A Changed Man (Altered Book 1) Read online

  Jackie took the paper towel out of Remington’s hand and tossed it in the trash. She grabbed another one and dampened it. "It seems to be slowing down now. How do you feel?"

  Remington could hear the sincere concern in her voice. It felt good; it put him at ease. "I'm okay. Like I said, it gives me a headache, and I'm a little light headed, but it will pass.”

  Jackie wiped the rest of the blood from Remington’s nose and upper lip. "Lets get you back to the couch."

  After they sat back down Jackie opened the first aid kit and grabbed the bottles of amoxicillin and the painkillers. She gave him two of each and handed him his glass of wine to wash them down with.

  "That’s the only glass you get; mixing prescription meds and alcohol is not a great idea."

  "I understand doc." He said smiling that sexy smile of his. "So now you believe me?"

  Jackie pushed the tray of food closer to Remington. "Here, eat something." She watched him pop an apple slice into his mouth and then a couple cubes of cheese. "I guess I kinda have to. Yours is the only story I know and that display a few minutes ago was, well, I'm not sure what that was; pretty incredible I guess.

  Remington looked at her quizzically. "You said earlier that you thought I looked familiar. Have you seen my picture before? Was it on the new earlier?" He asked.

  "No, I didn't see it on the six o'clock news; if I had you probably would have been woken up with a gun against your chest." She said in a serious tone. "I'm not sure about the eleven o'clock news; I had fallen asleep on the couch by then. But if we're seeing it now, it probably was and you can bet it will be on again in the morning. I saw your picture yesterday in town. There were men, they were dressed all in black, passing it around to people and asking questions. I didn't put two and two together earlier when I found you, you don't look much like the picture right now. They were telling people they were army and that you were a deserter. They came into the diner where I was having lunch."

  "Shit." Remington whispered. "I guess I can't go into town. I have a buddy I will call tomorrow. Maybe he can help me figure out what to do."

  Jackie was surprised that she actually felt a little sad that he was leaving in the morning. She did tell him he could only stay one night, but for some reason she wasn't sure if she wanted him to go. Jackie and Remington ate in silence for the next few minutes, She was trying to digest everything that he had told her and what she saw him do, and he was trying to figure out how he was going to get out of here, where he was going, and who he could trust.

  Remington finished eating and looked over at Jackie. "What did you mean when we were outside and you said, you were just overwhelmed by everything that’s been going on around here and now this? What’s been going on around here?" He asked sounding concerned.

  Jackie was a little thrown off guard by his question. She didn't realize he'd picked up on that. "Uh, nothing really. Forget I said anything."

  Remington reached over and grabbed her hand. Surprised by his own boldness. "If you need to talk about something, I'm a great listener. Sometimes strangers are the best people to talk to." He smiled at her.

  "I'm really tired." Jackie smiled back at him with sleepy eyes. "But I'll keep that in mind, thanks. I'm going to bed, feel free to hang out and watch TV if you want. Can I get you anything else before I go?" Jackie pulled her hand out of Remington’s.

  "No, thanks though." He said already feeling the loss of her warmth. "I think I'll do the same."

  They both got up and Jackie used the remote to turn off the TV. They headed down the hall toward the bedrooms stopping at the guest room door. "Well, goodnight. Just call out if you need anything." Jackie said, and headed for her bedroom.

  "Goodnight, sweet dreams." Remington limped into his room and pushed the door to, leaving it open just a crack.

  The night outside was black, the moons light blocked by dark clouds traveling slowly across the sky, like they had something to hide and were in no hurry to let the light touch the ground. There was something else outside that was even darker though. Something so black that even on the darkest night it was discernable. It watched from the shadows of the trees that lined the woods. It watched Jackie go outside onto the porch and bring her guest back in. It saw what Remington did to the door knob, and it understood. It let them go back inside, back to what they thought was safety, and it watched. Circling the house, getting closer and closer. It floated up the porch to the hole where the knob used to be, and drifted into the house like a black fog.

