by Lee Rose
Lincoln looked regretful at his outburst. His voice softened slightly, but his expression stayed the same. “So Jagger wants you to pay your dad’s debt? Ten thousand dollars?”
Jessy nodded silently. She wasn’t going to tell him about how Jagger attacked her. He’d accuse her of lying. She wasn’t about to rehash the horrible memory only to be called a liar.
The sheriff asked for Jagger’s last name but Jessy didn’t know it. She gave him a brief description. “He had a man with him who didn’t speak but he looked just as mean. His name was Carlos. If you spoke to the New York police, you just led him to your town and to us.” Jessy kept her eyes on the sheriff. It hurt to look at Lincoln and his suspicion. “It’s best we leave right away.”
Lily agreed. “He will not only kill us, but anyone who gets in his way. We can’t prove it but I am sure he killed our father when he couldn’t pay. We owned nothing of value. Our father pawned anything he could get his hands on.”
“Running solves nothing,” Abel told them.
“It will keep us alive,” Jessy said tiredly. If it was just her she would face Jagger once and for all, but she was protecting her sister. She looked at Lily. “Unless you run alone, Lily. I will stay here and face Jagger once and for all. I’m tired of being scared all the time.”
“No,” Lily protested with tears in her eyes. “He will finish what he started in New York.”
“What was that?” Lincoln wanted to know. Jessy refused to look at him. He hurt her and she refused to allow him to hurt her more. She sat stubbornly, refusing to answer and twisting her fingers together nervously.
“Jagger tried to rape my sister. He’s an awful man,” Lily confessed, tearfully rubbing her arms as if cold.
Jessy wanted to stop her from talking about it but maybe it was better for Lily to get it out in the open. She just wished it wasn’t in front of Abel and Lincoln. “I wasn’t supposed to be home but I got off of work early. I heard Jessy scream and ran into her room. Jagger was hitting her and tearing her shirt off. I was terrified, he is a huge man. I knew I couldn’t tear him off of her. I hit him with a lamp and knocked him out. We threw stuff in a bag and left town.”
“Why Brook Hollow?” the sheriff asked curiously. He seemed to calm down some.
“We traveled for days with no destination in mind. Then we stopped to eat and rest here in Brook Hollow. We felt safe,” Jessy admitted. It sounded so naïve, even to her ears. Nowhere was safe. She would have to face her problems head-on or she’d be more like her dad than she ever wanted to be. “Jagger has cops on his payroll. He will find us and he will come for us. Be prepared, Sheriff.”
* * * *
Lincoln could hear his own heart beating like a thundering locomotive. Jessy’s ominous words filled the room with tension. He had been so angry when his brother called him into his office looking furious. Lincoln had been in an upbeat good mood thinking of Jessy and feeling hopeful they could have something special together. He saw the desire in her eyes, she wasn’t very good at hiding it.
Abel had burst his bubble with his report on the Simmons sisters. Knowing she lied made him angry, but worse than anger, it hurt him. His heart ached from the pain and he didn’t like it one bit, making him lash out at her. Now hearing her story and what she went through, he felt like a low life for hurting Jessy and calling her a liar. She didn’t even try to hide the pain in her eyes.
“You can’t leave town, Jessy,” he blurted out. Both women looked at him, along with his brother. His brother leaned back in his chair waiting for Lincoln to speak. He knew how much Lincoln liked Jessy, but he wasn’t speaking up and begging the girls to stay. This was all Abel’s fault for being so damn suspicious. The words he really wanted to say stuck in his throat. Instead, he remained focus on thinking like a law enforcement agent. He messed up constantly when it came to anything personal. “We can protect you. It’s our job to protect the citizens of this town.”
Jessy sniffed and turned her head away from him, as if not impressed with his words. She looked at Abel. “Jagger is a dangerous man, Sheriff. Please don’t underestimate him.”
“I’ll have a file put together on him by tonight.” Abel went back into sheriff mode. “If he shows up in my town, he will be sorry. We may be a small force but my men are well trained.”
