Chapter 17
Ty
He holds her as she falls apart, and I scan our surroundings to avoid looking at the picture in front of me. Neil wasn’t originally on our team. It was just Jay and me, plus a couple of other higher-ups I’d only met once.
Neil was pulled in because of his connection to Jessa, and since my main priority was always to keep her safe, he was an extra set of eyes. But now that I’m around, he needs to step back. I let them have their moment then reach out and pull her away from him, making it clear that she’s mine.
He nods at me in understanding.
“We need to go.” I open the passenger door for her and walk around to the driver’s side. Neil gets in behind me, and I drive out of the city.
“There are some clothes in that bag for you, so you can change out of the hospital gown, Jessa,” Neil says.
She digs into it and pulls some sweats on under her gown, then makes quick work of putting on the t-shirt and hoodie. I can’t help but look at her breasts. They’ve gotten bigger. Not the time to get a stiffie.
“My dogs! What am I going to do about the clinic?” Jessa screeches. “And my family? God, they’ve gotta be worried about me. How the hell have I not thought about any of this until now?”
“You were in shock, baby. It’s normal.”
Neil speaks up. “Kristen has your dogs. The clinic is taken care of with the other doctor you hired, and I talked to your family. Simply told everyone that you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and for your safety, you’re going to be gone for a while.”
“What did they say?”
I look in the rearview mirror and see him bite his lip. “I, um, didn’t really stay around to listen. Kind of bailed when they all started yelling at me.”
She grabs my forearm. “Can I call them?”
“When we get to our first stop, I’ll let you use a burner,” I answer, because Neil isn’t going to be with us.
“Thank you.” She looks out the tinted window as she fiddles with her fingers.
I reach over and grab her hands. “It’ll be okay.”
“I hate to seem dense, but what the hell is going on? How were you there to rescue me?” She continues gazing out the window. “How is Neil involved in this … whatever it is? I’m trying to remain strong, but I’m starting to freak out a little here. I’m so confused.” Her words end on a whisper.
“We have about an hour until we get where we need to be for the night. Let’s get you settled then I’ll tell you everything I know, okay?” I squeeze her petite hand in mine.
“’Kay.”
I run my thumb along the top of her hand and hope that my touch reassures her a little. I know so much is going on, so much she doesn’t know or understand. Never in a million years did I think we’d be in this position, but since we are, I need to explain everything to her.
The hum of the engine and Neil typing on his laptop are the only sounds until we pull up to an old gas station. I reach inside the glove box, grab a phone, and hand it to Jessa. “Two minutes, baby.”
She nods and flips the phone open, and dials a number with shaky fingers.
Her face lights up as much as it can in this situation. “Landon. Yeah, it’s me. I’m fine. Listen.” She pauses and shakes her head. “No, I’m fine. Please, I don’t have a lot of time. I’m fine. I’m safe.” Now, she nods. “The baby is safe, too. Please tell Mom and Dad not to worry and to look after the clinic for me. Check on the dogs.” She wipes her eyes. “I don’t know.”
“Time’s up, baby,” I whisper to her.
“Bye. Love you. Tell Mom and Dad I love them too. And Kat.”
She hangs up and buries her head in her hands. I look back at Neil and nod for him to step out. He sighs and opens the door, looking irritated that I just came in and took over. He’s used to being there for her. But not anymore. He knew the score the moment Jay approached him. When he’s gone, I pull her over to me, hold her in my arms—where she should have been all along—and let her cry.
“Why is this happening?”
“You know my history, but what you don’t know is that I was recruited by the FBI when I was seventeen. I started snitching for them so they could try to catch Marco. One thing led to another, and they hired me to work undercover.
“My—no,
our
—goal has been to take Marco’s twisted ass down. He’s done things that make even me want to vomit. But he’s smart. Fucker was always one step ahead. Which is why now that he’s dead, he’s still haunting me. He ordered a hit out on me upon his death. He wants me to suffer and feel the pain, even from the grave.”
“He said that you didn’t know that he knew. And that nobody betrays him,” she says against my chest.
“Like I said, the fucker was slick. He found out about me, I guess. And used you against me, just for a different reason.”
“Can’t someone call it off or something? Landon’s loaded; I can get however much money we need.”
