I sit in a chair in front of his desk while he’s at his computer, typing away.
“I’m sorry you had to come in with me. I just need a few more minutes to finish up. I didn’t want you waiting at the café for me.” He looks up from the computer, his eyes meeting mine.
“It’s really okay. I don’t mind, and I should be thanking you for everything,” I say with sincerity in my voice.
His eyes never leave mine as he speaks. “You don’t have to thank me. I want to do it. I want you here, and I want you safe. I’ll do whatever I have to do to make that happen.”
I feel the truth of his words in my bones, and it warms me from inside out. I only nod in response as I stand to get a better look at the pictures on the wall. I need a change of subject.
He’s so handsome in his full uniform. Baby-faced Jack stares back at me. He doesn’t look any older than twenty-one.
“That’s a picture of my graduation from the academy. It was one of the best days of my life. I was twenty-one,” he says, confirming my thoughts.
“You look so dashing. I like the look of you in uniform. Maybe one day you can show me in person.” I glance back over my shoulder with heat in my eyes, biting my lower lip.
He returns the look tenfold. “That would be my pleasure.”
“Hey, Jack. Do you think you can look at this for me really quick?” A blonde uniformed man in his thirties enters the room. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize you had someone in here.”
“That’s okay, Luke. This is Andi. Andi, this is Luke. He’s a patrol cop.”
When I move to shake Luke’s hand, he stares at my face like he’s trying to place me.
Oh, fuck. Andrea, it was stupid for you to come in here.
What if one of them recognizes me from the news! I suddenly dip my head so my hair falls into my face a bit, mumbling a quick, “Nice to meet you,” before pulling my hand back. I quickly turn back to the wall, pretending to stare intently at the pictures.
Jack seems to pick up on my unease, and he turns toward Luke. “Let’s take a walk.”
I watch from my peripheral as they walk into the hall. I release a relieved breath as Luke leaves. We need to be more careful. I probably shouldn’t even be up front at the café.
How could I be so stupid? We’resoclose to bringing him down. If someone discovers who I am before we can pull off our plan, it would all go to shit. I would be summoned back to Sacramento and probably in a media shit storm before we could get what we need so Christopher never sees the light of day again.
Jack comes back in and closes his door behind him. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
He comes up behind me, and I turn to face him. “He was staring at me like he was trying to place me. I think he recognized me from the news!” I whisper-yell.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay. I trust Luke, but even if he did recognize you, I won’t let anything happen to you,” he says with so much conviction in his voice it makes me ache.
“We just need to make it to Saturday, and then all of this is over. I don’t want to risk someone outing me before we can get that asshole.”
I sag into his arms as exhaustion hits me all at once. No matter how much I don’t want him to, Christopher is still dictating my life. How I live, how I feel, and where I go.
Anger wells in my chest and throat, threatening to choke me. I push away from Jack and pace the room. I run my hands through my hair and tug with frustration.
“Come here, Andrea.”
I stop dead in my tracks at his use of my real name. I cross my arms and stand there, staring at Jack. Too angry and too tired to move.
“Fine, I’ll come to you.” He moves across the room to stand in front of me. He reaches out and pulls me into him. “No matter how much I hate a man I’ve never met, I’m also thankful for him.”
I blink up at him, confused as to how he could say he’s thankful for a man who has done so many evil things. I start to protest and push away.
“Listen to me. I’m thankful because, without him, you wouldn’t be here. You wouldn’t have run. You wouldn’t have boarded a train with no destination in mind. And you wouldn’t be standing in front of me right now. This doesn’t mean I don’t despise what he’s done to you or that I won’t do everything in my power to make him pay for it. But without him, you wouldn’t be here, and baby, I don’t want to know a life without you in it.”
He steals my breath in that moment. My words, my thoughts, and my heart all still. Any delusion I had of this man not owning my heart go out the window. I’m his.
I wrap my hands around his neck, going up on my tiptoes to reach his mouth. “When you put it like that… I guess I forgive you for saying that.”
