by Angela Foxxe
Jessica stood, slipping the backpack off her back and opening it carefully. She found the self-filtering water bottle she’d used earlier, as well as several meal replacement bars and a small can of bear spray with a carabiner on the end so she could hook it to her clothes. Leaving the bars for later, she grabbed the bear spray and put it in the pocket of her hoodie. Then, she took a quick sip of the cool water and put it back before slinging the bag back on her shoulders.
Walking now, she was feeling rather confident. She’d seen enough in the soft glow of the moon reflecting off the low-lying fog to know that she could survive off what was in the backpack for at least a week. But that wasn’t the best part. The best part was that she’d seen a pocket stuffed to the brim with cash, and that was what was going to get her back to her Evie. If she kept heading away from the house into the woods, she would find a road. With the money she had, she would find a way to get back home and collect Evie. Matt was too arrogant to change the codes on the keyless entry pads on the house, and even if he did, Jessica remembered the override code. She would get into the house, take the keys to one of the two cars that were in her name, and she would go to daycare and pick Evie up. It was that simple. She just had to make it out of the woods and find her way home.
She started jogging again, keeping her eyes and ears open in case there were wild animals around. She had a plan now, and she had the means to make that plan a reality. She felt completely content and confident that this would all work out. It had to work out.
Didn’t the good guys always win? She knew she was one of the good guys, and she had no doubt that Matt was firmly on the side of evil. Why else would he bludgeon her with a shovel and dump her in the woods to die? There was no good reason to do that.
Not to mention having her kidnapped in the first place. Had he paid extra for the brainwashing? Was it his idea to make her think that her name was Naomi?
Her head was spinning, but at the same time, she felt clearer. The drugs were wearing off, and even though her reflexes were still kind of slow, she felt much more in control than she had.
The little voices in the back of her mind slowly died down, and then they were gone. She was herself again, Jessica Baker on a mission to save her sweet Evie from living her life with a man who would do the things that he’d done to the mother of his child. He would pay for what he did, and if she had anything to do with it, she would make sure that he never saw the light of day again. It was the only surefire way to protect Evie, and if Jessica had to get on the witness stand and bare her soul, she would. She would do anything for Evie.
If she had to, she would lay down her own life for her child. Her child. Matt could say whatever he wanted, and the bears, Ty, and Senora could believe him, but she knew in her heart that she was Evie’s mother and always had been. She would hold onto that love, and just like it had before, her love for Evie would protect her from the lies and the doubts, and she would find her way home.
These people had no idea who they were dealing with, and an entire herd of bears wouldn’t stop her. They were in over their heads, and Matt was about to find out that nothing he could pay would get rid of her.
She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face.
*
“You guys need to leave,” Michael said, standing beside their Jeep. “I know you want to help find her, Senora, but she’s been gone for at least thirty minutes. She could be anywhere.”
“This place is surrounded by woods,” Senora said. “We can’t just leave her to fend for herself.”
“She took my backpack,” Ty said. “She’s not as bad off as she was last night.”
“The men are coming. If she’s in these woods when they get here, we’ll find her.”
“Where else would she be?” Senora demanded.
“There’s more than one road that winds through the woods here. If she finds a road, it won’t be long before she finds a ride.”
“This is a nightmare,” Senora moaned.
“It’s going to get worse if you don’t leave. No one can know that you know about the Campus.”
“I don’t know anything,” Senora insisted. “No one has told me squat. I just know that there’s a woman out there that thinks that she’s a widower’s dead wife, and she’s halfway through some kind of brain scrubbing program that’s supposed to undo the brainwashing done by Matt Baker.”
Ty stared at her.
“I know that’s not entirely what’s going on, and there’s more to it than that. But I’m not an imbecile.”
“I never said you were.”
Senora’s phone rang in her pocket, and she jumped. Michael stood in front of them calmly, but Senora was sure he was nervous. Senora didn’t want to leave without Jessica, no matter what Ty said.
Naomi, she corrected herself as she pulled her phone out and stared at the Caller ID. Her stomach dropped. It was Betty.
“Hello,” Senora answered.
“What are you doing at Michael’s house?” Betty asked without saying hello. “You need to leave, and fast. J is coming your way, and all our heads are going to roll if he catches you there. Senora, you’re supposed to be on vacation.”
“I can’t; everything’s going to shit and-”
“You don’t have a choice,” Betty said. “Get in the car now; please trust me.”
Senora motioned to Ty without hanging up.
“We need to go.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying,” Michael said.
No longer calm, he sounded exasperated.
Ty jumped into the driver’s seat and took off as soon as Senora was in the passenger seat.
“We’re leaving now. Are you happy?” Senora said.
“No. They’re so close. Tell Ty to hurry up.”
“I heard her,” Ty said, pushing the accelerator down and hurrying down the road that led to the highway.
“I can’t leave while this is going on,” Senora told Betty again.
“You don’t have a choice,” Betty said. “I overheard a conversation between J and Patterson.”