“I don’t want to involve your family. But no, money isn’t what this is about.”
“I don’t care. I want to live my fucking life. With our baby. I want to be with you, Ty. Why can’t we just fucking be together?”
Breaks my damn heart, this woman. “I want that, too. But I need to talk to who’s in charge now that Marco’s in the ground. He has a cousin who was second in command, and we were always cool. But with Marco gone, I don’t know how things will pan out. Especially since I’m on the other side now.”
“What did they want him for? Drugs?”
“Yeah, among several other things. He was just a weasel and made the city a dangerous place to live. Everyone is better off without him. Plus, it’s personal since my mom OD’d under his watch. He laced her drugs with rat poison.”
She gasps. “Ty, I’m so sorry.”
I’ll never forget when I was in my cell, and I got the letter from Marco.
Mama had a little more than she could handle.
Fucking bastard. “Not your fault. My mom’s better off anyway. Her whole life was painful; she’s in a better place.”
“He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would care about anyone other than himself.” She lifts her head and rests it on my shoulder.
“He doesn’t. But image is everything. And when I killed his dad, it gave him more power, so he showed me mercy.” I laugh, remembering the conversation. “He told me that he’d let me live, but I had to live by his rules. I didn’t care, really. But when he dragged my mother into it, that was when I realized he had me.”
“What about your mom?”
“Same thing. He said he wouldn’t kill her if she whored out for him.”
“Jesus. But he went back on his word when he gave her the drugs.”
Word used to mean something on the street, too. “I know, but that’s Marco. Or was Marco.”
She cups my jaw. “I’m so sorry, Ty.”
“Fuckin’ beautiful.” I lean down and kiss her because I can’t resist. My world feels right when my mouth is on hers. The only time I’ve ever felt like I mattered was with her. “Now you see what I always meant. Why it was dangerous? Why I left?”
“Yeah.”
“So when you shot that guy, which saved both of our lives that night, I had to do time to keep my cover since I was already working for the FBI at that point.”
“Why didn’t you just run with me that night?”
I run my fingers through her hair. “My mom. I couldn’t leave her. And I thought I’d get out of it for self-defense, honestly.” When Jay first recruited me, he told me nobody in the department would know and that I’d be a regular citizen to all other law enforcement. I think part of me was naïve, thinking I could get out of it, but unfortunately, I learned my lesson the hard way. “But … whatever. It’s over and done.”
“So where does that leave us? Now?”
I expel a sigh and choose my words carefully. “Now, we hide away until I figure out how to keep you safe.”
“What about you?”
I don’t answer because it’s not about me.
“No.” She straddles me and tilts my face up to look at her. “Don’t you fucking leave me.”
“I’ll do whatever is necessary to keep you safe.”
“I’m safer with you!”
“I need to figure some things out. I won’t make you promises I can’t keep. If it’s safer for me to leave, then that’s what I’ll do.” She makes a choking sound in her throat, and I swallow the emotion in mine. “It’s the last thing in the fuckin’ world I wanna do, baby. But I exist for you. You’ve been the only light in my life filled with so much dirt I couldn’t see through it. I’ll do whatever is necessary to make sure you and our daughter are protected.”
Chapter 18
Jessa
I wake up when Ty runs his finger down my face. “We’re here.”
He reaches over, unbuckles me, and then carries me into a small two-story blue house. We’re secluded; there are other houses in the distance, but not close enough that they could hear me if I screamed. A tall fence outlines the property with a gate that I didn’t hear when we pulled up. I grew up in the suburbs, but my grandparents had a farm with fruit trees on about ten acres. This is less than that but definitely more than a city lot.
He punches several codes in the alarm system before finally turning the knob with his hand and kicking the door with a foot. Somehow, he balances me at the same time. As soon as we’re inside, he sets me down and puts a gun in my hand. “If anyone other than me comes at you, shoot them.”
“What?”
“I need to check the house.”
“Can’t I just come with you?” I’ve only used a gun once, and we know how that ended.
“Be right back.” He kisses my forehead then takes off, pulling the gun that was tucked in the waistband of his jeans.
I just stand there, shaking and sweating. My breaths seem to echo in the silent space. Minutes, but what really feels like hours, later, he comes back and takes the gun from me. “We’re clear.”
