Red Alert/Red Notice (The "Super Jerk" Prequel)

24 - I'm Still Standing

^^Above, chapter title credit: Song by Elton John.^^

{Raina}

We have a hard time explaining to our kids why it looks like we've been through a war. Mila, when we got home, was shocked to see us stumbling inside covered in bruises. Both of Geoff's eyes are bruised, but only one is swollen shut. Frankly, I think he looks worse than me.

"You do know how to get yourselves into trouble," Mila says later, having whisked our kids promptly off for a nap and then taking us one at a time into the kitchen to have a look at us.

"Seems like it," I say dryly. I can't think of another time when I've sustained this degree of injury at once. "Ow."

She pulls her fingers back, in the middle of spreading anti-bruise cream over my cheek. "You must sit still," she admonishes.

"But it hurts," I protest, like a child.

"This will be the only way to stop it from hurting."

"I know, sorry." I let her keep going. "How was Geoff?"

"Very bruised," she says. "He would not say much about why."

I explain the rest to her, once I know what Geoff's told her. He must think he's keeping things from her, but I get the feeling she knows more than he realizes. Her reasoning is that she's known him since he was ten at least, when his powers started to show up. But it's hard for me to think of Geoff without powers. He's been that way for as long as I've known him.

He sleeps all that afternoon, the entire night, and then half of the next day. I end up calling in to his work for him, telling them he's taking a sick day. His secretary is where I run into problems. Apparently he's never told her he's married, and she thinks I'm the other woman, in her words. I tell her she'd better take a good long look at their relationship, because he's my husband and it takes one to know one.

Then, right before lunchtime that day, Howard Eckles calls. Mila tells me to pick up the phone in the living room from the hallway, because there's an anxious man on the other end.

"Howard?" I say when I pick up. "Hey."

"Raina, thank God," he says, with a genuine warmth and concern that makes me blush. "Heard about what happened at Wigmore. You two okay?"

"Just banged up." I support Cam's head as he attempts to sit up, reaching for his teething ring. "Geoff got the worst of it. Osborne threw him around pretty good."

"Krakatoa. Shoulda known," he says, and I hear his chair creak as he leans back in it. "If I had, I woulda told you to be careful around him."

"It's fine, Howard, there's no way you could have. I'm just glad we made it without worse injuries. He seemed dangerous."

"He is." His tone betrays nothing until he asks, "How badly did he hurt you?"

"He didn't touch me. His guard did, though. And Pascal."

He curses under his breath. "Wish I'd taken him out when I had the chance."

I think of the way Pascal looked at me before he'd knocked me out. Like I was an appetizing piece of meat. I shudder and push it away.

"Gotta be careful around him, Raina," he says, almost like he hears my thoughts through the phone. "Been diggin' around in his past a little bit...says he's a registered sex offender."

No wonder I feel so uncomfortable around him. "That makes sense."

"Yeah." Eckles's voice gets heavy. "He's got a reputation."