Surrendered

by Jennifer Sienes

  “Is it worth it, Tess, if you get hurt again?”

  “I can’t just let it go.”

  “I’m not asking you to. But you need to be smart. I’m sure there are other girls out there who have been victimized by him.”

  “Great.” I roll my eyes. “And how do you expect me to find them? Hang a banner at the Student Center?”

  “No.” She taps the folded paper on the table. “But have you ever heard of an email blast?”

  * * *

  Jake

  Flash drive loaded onto the computer, I open the file and step around my desk to close the door. Doesn’t matter that no one’s around, I feel exposed at the restaurant. Like Tess has spies living in the walls.

  Back behind my desk, my fingers hover over the keys while I collect my thoughts. As happens every time I write a report, my gut clenches. If caught, how would I explain it to Tess? There was a time not too long ago that it didn’t matter. She suspected the worst, so it wouldn’t change things. But now…

  Ten minutes into it, my office door opens. The muscles in my arms jump, and I resist the urge to block the computer screen. Instead, I minimize the program with less-than-steady fingers.

  Katie steps inside. “You’re not busy, are you?”

  “Lately, you spend more time here than home. What’s the deal?”

  “It’s too quiet with Tess gone. I get more homework done here.”

  “Don’t tell me you need help?”

  “From you?” She snorts.

  “Attitude like that, it’s a wonder anyone volunteers to help you.”

  She grimaces. “Sorry. I don’t think of you as being the studious type.”

  If she only knew. “Might surprise you to know I’m a whiz at science and math.”

  Her eyebrows disappear behind her bangs. “Did you go to college?”

  “Yep. Now, what is it you need?”

  “Keys to the storage room. I’m going to grab a snack before I get started.”

  Shifting in my chair, I retrieve the keys from my pocket and toss them to her.

  She catches them mid-air and grins. “Thanks. Can I get you anything?”

  “Peace and quiet.”

  Keys dangling from her hand, she salutes then snaps her heels together. “Aye aye, sir.”

  Door closed once again, I open the program and read over what I’ve written. How much is too much? I make a couple edits, and before I have a chance to start on the next section, the door flies open again. “Is this what you call peace and quiet?” I glare at Katie.

  “Hey, it’s not my fault. Some lady’s been banging on the front door and—”

  “Tell her we don’t open until five.”

  “I did. She insists on seeing you.”

  Minimizing the program again, I groan. “Who is it?”

  “She won’t give me her name.” Katie rolls her eyes. “She says it’s personal.”

  “Tell her to leave her name and—”

  “No way. I’m not even here, remember?” She slams out of the room.

  Hands planted on the desk, I push up and yell to her. “For someone who’s not here, you’re sure disruptive.”

  Rounding the desk, I follow Katie to the dining room. It’s dim, as usual, with the lights off and shades pulled down except for one corner—table five, where Katie sits with textbooks spread out around her. A tall, slender woman stands by the registration desk, but she’s more shadow than substance.

  I move in her direction. “Something I can help you with?”

  “As a matter of fact…” Her face comes into focus—high cheekbones, deep blue eyes, expensively-styled chin-length hair.

  Teeth clenched, I scrape a hand through my hair. No doubt I have Connor to thank for this.

  “Hello, Jake.”

  I glance at table five. Katie doesn’t even pretend discretion. She points her pen at Justine and mouths, Who is she?

  This’ll be tough to explain. Clamping a hand around Justine’s arm, I guide her through the dining room, ignoring Katie’s wide-eyed stare. “Won’t you step into my office?” Once inside, I slam the door.

  Justine props her designer-clad rear on my desk and folds her hands. “So, this is where you’ve been hiding out for the past, what, year and a half?” She glances around the cell-sized room, distaste in the pinch of her lips.

  Leaning against the door, I cross my arms. “I needed time. I told you that.”

  “Is this your purgatory? What do we have to do to free you? Send up a boatload of prayers? Light a million candles?” She tilts her head and catches my eye. “Pay someone off?”

