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She knows her friend is in trouble.
As I scramble to think of something to say to diffuse the storm that I see coming, I try the knob to Jessa’s room. It isn’t locked. I’m no longer quiet. A small, nagging voice inside me is screaming that she’s not there.
She’s not safe.
How could I not see this coming?
I should have known Logan would attempt to pull the information out of her. It’s what I would have done.
Heat rises up from my stomach. I want to tell Dana to stay in her room, that I’ll handle it, but I know Jessa’s friend. As soon as I confirm Jessa is in trouble, this timid little woodland creature will morph into a screaming banshee, and this whole compound will be burned to the ground.
Damage control it is.
I glance quickly at the chair by the door. A small pile of clothes sits folded, and I put on my calmest smile.
“Oh, right, sorry. I left them about five minutes ago. They’re wrapping up. Jessa just asked for her sweater. It’s cold in the room.” I punctuate my quick response by grabbing her black turtleneck off the chair and showing it to Dana. “She’s fine, but she is tired. We all are. Do you want me to tell her to check in when we’re back? I was hoping to take her to my room to sleep. I’m in the other direction.”
A deep sigh of relief leaves her, and a small, hesitant smile creeps across her face. “No, that’s okay. I’m tired too.” Dana pauses to look at me. My heart knots because I know, right now, I don’t deserve any kindness. “Thank you, Jack. For—well, good night.”
I nod and secure her in her room, then turn to move down the hall. As soon as I reach the next door, my walk turns into a run as I mentally list the places Logan might have Jessa.
There are only two that make sense to me. The first is the communications room, but she would only be there if she already remembered what Logan needs. That leaves the one room where he can be alone with her—isolated and confined. The soundproof interrogation room.
Bursting through the doors into the compound, I run at my top speed.
My rage is the only thing keeping her sweater in my grasp as my fist clenches tight around the fabric.
The room is closer if I go through the buildings, but I can reach it faster outside, without barriers or the possibility that some of the doors may be locked.
My heart pumps at a furious pace as images of what I could do to pull such information from someone flash in front of my eyes, fueling my panic and driving me faster as I hit the doors to the secluded area.
Inside, the halls are quiet. But some lights are on, confirming I’ve made the right assumption. Someone is here who shouldn’t be.
I won’t waste time. I know which room he’ll be in. I rush past the first two, square myself against the third, and try the handle.
Locked.
Raising my hand, I’m about to knock, but a fleeting thought pushes me into clarity. What if he has been able to help her? What if he was able to do what I couldn’t? What if she’s about to remember, and I take that from her?
Moving quickly down the hall, I open the room to the viewing area and step in to see Jessa’s nightmare being played out in the other room.
My sanity abandons me.
Blood drains from my body and is slowly replaced by liquid fire as I see Jessa tied to a bench. She’s at the mercy of my closest friend as he raises his belt above his head.
Everything slows as the sounds from the room echo into me. It’s as though they’ve been muted to a whispered scream.
But the moment the belt hits Jessa, the volume jumps to a deafening pitch. Her scream rattles off the walls, piercing into me.
Madness takes control, and I push through the door and race back down the hall.
Logan knows I’m coming for him.
My rage is too much for me. I know where Logan is coming from. It’s what I would have suggested myself if…
If I didn’t love her.
My realization sears through me. I do love her. I always have. She belongs to me, and protecting her is the only mission I know.
