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She knows I don’t mind. I offer a smile, and for the first time since dinner, she returns it.
I take the cue to lie down on the bed, staying to one side so I don’t crowd her. She’ll have plenty of room to sleep on her own. Resting my head on my pillow, I watch as she slowly climbs onto her side and gets comfortable beside me. Then, turning on her side, she looks at me for a long, muted minute.
“I’m happy you found me, Jack.”
“Jessa, I don’t think Logan would have hurt you. He was trying to get you to remember. He—”
“I’m not talking about that. I want you to know I’m happy I saw you again. I’m happy you found me before it was too late.”
She smiles at me with watery eyes. Pools of her tears threaten to run onto the pillow, and the sight of her vulnerability drains the last bit of fight from me for the night.
When she closes her eyes, tears soak into her pillow, and she takes a deep breath. Her eyes don’t open again, and her breathing becomes deeply rhythmic as she drifts off.
Just as I close my eyes, the bed shifts, and her warm arms wrap around my torso as she slides her body close to mine.
I strain to kiss the top of her head. Then I close my eyes and welcome the exhaustion that has been waiting to take over.
CHAPTER30
JESSA
Jack’s breathing evens out. He’s drifted off.
I should be asleep as well. Everything about today should have me comatose, but I can’t let go.
Willing my body to calm itself and give the impression I’ve fallen asleep is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I take strength from Jack and relax myself convincingly enough.
Feeling his firm lips on the top of my head almost makes me jump up and start kissing him, but I can’t allow myself to become complacent again.
Maxwell is right. I have a job to do, and I need to focus all of my energy on completing my task.
If you remember, hold on to it.
Logan’s words rattle around in my head—along with a few other new memories.
In that interrogation room, I remembered feelings. Fear and pain filled everything. As if I were back in Maxwell’s custody, I was hopeless and helpless to save myself.
Then he was there. Jack rewrote the ending of my story and set everything in motion.
Back then, I knew Jack was never going to save me. I knew he didn’t even know I was in trouble. He was married with a family. But it was all a lie.
I felt myself beginning to slip. His name echoed in my head as though I wasn’t the one screaming out for him. I was about to go to the place I forget.
But I didn’t.
All of a sudden, he was there, and I anchored myself to him when he released me from my hell.
Then I remembered.
Not everything at first.
Just bits and pieces.
But as I tried to grab at those memories instead of letting them go, they materialized. Then they led to another memory, and everything connected.
I remember Maxwell’s words. I remember the stale smell in the room and how my skin burned like acid had been poured on it after he beat me. I remember my sadness at seeing Jack’s happy face staring back at me as Maxwell hurt me. I remember replacing my childhood memories of Maxwell with his disgusting grunts. I remember the second I realized I couldn’t stop what was happening.
I remember every moment until Maxwell hoisted me up to the ceiling and flipped the switch on his contraption.