  Jackie woke up to her favorite smell in the world, frying bacon. Followed by fresh coffee. She sat up and noticed it was already light outside, the sun was shining against the closed curtains in her bedroom like it was pleading to be let in. Jackie got out of bed, walked over to the window and pulled the curtains open wide. This was the first time she had slept in since she moved here, the first time she forgot to set her alarm clock, and it felt wonderful. She stared out the window at the beautiful morning and stretched, reaching her hands high toward the ceiling. She slept great and she felt refreshed. With everything that went on yesterday she must have really needed it. Jackie went to the dresser and pulled out a pair of faded jeans, a bra, and a light blue t-shirt. She quickly dressed and made her way to the bathroom to take care of business. She brushed her teeth and hair, splashed some warm water on her face and went in search of that delicious scent.

  When Jackie reached the kitchen she saw Remington standing at the stove with his back to her. All his back to her; he wasn't wearing the shirt he had on yesterday and his sweats were hanging low on his lean hips. Her mouth started to water. She wasn't sure if it was what she was looking at or if it was the smell of the bacon. Who was she kidding; she knew exactly what it was. "Good morning." she said as she walked to the coffee maker.

  Remington turned around a bit startled. "Oh! Hey. Good morning." He said, flashing a big smile. "I hope you don't mind. After everything you did for me yesterday, I wanted to do something for you."

  Jackie poured her coffee and saw that Remington had a pile of scrambled eggs and toast on a large plate and was just taking the bacon out of the pan. "Not at all. It looks great! That’s the best smell to wake up to." She said pointing at the bacon.

  Remington looked down at her standing next to him; she had on faded jeans and a loose, light blue t-shirt that made her eyes a beautiful aquamarine color. It reminded him of the clear blue waters around a tropical island. "It's ONE of the best smells to wake up to." He said with a crooked grin. Jackie could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks and she broke eye contact with him. Was he flirting with her? Sure feels like it. She thought. It's been awhile; it's been a long while. Maybe he's just trying to be funny. She didn't want to over think it. She realized she was staring at his chest again and quickly snapped herself out of it. "Well, let’s eat. I'm starving!" She said, and went and sat down at the already set table. Remington followed her with the huge pile of food and his own cup of coffee.

  "It looks great." Jackie said scooping eggs onto her plate. “How are you feeling today? Do you need more pain killers?"

  Remington was busy loading his own plate. "I'm actually feeling pretty good today! My ankle stopped throbbing and the wounds on my legs have pretty much quit stinging. I'll take a couple more of the amoxicillin if you don’t mind."

  "Of course!" Jackie went to the living room and grabbed the bottle from the first aid kit and brought it back to the table. "Here you go, keep them. You should probably be taking them for ten days anyway."

  "Thank you." Remington said taking the bottle from her. They started eating; Jackie was keeping her eyes on her plate and off of Remington. She was confused by her own feelings. Here she was with this stranger in her house, this stranger with this outrageously unreal story that she really wanted to believe, but was having such a hard time wrapping her head around it. Then there was what he did to her doorknob last night. She had seen that with her own eyes so she had to believe it. Jackie knew that once he left, she would just g
o back to being alone, hanging out at home, only making trips to town when she needed something. It was getting pretty boring. Then again, this man was a complete stranger she'd known for one day. She had no idea who he really was or what his life was like. It was exciting while it lasted. She thought to herself.

  Remington noticed that Jackie hadn't lifted her head up from her plate since she started eating. She looked to be in deep thought, or maybe she was just ignoring him. Maybe she wanted to stop the conversation to get him to finish eating and leave. "I was wondering if you could take me to a pay phone today."

  "I have a phone you can use." Jackie said confused.

  "Yeah, but if this is military, which I believe it may be, I don't want them tracking me to you. If they know everything about me, they may know my closest friend is Rick. What if they have his phone tapped? I can't take that chance."

  Jackie was starting to feel like she was in some kind of spy movie. It was a bit overwhelming and exciting at the same time. "Okay, if you think that’s best."

