Amanda M. Lee [Lee - The Undead Uproar

One

L ift that end.

I am lifting.

Lift it higher.

With what muscles? I leaned against the wall, not letting go of my end of the couch, and fixed my boyfriend Jack Hanson with a dark look. Im doing the best I can.

Jack, his dark hair pulled back in a short ponytail at the nape of his neck, smirked. He looked serene, patient even. When he spoke, however, I knew that wasnt the case. Get a move on, Charlie. We need to get your stuff completely transferred before we get a call that theres another case. Were so close.

I huffed and cleared my throat. Its a good thing youre cute, I muttered, readjusting my grip as I strained to hold up my end of the couch. It didnt look heavy until I tried to carry it up a flight of stairs. Otherwise I would totally dump you.

Jack merely smiled. He was used to my griping. He didnt appear worried in the least that I meant what I said. Thats because I, Charlie Rhodes, was smitten with him. Yeah, I said it. Smitten. I never knew what that word meant until Jack and I started dating.

We met as co-workers. I always believed that saying about not defecating where you eat and never intended to date someone I worked with. From the first day I met him, though, Jack called to me even as he irritated me. Im still not sure why.

On paper, he shouldve been the last person I wanted to spend time with. He was former military, a rule-follower. He liked things regimented and neat. Me? Im messy. My apartment is messy. My personal life is messy. Heck, my head is messy. Jack doesnt appear to care about any of that. Hes pretty easygoing at least when hes not in charge of my security and he seems fine with the fact that I live a messy life.

Of course, he doesnt know all the facts. Hes missing one vital piece of the puzzle. Thats what bugged me as he helped me move from a first-floor apartment that he deemed unsafe to a second-floor apartment that hed picked out.

Yeah, I still wasnt sure how it happened.

Were almost there, Charlie, he prodded. His grip on the other end of the couch never faltered. He was strong, although the T-shirt he wore hid his bulging muscles. Id seen him shirtless before. In fact, I was trying to figure out a way to see him shirtless again once we got the couch to my new apartment. I was thinking that offering to wash his shirt while he waited was the best way to go. It might come across as awkward especially because we hadnt stripped and spent the night together yet but I was ready to put in the effort and try. I didnt care how goofy I looked.

Okay. I heaved out a sigh at his patient expression. He didnt offer a lick of complaint as he waited for me to ready myself. Lets do it quick. Im going to count to three and then were going to run to the new apartment. How does that sound?

His smile widened. Sure. Lets do it.

Here we go. I blew out a big breath, sucked in another, and bobbed my head.

Jack pushed with everything he had and, before I knew it, we were up the stairs and heading straight into my new living room. He didnt stop even when I faltered, pushing until the couch landed in the middle of the open space.

I fell on the couch and looked at the ceiling when he stopped shoving. Wow. I did it.

He cast me a sidelong look before rolling onto the couch next to me. Yes. You did it.

His tone made me smile. Okay, maybe you did it.

We both did it, he corrected, grabbing my hand and flipping it over to examine my palm. Several blisters were appearing and my heart actually stuttered when he pressed a quick kiss to each one. It was a simple and achingly romantic gesture ... and it made me feel giddy.

Um .... I could feel my cheeks burning as he smiled.

Get over it, Charlie. He pressed one more kiss to the palm of my hand and then released me. Theres no reason to get all worked up. I was simply ... kissing your boo-boo.

Yes, and Im not supposed to get worked up about that apparently. I shook my head. Good grief.

He laughed at my reaction and briefly closed his eyes. Wed been working the entire day. He showed up before the sun to help me move, something I wasnt all that keen about but he insisted was necessary. When I first moved into the building I thought it wouldnt be a big deal to live on the main floor. It was the East Coast, after all. What could possibly happen? Jack started making noise about it before we enjoyed our first date. He didnt think it was safe for a single woman. I was fairly certain I should be offended by his antiquated outlook, but I was so certain the landlord would shoot me down if I asked to move that I did it out of deference to him. To my utter surprise, the landlord initially said no and then came back with a yes. He wasnt even raising my rent, which made zero sense, so now we were moving all my stuff up one floor so I was no longer vulnerable on the main floor.

I never felt vulnerable. I didnt fear that someone would show up at my window or try to enter through my patio door. I knew things Jack didnt. He had no idea I was telekinetic and psychic, that I could fight an enemy on more than one level. He had no idea that he was a member of a group looking for paranormal beings and that he just happened to be dating one.

I felt like a coward for not telling him. Part of me wanted to spill the beans, but I was afraid. It wasnt that I feared he would tell our boss, Chris Biggs, what I was. Thats not how Jack rolled. He would never share my secret. He would, however, look at me differently. Of that I had no doubt.

I didnt want to change the way he looked at me. His gaze often made me go weak in the knees ... as did his smile. He might never smile at me again in that manner if I told him. And yet, I knew it was a necessity. There was no moving forward unless he knew about my past.

When I first joined the Legacy Foundation, I didnt think I wanted any attachments. I volunteered to join the group for very little money because I was curious about myself. My parents disappeared when I was a kid. I had only vague memories of them and even those were shrouded in doubt because I didnt know if they were true or fragments of dreams and no matter how hard I tried, I couldnt remember why theyd abandoned me the way they did. I had a lot of questions and almost no answers. Thats why I joined the Legacy Foundation.

The plan was to learn what I could and then disappear without anyone being the wiser. I thought there was a possibility I couldve hidden among them forever without them figuring out what I was. That idea fell by the wayside when we were looking for the Chupacabra in Texas. I saw it although almost nobody believed me and I had to use my magic to save two of my co-workers. One of those individuals was my boss. He was out cold at the time and remembered nothing of my display. The woman, though, was a different story.

Millie Watson, Chriss aunt, was a mix between Lucy Ricardo and Rambo. She was tough as nails and loyal to a fault. She also wasnt an idiot, which is something she repeatedly told me when I tried to deny what she saw. Two killers gave chase that night and I managed to take both of them out. I needed help, though, which is where my magic came in.