower, taking a towel to dry her hands. She sat on the toilet listening to his ragged breathing.
"If you go to the basement...there's a cot down there. Jordan wanted a man-cave then abandoned it halfway through. He never goes there and he's leaving Sunday." She said numbly.
"Man-cave, a man's cave is his house." He said.
She didn't reply, sudden shock had washed over her. She felt weak, numb, cold. She couldn't hear anything other than his breathing, couldn't smell anything other than his cologne. Her own voice sounded tin like and foreign to her when she spoke.
"I won't stay long," He said.
She didn't reply, her head was pounding and her chest felt tight. She had just cleaned a bullet wound, she was a mother this wasn't something she was supposed to be doing.
"You did real good," He added.
Laughter so strong she couldn't fight it bubbled up from deep in her chest and spilled out, she realized she was being hysterical but that made the entire thing that much funnier. Before she knew it she was laughing harder than she had in years, tears in her eyes and her hands shaking.
He didn't seem surprised at her reaction, didn't seemed fazed at all that she may be losing her mind or what was left of it.
"I'm not good at anything...and then I try this," She made a motion at him and laughed harder.
He let her laugh for a little longer then pushed away from the sink kneeling in front of her.
"Hey look at me, listen." He urged.
She couldn't focus on him or his gentle tapping on her knee, everything was boiling over. She had children in the next room a worthless husband downstairs. She did bake sales and laundry and here she was.
In her million dollar home, blood staining the floor and sink, her hands covered in the slick sticky substance with him.
"Elizabeth," He tapped her face, not a slap but enough it snapped her back.
"I need you to hold your shit together, alright?" He asked.
She gave a small nod, wiping the tears on her cheeks and taking a shaky breath.
"You got kids, you focus on them. They can't have you losing it over this." He said.
She gave another nod, he stood and walked towards the doorway.
"I'll get to the basement before your thief wakes up, you get this all cleaned up and get your ass in bed." He said.
She was thankful for his bossiness, she needed someone to tell her what to do, she needed guidance.
He disappeared and she did was he said, she grabbed the hood and t-shirt he was wearing and shoved them deep into the garbage can. Tying off the bag she pushed it into the closet and put a new one in the can, then she used toilet paper and cleaner to scrub the sink and counter and floor where they had been.
Moving into the bedroom she took off her clothes and slipped on her pajamas, glancing at the chair he occupied she saw some blood and readjusted the pillows to cover the spot.
Then she climbed into the bed and lay awake until dawn, Jordan came to bed sometime a little before eight assuming she was asleep he got in bed and without a word went back to sleep.