  "I do. I can't go to town; they may still be looking for me there. I need to go farther away. Would it be too much to ask to head toward Denver? If they think I'm still alive and the phone call proves it to them I want them to think I went back home. It will keep them far away from your place."

  Jackie thought about it for a minute; she definitely didn't want his fight coming to her door. She was starting to trust him more. He hadn't done anything to make her doubt him. Sure, the story was pretty outrageous, but she saw what he could do and the proof was in the pudding, as her gram would say. For some reason she didn't quite understand, she wanted to help him. Knowing he only had one person in the world he thought he could trust made her feel bad for him, almost protective of him. "That’s a three hour ride, are you sure you're up for that?"

  "I'll be fine. I feel a hundred percent better than I did yesterday. If I'm being paranoid and it turns out Rick can help me, you can just drop me off in Denver."

  "And what if it's not? What if you find out he's been approached by the people who did this to you? Where are you going to go then?" she asked feeling worried for him.

  "I don't know. I'll figure something out." He gave her a reassuring smile.

  "You need clothes, you can't go running around in just a pair of raggedy sweat pants. We need to stop somewhere on the way and get you some shoes, a shirt, and a pair of jeans." She said looking him up and down.

  Remington could feel his skin heat up as she gazed at him, her eyes roaming over his body. "Why?" he asked with an innocent look. "Am I distracting you?"

  Jackie’s head jerked back up to Remington’s face. "HA HA." She said trying not to let him see just how much it did indeed affect her.

  "I seem to have misplaced my wallet." He said smiling at her.

  "It's okay, you can owe me."

  "You have done so much already. I hate to keep asking more of you." He said, his face serious.

  "Let me get my shoes and purse." Jackie got up from the table and went to her bedroom. Walking over to the nightstand where she had left her purse she glanced over to the bed and noticed the rifle was missing. She looked around the room thinking maybe she didn't leave it on the bed with her last night but didn't see it anywhere. Where the hell is it? She thought nervously. I know it was in this room and Remington didn't take it. I definitely would have heard him come in and take it off the bed, wouldn't I? Jackie slipped on a pair of sneakers and grabbed her purse and went back to the kitchen. Remington was standing at the sink washing the breakfast dishes.

  "Where's my rifle?" She asked him in an accusing tone.

  Remington turned around and leaned against the sink drying his hands on a dishtowel. "What do you mean?"

  "My rifle! I had it on my bed last night, it was laying right next to me and now it's not there!"

  "I didn't take it. I would never just sneak in to your room in the middle of the night Jackie, especially knowing you had it in there with you." He said with the most honest face he could make. "Are you sure it was on the bed? Maybe you left it in the living room."

  Jackie turned away from him and walked in to the living room, she stood in the middle of the floor making a slow circle and not seeing it anywhere. She walked down the hall to the guest room and opened the door and walked in. She looked around that room as well, in the closet, under the bed, nothing.

  Remington came in behind her. "I told you I didn't take it, I swear."

  Jackie left the room and went to the bathroom and looked, then to the laundry room. She checked every cabinet and closet in the house and still couldn't find it. She went back to her bedroom; the only room she hadn't checked top to bottom yet. She looked in her closet, nothing. She knelt down and looked under the bed and gasped. There it was. Lying under the bed.

  Remington was standing at her door. "Did you find it?" He asked.

  "How the hell did it get under here?" She asked, mainly to herself. She pulled the gun out from under the bed and stood up turning to face Remington. "I didn't put it under there. It was lying right next to me when I went to sleep last night. I know it was!"

  Remington was afraid she thought it was him that hid the gun, that he had came into her room last night while she was asleep and put the gun under her bed. "I've never been in your room Jackie. I didn't put it there."

  Somehow Jackie believed him. With all the weird shit that had been going on since she had moved in, this was just one more thing. Maybe this house is haunted, she thought. Knowing damn well that was the dumbest excuse she could have thought of. Not wanting to let on to Remington that strange things had been happening even before he got here, not wanting him to think she was nuts, she wiped the bewildered look from her face and walked over to the closet, put the rifle inside and shut the door. "It was probably me." She said looking up at him. "I was just so tired last night. I probably forgot I put it there." Jackie waved her hand dismissively in the air as if to express not wanting to discuss it any further and walked out of the room. Remington just stood there and watched her walk out. He could tell there was something going on with her but not knowing her well enough, he didn't want to push. He followed her into the living room.

