by Theresa Hall
Devon narrowed his eyes in Jackson’s direction, then took control of the conversation. “Jackson will take you to a safe place. You’ll need to hurry. After we get you secured, we’ll explain to you what’s going on. For now, let’s take care of one thing at a time.”
He watched her face while Devon told her the plan. She didn’t flinch. She sat on the edge of the bed listening and nodding. He wasn’t sure if she understood that her life was in real danger, but she was handling it well.
“What about my nieces? I haven’t seen them yet.”
“All right, then. We’re ready. You’ll need to get dressed now,” Devon said. He ignored her question.
She looked around the small space and smiled. “You need to give me some privacy, boys.”
An unexpected heat warmed Jackson’s cheeks. He pulled the curtain around her bed, and he and Devon stepped to the other side. A few minutes later, Allison pulled the curtain back and stood before them wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Even in those casual clothes she looked gorgeous.
“I’m ready.” She grabbed the side of the bed to steady herself.
Jackson looked around the ICU for a wheelchair. He motioned toward the nurses’ station. “Can we get a wheelchair?”
Within seconds, a nurse found them one. They pushed Allison down the hallway toward the exit.
Devon pulled his phone from his pocket. “Jackson, I’ll meet up with you in a little while. I’ll call O’Neil to come pick me up and take me back to the station. I’ve got some business to take care of. Stick to the plan and I’ll see you both in a few hours.” He smiled at Allison. “Make sure you get some rest. We promised the doctors we’d take good care of you.”
She smiled back and Jackson’s stomach tightened.
“Thank you,” she said.
Jackson pushed her into the elevator and leaned against the wall when the doors shut.
She covered her face with her hands.
“Are you all right?” His heart shattered. This poor woman had been through a lot since he’d first met her last night.
She shook her head in denial. He put a hand on her shoulder. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She didn’t answer. The doors opened and he pushed her out of the elevator. She sat with her hands still covering her face. They exited the emergency room doors and headed to his cruiser parked out front. He helped her get in and waved down a nurse who was leaving the hospital.
“Would you mind returning this for me?” He rolled the wheelchair to the sidewalk, not waiting for an answer. He climbed into the car and pulled away. The air inside the car was freezing. As refreshing as it was for him, he was sure it was too cold for her. He cranked up the heater and reached into the back seat. He handed her his heavy coat. She smiled and covered up with it. An awkward silence hung between them. No matter how hard he wracked his brain, he didn’t know what to say to her. What do you say to a woman whose life had been turned upside down in the blink of an eye?
Nothing. That’s what. Just like no one could change the fate of his life that horrible night years ago. No words could make it better.
“I’m sorry, I’m still shaken up,” she finally said. “I don’t know what to say about all of this.”
At least she was as uncomfortable as he was. “You have every right to be upset. You’ve been through a lot the past couple of days.”
She nodded. “It’s not just that. It’s everything. My life is a total mess. And I was so excited about this trip. I still haven’t seen my nieces yet.”
“I’m sorry about that. I’m not good at talking, but I’m pretty good at listening. I mean, if you need to talk or anything.”
She glanced up at the picture of his family on the visor and smiled. “They’re so beautiful.”
His throat tightened. He looked in the rearview mirror and forced himself to ignore her comment. That wasn’t a topic he wanted to discuss.
“How old is she?”
There were a lot of things he hated to talk about, but there was nothing he detested more than having to talk about his daughter. Hope had lived a great life. She’d had experiences. She was a wife and a mother. But Natalie hadn’t had a chance to live at all. In her short life she’d been a pure joy. The pain of losing her and the child Hope was carrying never left him.
He swallowed. “Three.”
“She’s precious. I love kids.”
“She’s dead.”
He heard the gasp when his brutal words hit her. His stomach knotted at what he’d done. What kind of jerk was he? Who in their right mind said things like that? Maybe Devon was right about him. Somewhere along the way he’d forgotten how to be empathetic to people. He watched her turn and stare out the window. She wrapped her arms around her waist as they rode on in silence. He’d said enough. Fearful of hurting her more, he left her alone to assume the worst of him. Nothing he could say would fix what he’d done. The least he could do was apologize.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so rude.”
She didn’t look at him, and he didn’t blame her. She stared out the window, helplessly trapped in a car with an ogre. The urge to grab her and pull her to him shocked him. He didn’t know where the feelings were coming from, but they were there. Raw and unpredictable. And real. Instead, he said the only thing he could to make it right.
“Her name was Natalie. My wife’s name was Hope.”
She turned to look at the picture again. He could see it in her eyes. Pity that he’d gone through so much pain. He hated that look, but he’d come to realize it was all anyone could give him. And they always felt like they had to give him something to make up for his loss.
“Your wife was beautiful.”