My mouth opens to say something, to ask something, but I just can’t. I’m so confused. So scared and tired and sore. Ty senses it, and he wraps me in his arms. Just like that, I feel better.
“Let me show you to our room. You can take a bath, and I’ll make us something to eat, okay?”
“That sounds good,” I mumble into his chest. “How are you feeling?” I lift his shirt up and force my eyes to look above the V and at the wound. I pull the bandage off and scrunch my nose. “You need to rest, Ty. This is swollen.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“You’re not invincible. This can get infected, and you can get—”
He shuts me up with a kiss. “I’m fine.”
“Stubborn.” I sigh and hold my hand out. “Lead the way.”
He shows me down the hall to the bathroom connected to our bedroom, apparently. “If Neil or Jay ever comes to stay with us, they’ll stay in the room down the hall.”
“Oh my God, where is Neil?” How had I not thought about him until now? Jesus, I’m so tired and confused and scared that I’m not even thinking straight. I’m thinking about things I shouldn’t be and forgetting things I shouldn’t.
“He was only with us initially so I had a vehicle. You were passed out after we left the gas station and didn’t hear when we met up with Jay. It’s just going to be us in here for the most part, unless, like I said, Jay or Neil stops by. And the only reason they would is to pass on information or for protection.”
“How long are we going to be here?” I lean down and turn on the faucet to begin filling the tub. “Where are we anyway?”
“I don’t know how long. And we’re in Iowa.”
My fingers grab the t-shirt of Ty’s that I’m wearing. He looks at my movements and clears his throat. “I’ll go fix us something to eat.”
I nod, and when he leaves the bathroom, I finish undressing and climb in the tub. I situate myself under the bubbles, leaving my ankles to hang off the edge so the bandages don’t get wet. The warm water feels wonderful on my sore muscles, but when I smell food, my stomach rumbles. Quickly washing, I wrap a towel around my body and make my way into the kitchen.
Ty’s at the stove making eggs, and I clear my throat. He spins and smiles. “That was fast.”
“I’m hungry,” I admit.
His eyes harden. “Yeah, I bet.”
“Are there any other clothes for me?”
“In our room, there’s a duffel with some stuff.” He shuts off the knob on the stove. “It’s ready whenever you are.”
“I’ll just change real quickly.”
When I get to the room, I see a duffel on the dresser and another on the bed. I go for the one on the bed, and when I open it, I scream.
Ty comes barreling into the room with a gun in hand. “Fuck.”
“What is all this stuff?”
He sets the gun on the dresser and comes over and zips the duffel. “Protection.”
“Was that a grenade?”
His sigh is all the answer I need. Damn, I’m scared but feel relief at the same time, knowing he’s so prepared. “And what would you need a grenade for?”
He shrugs. “Blow something or someone up?”
Ignoring the blatancy of his words, I look at the dresser. “I assume you meant the other duffel?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. I’ll change and be there in a second.”
He watches me but doesn’t attempt to move.
“Ty?”
“You’re so pretty, Jessa. I’ve missed you. Everything about you. Do you know that when I was gone, I still watched you? I took over your protection detail a few—”
“I had protection detail?”
“Yeah.”
“How did I not know that?”
“Because they weren’t supposed to be seen.”
That makes sense. “Oh.”
“I was tempted so many times to sneak into your house and just hold you. Just watch you sleep.”
My heart feels light for the first time in a long time, knowing that what I felt, what I feel for him, is reciprocated. All the time I thought I was alone and that he had left me wasn’t the case. I smile. “That’s kind of creepy.”
He laughs, and it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. One I want to hear for the rest of my life. “Meet me in the kitchen.” Before he leaves the room, he kisses my forehead and grabs his gun.
I get dressed in a pair of yoga pants and an oversized t-shirt with no bra on underneath. I head back to the table and have a seat where Ty has set out eggs, toast, and fruit.
“Thank you.”
We eat breakfast in silence. I only eat a piece of toast and a few bites of egg, even though I’m ravenous. I remember the doctor’s words, so I don’t want to overdo it. When Ty yawns, I stand to pick up the dishes. “I’ll do these. Go take a nap.”