AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As I turn the hot water up, another choked sob bursts from me. My legs turn weak, and I slowly lower myself to the floor. I’ve held everything in for so long. I run, and I protect, and we stay alive, and I have nothing left to give.
Nothing except my tears, and I let them come.
CHAPTER24
JACK
“Get out.” My demand is delivered on a dangerously low growl as I step into the shower area.
Hunter’s face falls as he pushes himself off the wall and straightens in place.
There is no kindness in my voice. He is standing between me and what’s mine, and I won’t have it.
“Y-you said not to let her out of my sight, boss.” Deep down, I feel a momentary stab of regret for treating him so harshly.
He did his job: watching her to make sure she was okay.
He’s always been a loyal friend. But I can’t manage pleasantries right now. Taking a deep breath, I glance in his direction, and he changes course.
“I-I mean, sure thing.” He slips around behind me and disappears.
The creak of the door bleeds into quiet sobs coming from the shower, and I soften. I drop my phone on a dry ledge and step through the water without regard for my shoes.
They aren’t important.
There is only one thing that matters right now, and that one thing is curled up in the fetal position on the tile, naked and sobbing into the drain.
When I step closer, I notice her skin is flushed red as the water washes over her, and the heat from the shower wafts against me.
I reach out to test the water, and it’s scalding hot.
“Jessa, you’re going to burn yourself,” I warn as I turn it down to a comfortable temperature.
Her voice is weak, tired. “I don’t like to be cold.”
My instincts take over, and I’m suddenly on the ground, scooping her up into my lap. My back and legs warm as the water slowly seeps through my clothes.
The moment she’s in my arms, she reaches out to grab the front of my shirt, and she pulls herself as close to me as she can while burying her face in my chest.
There’s so much I want to say, but I stay quiet and still and allow her to lead.
The shower rains down around us. I’ve never paid attention to the sound the droplets make as they hit the tile floor. How could I never have noticed how loud they are?
Jessa ends our few minutes of silence with a shuddering breath.
“Jack, I still don’t remember, and I need to remember.” Her determination is impressive, but I’m lost as to why she would want to fully understand what happened to her.
“Why? Why put yourself through that? Isn’t seeing it enough?”
“You saw how out of it I was. But I still contacted Dana and managed to get myself out of there without leading them to her or Zane. If I could do that, then there’s a chance I…” Her words trail off, and I get the impression this is something she is hesitant to share with me.
“What are you talking about? What do you think you did, Jessa?”
Her fingers flex in my shirt as she sits with her thoughts before deciding to share them with me.
“I think I might have been able to hide execution code on his servers. Just a small piece of code, hidden in an old file. All I would need is everyone distracted for a couple of seconds. I know most server vulnerabilities. If I put the code in, I can access almost everything and take control of his programs. Zane and I could hack in, and we’d have everything we need to end him. We have all the programs in place; it would all come together like dominoes, and he wouldn’t be able to stop it. But I don’t know if I did it, or what the code would be. If we’re going to get in, we have one shot. I need to know for sure.” Her eyes are both hopeful and hopeless.
Just as I’m about to allow my own hopes to soar, I remind myself that, while this would be amazing news, she still doesn’t remember. I’m about to tell her we’ll figure it out together when the shower doors creak close.
