He had heard Brenda humming in the kitchen when he came back inside after talking to Blue. Making sure that the front door was bolted and the security chain in place, Jax took the steps two at a time to the second floor where a hot shower awaited. He had shed his clothing in his usual fastidious fashion – the jeans and shirt lay in a heap outside the bathroom door on the floor, along with his shoes. He already knew the tricks to keeping his wounded shoulder out of the direct spray of the shower, and once he learned the quirks of Brenda’s antiquated plumbing, the water was soon beating a relaxing rhythm on his back.

Wrapping a large bath sheet around his waist, Jax had stepped out of the steamy shower and started to shave. Thoughts of Brenda and the prospect of an intimate dinner and movie in her living room kept intruding. {You can do this, Jax. You’re not Kevin Costner and Brenda’s not Whitney Houston – like that movie. Just because you’re getting closer to her doesn’t mean you can’t still protect her.}

He had carefully avoided Brenda’s lavender shampoo, but when he rinsed the last stubborn streaks of shaving cream off his face, Jax noticed a small cut on the side of his neck near his left shoulder. It was probably just a nick – another reminder of the Slasher’s parting "gift" to him the day before. It had been ignored in all the hustle and bustle at GH over the larger gash, but the last thing Jax wanted or needed was for it to get infected.

He rummaged through his shaving kit but the only thing he could find that came close to being antiseptic was his styptic pencil. Jax grimaced at the small white crayon. He knew it burned like crazy on the small nicks he got shaving, so it would probably feel like ground brimstone on a real cut. Chewing on his lip for a few seconds, Jax’s hand hesitated at the latch to Brenda’s medicine cabinet. He wasn’t a snoop. He wasn’t prying into her private life. He just needed some Polysporin, that’s all. Finally, Jax let out a sigh and yanked the door open.

{Hmmmm…….Crest toothpaste……a woman after my own heart ……..bandaids, extra-strength Tyelenol, those same prescription bottles I found in her purse, Listerine, deodorant……..}

Jax grimaced. No luck there. He closed the medicine cabinet and his gaze traveled downward towards the single drawer in the vanity below the sink. Using the same justification, he cautiously slid the drawer open as though he expected the hushed sound to travel through the tightly-shut bathroom door, around the bedroom door, down the stairs, around the corner, and into the kitchen.

{Hmmmmm…..disposable razors, tampons …… yuck …….hair spray, coconut mousse, a curling iron, sunscreen……..} Jax was pushing the contents of the drawer around when his hand froze in mid-air. {Ho-ly sh*t……….condoms…….} He slammed the drawer shut as though he was locking in all the demons of h*ll.

The thought that Brenda might have a "significant other" never even occurred to him. Well, it had – in the hospital, when she was still unconscious and he had checked for a wedding ring on her left hand. But in the 36 hours they had spent together, talk of a man in Brenda’s life had never come up. They had talked about Miranda – Brenda already knew *he* was single and available. But other than the fact that she was occasionally certifiably nutsoid, Jax knew little or nothing about Miss Brenda Barrett.

{Nah……..she’ *can’t* have a boyfriend. If she does, he’s one h*ll of a *lousy* boyfriend, not calling to check on her after all she’s been through in the past 36 hours. But she didn’t ask the staff to notify anyone at GH when she was being released, and nobody called here last night except that anonymous heavy breather……} Jax’s body relaxed a little at the thoughts. He dabbed the small cut with the towel and then snapped it up to rub it briskly across his hair to dry it.

{But then…….maybe *she* called him. Or maybe he’s one of those geeky computer freaks, and she was sending him hot, steamy e-mails when you walked in on her last night.} Jax froze in place, the towel draped over his head, as he stared into his reflection in the bathroom mirror. His eyes slowly dropped to the vanity drawer – he reached out a tentative hand – he pulled the drawer open just slightly, exhaled and pushed it shut, and then took a deep breath and opened it again.

{Awwww, geez……..Ultra-thin. Ribbed.} Jax slammed the drawer shut again. {MORE information than you needed, Jax. NOW how are you ever going to keep a professional attitude when you’re around her?}

Swearing under his breath, Jax grabbed for the clean pair of blue jeans on the bathroom floor and shoved his feet into the legs. He was still zipping his fly when he slammed out of the bathroom door, allowing a cloud of steam to escape into the dim room. Brenda had pulled the drapes against the morning sun that was reflecting off the new snowcover.

