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I couldn’t quite get the words out. I just wanted to cry instead.
Jensen pulled me up and wrapped his strong arms around me. “Sorry,” he muttered. “When I saw you lying there, I couldn’t talk properly. My throat got all fucked up.”
“Aww, he’s saying he got choked up!” Piper cut in. “How sweet.”
“I could really do without your sarcastic bullshit right now, Piper,” Jensen said, narrowing his eyes in her direction. He turned his attention back to me, one hand slowly stroking my back. “You’re here. You’re really here.” His voice was thickening again. “I’ve got you, sweet girl.”
“I really thought she was messing with me,” I murmured, burying my head in the crook of his shoulder. He smelled like mint and pine. Like home.
“I know.” Jensen kissed the top of my head. “It’s normal for you to feel paranoid. You’ve been through a shitload of trauma.”
Piper coughed and cut in. “Sorry to break up the tearful reunion, but we should really head off.”
Jensen straightened up. “That’s a good point,” he said. One hand reached out to caress my face. “Can you walk?”
“I think so,” I replied. My limbs felt weak and shaky, but I knew I wouldn’t fall. Not when I had Jensen to catch me.
He pointed to a field on the edge of the road. “Piper, ditch your phone over there. They could use it to track us.”
“Okay. Just wait a second.” Piper lifted a palm. “I want to text the girls first.”
“What?” Jensen’s face darkened. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“I just want to say sorry to Hillary and the others. Their lives are about to be upended,” Piper said. A whiny tone had crept into her voice. You can watch me send the texts. I’ll just say sorry and nothing else.”
Jensen shook his head. “No way,” he said, slinging an arm around my shoulder. “Right now, we don’t know if anyone is after us, because they might not have noticed that Amerie is missing yet. But if you send a text saying ‘sorry’ to the girls, they’ll immediately become cognizant of the fact that you’ve done something bad. Then they might tell their parents, who are obviously Rosmerta members like them. After that, our chances of getting caught will go up exponentially.”
“But—”
“Piper.” Jensen raised a palm to cut her off. “We need all the time we can possibly buy for ourselves, and those texts could risk some of that time.”
Piper’s shoulders sagged. “Okay, fine. You’re right,” she muttered. She tossed her phone into the field, pretty face marred by a scowl. Then she turned back to us. “Let’s go.”
“Wait.” I lifted a trembling hand. “Won’t they track your car, Jensen?”
“Yeah, I assume so. That’s why I swapped with some random dude in a grocery store parking lot.”
He nudged me, directing my attention to the right. An old silver Toyota sat on the other side of the road. “He really just gave it to you?” I asked, brows rising. “A total stranger?”
“My car is a Maserati,” he replied, lips curving in a slow smile. “Trust me, he was very happy to swap.”
“I guess I’ll let you two lovebirds have the front,” Piper interjected in a grudging tone. She stepped over to the Toyota and gingerly opened the back passenger door with a grimace, like she was concerned she might catch some sort of disease from touching a car that cost less than fifty grand.
Jensen escorted me over to the front passenger seat. Then he went around to the driver’s side and switched on the ignition. Before he took off, he looked over at me and smiled again. “I love you,” he mouthed.
I smiled for what felt like the first time in an eternity. “I love you too,” I mouthed back to him.
“Oh my god, do you two think I can’t see you right now?” Piper said. “I’m literally going to hurl.”
Jensen’s smile widened into a grin, and he shook his head and pulled off the edge of the road.
I turned my attention to the window and drew in a long, relieved breath as I took in the scenery. Rolling hills and wooded areas surrounded us, and even though it was a cold day, the sky was a brilliant shade of blue, dotted with fluffy white clouds.
As we drove farther into the countryside, the landscape began to change, wooded areas giving way to lush green fields and pastures that seemed to stretch on forever.
“Where are we going?” I asked, glancing over at Jensen.
Piper snickered in the back seat. “Oh, boy. Can’t wait to hear this freakout,” she muttered.