A lump lodged in his throat. In that moment, he felt compassion for her. Tact wasn’t his forte, so he culled his words carefully. He didn’t want to be as cruel as he’d been minutes earlier, so he spared her the truth.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
“I was engaged once. It didn’t quite work out.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” He glanced over at her. It didn’t make sense to him how anyone would let a woman like her get away.
She shook her head. “He wasn’t good for me. It was a bad situation.”
He knew better than ask, but as much as he tried to stop himself, he wanted to know more about her. “What happened?”
“I guess I refused to see who he really was until it was too late. I’ve learned to move on and get past it. I have faith that God will send me the right man when it’s time. But I do have scars from it.”
He stopped at a red light and turned to face her. Regret flowed over him for asking her to talk about it. Unlike him, she was being kind about it.
She pointed ahead. “The light is green.”
After all she’d been through, her faith still seemed strong. Maybe Devon was right. He had been wallowing in self-pity for far too long. Then again, Devon had his wife and kids waiting for him at home. Devon didn’t know the first thing about moving on.
He drove through the light wondering how long they would have to keep her in a safe house. As soon as this ordeal was over, he would take her to see her nieces.
“Where does your sister live?
“Sheldon Lane.”
“Sheldon Lane, huh? That’s a pretty nice neighborhood.”
“Yeah, Scott has a really good job. Maddie doesn’t have to work, but she loves teaching. She says she’ll keep doing it as long as she enjoys it.”
“She’s a good teacher. My nephew loves her.”
“She’s amazing with kids. Actually, she is amazing all around. I don’t know what I would’ve done without her. Do you have brothers and sisters around here?”
He smiled. He didn’t mind talking about his brothers and the rest of his family. “Yes, I have four brothers, no sisters.
My mom was a tough lady when we were growing up. She was hard as nails on us. My dad was in the army, which meant he was hard on us, too. We moved around a lot when we were kids, and my mom raised us alone during his deployments. Now we all live within fifty miles of each other. When you move around like we did, you realize that family is all you’ve got. We learned how to stick together.”
“That’s amazing. Wow, five boys. Did you fight a lot?”
He laughed. “We did. About everything.”
“I like your laugh.”
He could feel the heat rising from his neck. They both rode in silence for the next few minutes. Not a single woman since Hope had made his cheeks flush. Irritated with his own thoughts, he broke the awkward silence.
“Is it just you and your sister?”
“We had a brother, too.”
“What do you mean?”
“He was older than us.” She turned and looked out the window. “He died when he was thirteen. It was an ATV accident. He was at a friend’s house when it happened. My parents never got over it, but they forgave the other kid’s parents for not supervising them. I’m sure you know...” She let her words linger.
He knew what she was going to say. He knew exactly how her parents felt. “I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry.” As much as he hated those words when spoken to him, it was all he had to offer her. “How did you and your family get through it? I’m sure it was hard on you being a kid and all.”
“With God. I grew up in church. Our church family stepped in and helped us out a lot. People brought meals, mowed our lawn and helped my parents plan the funeral. I remember Maddie sitting with me at night. She used to sit on the edge of my bed and pray with me. The only answer I can give you is that God carried us through it.”
Jackson frowned. That’s where he would let the conversation end. He was raised in church, too, but when God allowed Hope, Natalie, and his unborn son to die, that’s when he and God had parted ways. What kind of God let something like that happen? He’d arrested criminals who’d abused their wives, girlfriends and children, but they still had their families.
And he didn’t.
God hadn’t done him any personal favors lately, but Jackson was glad He’d helped Allison through her loss. She was a sweet girl who’d been through way too much.
“I can tell you have doubts about what I just said.” Her tone was gentle but accusatory.
He started to say something but closed his mouth. She’d almost read his mind, but this was one conversation he wasn’t going to have today. Or ever.
* * *
It wasn’t as if she blamed him for doubting God’s love and mercy. The amount of pain in his life was more than some people would ever know.
She turned back to him. “I’m not trying to tell you how to feel. I hope that’s not what it sounds like.”
He nodded. “No hard feelings. Besides, I owe you an apology. I’m not being very honest with you about myself. I don’t know why I’m even talking to you about this, because I don’t ever talk about it. My wife and my daughter are both gone. Killed in a car accident on the highway about five years ago.”
Her heart shattered. She recalled the two beautiful faces in the picture, and tears burned her eyes. Saying she was sorry seemed trite and unnecessary. This man had been through a tremendous amount of pain and still gave his life to serving others. She watched him rake a hand though his hair and pretend to check his rearview mirror to avoid making eye contact with her.
“Thank you for telling me. I promise not to make you talk about it ever again. Unless you want to, and then I’ll only listen.”
“Not many people afford me that luxury. Most people try to make me talk about it.”
“I know what you mean. When my fiancé and I broke up, people thought it was their right to know what happened. Which is why I feel bad for asking you so many questions that are none of my business.”
She reached out to touch his forearm. He flinched and turned to face her. Her hand froze in midair inches away from his arm. She pulled back.