Tossing the used towel on the floor next to the bed, Jax yanked a white t-shirt over his head. He picked up his socks and then stopped. Although he was showered and shaven, he still didn’t think Brenda would like him putting unnecessary wrinkles in her ecru bedspread. With his clean flannel shirt in one hand and his shoes in the other, Jax strode briskly out of her bedroom and down the steps towards the living room.

He had just finished putting on his socks when he noticed it. Jax was sitting on an ottoman in front of the fireplace when suddenly his head came up, his eyes darting rapidly towards the front door. It was still locked, and the security chain was firmly in place. Not breaking his pose, his gaze shifted to the other side of the portal from living room to hallway. "Brenda?"

Where there should have been the sound of running water or clanging pots, there was only silence. Jax ruffled his hair with his hand and then shot up to a standing position, his hands on his hips. {Brenda couldn’t have finished the dishes that fast. You made the mess – you oughtta know.} "BRENDA??!!" He called her name again, louder this time. Still nothing. Never even thinking to put on his shoes or flannel shirt, Jax sprinted into the hallway and towards the kitchen.

The sight that greeted him sent a chill down his spine. The dishes were still in the kitchen sink, the bubbles from the soap rapidly evaporating. The back door was standing wide open, allowing the frigid morning air free entrance into the warm brownstone. His eyes darted around and the thought suddenly occurred to him that he had left his shoulder holster and gun in the living room. He crept silently towards the door. Swearing again, he followed Brenda’s trail across the porch to another open door. When he saw the deep ruts in the snow where something had obviously been dragged, Jax felt like his breakfast was going to come back up.

There was no time to go for his gun. He dashed back into the kitchen, yanked open a drawer, took the first paring knife he could find to use as a weapon, and then went back to the screen door to the yard. The cold air hit him like a freight train when he stepped onto the icy pavement. His hair was still damp from the shower but Jax never noticed it. All he could focus on was the trail that led from the back steps of Brenda’s brownstone to a small utility shed at the back of the yard.

Jax sprinted through the yard and took cover behind a tree next to the shed. When he heard a thump echo from inside, he gripped the knife tighter in his right hand. The thumping got louder – Jax wasn’t sure if it was the Slasher or his heart making the racket. When he saw the first hint of a shadow darken the threshold of the shed, he told himself to hold back……..wait……..

Random thoughts that his teachers at the Academy would have been proud of him flitted across Jax’s brain as he made a flying leap at the intruder. Jax tackled the down-clad stranger with a vengeance, sending them both sprawling into the snow. He felt the stranger struggling mightily beneath him, but the thought that he might find Brenda’s bloody body inside the shed fired Jax’s fury.

Eventually Jax’s larger, bulkier frame allowed him to straddle the intruder. As Jax raised his right hand, knife glinting in the sun, he pulled off the stranger’s stocking cap with his left. "DON’T MOVE, YOU SCUMBA……."

Terror-filled chocolate brown eyes stared back at him. Raven curls spilled out into the snow. As Jax’s chest heaved, he reached down and pulled the scarf from around Brenda’s lower face. "Jjjjjjj……" She could barely form the word. "Jax?"

"Brenda?" Jax rubbed his left hand briskly over his face in disbelief. "BRENDA???!!!!! What the bloody h*ll are you doing out here?"

He never saw it coming. Jax’s helpless, dependent damsel in distress brought her right knee up and caught him somewhere behind the family jewels. "GET OFF ME, YOU JERK!!!!"

Jax rolled off her immediately into the snow. Another long string of loud swearing sent any blue jays Brenda might have fed flying for safety in the next block. As she sat up, clutching her sides to try to calm herself, Jax rolled towards her with venom in his eyes. "What the H*LL were you doing out here, Brenda?"

Her lips were chattering, probably from a combination of cold and fright. "Bbbb…….birds………"

Jax’s eyes narrowed as he struggled to understand her and regain his dignity. "The friggin’ BIRDS dragged you from the porch to the tool shed?"

The punch Brenda leveled at Jax’s shoulder was ineffectual but soothed her bruised ego and body. "No……..birdse……..BIRDSEED!!" She pointed to the shed as her chest heaved with the effort to breathe. "I brought …….. seed for birds………big bag……."

Jax’s eyes widened with understanding. "The birdseed that the grocery kid brought? You dragged THAT through the snow to the shed?" When Brenda nodded, he sat up and swore again. "You’re bloody NUTS, Brenda!!"

