“They probably didn’t need to be close,” he said. “There’s a good chance there’s a tracker on your car.”
She cursed softly, guilt hitting hard. “I should’ve swapped vehicles. I thought about it, but I didn’t have time. I just ran.”
“It’s fine,” he said, though his tone said it wasn’t. “You did what you had to do.”
“I can go check it, see if there’s a tracker. It’ll only take a few minutes.”
His answer came quick and firm. “You’re not going anywhere near that car. They could have it under surveillance. I’m texting my boss, Noah Riggs. He’ll send someone to take care of it.”
He pulled his phone from his pocket, thumb moving fast across the screen. “What kind of car?” he asked.
“A silver Honda CR-V,” she said. “It’s parked off the old ranch trail, about a mile north of your fence line.”
He nodded, typing the details before slipping his phone back in his pocket. The tension in his shoulders didn’t ease.
“If they find the car, they’ll figure out where you went,” he said. “Which means they’ll know you came here. I’ll have to move you to another location before nightfall.”
Her throat tightened. “You think they’ll come back?”
“I know they will,” he said quietly.
Avery’s chest ached at the certainty in his voice. Safe had always been a temporary word in her life, and she could feel it slipping away again, one heartbeat at a time.
Guilt twisted low in her chest as she watched him. She hadn’t wanted to drag this trouble into his life, not after everything he’d already been through. But when she’d been standing on that dark road with nowhere else to turn, his name had been the only one that came to mind.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I shouldn’t have come here.”
Jackson looked at her. “Yeah, you should have. You did the right thing.”
The rough certainty in his voice eased some of the pressure in her chest. For the first time in days, she could breathe.
He stood and grabbed a duffel bag from the hall closet. “Come on. I need to pack a few things before we move out.”
Avery followed him down the short hallway to his bedroom. It was simple, clean, and unmistakably his. A neatly made bed, a dresser lined with a few framed photos, and a worn pair of boots by the door. The faint scent of leather and cedar filled the air.
Jackson moved around the room with quick, efficient movements, tossing clothes and gear into the bag. Watching him stirred something she hadn’t expected.
He’d always been steady, all muscle and control, but now there was something different about him. He was forty-one, and somehow he looked even more dangerous than before. The years had added to him instead of taking away. His jeans fit low on his hips, the black T-shirt stretching across his chest, and the leather jacket hanging open at his sides made him look like part cowboy, part warrior.
Avery tore her gaze away, heat creeping up her neck. She shouldn’t be noticing him like this, not now. But she couldn’t help it. The old pull between them had never really gone away.
He zipped the duffel shut and glanced at her. “You good?”
She nodded, even though she wasn’t sure she meant it.
Jackson opened a drawer and pulled out a holster, then set a few boxes of ammo on the bed. The quiet rhythm of him packing filled the room. He checked each weapon before sliding it into place, every motion calm and practiced.
“Bring me up to speed,” he said without looking at her. “What’s your life been like since you disappeared?”
Avery hesitated, her fingers twisting together. “Different,” she said finally. “I’ve been living under the name Kara Holden. Small place outside Houston, quiet street, nothing special. I work from home. I’m a true crime podcaster.”
That made him pause. He glanced over his shoulder. “You’re kidding.”
“No. I use a fake voice and a photo that’s not me. It started as a way to process everything, to talk about cases like Evan’s without saying his name. People listen. A lot of them, actually.”
Jackson’s brow furrowed. “And you think that could be connected to someone finding your real identity?”
“Maybe,” she said. “It’s possible one of my episodes hit too close to home. I’ve covered cases tied to groups like the Brotherhood. But I think this is bigger. It feels targeted.”
