Forever Freed

by Kathleen Brooks

  Evie took a deep breath and yeah, she did feel better. Her blood was pumping, she felt strong, and she felt confident. “It feels great. I want to do it again.”

  “You know who’s really good at this?” Paige asked with a sweet smile. “Jackson. I bet he’d love to bring you out here and . . .”

  “Mom!” Greer groaned, cutting her mom off and handing Evie another axe.

  If only the timing were different, then maybe she would have a chance with Jackson. But now she was just a case. A person to protect. A person to get information from. Nothing more.

  * * *

  Ryan had left for his office in Lexington to take control of the situation. Dylan and Abby had disappeared. His dad had gone down to open Southern Charms since his mom was still out with Evie and Greer. Finally, Jackson was able to take a breath. But instead of sleeping, he picked up the phone and texted Talon and Lucas.

  He must have fallen asleep at some point because the next thing he knew he woke with a start, reached out and grabbed the person leaning over him and dragging the person onto the couch.

  “Whoops,” Jackson exclaimed as he found Evie in his arms and not some intruder. “I am so sorry.”

  “It’s okay. I shouldn’t have snuck up on you. I was just covering you with a blanket. You hadn’t slept yet.”

  Jackson let out a deep breath. “Thank you,” he said, pulling the blanket free and shifting so Evie’s head rested against his chest before pulling the blanket up to cover them both. “Being where I’ve been and seeing the things I’ve seen, I don’t sleep all that well and instincts take over. Again, I’m sorry. How was your time with my mom and sister? Please tell me they behaved.”

  “We threw axes!”

  Jackson smiled at how happy and excited she was. “That’s one of my favorite things to do out at my grandparents’ farm.”

  “Why do your grandparents have all those weapons?”

  “They don’t. Their kids do. My parents, uncles, aunts, and all of us cousins use it during family dinner. We try to get together every week or two. We also like to put any new person trying to date a cousin through the wringer,” he said jokingly.

  Evie giggled and shook her head and pressed it closer into his chest. Jackson loved the sound of her laugh and he definitely loved the feel of her in his arms.

  “After being there, I can see it now. Oh, those poor boys.”

  “Greer didn’t pull anything with you, did she?”

  “Oh no. She was wonderful. I’ll admit it was all very overwhelming, waking up and having all those people here, but they were all so nice. None of them made me feel like the guilty party. The way you, your brother, and father are helping with the FBI so they don’t think I’m a suspect is really nice. And even Dylan and Abby . . . they scare me to death one second and then the next, I feel as if they have my back. It’s a nice feeling. I’ve never had anyone to help me before. I was always taking care of my mother. I took care of the house. I was making sure our electricity stayed on. I’m not complaining, mind you. I just can’t help but feel that Jon and this mess is my fault. If I had raised him better. If . . . something. Yet, when I needed help, you and your family picked me up and have my back. What you have is very special.”

  Jackson put his arm around her and hugged her to him. “I’m so sorry I went into FBI mode when you told me what was going on. I should have stopped and listened to find out what you needed. My work instincts just took over. Everything told me to protect you and to do that, I knew I had to get you off the suspect list and fast.”

  “Jackson, you’ve gone above and beyond for someone you’ve only known a couple of days. I can’t begin to thank you for what you and your family are doing for me.”

  Jackson took a deep breath. He felt himself relax with Evie in his arms. There was something soothing about her. Through all of this she’d never lost it. She never melted down. She bore everything that had happened as if it were her problem. But it shouldn’t be her problem. This happened to her, not because of her.

  “Come here,” Jackson said, his voice dropping. Evie rested her head in the crook of his shoulder as he hugged her to him. “We’ll get through this together.”

  “I don’t want anyone hurt,” Evie confided. “I close my eyes and I see the pictures on the news of the people who were killed or injured and I feel like it’s my fault. If I had stopped Jon or if I had told someone else or if I had gone to the press . . . something to stop him and whatever he’s planning.” Jackson felt Evie shudder beneath his arms. “One week, Jackson. One week and he’ll do something big. And if he does, that blood will be on my hands.”