"I’m nuts? I’M NUTS????!!!!" Brenda’s face grew even redder. "You haven’t even got shoes or a coat on out here, but *I’M* nuts?"

Jax finally noticed that Brenda was still shivering, despite her down coat. He hung his head, took a deep breath, and then before she could say a word, he got to his feet, swept Brenda into his arms, and started to carry her back to the porch steps. The dampness from the snow had already soaked his arms, making getting a firm grip on Brenda in the squishy nylon coat almost impossible.

As she almost slipped out of his arms again near the porch, Jax growled, "D*mnit, Brenda, this is like trying to carry the Tasty Puff Marshmallow Man!" He had barely set her on the back steps when she jerked away from him and stomped onto the porch angrily. {Doesn’t she know I was just trying to save her life? Doesn’t she see that I’m cold?} His thoughts sent his temper past the boiling point. "I don’t believe you! You’re p*ssed, and I’m freezin’ my butt off out here, Brenda!"

"Well, excuuuuuuse me, Mr. Superhero Warrior!" she shot back sarcastically, her hands on her hips. "But I didn’t *ask* you to come charging out in my back yard without a coat, or hat, or even SHOES, and then throw me on the ground like some warped snow-angel deviate!!"

Jax’s shoulders jerked mightily in an up-and-down motion as he tried to catch his breath and control his temper. "I CAME out there without a coat, Miss Junk Dealer Wacko!" he seethed, "because when I came out to the kitchen looking for you, all I found was a sink full of dishes and the back door standing wide open!" Brenda started to shrink under his accusations. "Then, when I get to the back yard, I see drag marks in the snow leading from the OPEN back door to the shed!"

Deep down, Brenda started to realize the anguish Jax must have felt in finding the deserted kitchen. But she wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of being right – not yet, at least. "And what did you think? That I was doing kinky things with the shovel in the shed??!!"

Jax’s chest puffed up even larger. "No! Silly me – I just kept remembering how scared you were of leaving this house! How there was no way you would have left voluntarily! How maybe that goofy kid Brian came back, lured you out to the porch, and then dragged you out to the shed so he could slit your throat like all the Slasher’s other victims!"

"BRIAN??!! You’re STILL accusing Brian of being the Slasher?" Brenda shrugged the down coat off angrily. "And exactly *how* do you think Brian would have *lured* me to the porch, huh?"

As they stood glaring at each other, both with their arms akimbo, Jax fought the urge to just take Brenda in his arms and thank God she was safe. He felt some of the rage flow out of his body and a smile teased at the corners of his lips. "I thought……well, maybe he had waved *huge* family-size cans of asparagus at you and you just couldn’t resist the temptation!"

It was that d*mn cleft in his chin – the cleft and the way his hair fell across his forehead that made you want to run your fingers through it to put it back in place. When Jax broke into a delicious smile, Brenda pressed her lips together, looked down at the floor, and then relaxed her stance a little. "I…..uh……..I guess things did look pretty suspicious…..especially after I made such a big deal about not stepping foot outside the house ever again." She chewed on her lower lip and then crossed her arms. "I ……uh……I guess I should thank you for taking such good care of me."

All of Jax’s breath left his body on a soft whoosh – as though he had been punched in the stomach with a velvet fist belonging to a brown-eyed, dark-haired temptress. "I…..uh……well, maybe I over-reacted, too." He glanced down at her wet clothes and the way she was still shivering. "You should probably get out of those and take a warm bath – in case I gave you any bruises when I tackled you."

There was a heated pause while Brenda’s eyes locked with Jax’s. Then she abruptly took a deep breath and rubbed her damp hair. "Yeah – a warm bath. That would probably be a good idea." She rotated her shoulders and winced. "Geez, Jax…….I guess you must have thought I was the Slasher with that stocking cap on, but did you have to tackle me quite so hard?"

She turned and walked back towards the door to the kitchen. The sound of his voice didn’t reach her right away. "No."

Brenda turned back to Jax, who was still standing by the door to the yard. "What did you say?"

The way he smirked at her made her heart skip a beat. "I said no – I didn’t have to tackle you that hard. I knew all along it was you." Brenda quirked an eyebrow at him. "I just wanted to knock you off your feet."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

{Stupid, stupid, STUPID!!! Did your brain get frozen in that back yard along with your feet, Jax?}

Jax paced Brenda’s living room like a caged animal. He was tempted to beat his head against the wooden arch leading to the hallway, but instead he just pounded his right fist into his open left palm. Ever since he had watched Brenda slowly climb the steps to the second floor to take a bath, he had been mentally berating himself for letting things get so out-of-control in the back yard.

