Chapter Thirty-Three
Dan
We drive by Jenny’s place slowly.
“Her rod isn’t here,” Dirk says, pulling up to a gate.
“That doesn’t mean shit,” Raffe responds, getting out. He starts picking the lock. “Remind me to have Jackson make me a copy of the key to this damn thing. I need to be able to get a vehicle in here. Fuck!”
He’s getting frustrated, and I can’t blame the man. His other half is on the other side of a locked gate. If I were him, I’d be driving my truck right through the damn thing.
“I knew Jenny was trying to get rid of me. I should never have left,” he continues.
Thank god the lock clicks open without too much of a fight. The man is about to lose his fool head.
The three of us remain quiet as we head up the dark path. When a small cabin comes into view, I pause. I’m about to meet Jenny. The woman responsible for bringing me my angel.
Raffe peeks in through the window before knocking on the door. “The lights are on,” he notes.
Like that matters. My house was completely dark, and the two of them didn’t hesitate to knock my door down.
A woman chuckles softly.
The three of us turn to find her standing behind us, a double-barreled shotgun draped across her arms. She stares at Raffe for a moment before turning her attention to me. “Big Dan?”
“I would think that would be obvious,” Dirk says dryly.
The pretty lady in front of me has to be none other than Jenny. She smiles wide, and instantly I feel a connection. This woman gave Lily the courage to run away from her father. I owe her my life.
She rushes forward and dumps the shotgun in Raffe’s hands before wrapping her arms around me … or at least trying to. “Thank you for loving her the right way,” she says, crying into my shirt.
I look at Raffe, and he shrugs. He’s no fucking help. I pat her on the back awkwardly. “You’re welcome.”
Dirk rolls his eyes at me. Fuck him. I don’t know what to say. “Okay. Okay,” he interrupts impatiently. “You can hug on the big guy all you want … after you tell us where my wife is.”
She steps away as if I suddenly caught fire. “You mean you’re not here to drag me away?”
The three of us exchange a look. Dirk arches a brow. “Why would we do that?”
Her lips curl between her teeth for a moment, and then she pushes past us. “I’ve been such a terrible host. Won’t you come in? I just baked a fresh berry pie.”
Sounds good to me.
I follow her in, ducking my head when I enter. Lily and JD would go nuts over this place. I run my hand over an old desk in the corner. It’s filled with odd trinkets, vases, and plants.
Dirk rounds me, catching up to her in the kitchen. “Is she here?” he asks, leaning his hip against the counter beside her.
She cuts into the most beautiful pie I’ve ever seen. Maybe someday there will be time for her to teach Lily how to bake … yeah, let’s keep that random thought to ourselves.
“She was but you just missed her,” she says, ignoring his glowering like she’s been doing it for years.
He pulls out his phone. “She’s still offline,” he says more to himself than anyone else.
“When Jesse wants to be found, that’s when she’ll be found,” Raffe tries to reason with him.
“Where did she go?” Dirk asks Jenny, not giving a second thought to what his friend just said.
Jenny hands me a plate that holds a piece of purply-looking sweetness covered with a golden crust. “I hope you like it. Aspen helped me forage all the berries to make it. It’s a mix of several different kinds.”
“Looks delicious.” I take it from her and sit at the table.
“Raffe, would you like some?”
He sighs. “Just answer him, Jenny. But yes, I’ll take some.”
She hands him a helping and then looks at Dirk. “I’m sorry, I don’t know where Jesse went. Actually, I went for a walk, and when I returned, she was gone. Pie?” she asks, holding up a plate.
He sneers but joins Raffe and me at the table with a slice of his own.
Jenny continues to busy herself around the kitchen. “Oh, you have to try this milk. It’s the freshest you’ll ever taste. It was milked from the cow just this morning. From teat to table,” she jokes lightly.
“You don’t seem like the type of hostess who would leave her guest alone and then go for a walk,” Dirk notes as she fills his glass.