  “No, Evie. It will be on his hands and only his. My boss and the FBI director played us the recording. DeMille brushed you off too fast and the Seattle cops did the same. Ryan will have you off the suspect list by dinner tonight. You did the right thing. In this case, others failed you. But I won’t. I might not be able to stop the attack, but I’ll protect you. I swear it. Together we will find Jon. If I don’t, Abby and Dylan will.”

  “They can be scary.”

  Jackson gave a chuckle. “I know, but only if you’re a bad person. We are all close in age and grew up as best friends.”

  “And now they’re married. That makes you the third wheel,” Evie joked and Jackson shifted to snuggle up closer to her.

  “They’re sickeningly happy, but I couldn’t be happier for them.”

  “You’re very lucky, Jackson,” Evie said, and Jackson heard the envy in her voice.

  “Now you are too. You’re part of the group. It’s like the mafia, once you’re a part of Keeneston, you never can leave.”

  “They’ll send me dead fish if I try?” Evie asked with a giggle and the sound warmed his chest. It spread from his ears down to his heart.

  “Not fish. If you leave, they’ll send you care packages filled with pies and cookies.”

  Evie laughed harder and Jackson smiled. There was something about this woman that made him feel things he’d never felt before. He’d always been protective, but this was different. There was a softness to it. He wanted to care for her, not just protect her. He wanted to talk to her and share things with her. To be a part of her life. Sure, Jackson dated and even had some serious relationships before, but this felt different. There was a peace about it that settled over him when they were together.

  A lot of what he did in his job relied on his survival instincts. So, Jackson followed his instincts. He looked at Evie curled against him and knew exactly what to do. “Evie,” he said her name as if it were a prayer. He felt her tense against him and he knew she knew what he wanted.

  Evie’s hand traced up his chest to his shoulder and moved slowly over to his neck. Her eyes followed the path of her hand until she finally looked up at him. “Jackson.” His name was no more than a whisper on the air, but he heard the permission it granted.

  Jackson lowered his head, his lips pressing a promise to her forehead before he trailed kisses down her cheek and then waited. His lips were a breath away, but he wanted Evie to make the final decision.

  Jackson waited, breathing her in, and right when he thought Evie would pull away, she leaned in and offered her lips to him. Jackson’s fingers slid under her hair to wrap around her neck, pulling her into him. The kiss was gentle and slow as he savored the uniqueness of her taste. However, the slower he went, the tighter Evie grabbed onto him.

  When he heard the throaty moan of frustration, he dropped the tight rein of control he was keeping. The kiss deepened as he pulled Evie on top of him. He didn’t know how one kiss could change everything, but he knew that it had.

  “Whoops, sorry! I knocked and thought I heard you say come in.”

  * * *

  Evie looked up from where she had molded her body to Jackson’s as if she wanted to cover every inch of him. “Oh my God,” she gasped as she scrambled off of Jackson.

  “Nope, not God. Just a messenger of God.”

  Jackson chuckled and stood up. “Ben,”
he said with a huge smile on his face as he shook the priest’s hand. “It’s good to see you.”

  “You too. I’m sorry to interrupt.”

  Evie eyed the priest who didn’t look like any priest she’d ever seen before. He was in his thirties and built like a boxer. She bet church attendance was sky high with him saying Mass.

  “Evie,” Jackson said, pulling her attention away from trying to see if the priest’s arms were as large as Jackson’s. “This is Father Ben Jacobs. Ben, this is Evie Scott.”

  Ben offered his hand and Evie shook it. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “You too. I heard all about you over lunch. I thought I would come and offer my services if you found yourself needing to talk.”

  “Thank you. That’s very kind of you. But, what do you mean you heard about me?” Evie didn’t want anyone to hear about her. She wanted to be invisible so that Jon couldn’t find her or this town.

  The priest smiled at her kindly. “The Rose sisters.”

  “What does that mean?” Evie asked, looking between the two men.

