Jessica was hesitant to go with them, so Jamie decided to go with her to see the place. She was trying hard to break the tension. She was talking and laughing, and Trevor just listened, nodding his head every once and a while. It made it easier to really put his attention on Jessica.
They stopped in front of a door, and he opened it, waiting for them to go in.
“I hope that this works for you. If you need anything or you would like another room, there are plenty here to choose from. This old ranch house has been in the family for generations, and we are a big family.”
Trevor stopped talking. He was uncomfortable, and even though he was drawn to Jessica, it didn't mean that he knew how to act around her. He was being filled with emotions that he wasn't used to feeling. It was uncomfortable in and of itself.
“Yes, thank you.”
Her eyes met his for just a moment, and they seared into his soul. What in the world was it about this woman?
Jamie said something about leaving Jessica so that she could get refreshed. They had been on the road for many hours, and he showed her where the bathroom was. She had one adjacent to her room, and after showing her where a few toiletries were, Trevor left the room with Jamie.
“I want to thank you again for taking her in.”
He waved her off. “It is no problem. Your husband's been there for me more times than I care to admit. What you are doing here is a good thing, and I just want to help.”
“So, he told you about who is after us?”
Trevor was silent for a moment. “Yes, he told me that it was the Syndicate. I think all of us kind of believed that they were just a fairy tale. I should have known better.”
“Well, considering how far this is away from everything, I would hope that they would not find her here.”
Trevor chuckled. “We certainly are far enough out in the middle of nowhere. Unless they are looking for cows, I doubt anyone is going to be able to find her.”
Jamie smiled. “That's what we're hoping for. Dylan has several people trying to get information about one person in the Syndicate named Dominic. He has ordered several attacks on the clan. As soon as we get rid of the threat, I will be back to pick her up. I don't know where she's going to go, though, since they killed her family. All of them, we think.”
Trevor felt even worse. While he was sitting there having naughty thoughts about the woman, she was going through her own personal hell. It reminded him that he had to straighten up and give her some space. No matter how curious he was about the draw to her, it was going to do him no good. She was dealing with too much at the moment. The last thing she needed was somebody hitting on her.
Chapter Six
Jessica sighed and sat down on the bed when the door closed. She was still in shock that her life had changed so dramatically and so quickly. One moment, she thought she was going home, and the next, she was in the middle of nowhere, in a western city that she had never even heard of. Now she was surrounded by people that were supposed to keep her safe, but she didn’t know any of them.
All of it was a bit much, and her head was spinning with all of the possibilities of how it was going to end. It didn't seem like it was going to end well. Jessica's family was gone. Everyone that she ever knew that shared her DNA was wiped off the face of the Earth. How was Jessica supposed to deal with that? And then there was Trevor. How was she supposed to trust him? She didn't even know him.
Jessica was in the middle of really feeling sorry for herself when she heard a knock on the door. She was starting to prepare herself to greet someone new when the door swung open. She was ready to say something about needing privacy, but then she saw that it was only a girl of about nine or ten. She had dark black hair and green eyes that reminded her immediately of the man that had shown her around. Trevor was the alpha of the clan. She wasn't certain, but she had a pretty good idea that little girl was his daughter.
“Well, hello. My name is Jessica; what's your name?”
The little girl smiled and told Jessica that her name was Emily. It seemed to fit her, and Jessica told her so.
“I bet I can guess who your parents are.”
“Well, my mom is gone. But you can guess who my dad is.”
Jessica was in the midst of feeling sorry for herself about her family and the little girl’s seemingly innocent addition threw her off. How could she say it like that? How old was she? The girl suddenly looked sad, and Jessica wished that she hadn't said anything at all.
“I am sorry to hear about your mother.”
“It's okay. It happened last year. I am not as sad about it as much anymore.”
Jessica just nodded her head. The poor little girl didn't have a mother, and her heart immediately went out to her. The two of them had something in common.
“You know, I found out today that I don't have a mother anymore either.”
The little girl's eyes were wide. “You never had a mother?”
“No, I had a mother before. Everybody does. I just don't anymore.”
The little girl looked down, and when she looked back up, Emily said that she was sorry to hear about Jessica's mother. She said it in such a grown-up way that it just made Jessica even sadder.
“I was going to say that I bet you are Trevor’s daughter.”
Emily smiled. “Do you know my father?”
“I met him a little while ago. He seems like a nice guy. He is being extra nice and letting me stay here.”
“How long are you going to be staying here for? This used to be my playroom.”
“Well, you could always come in here and play if you want to. I hope that I won't have to stay here too long.”
Emily smiled and shook her head. “I hope that you stay here forever.”
There was just something in the way that she had hope in her heart and a little twinkle in her eyes. It really got to Jessica, and she had to look away. What was it that made her so emotional all of a sudden? Maybe it was the bravery of the little girl. While she was going through the same thing, Emily was taking it far better than she was. And it made her realize that she had to keep moving. It was okay to be sad, but it wasn't the time for it.
