Jackson
J ackson sat on the bed in his hotel room and reread the text from his Captain. He took a leave of absence and walked away from everything and everyone to keep Travis and Emily safe. His Captain agreed that it was a good idea to get out of town for a bit. His boss was worried that some of the guys in his new department were loyal to Logan Cross. Without knowing who to trust, he realized that he was a liability to not only everyone in his precinct but also to the two people that he had fallen in love with.
When he left Em and Travis that last morning that they spent together, he didn’t plan on leaving town and disappearing without a word. got into work and found that his boss was worried about not being able to protect everyone, including Jack’s new partner. Everyone that was around him had a target on their back and he was the one that put it there. He had received another death threat; this time it was phoned into the captain’s office, and he decided to put Jack on leave until the whole mess could be cleaned up. chose to leave town and walk away from Travis and Emily. It gutted him knowing that he might never see either of them again, but he knew that they had each other.
He had moved around following leads that might help them find where Cross was hiding. He had been to fourteen states and even spent a few days in Mexico, and he was beginning to feel like he was being led on a wild goose chase.
Cross had sent him threatening messages almost daily, telling him that if he stepped foot back in town, he’d kill Emily and Travis. But today’s message nearly sent him over the edge. When he opened the picture that accompanied the nasty text message he saw Travis holding Emily, standing next to his pickup truck. He could tell that Em had been crying and from the looks of it, Travis was trying to calm her. It made him sick to his stomach that someone could get close enough to either of them to take the picture that was now on his phone. But seeing the two of them did crazy things to his heart.
He worked daily to try to put them both out of his mind and concentrate on finding Cross. He knew that they might not welcome him home with open arms. Jack was hoping that someday he’d be able to at least see them again to tell them how sorry he was. It killed him that he had to leave them and a part of him secretly hoped that they would find some way to forgive him.
clicked on the picture, expanding it to get a closer look and maybe find some clue to tell him where it had been taken. There was no guarantee that Cross was the one to take the picture. It could have been one of his lackeys from town. He didn’t find any clues to tell him where Travis and Em were in the picture. Still, he forwarded the latest message to his boss keeping him in the loop.
His phone rang just after he sent the message and he answered to his Captain’s growl, “Fuck, Saint. They are still stalking your friends.” sighed, hating the way his boss referred to Travis and Em as his friends. They were both so much more. Well, at least he hoped that they were still more to him.
“Hey, boss, good to hear from you too.” knew that he sounded like a smartass, but he was tired and alone and ready to be able to go home.
“Listen, Saint, we have an idea that Cross was working for someone else besides his cop friends. This is bigger than just you and we’re afraid that your girl might be involved.” That was the first time his Captain had referred to Emily as his girl and his heart did a little flip-flop. “What do you know about her father?” Jack felt like laughing but he thought better of it.
“Well, I know that he fucking hates Travis and me for being with his daughter. The few days that we stayed at her parent’s house, he called her every day and all but ordered her to send us packing.” Jack remembered the way that Emily would get so angry with her father, even stomping her adorable little foot. The memory made him smile.
“How about before Sharp’s place was vandalized, did you know her father then?” was trying to figure out where his boss was going with these questions. He couldn’t think that Em’s dad was the one that tore Travis’s apartment apart, he wasn’t even in town, and he’d certainly never get his own hands dirty.
“I don’t think I’m following, Captain. Why do you want to know about Emily’s father?” His boss heaved out a sigh and Jack almost regretted asking the question.
“We pulled in one of Cross’ buddies for questioning yesterday and he slipped up and mentioned the fact that Cross was working for someone else, someone powerful. He wasn’t sure who and maybe he wouldn’t say if he did know but he said that the guy who contacted Cross had a grudge against not just you but also Sharp.”
“Fuck,” barked. He was starting to put the puzzle together and he didn’t like the picture he was seeing. “You think Em’s dad hired Cross to come after Travis and me to keep us away from his daughter?”
“I hate to say it Saint but yeah. I’ve done some digging and this guy has resources and reach. He would probably do a background check on his little girl’s new love interests. Sharp is clean but he’d easily find the paperwork that you filed against Cross. Mr. Jude is a shrewd businessman. He’d see the opportunity to pin all the ugly accusations on Cross and get the job done, separating you from his little girl. Hell, if my hunch is correct he’s already done a damn good job of it.” cursed under his breath again.
His Captain was right if Em’s dad wanted to get Travis and him out of the picture, he was already halfway there. That meant that he’d be going after Travis and that thought stopped Jack cold. He just spent the longest two months of his life separated from the two people that he wanted to be with most. Now, all his lonely nights would be for nothing because if they got to Travis he’d lose everything. From the picture that he was sent someone already had eyes on Travis and Emily and would be able to easily take them both down.
“I’m coming back. I’m about a day’s drive away, I’ll drive all night and be there by morning.” Jack didn’t give his Captain time to argue, he ended the call and packed his meager belongings into his duffle bag. He was going home, and he’d do whatever it took to keep Emily and Travis safe and get them both back, even if that meant groveling. He was ready to take back what was his and this time he wouldn’t let anyone stand in his way.