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“Yeah. They said I was lucky the nerves hadn’t been too badly injured to repair. I still have trouble with my left hand,” she said, opening it to show him the lag in the ring finger function.
Jax tucked her hand gently between his. “How many bones did you break?”
“Eighteen.”
He groaned at the answer. “I can’t believe you moved at all, let alone made it the entire way to Matt’s house.”
The way he said it, it sounded like he considered her strong. If only that were true. “Most likely because I was in shock. The doctors said it was a miracle my broken ribs didn’t puncture my lungs.”
“Were you out of school that whole time?”
“Yeah. It put me two years behind.”
“I’m sorry you went through that. I had no idea.”
Seyla looked out the window and caught sight of the sanctuary again. “Do you see why I have to protect them?” She blinked back tears and gritted her teeth. “I know what it feels like to be helpless. To be abused for someone else’s entertainment.” The last word dripped from her mouth like acid. “Tracy and her friends bullied me when I first got to the school. When she offered what I thought was an olive branch, I grabbed onto it, not knowing it was barbed wire.”
“That’s different.”
Seyla shook her head. “No, it’s not. The animals living at the sanctuary had to trust those in charge of them in their old lives. Their caretakers abused and nearly destroyed that trust. They’re recovering here, like I had to recover. Not only from my physical injuries, but from my mental and emotional wounds also. I have to ensure they have that opportunity, too. Some of them won’t ever recover completely. They’re safe, though, and we’ll do whatever we can to keep them that way.”
Jax sat in silence for several minutes. “If I buy out the sanctuary, it can be rebuilt elsewhere.”
“It will take years to rebuild. There’s nowhere for the animals to go in the interim, either. And what about the zip line? That additional income is critical to operating the sanctuary. It would take time, along with money, to rebuild that. No, that won’t work.”
Jax released her hand. He shifted in the seat. “I have to think about my uncle. I have to protect him and the public as well. The sanctuary isn’t equipped to handle the animals you have there. Your safety measures and fences aren’t good enough. Especially if a person is tampering with them.”
“So help me fix them. Help me discover who’s doing this. Help me stop them.” Seyla watched Jax’s eyes travel from the sanctuary over her shoulder to his uncle’s house.
“It’s not that simple.”
“Why not? Once we catch whoever it is, everyone will be safe.”
Jax’s eyes searched hers in the darkness. “Keeping people safe is what I do. This town needs that. You need that,” he finished in a low voice.
“I’m fine now. I can protect myself.”
“Yet you rely on a necklace for protection.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Seyla dropped back against the seat and crossed her arms.
“Forget I said that. Let’s get inside, okay?”
Seyla clamped her mouth shut, afraid of further fueling the argument. She had to stay here, close to the sanctuary, if she was going to discover who kept sabotaging it. She couldn’t afford to refuse his hospitality. On the other hand, she didn’t have to make conversation, either.
Jax hauled her duffel bag from the bed of the truck. When it became evident he planned to carry it himself, she marched up the front steps onto the wraparound porch of the farmhouse and waited for him.
He unlocked the door and swept an arm wide in invitation for her to come inside.
Rock bounced up and down on his front feet inside the doorway.
Seyla steadied her breathing before she stepped through the entrance. “Wow. Nice place.” She bent over to hug Rock to her, scratched his head, and stood again. Her gaze followed Jax as he plunked his keys and wallet on a side table. He shuffled through a stack of mail, then paused, eyeing one envelope with a frown. He pulled it out. It surprised her when he tore it in two and threw it in a trash can in the hallway.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah.”
Should she stay here with him? Seyla told herself her hesitation had to do with his hostility toward the sanctuary. But was it? The memory of their kiss earlier inundated her. She’d be lying to herself if she didn’t admit some of her nervousness stemmed from the thought of his proximity over the next few days. That kiss had sent her into a tailspin inside. She wasn’t sure what she felt anymore. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t change what she had to do.