  “Gossip is a hot commodity in Keeneston, and you are the hottest gossip we’ve had since Cy cried the other day when he found out his twin daughters were both pregnant,” Father Ben told her. “Don’t worry. No one here will share your location with your stepbrother. In fact, the Rose sisters have already circulated his picture and the town is on the lookout for him.”

  Evie didn’t know what to say. She just looked at Father Ben as if he’d spoken in Latin.

  “It’s okay,” Jackson said gently. “It’s just Keeneston. You’ll get used to it.”

  “Would you like to talk, Evie?” Ben asked gently. He wasn’t pushing her, simply seeing if she needed help.

  “Thank you. I’ll hold on to the offer if you don’t mind. I’m rather talked out at the moment.” Father Ben and Jackson grimaced as they shared a look. “What?”

  “It’s just that you promised to eat dinner tonight at the Blossom Café,” Jackson reminded her.

  “Yeah, so?”

  Father Ben crossed himself and muttered a prayer of protection.

  “What? What is it?”

  “You’ll find out soon,” Jackson said, looking at it watch. “It’s time for dinner.”

  15

  “I’m sorry, Riley,” Dr. Emma told her as she pulled off her examination gloves. Riley turned to Matt and clasped his hand hard.

  “Is the baby all right?” Riley managed to push the words out through her suddenly tight throat.

  “There’s no cause for concern as far as the baby goes. And there’s no guarantee that preeclampsia will develop later on in your pregnancy, but your blood pressure is elevated. We will need to watch that carefully. Adding to that, the continued spotting means we need to be proactive. I want you to begin cutting back your work hours and reducing any stress you can.” Dr. Emma patted her leg.

  All the thoughts going through her head were not helping the stress situation.

  “What can I do?” Matt asked and Riley saw the helplessness in his face. There was nothing he could do. It was her body that wasn’t handling the pregnancy well. And after all they went through . . . Riley squeezed her eyes shut to stop the tears.

  Please don’t let me lose my baby.

  “You can support your wife. You’ll need to take over all household chores for now. Come in on Friday and see if we can keep your blood pressure in this healthy range. I’m hoping if we can stave this off now, we can prevent preeclampsia from setting in later on in your pregnancy.”

  Riley choked back her tears. Everything snapped into tunnel vision. “Tell me everything I need to do and what not do to save my baby.”

  “I want you to lie on your left side to help with the blood pressure. Drink lots of fluids. Take very light walks. You can meditate or do whatever else it is that you can do to reduce stress,” Dr. Emma explained as she handed some pamphlets to her. “I’m in Keeneston more since I’ve cut my hours back at the hospital. Have Ava, Jace, or me come over to take your blood pressure every day. I’ll talk to them both and we’ll handle this as a team. We got this, Riley. You’re at thirteen weeks. You’re just starting your second trimester. The baby will be changing and growing more quickly now. Every day we can give him or her to develop, the better the chances for normal development.”

  “When can I safely deliver?” Riley asked. Her whole world was focused on this answer.

  “Full term is thirty-seven weeks or after. Preterm is thirty-four to thirty-seven weeks. Moderate preterm is twenty-nine to thirty-three weeks. We don’t want that, but we can survive it with a long NICU stay. I’m hoping to get you to thirty-seven weeks.”

  “When can my baby survive, though?” Riley asked, taking a deep breath. Twenty-four weeks to go. Six months. She could do this.

  “Twenty-two weeks is the approximate point of viability, but Riley, we’re not looking at an early delivery right now. We need to take this one day at a time.”

  Riley drew a deep breath. Okay, at the very minimum she had to make it nine more weeks. Then every day after that would be a step closer to full term.

  “I know this is scary,” Dr. Emma told her. “But do what I told you and know that every day you give your baby is a better chance than the day before. Right now we are preparing for the worst while anticipating the best. Okay?”

  “Okay,” Riley said as everything she had going on over the next six months was running through her head. The main one was that she had to report to the Kentucky State General Assembly so she could represent her district. “Can I go to the café?”