  I rub at a headache forming at my temple. “This isn’t your problem.”

  Her eyes narrow. “How can you say that? It affects me, doesn’t it? It affects all of us.” She throws her hands up. “But like some misdirected martyr, you insist on dealing with it alone.”

  “Connor send you here?”

  She scowls. “No one sent me. I’m perfectly capable of making my own decisions, as you should know. But yes, he did tell me where you were.”

  The concern in her eyes melts the edge off my irritation. I push away from the door and slip my hands into my jeans pockets. “I’m in the middle of something here. I can’t tell you what, but I really need to finish it. A little more time.”

  She folds her arms. “How much?”

  “Six months, tops.”

  She pouts. “Will you at least call more often?”

  “Every month.”

  “Every day.”

  Her flare for the dramatic tugs a smile from me. “How about once a week?”

  “Deal.”

  “And”—I wait for her eyes to latch onto mine—“you don’t tell anyone where I am. You’re going to be hard enough to explain.”

  “I don’t know, Jake.”

  Is that guilt clouding her eyes? “You haven’t told anyone, have you?”

  “I wanted to find you first. But that doesn’t mean Connor won’t tell.”

  “I’m sure you can handle him. Now, come on. Give me a hug and get out of here.” I wrap her in my arms. “It might be best if you slip out the back way.”

  She steps away from me, her salon-perfect brows arched. “Seems a secret handshake would be more appropriate.”

  Chapter 26

  Tess

  Julia’s place is quiet once Max is tucked into bed. The requisite toys have been swept out of the main pathway, and the laundry baskets, now empty, are stacked by the kitchen. If only my life could be so easily wrapped up and tidy.

  “Where do you want these?” I hold up a pile of folded Max-sized clothes, burying my trembling fingers into a cotton-soft t-shirt.

  “Here, I’ll take them.” Julia clamps a hand above and beneath the stack and disappears down the hall. Not ten seconds later, she comes back empty-handed. “If you ever decide to go crazy and get married, at least you’ll be trained for kid stuff. Thanks again for your help.”

  I take a quick peek at my watch, then tap the crystal, my stomach taking flight from a high dive. If I’m going to do this tonight, it’s now or never. “I’m going to head out, Jules.”

  “But I just got Max down. You haven’t even given me the latest scoop on what’s happening with your classes.”

  I rub a hand down my pant leg. “Same stuff, different day.”

  “Well, okay.” Disappointment laces her tone. “Maybe we can get together this weekend, huh?”

  “Before I go, there’s something I need to tell you.” My eyes flick away from hers, and I glance at the door. Again, with the stomach flip.

  “Are you okay? You don’t seem like yourself tonight.” Bent over the coffee table, she stacks the small piles of folded clothes spread over it.

  “Yeah. Fine.” I grab her arm and pull her down on the couch with me. “Listen, will you?”

  “Hey.” She extricates her arm with a gentle tug, then takes both my hands in hers. “What’s going on?”

  I lick my lips and swallow. “I need to
go down to Cameron Park, but I—”

  “Tonight?” Her brows wrinkle.

  “I found Professor Fields’ address. On the Internet.”

  She shakes her head and shrugs. “So?”

  “I know it sounds crazy, but I need to take some kind of action.”

  “Tess!” She tugs on my hands. “You’re not making sense.”

  I pull away from her and stand, patting my thigh. “He lives in Cameron Park. I thought if I could park for a while across from his house…”

  She jerks her head back, mouth falling open. “Are you insane?” Okay, not much different from Carol’s reaction. “You cannot go traipsing around his house at night.”

  “I’ll stay in contact with you. That way, if anything—and I mean anything—weird happens, you’re just a quick phone call away.”

  She shakes her head. “No, no, no, no, no!”

  “Look, Jules—”

  She pops up from the couch, her face reddening. “Don’t you look, Jules me. A couple months at school and you’ve gone from hiding away to lick your wounds to stalking the guy. What if he sees you? Have you thought of that?”