She waited for Emily to go fetch her dolls and show them to Jessica. She was obviously attached to them and only reluctantly let Jessica hold one for a minute. As soon as that minute was up, though, she was quick to take it back. Her sharing knew limits.
Jessica didn't know what to think of the little girl. She had only met Trevor for a moment, but he did not seem like the doting father type. Knowing what she did about the girl’s mother, Jessica told herself that she would be easy on him. He had been through a lot as well.
There was another knock, and Jamie came in. She was surprised to see the little girl and asked her who she was.
“Can't you guess? Jessica guessed, and she got it right.”
Jamie looked to Jessica, and she just kind of smiled. “This is Trevor’s daughter. She was just in here showing me her dolls.”
The little girl moved her hand enough so that Jamie could see her dolls, but she wouldn't let her hold one. It was silly, of course, but Jessica liked the fact that she had been given the honor. It might not have meant much, but she had a feeling that it meant a lot to the little girl.
“Well, why don't you give us a minute, Emily? I need to speak to Jessica alone, please.”
Emily looked to Jessica for an answer. “It'll just be a minute, and then you can tell me more about your dolls, okay?”
The little girl must have known that she wasn't going to win the argument because she went along with it, but her face made it clear that she was not happy about it.
Once Emily was gone, Jamie asked her how it was going. “I know that we didn't speak all that much on the way up here. I just want to know that you're going to be all right. I'm going to have to leave and try to find the other girl that William brought with you. Her name was Molly, right?”
Jessica agreed. “Yeah, she was nice. Did something happ
en to her and her family as well?”
Jamie looked stricken for a moment, and she swallowed hard. “I sure hope not. I guess I'm not going to know until I get there. I haven't been able to get ahold of her either. She is probably just laying low.”
Jessica could tell that Jamie wasn't so sure, and she was telling her more to convince herself than to convince Jessica of it. Jessica couldn't even be mad at Jamie. The woman was already distressed enough. It was written all over her face.
“I'm really sorry about this. If you need anything, please just give me a call. Trevor is someone that I trust, and my husband trusts him. He won't let anything happen to you.”
It was told to her to make her feel better, but Jessica wasn't so sure about any of it. She wanted more than anything to get some time to herself to think it through. Once Jamie left, she went to the bathroom and took a long bath. When she finished, her new friend was waiting for her.
“You were in there a long time.” Her words were drawn out, and her expression showed her displeasure.
Jessica agreed. “I was. I had a really long ride today, and I needed to wash off the dirt.”
Emily took that as a good enough answer and went to asking questions about where she had come from. That led to how she knew that she didn't have a mother anymore. As much as it hurt Jessica to talk about it, she knew that the little girl was just curious, and she wanted to help her work things out. She was the adult, after all. And it was hard to be upset when such a little girl was so strong about it.
They had been talking for a while when the door suddenly popped open quickly. Trevor had a worried look on his face.
“There you are! I have been looking all over for you. You were supposed to be taking a bath.”
Emily lifted up her wet hair. “I did take a bath. You were on the phone again, so I came in here to talk to Jessica.”
Trevor stood up straight and finally looked at the woman in front of him. It was like he just realized that she was even there at all. His concern had been solely on finding his daughter.
“I am sorry, I didn't know that you were here. I hope that my daughter isn't bothering you too much. She has a tendency to get away from me.”
She insisted that she wasn't being bothered, and Emily asked if she could read her a bedtime story. Jessica noted that her father was not that happy about it, but she couldn't say no to her.
“Of course, I will read one to you, as soon as you finish your bedtime routine.”
Emily was happy to hear that, and Jessica had a feeling that her father was just as unable to say no to her as she was. Emily seemed like a little girl that knew how to get her way.
As they were leaving, he apologized to her again, saying that it wouldn't happen anymore.
Jessica told him that she hoped he was just joking. “Your daughter is a joy to be around. She doesn't bother me at all.”
Trevor didn't say anything else. He had the strangest look in his eyes, but he turned around and walked away. Jessica was left feeling rather weird herself. She got an unsettling vibe off of him and was trying to figure out what it meant.
Confused about her new situation and surroundings, as well as her host, Jessica told herself that she was just going to lay low. She wouldn't be there long, after all. They would find the Syndicate that wanted them all dead, and Jessica would be able to move on with her life.
Whatever life she had left.
Chapter Seven
Jamie rushed back to her office once Jessica was settled because she needed to get some more information about Molly. There was a file there that would have her name and known addresses, as well as where her family lived. It was all general information that Jamie liked to keep on file, but now it was going to mean so much more.
Jamie was so worried about something happening to Molly and her family. It was like a pit in her stomach that would not go away. It just kept growing. She needed to find Molly.