  Emma smiled kindly at her and nodded. “Of course. Just don’t get wound up placing bets. Stretching and short walks are good. So, Matt, park right at the door and let her out before you find a spot.”

  “You got it, Doc.”

  “I’ll see you there soon, right?” Emma asked. “I believe tonight is the night Aniyah sees her family again.”

  “What?” Riley asked suddenly as her husband cringed.

  “Blood pressure, sweetheart. Keep it low.”

  “Sorry,” Emma said, looking between them. “I thought you knew DeAndre found Aniyah’s grandmother, aunt, and a couple of cousins.”

  “You can’t have them meet at the café! That will totally overwhelm Aniyah. She pretends to be tough, but she’s got a soft side.”

  “DeAndre thought it was best for Aniyah to be surrounded by her friends for support,” Matt said gently, trying to keep her calm.

  “We have to go. I have to be by her side for this.”

  “Stay calm, Riley, or I will drag you out of the café myself,” Dr. Emma threatened.

  Riley may have agreed. She didn’t remember as she practically ran from the office.

  Evie kept pace with Jackson as they walked down the sidewalk toward the café. The town of Keeneston was adorable in a throwback way. The historic buildings had been well preserved and it was easy to imagine-horse drawn carriages rattling through those streets in the past.

  “Now,” Jackson said with a hint of worry in his voice, “don’t be overwhelmed by all the questions. They do it to everyone. It doesn’t mean they don’t like you. We are going to get there early because Aniyah, who you haven’t met yet, is going to see her family for the first time in twenty years. It’s a surprise from her fiancé. We’ll get there early and then I may have to leave you to help DeAndre and Aniyah.”

  “Of course. Why hasn’t she seen her family?”

  “According to DeAndre, it’s a long story that’s pretty painful.”

  “That’s so sad,” Evie told him as her thoughts went back to her upbringing. What would it have been like to have a family like Jackson’s? She’d never know. It was taking all she had to stop her stepbrother from killing her. A loving family was just a fantasy.

  Jackson opened the door to the café and the smell of food surrounded Evie. The place went dead quiet as she walked in. “Hey, y’all,” Jackson said in a normal tone but it seemed to echo in
the café. “This is Evie Scott.”

  “Do I know your momma?” a middle-aged woman in pressed khakis and a long-sleeved polo asked.

  “Pam,” a woman with dark hair said with a roll of her eyes, “this is the woman who’s running from a psychotic terrorist who happens to be her stepbrother. She’s from Seattle.”

  “Oh, that’s right. I keep getting all these new people confused. It was one of Trey Everett’s sons with that sweet girl from here I was thinking of.” Pam looked up and shrugged. “So sorry. Does that mean I should put the big steel grill guard on the front of the Hummer? I can mow down a terrorist with the best of them.”

  The woman with dark hair nodded her head. “Might not be a bad idea, sis.” She then stood up and hugged Jackson. “How is my nephew doing?”

  “I’m good, Aunt Morgan. Morgan, this is Evie. Evie, this is my Aunt Morgan and Uncle Miles,” Jackson said as a tall man with salt and pepper hair stood up and held out his hand.

  “Nice to meet you,” his deep voice rumbled. “We’re at your disposal should you need help. I can make it a training activity.”

  “That’s a good idea,” a man said from the nearby table.

  “Evie, this is my Uncle Marshall.” And soon Evie was overwhelmed with uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends.

  “Miss Lily told us what happened to you,” a woman holding an infant said. A very dangerous-looking man hovered over her. “We’re all happy to help in any way. I have plenty of guns or stun guns or even a couple of bombs if you need them.”

  “This is my cousin Sophie and her husband, Nash,” Jackson filled in. “Soph is a weapons developer and Nash is, well, an all-around badass.”

  “Oh, come on, Jackson,” a tall, lean and muscular man in his mid-twenties said. Sitting next to him was an almost identical copy. “We’re badasses too. We may not invade countries, but let’s see Nash ride a bull for eight seconds.”

  “Porter, Parker, how are you two doing?” Jackson asked as he hugged yet more cousins.