After he heard the reassuring sound of the water running in the upstairs bathroom, Jax walked back over to the sofa and flopped down on it full length. He covered his eyes with the back of his right arm and sighed loudly. {Asking the woman out on a date wasn’t enough – nooooo, you had to go and hit on her like some second rate gigolo in a singles’ bar. You KNOW that you’re supposed to be here in a professional capacity. You’re supposed to be protecting her. Now instead, you need somebody to protect her from YOU!!}

What hurt Jax the most, although he wasn’t ready to admit it to himself, was that he had basically failed Brenda. He had let her slip through his fingers like some dumb rookie, and then when he realized it, he had acted on emotion. If it HAD been the Slasher he had tackled in the backyard, Jax knew in his gut that he would have broken every procedure in the book. There would have been no Miranda warnings; no handcuffs; no splashy frontpage picture of Mac as he booked the suspect. If Jax had found Brenda’s bloody body in the shed, he would have seen to it that the Slasher shared her fate in short order. No – he was definitely getting too involved in this case. And it would only hurt Brenda in the end. Kevin Costner was right.

Jax sat up so quickly his head spun for a minute. Then he reached for the telephone on the small end table next to the sofa. After punching in some numbers, he put the receiver to his ear and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger while he waited for an answer. "Blue? It’s Jax."

"Jax? Everything OK there?"

"It is now. Brenda and I had a little misunderstanding but it’s all settled now. Did you call Kevin Collins?"

Blue fought a smirk. If Jax had called it a misunderstanding, it was probably something closer to an international thermonuclear confrontation. "Yeah – I manage to catch Dr. Collins right before he left for a seminar in Dallas."

"A seminar?" Blue moved the receiver away from her ear when the obscenity exploded. "How long will it take?"

"A week – but then he’s taking a week’s vacation after that. And before you get started," Blue went on, ignoring Jax’s outburst, "he told me that he couldn’t even blink at Miss Barrett without Mac authorizing the outside consult."

"So we’ll just get Mac to approve the consult and use somebody else." Jax sighed. "I’d prefer to wait for Kevin, but we need to get this thing settled."

"Jax, you KNOW the department’s over budget already. There’s no way Mac will approve the consult." She paused. "Oh, and while I’m on the subject of "good news" – the lab boys checked out that pay phone. It was about a block from GH."

"Let me guess – it was wiped clean. No fingerprints."

"Well, once we were able to elbow our way through the four people waiting to use it, yeah – there were no identifiable prints."

Jax buried his face in his hand. "This Slasher guy is really getting on my nerves. Not only is he demented, but he’s smart enough to use a phone that gets a lot of traffic so he won’t be noticed." Blue heard Jax’s long whistle of defeat. "Is Ardanowski around?"

"Nope. She’s out on some special project for Mac."

"What about you? Could you stay here with Brenda tonight?"

"H*ll no, darlin’! I’ve got another date with Luka, and I don’t intend to break it just because you put your foot in your mouth with Brenda again."

Jax grimaced and ignored the accusation. "It’s still early. Check around a little for me, will you? See if there’s anybody else who wouldn’t mind staying here with her just for tonight."

"OK, DD, but if you said something to hurt her feelings again……"

"I DIDN’T……" Jax growled something under his breath. "Just try, OK, Blue?" He hung up the phone before she could say anything more. Before he could change his mind and tell her that the last thing he wanted to do was turn Brenda’s safety over to somebody else. Somebody who didn’t care…….not like he did.

***********

"I just wanted to knock you off your feet."

{Stupid, stupid, STUPID!! You should have *said* something, Brenda – not just stood there like a lovesick teenager who just got her first kiss! Just because a man who looks like he belongs in Hollywood instead of on a police force actually made a pass at you! YOU – a borderline-psychotic stay-at-home who’d rather just watch life out her window than go out and experience it.}

Brenda angrily tore the last leaves of romaine lettuce and threw them into a large colander in the sink. She had soaked in the tub until her fingers were pruney and she had finally stopped shaking after her encounter with Jax in the back yard. When she came out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her hair, the first thing she had noticed were Jax’s discarded clothing and wet bath towels on the floor from earlier. As soon as she picked them up, she caught his scent again – that uniquely masculine scent that made her feel warm and – could she say it? – almost safe.