“Overheard? You mean you tapped J’s signal?”
“That’s impossible, even for yours truly. I tapped Patterson’s phone. They’ve given up trying to keep you away from Ty, but they’re both sure that it’s love or lust or something in between. You have to get on that plane tomorrow, and you need to put on one hell of a show.”
“Why?”
“They have an agent booked on that flight. You’ll be under surveillance once you hit the islands, and they’ve been instructed to watch you like a hawk until they’re sure that you’re really on vacation.”
“Okay.”
“You have to sell this. Or just do what comes naturally. You know that you have the hots for this guy.”
Ty choked then grunted, but Senora knew he’d heard Betty. Her voice carried through the cabin of the vehicle, even though Senora had the volume turned down as low as it could go.
They were on the highway now, and Senora watched traffic on the opposite side as four dark, unmarked cars pulled off at the exit they’d used not long ago. Even in the daylight, there was no way to see the passengers in the heavily tinted SUVs, but Senora still tried. J was in one of the vehicles, and she was dying to know what he looked like.
“They just missed us,” Ty said, keeping his speed steady even though the SUV taillights were already disappearing around the curve. “That was really close.”
“You two have enough time to get to Senora’s car, pack, and then head your sweet cheeks to the airport to catch your flight.”
“What about Jessica?” Senora asked.
“I’m going to keep an eye on the situation with the Naomi Jessica girl. I don’t know what’s going on, but I know that it’s not an FBI operation.”
“J’s gone rogue?”
“No. J is doing what he’s always done. He runs the show, and he only brings us in when he needs to.”
“That doesn’t seem right.”
“There are a lot of th
ings that go on around here that you don’t know about.”
“I’m starting to realize that.”
“I have to go. I don’t want anyone to know that I talked to you.”
“Thank you, Betty.”
“Thank you for trusting me. You almost got caught, and then both of us would be toast.”
Betty hung up then, and Senora returned her cell phone to her pocket.
“Your friend is a real hoot,” Ty said.
“She’s amazing, and she just saved us.”
“She sure did. So, what’s the plan?”
“You heard her. We go to the islands, and we put on a good show. Hopefully, you can spot our tail, and we can play along until they leave.”
“Do we have to play?”
She sucked in a quick breath and hated her body for responding to his loaded question with a flood of heat. How did he still affect her the way he did? He’d been great in bed, but Senora usually managed to separate herself from that. But Ty had this magnetism about him that she couldn’t resist, and the thought of putting on a show for whoever was tailing her sent her into panic mode. What if she let her guard down and let him in and her heart was broken again?
What if her heart was broken again? The words struck her, and she realized that the thought had seemed quite natural to her. And it was the first time that she’d allowed herself to admit that being torn away from him had broken her heart. That was why she’d thrown up so many walls and shut him out. Being brought into the office had been abrupt and jarring, and she’d felt like she was drowning. That feeling wasn’t like her, and she knew immediately that she’d fallen hard for the tall cowboy from Texas who just happened to be a Werewolf.
She’d been so scared, but rather than admit it to him, she’d shut him out and walled off her heart. Now, she was here with him, fighting the same fight, and she couldn’t help but feel that closeness again. She had feelings for him, and letting herself feel those things and displaying her affection in a very public way was going to bring those walls crashing down.
Senora wasn’t so sure that she could handle that.
“Senora?”
“I’m sorry.” She shook her head, trying to shake off the dread that filled her. “I’m fine. We’ll figure it out.”
“What’s there to figure out?”
She let out a heavy sigh and sat up a little straighter. No time like the present to clear up a few things.
“I don’t know if I can do that again?”
“Do what? Do me?”
She laughed.
“Can we be serious for just one second?”
“Of course.”
“I don’t know if I can let myself fall for you and then walk away again.”
He didn’t seem shocked by her words. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that, but it was obvious that the only one who didn’t know that Senora was in love with Ty was Senora.
“Who says you have to walk away?” Ty asked quietly.
“Someone is worried about us working together. Why else would I be chained to the desk, and why would you have a tail anytime you tried to contact me? There’s something they don’t want us to find out, and I can’t live my life looking over my shoulder.”
“They? I’m surprised to hear you say that. Weren’t you the one giving me grief for my conspiracy theories?”
“Not all conspiracy theories are of the tinfoil hat variety. There’s something going on, and we need to be careful.”
“What does that have to do with your heart? I think you’re trying to talk around what you mean, rather than just being honest with me. Why can’t you just be honest with me about how you feel?”
“It’s not that easy for me. I’ve spent so much of my life guarding my heart, my life, my privacy. I don’t know how to open up. And what if I do, and then you leave? Where does that leave me?”
“So, you can break my heart, but only in an effort to spare your own and make us both miserable?”
She turned to look at him in the darkness while he sped down the highway, but she didn’t say anything. He nodded without taking his eyes off the road.