“He won’t come alone,” Jessy warned. Lincoln wanted to grab her off the chair and hold her tight. Damn it, he hated apologizing but he knew he had to.
“I have to go to work tonight.” She stood up without even glancing at him. He was just gathering his thoughts to reach out to her and she was practically running out of the office.
“I need the tips in case we leave town. Unless we’re under arrest?” She kept her eyes on his brother.
Lincoln almost said yes. He’d throw her ass in jail without a thought if it meant she stuck around and was safe. Before he could shout yes, Abel spoke up. “Of course not. I hope you stick around. Sorry for causing this, girls. It would have been wiser to just come and talk to me from the beginning. I would have helped you.”
They apologized again and left the room. Abel looked at him. Lincoln sat down, feeling his legs shaking. Now that his temper was cooling, he regretted not being kinder to Jessy but he had been taken aback by his brother’s report on the girls. All kinds of thoughts went through his head, and it was hard to think logically when his emotions were in turmoil. He was a hard man but he wanted to be different for Jessy. He wanted to be sweet and gentle, but he wasn’t sure he knew how.
“Shit. I feel bad now. I admit I thought the worse of those two,” Abel said, running his hands through his shaggy hair.
“We would never have known the truth if you hadn’t been such a nosey bastard.” Lincoln snorted. He still felt angry that Jessy had not been honest with him. It wasn’t a logical thought, but it was still there in his head. She felt like she couldn’t trust anyone and he hadn’t exactly been nice to her until recently.
“I was trying to protect you.” Abel sighed. “You never take much of an interest in those bimbos you go out with. Jessy seemed like the real deal.”
“Not everyone is Lydia Abel,” Lincoln reminded him sadly. Lincoln had also been affected by Lydia. Watching the older brother he always admired fall apart emotionally had hardened his heart, too. No woman would ever make a fool of him, he told himself. Part of him had been worried Jessy was trying to do just that, but now he knew different. She was fighting for her and her sister’s life.
“I have a hard time remembering that, little brother,” Abel said sadly. Lydia had moved here from California a few years ago. Abel had been younger and idealistic. Lydia’s aunt and uncle lived in town. She had lied to Abel from day one. She set her eyes on him because of his job as sheriff. He had been newly elected at that time and basking in the glory of his new position. She seduced him and tried to pin a pregnancy on him. Abel had believed her and offered to marry her. His parents had not been happy, but with a child on the way they stayed quiet. Abel didn’t love Lydia but he did his best to make her happy. She had been demanding, constantly spending his money and causing huge fights. Finally, the true father of the baby showed up and Abel’s heart broke. Lincoln knew it wasn’t Lydia he missed, but the thought of having a child.
Abel rubbed his face with his hands. “Jessy is scared but she is not devious. If they leave this guy will just follow them. Here, we can protect them.”
Lincoln nodded, knowing he had to face Jessy. “I’ll go talk to her.”
“Good luck.” Abel picked up the phone, looking ready to fight this man after the girls.
Lincoln walked out of the station and back into the bright sunlight. How in the hell was he going to fix this mess with Jessy? Did he want to? They weren’t even intimate yet, and already she was bringing chaos into his orderly world.
Chapter Eight
Lincoln headed into the boutique where his sister worked. He had promised her lunch today. He was still in a rotten mood from his argument with Jessy
yesterday. She had politely accepted his apology but told him it was better they were not friends. She slammed the front door in his face, shocking the hell out of him. He honestly thought a simple apology would take them back to the day they had lunch.
He entered into the cool air of the store. Lily looked up from the register. Normally, she was friendly and sweet, but today she glared at him with hatred. He couldn’t blame her. He had been harsh on Jessy the day in his brother’s office. He had been so confused and hurt that she lied about something as basic as her name. Maybe he had thought for a moment she was like Lydia.
“Melanie is in the back. She’ll be right out,” she said coolly, barely holding eye contact.
Lily had dark circles under her eyes and it was obvious she too had a rough night. He stood there anxiously waiting for his sister to hurry up. Finally, he had to know. “Is Jessy working tonight? We still never found your peeping tom.”
