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26
Jessica
Jessica leaned against her bedroom door, her eyes squeezed tightly, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. Ian was right. Everything she’d just said made no sense. She knew it, and yet they were the only excuses she could come up with to help her case. He wasn’t about to accept anything she had to say in regard to keeping his family safe. To him, she probably felt like part of his family. He was too good of a man to just sit back and admit defeat, as well. He wanted it all. She could see it in his eyes.
Ian didn’t believe her when she said she was the reason his family was in danger, and he was a fool for thinking otherwise. He wasn’t about to let her walk away when things were going so well between them.
But she’d heard the anxiety in Cal’s voice. She could see the accusation in Brock’s eyes. Not only a few minutes ago, but also when they were in the orchard earlier. It didn’t matter how close she and Ian had become. She was still a stranger and the cause of all this turmoil.
Sure, if things were different, she might have won over Ian’s brother. But the fact remained, she had a target on her back and dangerous people were after her. If she wanted to have any chance at keeping the Bakers safe, she’d need to act fast. She had to leave.
Jessica stared at the half-filled duffle she’d moved to the floor. Her other belongings were scattered on the bed and still in the one drawer she’d used. She stuck her hand in her pocket and pulled out the jump drive. All this crazy for such a small object. Wrapping her fingers around it, she held it in her fist. Maybe she should have just gone to the authorities in the first place. The sheriff might know what she should do with the jump drive.
She hated that she wished she could give the storage device over to the men who were attacking them and make them believe she had nothing to do with it. Jessica gave a sharp shake of her head. She’d never be able to do something like that. They’d killed Tucker. They needed to be taken off the streets.
Her stomach knotted and twisted. How was she supposed to make that happen when she didn’t know what she was dealing with? One thing was for certain, she couldn’t just hide away. Time had shown no matter where she went, they’d find her.
Jessica snatched the rest of her belongings and shoved them into the duffle bag. Hopefully Ian wouldn’t see her, and she could slip out of the house. She’d need to call someone to come get her. The only person she trusted right now was the sheriff.
Slinging the bag over her shoulder, Jessica made her way across the floor and quietly opened the door. She poked her head into the hall, finding it empty. There were no sounds drifting through the upstairs. Slowly, she turned and closed the door behind her. The tennis shoes she’d worn at the diner squeaked on the wood floor. Jessica’s heart lurched in her chest. Her breathing quickened and she strained to hear if anyone had been alerted to her escape.
Still no sounds came from the house. It was almost eerily quiet. Where was everyone?
She made her way down the stairs and turned the corner toward the front of the house. Quiet voices drifted toward her from the kitchen as she made her way down another hall.
“You just need to give her some time to think, Ian. You can’t force love.” Liz’s soft words landed like a punch to the gut.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do if she leaves. I love her, Mom. I care about her more than I’ve ever cared about anyone else. She’s…” A chair scraped against tile and footsteps clicked.
Jessica froze and flattened against the wall.
“She’s the one. I just know it.”
Ian was pacing. The footsteps continued. Jessica’s face flushed and her heart raced. Ian’s feelings ran deeper than she’d realized. But he was wrong. They’d just experienced stressful situations together. She bit down on the inside of her cheek. There was no way Ian could know he felt that way about her. Things were still too new.
All the more reason to get out of there and put some distance between them. Sure, she had feelings for him too. But was she prepared to spend the rest of her life with him? Jessica scooted along the wall, hesitating. If she left now, there was a possibility she’d never see him again. A heavy pain settled in her chest, making it hard to breathe. She had no choice. This was the only way to keep him and his family safe. Jessica needed to redirect all dangerous attention toward her.
She briefly closed her eyes, and a single tear slipped down her cheek. Maybe she did care about him more than she was willing to admit to either of them. Jessica slipped the rest of the way down the hall and toward the front door. A cellphone sat on the edge of the console table. Jessica glanced toward the kitchen and then at the phone. Whoever it belonged to wouldn’t be thrilled when it went missing, but she needed it to get ahold of the sheriff.
Jessica reached for it.
“You’re going to bring it back, right?” A quiet, low voice muttered.
She gasped and whirled around to find Brock sitting in the dark on the far side of the living room. She placed a shaking hand on her heart and willed her wobbly legs to steady. Her mouth went dry. At any moment, Brock could call out to Ian and her escape would be thwarted. There was no way Ian would allow her to leave right now, even though it was the best thing for him. Swallowing, she eyed the phone again.
Brock rose from his chair and took a few steps toward her. “Because I’ll need it back.” He cast a set of dark eyes on her.
Jessica lifted her chin. “I’m leaving and you’re not going to stop me.”
His jaw ticked back and forth. He folded his arms. “Did I say you couldn’t leave? You’re not a prisoner here, Jessica.”
She grabbed the phone and fiddled with it. Meeting his hard gaze, she mumbled. “Okay.”
“You might need the code to unlock it, though.”
Heat flushed her face. She hadn’t even thought of that.
“It’s 3037.” He turned around and made his way back to his seat.