  "You ready to go?" She asked, like none of that just happened. She grabbed the car keys off of the hook by the front door.

  "Uh, Yeah. I'm ready. Wait, what about your doorknob? I wanted to fix that for you before I left."

  "Oh, no big deal. I know how to put in a door knob,” she said rolling her eyes. "I'll lock the deadbolt; it will be fine." They walked outside. Jackie closed the doo, locked the deadbolt, and they headed for the car.

  It stayed behind the tree line where it was darker, blending in so well with the smallest of shadows. It watched Jackie and her guest drive off. Wondering if the man would come back, if it had missed its chance. It drifted deeper into the woods where it would wait. Wait and see if the man returned.

  Chapter 8

  Jackie and Remington headed east on highway forty. The traffic wasn't bad, and Jackie hoped they would make good time. This trip is going to take the entire day and she wasn't crazy about the idea of returning home alone, after dark. The sun was down by six-thirty and it was already pushing ten in the morning. She put that thought aside and just focused on what they had to get done today. First thing was to get Remington some clothes. Although she saddened at the thought of covering up that beautiful upper body, she couldn't let him go around half naked. They drove for almost two hours when Jackie took an exit.

  "There's a Wal-Mart up here. I'll run in and get you some things. What are your sizes?" She asked.

  Remington turned in his seat to face her. "I wear a thirty-four, thirty-six in jeans and extra large in shirts."

  "What about your shoe size?"

  "Thirteen."

  Jackie turned her head quickly toward him raising her eyebrows. "Thirteen?"

  "Yeah." Remington stared at her waiting for the blush he knew was coming to slowly creep up her cheeks.

 
Jackie jerked her head forward facing the road again. "Okay then." She said, trying to hide a grin.

  They pulled into the side parking lot of the store, finding a spot near the back where there weren’t too many other cars around. Jackie jumped out of the car then leaned her head back in before closing the door. "I'll be back as fast as I can, don't go anywhere."

  "Wouldn't dream of it." Remington said giving her a wink.

  Jackie shut the car door and went around to the front entrance. Walking in and grabbing a cart, she headed for the men’s department finding the jeans first. She put two pairs in the cart she then started looking for shirts. She couldn't remember the last time she shopped for a man, and never for a man she didn't know. What would he like? What was his style? She was going to have to make all those decisions and just hope he liked them. She grabbed him a three-pack of mixed colored t-shirts, a couple of flannels, and a new pair of sweat pants. Jackie went to the shoe department and found some black sneakers. She had no idea whether he'd prefer black or white, but she thought the black would look better on him. She added socks to her cart and found herself standing in front of the underwear. He was going to need underwear. Boxers or briefs? She drifted off into space for a few seconds, imagining what he would look like in both. That just made the choice harder; he could wear a potato sack and still look hot. Since it was her choice and she liked boxers, that’s what she wanted to get. "Boxers it is." She said to herself throwing them in with the rest of the stuff. Jackie turned down another aisle and saw backpacks hanging from the wall; she grabbed a blue one and headed over to the personal care section. She picked out a toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, and a pack of disposable razors. Then made her way to the checkout. While in line she grabbed a couple of bottled waters and candy bars. She paid for her items, loaded the bags onto her arms, and left the store.

  Remington sat in the car with the windows down. It was a beautiful day out; those were numbered this late in the year. He thought about calling his friend, knowing that if Rick knew something, he would do everything in his power to let Remington know without giving him away. They knew how to talk to each other when other people were around. They had a language all their own, a kind of code. He just hoped he wasn't putting his oldest friend in danger; then again, Rick was someone that thrived on danger. He never shied away from a fight, but Remington didn't want him to have to fight because of him. He laid his head back against the seat and closed his eyes; mentally drained, he listened to the radio and tried to relax.