“She told me you and your brother thought I was lying.” Lily looked hurt and not angry. He knew their life had been harsh even before this Jagger character showed up in. “Why would anyone make that shit up?”
“I’m sorry I said that. I was upset.” He tripped over his words. He hated apologizing, but he had been in the wrong saying that.
“And my sister wasn’t?” Lily snapped back at him. Her cheeks were red. “She likes you and you disappointed her. Men are untrustworthy. As soon as hard times hit, they turn their backs on you. I don’t know why I thought you were any different.”
He hated that he added to her bitter view of men. Her father certainly had been no father of the year type. He didn’t know if Lily or Jessy had boyfriends in their background. He wanted to be someone Jessy, and even Lily, could depend on. He spent so much time and energy resisting the pull Jessy had on him. They could have started off as friends and maybe she would have confided in him.
Melanie came out of the back room and eyed both of them cautiously. The tension in the air was thick. “You okay, Lily?”
Lily nodded but didn’t speak. She turned away from him to fix some necklaces on the glass counter that already looked neat. “I’m fine, Mel.”
“Not all men are unreliable. My brother Abel will defend you from this asshole messing with you and Jessy. Lincoln will help, too. Right, Lincoln?” Melanie touched Lily’s arm, proving she had overheard some of their conversation.
Abel and Lincoln had not told Melanie anything of what happened in their office. Lily must have confided in Melanie. Jessy had no friends to lean on or talk things out with. He offered her his friendship, but he had done nothing friendly. Instead, he eyed her with suspicion. He was consumed with guilt.
His sister looked at him with such trust in her eyes and it sent a pain through his chest. Melanie and Lily were the same age, yet Lily had been through so much horror, while Melanie had been protected and sheltered. And Jessy was just a few years older yet she had been left owing her dad’s debt and attacked over it. It wasn’t fair.
“Of course I will. It’s my job,” he stated firmly and honestly. He would protect them no matter what. He didn’t want Jessy to leave town. He wanted her here forever, even if she never forgave him.
Lily clearly didn’t believe a word he said but she stayed silent in front of his sister.
He smiled at Melanie. “Ready?”
Melanie grabbed her purse and followed him out of the store.
“Lily told me some of her life story and it made me cry. I am lucky to have Daddy, you, and Abel always in my business. I see that now,” Melanie said quietly as they walked down the sidewalk. “Lily and her sister had not one person to lean on. Her dad should have been the one they could go to for help, and he was the one who caused all this mess. It’s not fair for you to blame Jessy.”
It was lunchtime and very busy. He kept his hands in his pockets and his gaze down on the sidewalk. He didn’t feel like stopping and talking to people he knew. His heart was a mess right now.
“I know.” He had to agree. “Lily is right. I messed up with Jessy. I have feelings for her but she will never believe me now.”
He more than liked her, he cared about her. He felt protective and possessive about her. What had he done?
“Are you going to fix it?” Melanie sounded sad now.
Lincoln’s heart felt heavy with guilt and doubt. “I don’t know if I can. They are determined to leave and protect this town from some very bad guys.”
“The brothers I know aren’t afraid of a fight,” Melanie said with confidence. Lincoln pondered on his sister’s words all day. It was time for him to prove those words to be true.
* * * *
Jessy sat in the living room feeling blue. The house was too quiet but she didn’t feel like watching TV. She was exhausted, but unable to sleep. She had worked a full shift at the bar last night but had dreamt of the night Jagger had tried to rape her. She remembered how weak she felt trying to fight him off as he slapped her and tore at her clothes. She had yelled and screamed her head off, hoping one of her neighbors would hear and call the police. She had just given up hope when Lily came home and saved her. Lily had been hysterical, thinking she killed Jagger, but Jessy checked his pulse. He was alive. Jessy shook off the bad memories. She never wanted to face Jagger again.