“Hit the nail on the head,” he said. “That’s not how life works, Senora. You don’t get to hide your heart from me just in case I might break it. That’s not fair to me, and it’s not fair to you. I deserve better, and I hope you wouldn’t settle for anything less than the strongest, most passionate love of your life.”
His hand reached out and took hers. For a moment, she tried to pull away to protect herself from the flames that spread through her every time he touched her, but he held fast.
“Sometimes, the hardest thing is to let things happen naturally. You’ve done nothing but hurt yourself closing yourself off the way you did. That’s not the way to deal with your feelings for me.”
“You don’t get to decide how I react to feelings that are bigger than anything I’ve ever dealt with.”
“You’re right, I don’t. But I get to decide what I won’t accept for myself.”
At some point, he’d turned down the long dirt road to the cabin while Senora was focused on their conversation. He pulled behind the cabin and turned in the seat to face her.
“I’m not going to put on a show for anyone,” he said. “What I want to do is to go on vacation with you and enjoy some time together.”
“What about Jessica?”
“There’s always going to be a Jessica and a Naomi. There will always be an Addie and a Hannah. Somewhere, there’s an Emma waiting for someone like you to save her. But you can’t always be that someone. You have to take care of yourself, or you’re going to crumble under the weight of all this. We need to lay low for at least a week, and you need a break from work to recharge so that you can be all the way present when you’re out saving the world. And I don’t want to hold someone who’s only sleeping with me to put on a show for another agent.”
He gathered her hands in his and brought them to his lips. He kissed each knuckle gently, one at a time, until he’d kissed each hand several times.
“Senora Edwards, I love you with all my heart and soul. I have from the moment I saw your pretty face and you opened up your mouth and you were nothing like I expected. You blow me away, and you’re more woman than most men can handle. You’re more woman than I deserve. But I will not be some cheap play, and I’m not going to pretend to have feelings for you when I have very strong feelings for you. I’m staying here unless you want me to get a hotel.”
“I have to go home and pack.”
“I think that’s the best idea.”
“For you to stay here alone?”
He nodded, and she felt lost. She didn’t want to leave him here.
“I’m not coming with you to your house, because what I’m about to say is going to require you to sleep on it. I’m not willing to settle for anything less. If you want to join me on a vacation in the Caribbean, I need you to be all there. None of this walling yourself off so you don’t get hurt. You mean the world to me, but I’m not going to beg you to be with me.”
His words tore at her heart, as did the pain that he hid so well. In trying to protect herself, she’d hurt him. She felt awful, but she didn’t know what to say.
A single tear slid down her cheek, and so gently that his touch felt like a whisper, he wiped away the tear and kissed her forehead.
“I love you. You don’t have to tell me the same. I know you love me. What I need to know is if you’re going to give us a chance. If you’re not, I’ll understand. But if you can’t, then don’t show up for the flight. I’ll know that you can’t, and I’ll be hurt, but I love you enough to let you go if that’s what I have to do.”
“Forever?”
He chuckled softly, but she could tell it was a reflex more than humor at what she’d said. He was trying to shield himself from the pain; too bad the pain he was shielding his heart from was her doing.
“I’ll always be your friend and your partner. But if you don’t show up tomorrow, I�
��m going to need some time to get my head on straight and get it through my thick skull that we’re never going to be more than friends.”
“So, that’s it?”
“All or nothing,” he said.
“That doesn’t seem fair.”
“It’s more than fair. And if you don’t show up, I’ll make a big production of getting drunk and having a pity party over the rejection. Totally for show, of course.”
This time, Senora did laugh. Even when the conversation was heavy and his heart was on the line, Ty was so easy-going. He was an amazing man, and Senora felt like a complete ass for ignoring him the past few months instead of meeting her feelings head-on and working with him to find a solution to their current situation.
“Fine,” she said. “If I show up tomorrow, I’m all in. We can enjoy the Caribbean as a couple, and there won’t be any need to put on a show for the agent tailing us.”
“Exactly. And once the tail is gone, I’ll get with my sources and see where we stand with Naomi.”
“And Evie.”
“You’re right, and Evie. No matter who Jessica Baker really is, Matt Baker is a monster, and something needs to be done. But we need to go through legal channels to get him taken care of.”
“You promise that she’ll be safe with the WereBears until then?”
“She will. They know what they’re doing, and she needs help. It’s not her fault, what happened to her. But we have to trust that they’re going to take care of her. Michael wouldn’t mislead me. He’s a good guy, and if he says that she’s safe with them, then she’s as safe as she can be.”
Senora nodded, but she could feel her heart clenching. The entire situation was so messed up, and she still didn’t know the extent of what was going on. What she did know was that there was a sweet little girl caught in the middle and a woman who believed that she’d given birth to a child that wasn’t really hers. Senora wasn’t certain that there could be a happy ending that would satisfy everyone involved, but she was going to do what she could to make that happen. It was the least she could do, and she couldn’t just hand it over to the justice system and hope everything went right. There was too much at stake.
Senora got out of the car, and Ty met her by the door, pulling her into a hug that caught her totally off-guard.