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I temporarily forget my surroundings as my need to protect my only friend boils to the surface, erasing my composure. “I told you, you don’t need to interrogate her. She’ll cooperate. Just ask her. Or let her go, and I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
My words surprise both Jack and his buddy, and they turn to look at me in stunned silence.
Jekyll recovers quickly as he takes a step toward me, his impassive expression morphing into a sneer. “Really? Where’s Zane? Better yet, who is Zane?” By the way he fires his questions at me without waiting for an answer, he already knows I’m not going to answer them.
He huffs in confirmation when I break eye contact and lower my gaze away from him. “I thought so.”
Leaning around me, Jekyll unfastens the handcuffs that secured me in the vehicle and pulls me out. Then he turns to Jack and nudges me in his direction.
“Lock her in the guest quarters, the small one. I’m going to check in, then start with Dee.” Jekyll slams the van door shut, then strides into the closest building. I look around, taking in my first glimpse of my temporary accommodations.
I was right—we did drive east. Judging by the terrain, we are somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains, although I won’t be able to pinpoint exactly where without some technology. I can only determine where we are not. We are still under tree cover, and that doesn’t narrow it down by much.
The area looks a little like a compound or a military camp. The buildings are solid, mostly cement, with a couple of newer structures added. Boxes of supplies are piled against a wall, and a couple more temporary buildings are off in the distance.
The forest beyond the surrounding fence is dense, and I get the feeling we are many miles from civilization.
I turn my attention to Jack and realize he’s been staring at me this whole time, silently taking me in.
My memory of him is nothing compared to the reality standing beside me, and I’m at a loss for words. For years, I would replay what I would say if I ever found him; now I have nothing.
“Jack—”
He jerks me to a stop. “I need to get you to your room. He’ll be questioning Dana soon. I want to be there. I trust you won’t try to run. I don’t need these, do I?” He motions to a pair of handcuffs on his belt, and I shake my head.
He’s all business. My heart breaks a little over how much we both lost.
Inside the building, the dim lights are a strong contrast to the bright day outside. I recognize a few men from the farmhouse, but they only briefly glance up at Jack before they return to what they are doing.
Stopping outside an unmarked door, Jack pulls out a key. I’m overwhelmed by an urge to reach out to him, to shatter the appearance that everything is normal.
“Jack.”
At the sound of his name a second time, he freezes, but he doesn’t look at me. His breathing deepens, and an uncomfortable silence screams into the space between us.
“Ten years, Jessa. It’s been ten years.” He growls his pain through gritted teeth as he slowly looks up, showing me the hurt in his eyes. “I looked for you for years after. I thought you were dead. What’s going on?”
“It’s—complicated. I can’t explain it right now.” And I can’t. I need to be alone in that room to sort myself out. There are consequences to every decision I make from here on out, and I need time to decide which decisions are the right ones.
Jack releases an unamused huff at my pathetic answer, then slides the key into the lock. As the door creaks open, he lowers his eyes to the ground, and everything about him becomes cold. “Get in. Someone will come for you when we’re ready.”
His indifference crushes my heart, and panic takes hold. Jumping forward, I catch him off guard as I grab either side of his jacket and pull him to me. Raising myself onto the tips of my toes to make up for my five-and-a-half-foot height against his few extra inches, I push my upper body into his chest and expect him to immediately pull back in shock.
But he doesn’t.
As I wait for an eternity in an embrace only I am actively participating in, my head moves with his breath as he continues to stand still. Slowly, his hands travel up the length of my arms and wrap around my back as he tightens his grip on me.
I don’t know who he is now, but I know who he was, and I missed him. My smile pushes my cheeks high, forcing some tears out of my eyes and down my face.
He’s frozen in place as his hands move to hold my upper arms. His expression is guarded, marking the distance between us.
I step back to allow him enough space to release me to my cell, but he doesn’t let me go. Instead, his grip tightens, and the air is pushed out of my lungs as he pulls me back to him and crushes his lips against mine.
My memories were all I had for all of these years, but now it feels like yesterday.
My footing becomes awkward, and my legs wobble at the intensity of the kiss as I wrap my arms around him to hold myself up.
I never want to let go.
