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“You’re really not going to try and stop me?” Her whispered question sounded foreign even to her own ears.
Brock settled into his chair. “If there’s one thing I learned from my marriage to Madison, it’s that I can’t control a woman who wants to leave. I knew it would only be a matter of time.”
Guilt wrapped around her whole body. Their earlier conversation about her relationship with Ian returned with force. “That’s not what I’m doing. I have to leave. I don’t have any choice.”
He shrugged. “Does it matter? You want to go, so go.”
Her stomach roiled. Would Ian adopt Brock’s jaded personality? She shoved aside the concern. No, he was smarter than that. He’d have to know that she left for a good reason.
“They’re afterme, Brock. Not Ian, not anyone else.Me. If I leave, you guys will be safe.”
Brock snorted. “If you say so. Look, you don’t have to make any excuses to me. I already told you to do what you want. Go. Stay. Just make sure you’re making a choice you can live with.”
Jessica glanced at the door, to the phone, and back to Brock. “I love him. That’s why I can’t stay.” Her voice cracked. “If anything happened to him because of me, I’d never forgive myself.” She edged toward the door. “Please don’t tell him I’ve left. I’ll leave your phone with the sheriff.”
Brock didn’t say anything. His dark eyes just followed her as she got to the door, opened it, and slipped out into the night.
She scrambled down the long dirt road that led to the highway. Once she was about halfway there, she unlocked the phone and dialed the sheriff. After a short conversation with him, she hung up and continued putting distance between herself and Cedar Hollow Ranch.
* * *
Streetlights flickeredacross the cab of the SUV as they made their way into town. The sheriff’s hands remained tight on the wheel, his jaw set. “So this jump drive of yours, you think that’s what they want? Do you even know if it’s theirs?”
Jessica swallowed hard, the lump that had formed in her throat not budging. “It has to be. Why else would they go to so much trouble for a nobody like me? I don’t know their names or what kind of crimes they’re involved in. I don’t even think I could pick them out of a line-up. It would be easier just to let me disappear into hiding.”
The sheriff rubbed his jaw. “I suppose that makes sense. We need to see what’s on that storage device. This might be big enough to go higher up the chain of command.” He turned down a residential street. Houses passed one by one, situated behind quaint little white picket fences. Light posts illuminated shrubs and trees. This was the kind of neighborhood she had always dreamed of living in. Until she met Ian. For some reason, this little subdivision seemed too small and crowded.
“Where are we going? I thought we were on our way to the station.”
The sheriff glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “If this is as serious as we think it is, I’m not going to risk taking you to a place where you might be seen. They could be watching the station.” He shook his head. “I’m taking you to my place.”
She stiffened and her brows lifted. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. What about your family? I left the ranch because I’d put the Bakers in danger. I can’t go to your house. There has to be somewhere else we can go.”
“I don’t have a family.’
Jessica stilled. Her head swiveled around to look at him. “You don’t?”
He shook his head. “I was married to the love of my life.” He glanced at her again. “But cancer took her from me.”
“I’m so sorry,” Jessica whispered.
“Thank you. We wanted children, but we weren’t able to have any. Regardless, we had a full life together. I only wish it would have lasted longer.” He cleared his throat. “You don’t have to worry about putting anyone in danger. We’ll take a look at that device of yours and figure out where to go from there.”
Jessica relaxed in her seat and looked out the window. “Thank you.”
A few minutes later, they pulled into a driveway of a small blue house. A white door was flanked by two windows. The lawn was immaculate, like it had been featured in some special episode on HGTV. It was impressive that a single guy would take such great care of his home even after his wife passed.
Sheriff Donahue shut off his car and climbed out of the vehicle. Jessica slipped the duffle strap over her shoulder, checking for anything that she might have left behind. Then she opened the door, climbed out and followed him up the front steps. His keys jangled together as he tugged them from his pocket. He peered at them until he plucked one from the bundle and shoved it into the doorknob. With a swift turn of the knob, he pushed the door open and gestured for her to go inside.
She entered the quiet, dark house. Shadowy outlines of furniture were illuminated by the light from the front windows. The door closed behind her and the sheriff’s boots clunked across the wood floor. He flipped on a light. The deep lines in his face spoke of his years of service. He took off his hat and ran a hand through his gray hair, then he gestured to his right toward a hallway. “My office is down this way. What do you say we find out what’s on that thumb drive?”