The drive was exhausting, and she couldn't make it all the way back without stopping at a hotel. Dylan was not happy that she was gone. They had never stayed away from each other overnight. It was the first time, and Jamie didn't get much sleep. She wanted to think that it was because of the fact that she was missing her husband, but she knew that it had a lot to do with Molly as well. The guilty side of her was wondering if she had more reason to hate herself. Had she destroyed another life?
Jamie let guilt pretty much take her where she needed to be. It was like a fire consuming her from the inside, and even though she hoped for the best, she knew better than to believe it was actually the case.
When she finally found Molly, she was all upset. Jamie did not have to drive anywhere to find out what had happened to Molly's parents. They were taken care of, just like Jessica's family was. Molly had tried to go home even though she knew the circumstances that took her away from it. Jamie’s biggest nightmare had just come true.
“I am so sorry to hear that, Molly. I can’t imagine what you’re going through.”
“I just don't know who would have done such a thing, Jamie. My parents didn't have any enemies. Everyone loved them.”
Jamie didn’t know what to say. She wanted to tell her that she was sorry, but she didn't want to admit that it was all because of her. That would have just made it all worse, and then she would be able to hear the accusation in her voice. She hated the very idea of it.
She had to say it, though. Jamie knew that she had to take full responsibility for what was going on in Molly’s life. It was her fault, and if it wasn't for her, then both girls would not be in the positions that they were in.
“The man who recruited you, William, he was part of a very bad organization. When we stopped working with him, his boss made some attacks on my family and me. There is another girl. I don't know if you remember her. Her name was Jessica?”
Molly agreed that she remembered her.
“Well, she lost her parents too. They seemed to have attacked you guys in retribution for William. I am so sorry that this happened to you. If there is anything that I can do, please, let me know.”
It all sounded hollow to Jamie. She didn't believe in herself, and knowing that there was nothing she could do about it was probably the worst part of it all. Both women had lost their families because of her. Not just that, they’d lost their childhood homes and any belongings that they’d left behind. They were erased, all because they tried to give their families a better life. There was no way that Jessica was ever going to be able to forgive herself. Jamie felt suffocated with guilt and grief. She didn't know how to fix it.
It became clear that what had worked for Jessica was going to have to be figured out for Molly as well. Considering Trevor’s clan already had one of them, she thought that it would be too much to ask him to take another woman. Jamie was just going to have to find someone to take in Molly for a bit.
She didn't know anybody off the top of her head, so she invited Molly to come stay with her and Dylan for a while. It was going to be a tight fit, but something else would come about and fix the solution. For now, it would work enough to at least help her think that Molly was safe. She couldn't take any more bad news.
Molly was hesitant for a moment, but then agreed.
She shrugged. “I guess that's my best option right now. It's not like I can go home.”
The young woman started to get misty-eyed, and Jamie was starting to suffocate from the guilt of it all. How had everything turned out so badly? Maybe it was true: the road to hell really was paved with good intentions.
Trevor was tucking his daughter into bed, and he asked her why she had gone in to see Jessica.
“She looks like Mom, doesn't she?”
The question threw him off, and he immediately responded with no.
“She doesn't look like your mother, dear. That picture over there looks nothing like Jessica.”
“Well, her hair is the same color. And she feels like Mom did.”
Trevor was floored. He had never heard his daug
hter talk like that before, and it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. It was the exact same feeling that he felt about Jessica. It wasn't something that he could put his finger on. It was just a feeling that he had. She made him feel like anything was possible. Like she was supposed to be there the whole time.
He, of course, had discounted the feelings because it didn't make any sense. How could he now, though, when his own daughter was feeling and confessing such similar things?
“She isn't your mom, Emily. She is a guest that is staying here for a little while, so let's not bother her too much, all right?”
“She likes me. I'm not bothering her. Jessica told you.”
“Of course, she likes you, Emily. Everyone does. Are you sure you don't want me to read to you tonight? We could give her a chance to get to bed early.”
Emily shook her head no, and Trevor tried not to be offended by it. He had been reading to his daughter the same story every single night for well over a year since his wife died. Now, all of a sudden, she did not need his story, and while it should have been a good thing, Trevor realized it wasn't. He realized that maybe he needed that bedtime story just as much as his daughter did.
He gave her a kiss and an extra hug before he went to go get Jessica. What was worse than not being needed for a story time was having to go get his replacement.
Chapter Eight
Trevor was waiting for Jessica as she left the bedroom. He had a strange look on his face, and she handed him the book.
“Does she need me to go back in there?”
Jessica shook her head to the contrary. “No, she actually fell asleep halfway through it. I read a few more pages, but she didn't even get all the way to the end. It looks like she's out like a light. She must be a dream. My sister had a daughter, and she never slept...”
Alpha Shifter Bride Service: (A Paranormal Romance Series) Page 34