After drying her hair and pulling it into a ponytail high on her head, she had gathered up all the dirty towels and come downstairs. Jax was sitting silently on her couch watching television – actually, surfing the channels on her television was more accurate. They had spoken to each other civilly but curtly. Brenda told him she would be working in her library on her antique business for most of the day, and Jax had grunted an acknowledgement. She told herself that at least he couldn’t accuse her of keeping him in the dark as to her whereabouts.

Brenda stared at the computer screen for several hours – closing a few auctions, promoting a few others, making a tidy sum for herself that would more than cover the expense of a steak dinner, a nice bottle of wine, and a video. She heard the front doorbell once. Brian had made sure to make this delivery at the *front* door, to Mr. Jackson Barrett in *person.* As she stood at the top of the stairs and watched Jax grudgingly tip Brian, a smile played at her lips.

{Enjoy this while you can, Brenda. As soon as he catches the Slasher, he’ll be *more* than ready to hightail it out of here as fast as he can. Why would a gorgeous man like Jax be interested in a hermit like you? He’d want out – just like Sonny did after you told him the way you felt.}

As soon as the door closed behind Brian, Brenda had gone down to take the groceries from Jax. He went back to his television in the living room while she took them to the kitchen. A quick glance at the clock told her that she should really start the salad and put the steaks in the marinade before returning to her paperwork. While she was tearing the lettuce and cleaning some carrots, Brenda was planning the rest of the menu when the thought struck her.

"Bad word, BAD WORD!!!" Jax appeared at the entrance to the kitchen just in time to hear Brenda’s exclamation. She was bent over at the waist, peering into the refrigerator, stamping her foot on the kitchen floor to vent her spleen.

Jax tried to will the blood that rushed south of his belt at the sight of her rounded derriere back up into his brain. "Is there a problem?"

Brenda sighed loudly and slammed the refrigerator door shut. "Yeah, there’s a problem. I don’t have any grated parmesan."

"So?"

"Soooooo, I was planning to serve twice-baked potatoes tonight with our steaks, and I can’t do that if I don’t have grated Parmesan." Brenda planted her hands on her hips and chewed on her lower lip.

"Sooooo, make something else instead." Jax folded his arms, shrugged, and then shot her a smile worthy of Einstein. "How about French Fries??!!

Brenda’s eyes widened in desperation. "This isn’t *McDonald’s*, Jax!" She stomped back over to the sink and flipped on the water to rinse the lettuce as she talked. "We’re having porterhouse steaks, a fine Port wine, and a mixed green salad with vinaigrette dressing. We *need* to have those twice-baked potatoes, and I *have* to have that grated Parmesan."

Jax pursed his lips and thought for a moment. "Could you call that Hobart’s place and order some?" He waggled his eyebrows. "I’ll bet that Brian kid would deliver some for you in a New York minute," he added, leaning forward confidentially. "I think he’s got the hots for you."

Brenda ignored the jibe. "Hobart’s won’t deliver any more today." She shook her hands to rid them of excess moisture and glared at Jax as she reached for a towel. "And he does NOT have the hots for me!"

"Then what about another grocery store? Is there anything near here?"

She chewed on her lip. "I think there’s a convenience store at the corner of Water Street and 7^th. That’s only about ten minutes from here, and they’d probably have grated Parmesan."

Jax’s brilliant smile made Brenda’s heart sing. "Just let me grab my jacket and keys to the jeep." He disappeared so quickly that she didn’t even have a chance to thank him for volunteering. As she turned back to the sink, it occurred to her that some fresh strawberries and whipped cream might be a nice touch for dessert. Brenda hung the towel back on the rack and reached for a pen and paper, making a quick list of at least half a dozen other "necessities" for their dinner.

She was just finishing the list when Jax re-appeared in the doorway. "So – you ready?"

Brenda nodded and looked up at him. "I just thought of a few other things I needed – I hope you don’t mind."

Jax grimaced and strolled over to the chair to take the list from her. He glanced at the items and shook his head. "Well, all I can say is I’m glad *I* don’t have to be the one to find this Swiss chard stuff."

Brenda’s face dropped. "What do you mean, YOU won’t have to be the one to find it?"

"I mean, *I’m* not goin’ inside that convenience store to find all this exotic stuff! I can barely find the baked beans and Spam at the store most of the time!"

She looked up at him incredulously. "But I thought you just said you’d go get the Parmesan for me!"

Jax tossed the list back at her, his face set like flint. "I said I’d drive to the convenience store. I never said I’d leave you here alone."