  I grab her wrists to stop her flailing arms. “He won’t even recognize me.” I hope.

  Her eyes widen. “Oh, and you think that’s going to matter when he catches you stalking him?”

  I scrape my hair behind my ears. “Even if he sees my car, how’s he going to know who I’m watching? I sit outside his house and there are three more in the direct vicinity.”

  “A man guilty of criminal activity might just be paranoid enough to catch a clue, Tess. There’s got to be another way for you to take control.”

  “Oh yeah. Carol thinks I should send an email blast, like that’s going to be anonymous.”

  Julia’s mouth snaps shut and goes into her mind-spinning mode—eyes unfocused, fingers tapping her brow. “It could work. You set up an email account through one of those free sites—”

  “Fine. That’ll be my next step.”

  She stomps her foot like a five-year-old. “If you get caught, your next step could be death.”

  “There you go again, being all melodramatic.” I dismiss her with a wave of my hand, but it’s not like the thought hasn’t crossed my mind. I don’t need her raising my panic level. “I’m going, whether you like it or not.”

  “Then let me come with you.”

  “And do what with Max?”

  “Okay, have Jake go with you.”

  “And have him go all Rambo on me? No thanks. There’s a much higher chance of Jake getting hurt than me. I don’t intend to confront the psycho.” I collect my purse and coat from the hat rack by the door. If I wait much longer, I’ll let her talk me out of it. “I just… “I shake my head and blow out a breath. “I just need to see where he lives. Feel as if I have some control.”

  “Don’t do it, Tess.”

  I clench my fists within the folds of my coat. There isn’t an ounce of fight left in me, at least not on this subject. “Just keep your cell phone close by, okay?”

  “Mom?” Max stands in the hallway entrance, rubbing his eyes. “Why are you and Aunt Tess fighting?”

  Julia’s demeanor collapses with the speed of a deflating balloon. “We’re not fighting, sweetie. It’s just a loud discussion.” She crosses the room and brushes back his hair. “Let’s get you back to bed. Say goodnight to Aunt Tess.”

  “G’night, Aunt Tess.” He marches to me and wraps his arms around my waist, causing my heart to hitch in my throat. His sweet hug reminds me of why I need to be proactive. Julia would do the same if it was her son’s innocence at stake.

  I bend down to kiss him on the head and breathe in the shampoo Julia used to wash his hair at bath time. “I’ll see you this weekend, okay?” My voice catches, and I swallow down the threatening tears. “Maybe we can take your mom to Apple Hill. That was fun, wasn’t it?”

  “Yeah. She’d like it.”

  I watch from the door as he gives Julia another hug before heading to his bedroom. Had it not been for Professor Fields, I could be a mother right now. It might have been my child worrying over a disagreement with Julia.

  Once Max is gone, Julia folds her arms and ducks her head. “Don’t do it, Tess. Please.”

  “I’ll be careful.” I open the door and look back at her before leaving. “Cell phone. Okay?”

  She nods.

  I step out into the brisk fall night. It’s supposed to be a full moon tonight, although it isn’t up yet. What better time to do something a little crazy than on just such a night?

  Tucking my coat close around me, I make my way down the path toward my car and send up a little prayer for protection.

  * * *

  Jake

  I line up the cue ball, look down the stick, and ignore Marty breathing over my shoulder. And the loud country music. And the people crowded up to the bar. Concentrate. It’s all about angles, lines, and timing. With a snap of my wrist, I make contact and watch as stripes and solids scatter across the table—one of each land in a pocket.

  “Not bad.” Marty slaps me on the back. “Not bad at all. You might stand a chance this round.”

  Think I figured out what Marty does in his spare time—and it involves only fifteen numbers. I study the configuration of the balls left on the table. “I call solids.” Before lining up for my next shot, I take my first swig of beer.

  Marty leans on his cue stick. “You wanna tell me what’s eating you tonight?”

  I lean over the table and slide the stick across my fingers a few times. Snap. Six ball lands in the side pocket. “Don’t know what you mean.”