“How about we start over?” she asked.
His body relaxed and he nodded. “I can agree to that.”
Jackson’s cell phone rang. Allison watched as he answered.
“Archer.”
Her heart pounded as she saw his expression turn serious. He hung up after a few seconds and smiled at her.
Relief rushed through her body. “Everything okay?”
“Oh, yeah.” He shrugged a shoulder. “Nothing’s changed.”
They rode the next few miles in silence until his phone rang again. With the phone clenched to his face, he scanned the road, turning to look in all directions.
“Got it.” He threw the phone onto the seat.
Allison’s heart raced. She wanted to go back home to Houston and start the whole weekend over. She wanted out of this nightmare.
Jackson glanced in the rearview mirror every few seconds.
“What’s wrong? Please don’t tell me it’s nothing. I can see that it’s serious by the way you’re acting. What was that call about?”
He opened his mouth, then shut it.
“Who was that on the phone? Was it Devon?”
Jackson let out a short breath.
“Yes. Now stay down and keep your face away from the window.”
SIX
Jackson winced at the crass sound of his words. He intentionally changed his tone. “Stay calm and listen.” He glanced in the side mirror, then back at her. He noticed tears on her cheeks. “Hey, are you all right?”
“Yes,” she whispered on a ragged breath. “Just disappointed. I came all this way to see my family and now this is happening.”
He touched her arm. “I’m only trying to keep you safe.” He moved his hand and fixed his attention back to the road.
“What about Maddie and her family? Are they safe?”
He nodded. “They’re safe. I promise when this is all over, I’ll get you to see those nieces of yours.”
“There’s something you and Detective Sparks aren’t telling me. Don’t you think I have the right to know what’s going on?”
The truth was that she’d stumbled onto something dangerous. Someone was out to get her for what she’d seen. Allison was right. She deserved some answers, but he wasn’t being told everything, either. It was impossible to give her the answers she needed.
“Sergeant Archer, I want to know everything. Please.”
He nodded. “I’m taking you to a safe house, but I can’t tell you where we’re going. We’re doing this because we have reason to believe you’re in real danger. You understand that you saw something you shouldn’t have seen, right? We’re still learning about this case, so that’s all I can tell you for now. They’re not telling me everything, either. Don’t feel like you’re the only one in the dark about the details.”
“I think it’s time for me to get out of this town. I’m going back home to Houston, or maybe I’ll visit my parents in New Mexico. If you can help me get a rental car tomorrow, I’ll be out of here and this whole thing will be over.”
The retort wasn’t expected. His head whipped around to face her. “Absolutely not.”
She shot him a look that said she wasn’t backing down.
“Why not?”
“You’d be dead by sundown.”
* * *
She inhaled to make up for the air that his words had knocked out of her. This wasn’t making any sense.
“Why would you say that?”
“Because it’s true.”
“You’re not telling me everything. What is so terrible that I can’t know? It’s my life that’s in danger. Don’t you think you owe it to me? I deserve the truth. I get that I witnessed something bad, but what I want to know is why someone wants me dead? I’m a nobody. I’m no threat to anyone.”
She crossed her arms. “I don’t care what you say. I’m leaving tomorrow.”
The lines of his jaw tightened. She’d hit a nerve. He opened his mouth to reply and stopped when his cell phone rang again. He glared at her as he picked it up and tapped it on. “Go ahead.”
Allison stayed quiet, straining to make out the voice on the line, but she couldn’t decipher the words. She laid her head back on the seat and closed her eyes. Anger and fear seethed in her chest. She needed to relax and think rationally.
Dear God, please keep me safe. Help me figure out what to do.
The clean scent of his car air freshener filled her senses as she forced herself to remain calm. She kept her eyes closed as he continued to talk. The smell of his woodsy cologne mingled with the air freshener.
Tears burned her eyes, and she dared them not to fall. She wasn’t about to start crying in front of him. It wasn’t like this was the first bad thing that had ever happened to her. She’d always considered herself a strong woman, but getting shot at and poisoned was putting her resilience to the test.
Jackson put his phone on the seat and let out a long sigh. His shoulders slumped, and for a minute she thought he looked defeated.
“What is it?” she asked. She dreaded his answer.
“Nothing.” He straightened up in the seat and smiled.
His tone didn’t convince her. “I’m sorry I’m acting so short with you. I know you’re only doing your job, but I feel so helpless.”
He looked at her with those intense viridescent eyes. “I know. Don’t worry about it.”
She turned toward the window to hide her face from him. “Why this is happening to me? It’s not as if my life was in a great place or anything, but things were going well. I love my job, but how can I be sure I’ll have one when I go home? Avery has always been good to me. Maybe he will understand after I explain everything.” She sighed. “I want my old life back. I was finally in a good place after dealing with my ex. I was picking myself up and moving on. My life was better than I’d realized.”