Brenda rose to her feet as the list fluttered to the table. "But I *can’t* go with you! You know that!"

He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Then I guess it’ll be French fries after all, won’t it?"

As Jax slipped the jacket off again, Brenda fumed and stomped her foot indignantly. "Jax!" His name came out on two syllables.

Jax turned back to her, "duh" written all over his face. "Bren-da!" he sing-songed back at her. "This is NOT negotiable! You either come along with me, or we go to plan B for the menu!"

Her inner conflict was written all over Brenda’s face. She glanced down at the list and then up at the infuriating, devilish, endearing man who had managed to turn her life upside down in the space of 36 hours. After chewing on her lip for a few minutes, she grabbed at his arm just as he turned to leave. "What about a compromise?"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ten minutes later, Jax’s jeep pulled into the parking lot for Harrison’s Handy-Mart. He glanced over at Brenda, who was staring straight ahead and gripping the armrest for dear life. "You OK so far?"

"I’m OK – I’m OK." She had been repeating the same mantra ever since getting into the Cherokee. Jax wasn’t exactly thrilled about her staying inside the locked car by herself while he went inside the market. But he figured it couldn’t take him more than ten minutes to pick up two kinds of cheese, strawberries, and a roll of paper towels. And as long as he parked in a spot where he could keep an eye on the jeep, she would be safe. Down deep, he got a kick out of the fact that something as trivial as what kind of potatoes they were having for supper could get her to overcome part of her neurosis. Maybe there was hope for Brenda after all.

As Jax swung the jeep into a parking space in the second aisle and killed the motor, he turned to her. "You’re not gonna pass out or throw up or something while I’m inside, are you?"

Brenda took a shaky breath, her knuckles white as she gripped the passenger door handle. "I don’t think so. But don’t dawdle, OK?"

Jax grinned indulgently and patted her hand for reassurance. "You’ll be fine in here, Brenda. Just lock all the doors after I get out and don’t open them until I get back." He tried to pull her a little more towards the center of the front seat. "See? If you move over here and tilt your head a little, you can watch me inside the store the whole time."

"Right. I’ll be fine. I’ll be fine." Then, Brenda’s eyes widened and she stared down at the floor of the jeep. "What was that?"

"What was what?"

"That beeping noise!" Brenda shrank back into the seat. "Something beeped at me from beneath the dashboard!"

"Ohhhhhh…….." Realization dawned and Jax reached beneath the dash for a small black box. "Police band radio," he replied. "I usually keep it turned down except for emergency calls."

He fiddled with the control buttons and a few seconds later, a feminine voice echoed through the jeep’s interior. "Attention all units, attention all units…… 459 with hostage in progress. Suspects considered armed and dangerous……698 Water Street……Attention all units, all units in the area, please respond………"

Brenda looked up at Jax, whose face was pale and grim. "What’s a 459?"

"Armed robbery." His eyes widened and he replied through gritted teeth, glancing up towards the Handy-Mart. "Where did you say this place was?"

"7^th and Water…….." She took a sharp breath and grabbed his arm. "Oh, my God, Jax…….are they robbing…….." Brenda turned towards the store and pointed inside. "Are they in Harrison’s??!!"

Jax shoved the radio back beneath the dashboard and then pressed Brenda down further in the seat with the back of his arm. "I can see one of them," he said bleakly, nodding towards the front of the store. "Looks like he’s got a semi-automatic pressed against a young woman’s back."

"Oh, my God!" Brenda craned her neck, trying to push up against Jax’s restraining arm to see what was going on. When Jax started fumbling with his seat belt, she shimmied forward in the jeep and pressed her nose against the windshield. "Jax! I can see them! Oh, my God, you have to call somebody so they can get that girl out of there!" She gripped the front dash of the jeep tightly, feeling more helpless than she ever remembered feeling in her life. "Jax? Aren’t you going to call someone or do something? Jax?"

She didn’t realize what had happened until she turned to look at him. When Brenda saw the empty seat and open door on the driver’s side, her heart came up in her throat. "Jax?" Undoing her seat belt in record time, she slid across the front seat of the jeep. "JAX???!!!"

When Brenda peered over the steering wheel at the front door of the store, she clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle the scream. There – sauntering through the glass doors of the Handy-Mart like he was walking his dog on a frosty morning, whistling and smiling as though he didn’t have a care in the world – was Lieutenant Jasper Jacks.

To be continued……..