  “Why aren’t you working at the restaurant?”

  The four ball’s sitting perfect. “Needed a break.” I chalk my pool stick and blow on it.

  “Since when?”

  Scowling at him, I round the table to get into position. “You’ve been nagging at me to hang out with you for weeks, like you’re my wife or something. I finally give in, and this is the thanks I get?”

  He shakes his head. “I’m not buying it.”

  “That’s your problem.”

  “This has to do with Tess, doesn’t it?”

  The cue stick jerks, and I miss the shot. Coincidence. “You’re up.”

  With a shake of his shaggy head, he shifts his cue stick and turns to the table. “I’ve asked her out several times.”

  “Can’t take no for an answer, huh?”

  “Persistence pays off.” He bends over the table, sets up his stick. “In time.” The thirteen ball shoots into the corner pocket. Surfer dude’s more confident than he looks.

  “It’s your funeral.”

  “Just tell me she’s yours, and I’ll back off.”

  I laugh. “If Tess could hear you, she’d take your head off with that stick.”

  “That’s not really an answer, is it?”

  My phone vibrates in my pocket. Perfect timing. Anything’s better than getting pulled into this subject. Julia’s name lights up. Something happen to Max? “Hello?” I drop the cue stick on the table, phone held up to one ear, hand held over the other.

  “Jake?”

  “Yeah. What’s up?”

  Her voice gets lost in the noise. I glare at the crowd and step into a corner. “I can’t hear you.”

  “It’s Tess.”

  My heart skids. Accident? Another attack? Melt down? “Hang on a sec. It’s too noisy in here.” I turn to Marty, hold the phone up, and point outside.

  Slipping out the back door into the alley, I take a deep breath. “Okay. What’d you say?”

  “I’m sorry to bother you, especially at work.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “Tess was here tonight. She found that professor’s address on the Internet, and she’s on her way there now.”

  “To do what?” How could she be so stupid?

  “Watch him, she said. She thinks being proactive will empower her.”

  I clench a fist and slam it against th
e door. “That’s insane.”

  “I tried to stop her. I swear.”

  “Do you have the address?”

  “No.”

  “Do you know his name?”

  “Stephen Fields, I think. And he lives in Cameron Park.”

  Now what? “If Tess found him on the Internet, so can we. Do you have a computer?”

  “Sure. You want me to look him up?”

  “Yeah. And call me back as soon as you do. I’ll get a hold of her and see if I can’t talk some sense into that thick, exasperating head of hers.”

  I hit the END button and pull up my contacts. My fingers fumble, and I take a deep breath. What could she be thinking? What if this creep sees her?

  The alley door opens, and Marty peers around it. “Everything okay?”

  “No,” I bark. “Tess is the most frustrating, headstrong woman I know.” I thumb CALL and pray she’ll pick up. But the phone rings once and goes to voicemail. If I have her on caller ID, no doubt she’s got me on hers. She’s ignoring me.

  “Come on.” Phone clenched in one hand, I dig into my pocket for my keys. “We’re going to Cameron Park.”

  Marty doesn’t say anything until we’re in my car. “Are we going after Tess?”

  “I’m gonna kill her.” I start the engine just as the phone rings. “Get that will you? Hopefully, it’s Julia with the address.”

  I whip a U-turn and go through a red light as Marty handles the details. He ends the call as I merge onto Highway 50, and I glance at him. “Well?”

  “Got it.” He shifts in his seat. “I’ll plug it into Google maps while you tell me what’s going on.”

  I maneuver around a slower vehicle and gun the engine. “Can’t.”

  “You don’t think I’ll figure it out when we find Tess?”

  “That’s on her. If she hadn’t done something so completely asinine…” Scenery whips by as I push the speed limit. Ten minutes, tops, and I’ll be able to wrap my hands around her scrawny, little neck.

  “So that’s the way it is, huh?”

  “I’m not going to break a confidence.”

  “I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about you.”