Lily was out to dinner with Amy and Melanie. She encouraged her sister to have fun with her friends. Jessy didn’t want to drag Lily back out on the open road to some unknown destination, only to start over again. It wasn’t fair. Truthfully, Jessy wanted to stay in Brook Hollow, too. She’d be lying if she didn’t admit, at least to herself, that she cared about Lincoln. He had apologized and she was tempted to give in but she had to stay hard. She didn’t need her heart broken into any more pieces. Her dreams always seemed to shatter. Maybe it was better to have none. Disappointment sucked.
Jessy felt restless and decided to go wash dishes. She turned the kitchen light on and headed toward the sink. She looked up and into the face of a hooded stranger. Their eyes connected and she wasn’t sure who was more shocked, her or her peeping tom. She screamed bloody murder. Her legs refused to move and she stood frozen to the spot for a good sixty seconds.
Then she realized her cell phone was back on the couch next to where she had been sitting. She forced her body to move and ran to the living room. She dialed 911 with shaky fingers.
“This is Brook Hollow Police. How may I help you?” a female voice answered calmly.
Jessy had to clear her throat twice to force her voice to cooperate. She stated her address. “Someone is outside my window.”
“Police are on their way, ma’am,” the calm voice advised.
Jessy threw the phone on the couch, feeling cold all the way inside to her soul. She sat rocking herself on the couch. They better not accuse her of making this up. She was scared shitless, even though she knew it wasn’t Jagger. The face had been thin and Jagger was a huge mountain of a man.
Once she heard the sirens and saw the flashing lights, she got up and headed for the front door. She heard car doors slam so she unlocked her front door and opened it wide, ready to run in to the safety of whoever came.
“Jessy!” Lincoln yelled her name as he took the porch steps two at a time, looking just as scared as she felt. His big arms wrapped around her body and she felt her knees give out and her body sag with relief. He picked her up and carried her to the couch. He placed her down gently as a piece of fragile glass. She looked at him but her vision was blurry from the many tears filling up her eyes.
“I swear I am not lying. Someone was at my window,” she cried, willing him to believe her.
Abel came running in, gun drawn and looking around wildly. His hair looked windblown and messy. “What happened?”
“The guy was back at her window,” Lincoln muttered. He moved her hair out of her face. Why did she always look like a hot mess when he came by, she thought hysterically. “Was it Jagger?”
She shook her head in denial. The air felt caught in her throat but she
forced herself to speak. “Jagger is over six feet tall and heavy set. This guy was thin.”
She rubbed her arms, feeling cold as ice. How much more stress could she handle before she broke? Already, she felt like crying her heart out. She was tired of putting a brave face on for Lily or anyone else. She was tired and wanted someone to lean on just once. Her burdens felt heavy.
Sam came in the door with a struggling figure dressed in dark clothes. His face was covered by the thick hood of his sweatshirt. Jessy put her hand over her mouth so she wouldn’t scream. Lincoln immediately sheltered her with his large body.
She heard Lincoln curse loudly. He called the stalker every bad name she had thought in her head. Jessy knew she should push him away, but this could be the last time she felt his arms around her. She could hold this memory for future lonely nights.
Abel walked up to the man and pushed the hood off of his face. “Know this guy, Jessy?”
Jessy looked at him getting the shock of her life, and that was saying a lot. “Mike?”
Mike looked paler than usual and scared. His usually neatly combed hair was all tussled.
“You know him?” Lincoln moved as if to get up and knock the daylights out of this guy. She hung on to his arm with a death grip.
“We work together,” she whispered feeling blown away by him standing in front of her under these circumstances. “Why, Mike? You scared the hell out of me and my sister?”
His eyes went directly to the floor and he stopped struggling with Sam. “I didn’t mean to, Jessy.”
He looked up at her with regret. “I like you a lot.”
“So you spy on her and scare her to death?” Lincoln’s teeth were clenched and his body tense. Jessy ran her hand across his back in a soothing matter. She didn’t want Lincoln getting physical with Mike. She was surprised, but not scared. There had to be some kind of explanation. She could have sworn Mike was a genuinely nice guy.
