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He nodded once, as if that was good enough for him. But the look in his eyes and the way he moved so intently toward me said we were far from over with this discussion.
“We are done doing this your way,” he said, taking another step toward me, bypassing Cal. “I’ve waited for you long enough. It’s time you see reason.”
That clicked my temper to full force. I’d been terrified a moment ago, and Cal was there to catch me and take it away. Jack just stood there, pushing buttons only he had access to, causing a concentrated dose of strength to shoot through me.
“Excuse me?” I snapped. While his wording irritated me, the rush of power I felt was incredible. I missed this feeling. Hadn’t had it since Jack left. He was like my own personal battery, and I’d thrive on the juice while I could.
“Yes. You’re actively putting yourself, and now Bea, in danger.”
I went to defend myself, but couldn’t. Because I worried about the same thing. This was no accident. This was an attack. A repeated attack. All I was lacking was hard proof of who.
“I would never put Bea in danger,” I said. Never on purpose. But I had no excuse now. She’d been hurt because I was in the car. I was the target. Not her. And it was clear th
is wouldn’t stop until I made it stop. “It was a white car,” I stared. I may not have much more than that, but I would report all I knew. “He hit us once, then reversed and hit us again. When I heard the tires pull away for the third time, I couldn’t sit there and let him keep hurting Bea.”
Cal looked ready to kill someone and Jack stayed still, rage pouring off of him like slow moving fog.
“You said him. Did you see who it was? Or the license plate?” Jack asked.
“No. I didn’t recognize the car either. But it had to be Brock.”
“I agree,” Jack said.
I glanced at Cal to gauge his stance on this and the knit brow told me he was obviously supporting Jack’s thread of thinking.
“I would never put Bea in danger,” I whispered again. No matter how many times I said it, the horror of how close she came, we both came, to being seriously injured wouldn’t fade.
Heat grazed over my face. Surprise blasted though my blood when I looked up and found Jack running the back of his fingers down my cheek.
“I know, baby.” It was the first time his sharp words held a softer edge, and for a moment, I leaned into his fingers tracing my skin. It had been so long since I’d felt his touch. My body instantly recognized it and screamed for more. But I stepped back, refusing to get sucked in once again.
Jack scowled. “You run toward Cal, but back away from me?”
He glared at the distance I’d just put between us like a tangible barrier. I remembered when I’d seen him on the street months ago, before we really started dating. I had backed away from him then. He wore that same look. He’d thought I’d been running from him. Ironically, I wasn’t then. It’d taken me a long time and him leaving before I understood what I’d been doing. I didn’t ever shy away from him, I was trying to lure him into the dark corner he provided.
But that was then. Was I running now? Or just seeking that same hiding place and begging him to come with me? The answer didn’t matter, because keeping a distance was best. No matter the look it put on his face. A look that made my gut slice with pain.
“I’m not running in any direction,” I said.
Jack looked from my eyes to my knees, then back up again. Like he was trying to determine my response based on my stillness. Finally, he said, “Your father was going to sell his company. He had a meeting set up with a buyer after the New Year.” He was back to business as usual.
“How do you know this?” I asked.
A sly grin stretched his amazing lips. “Major business deals are no secret.”
“Are we supposed to think this information is useful?” Cal asked.
“Yes,” Jack replied. “Because the meeting still stands.”
I shrugged. “Okay, that has nothing to do with me. He didn’t leave me anything.”
“Then why have two attempts been made on your life?” Jack countered.
That question was so simple, yet laced with layers of confusion. “I wouldn’t say attempts.”
That sounded dramatic, and I needed to hold on to any sanity I had left. Words like murder, death threats, and attempts chipped away at the shaky foundation of calm I was sporting.
“The fire was started in your room,” Cal said. “We got the report. The arson investigator is going to call you today, but the accelerant was doused all over your bed.” He lifted his chin at the big radiology sign behind me. “Not to mention, the person who hit you in the car today was obviously trying to hurt you.”
