Page 43 of Jack

Chapter Seventeen

Jack had never feltanything like he had the night before with Astrid. He hadn’t lied when he’d told her it was life-changing. The second he’d entered her body, he’d known that whatever happened from here on out, he needed her by his side. She was the missing piece that soothed the part of him that prowled with an unleashed edge, that was continually telling him he wasn’t good enough.

He didn’t need a shrink to tell him it was a part of him he couldn’t control, that he was still looking to prove he was good enough to earn the pride of a man who would never give it. Some part of him still strove to be the best, to show his father he was worthy. Yet his conscious mind knew it was his father who was unworthy, not him.

He felt like that man with Astrid. A man who was worthy of pride and who wanted to do better; not for validation from his sire but for her and the people he cared about. They were what counted, he knew that, had always known that but now he could feel it too. The need for revenge didn’t gnaw at his insides; now it was justice he sought. Retribution for what his father had done and putting a target on the woman Jack found himself thinking about day and night.

He straightened as the door to the Royal Suite opened, and the Queen emerged. “Ma’am.”

She nodded her head. “Jack. Is all well?”

“Yes, ma’am, the car is waiting.”

“Lead the way.”

Jack got into position beside the Queen as Astrid fell in step behind her. He couldn’t say he was happy that Astrid was still putting herself in the line of fire, but this was the job he’d asked of her. To put a stop to it now that they were together was an insult to her professionalism and skill. He wanted to, he wanted to lock her up somewhere safe where she wouldn’t risk a bullet, but he knew from dealing with Aubrey that wouldn’t go over well.

Reaching the lobby, he looked around and found his men had already cleared the area and were now positioning themselves so the Queen had full body protection until she got into the car with the Prince Consort, Astrid, and Blake.

Astrid wore a cream pleated skirt that fell to her shins with brown heeled boots and a tweed jacket and scarf. He knew she was armed and that slightly mollified him, but she had no protective clothing under her own because as thin as the armour Will had designed was, it was still visible and would blow her cover.

As the door closed on the car, he saw her offer him a small smile of reassurance which lodged in his heart. He was in the second car with Liam and Gunner. Waggs, Mitch, and Decker were ahead of them. Lopez would monitor the feeds from the base. Will had tapped into the traffic cameras and kept an eye out, looking for any unusual activity. Zack and his team had gone ahead to the school to make sure all was clear.

Liam side-eyed him as he drove. “You and Astrid, then?”

Jack nodded. “Yup.” He didn’t want to get into this with them, not now or ever to be fair, but he knew he wouldn’t get out of it.

“About time.”

Gunner reached forward, and fist-bumped Liam. “Amen to that.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Oh, come on. You two have been dancing around each other for over a year now.”

“No, we haven’t.”

Liam raised his brows at Jack. “Uh, yes, you have. Why do you think we all disappeared when she came over to train with us?”

“I have no idea.”

“Because the sparks you two were throwing out almost set the building on fire.”

“Rubbish.” Jack glanced out of the window at the car ahead of them who held the most precious person in his life right now and wondered if things had been building for longer than he was willing to recognise.

“Whatever, boss man.”

He sighed. “Was it really so obvious to everyone but me?”

Gunner nodded. “Yep.” He slapped Jack on the shoulder and squeezed hard. “It’s okay, boss. It takes some people longer than others to wake up, but you got there in the end.”

Gunner was a blissful newlywed, while Liam and Taamira had just under a year under their belts, and both men had never been happier.

Jack had never considered marriage for himself; his own parents had a difficult one, and it had put him off. At least his mother had a hard time; his father had the life of Riley. He did what he wanted when he wanted, and still came home to a cooked meal and a warm bed. Frederick had never mistreated his mother, but he’d been selfish. He often wondered why his mother had stayed as long as she did but had never asked. Now she’d washed her hands of her husband after finding out the extent of his misdeeds, but Jack thought if he were going to reach out, it would be to her.

He should call her tonight and check in, make sure she was coping okay. His love for his mother was something else that was complex. She’d always tried to put herself between Frederick and her sons, to be the buffer, but he couldn’t understand her staying with him when he’d put so much pressure on them.

He knew if he ever had children he’d encourage them to be whatever they wanted and would always make sure they knew how proud he was of every single accomplishment, no matter how small. That was new too. Kids had never been on his radar, but being with Astrid opened his mind to all the possibilities he’d never considered.