“We had a deep conversation. I needed a moment.”
Dirk looks at his phone again, his brows pulling together in concern. “She should be home by now. I don’t like it.”
Jenny turns away, and her shoulders slowly crawl up to her ears. She’s worried about Jesse too. Ain’t no doubt in my mind – this woman knows where she’s at.
“Sweetheart, we’re going to need you to tell us …” I pause when my phone begins to ring. I pull it from my pocket. “Speak of the devil.”
“Oh, little girl, you’re in so much trouble,” I say to her the minute I answer.
She laughs loudly, and Dirk’s eyes narrow.
“At least she’s okay?” Raffe whispers, trying to ease some of the tension in the room.
“I’ve got a surprise for you,” Jesse says sweetly.
“For me?” I ask, confused.
“It’s something you’ve always wanted. Meet me at the shed.”
“I’m out of town. It’s going to be a few.”
“You’re at Jenny’s?”
“We are.” My gaze rests on Dirk. I need her to know how much trouble she’s in with her husband.
“She’s perfect for him, isn’t she?”
I close my eyes, because it’s been a long time since I’ve heard the vulnerable girl who walked into my shop all those years ago. Jesse’s always had a soft spot for Raffe.
“I think so,” I say honestly.
“Yeah, yeah me too.” She grunts like she’s moving something heavy. “I’ll see you on the flip side, Big Guy.”
The phone goes dead on the other end, and I know that’s all the information I’m going to get.
“Miss Jenny, I think we’re going to have to take our pie to go,” I tell her.
She stares at the phone in my hand before jumping into action. “I, um, this is a special pie plate, so don’t break it.”
“Jenny, we don’t need to take it with us,” Raffe says, watching as Dirk makes a beeline for the door.
She shoves it into his chest. “Please take the pie. I’ll get the plate from you later.”
This makes him smile wide. He leans over and kisses her cheek gently. “I’ll take good care of it until then.”
She nods and then turns to me. “Please tell Lily I love her.”
I step forward and give her a hug. “I’ll do that.”
When I try to pull away, her grip on me tightens. “Lily can never know,” she whispers before leaning away slowly.
My eyes meet hers, and I feel a tug on my heartstrings. I don’t know what the hell she’s talking about, but it feels like I’m making a pact with her. Whatever surprise Jesse has in store for me is yet another secret.
I nod, because I know what this woman is willing to give up to protect those she loves. Her son, her life … her soulmate.
Raffe pulls her away from me. “Come with us,” he begins to beg in a last-ditch effort.
Her brows pull together, and a painful look spreads across her beautiful features. “I … I can’t.”
I place my hand on his shoulder. “All in good time, brother. You’ll find a way home, won’t you?”
She blinks at me, unable to answer as tears spill over the apples of her cheeks.
Raffe’s head falls, and I can see he’s worried it’s too late for her.
I’m not sure if he’s right or wrong. All I know is she’s isolated herself up here for a long time.
The world outside probably looks like one hell of a scary place.
She knows what evil lies beyond that gate out front. She’s lived it.
“I’ll see you soon,” she whispers.
When we get in the truck, the tension in the cab is off the charts.
“Where the fuck is she?” Dirk asks the minute we pull onto the road.
“She said she had a surprise for me … at the shed.”
He punches the steering wheel. “I hope she’s enjoying herself, because I might just build me one of those little rooms JD had in his basement.”
Raffe and I both make a noise of amusement. There’s no keeping Jesse down. He’s delusional.
“What do you think it is?” Raffe asks me.
“I don’t know. This whole fucking thing is weird. I don’t know what I have to do with any of this.”
“Well, you married Jenny’s friend, her son’s sister, so maybe you have more to do with this than you think.”
“She said it was something I’ve always wanted.” I rub my temples, wracking my brain for what it might be. “I have everything I’ve ever wanted.”
“If she’s at the shed, it’s a someone, not a something,” Dirk says dryly.
The three of us get quiet again because fuck, he’s right.
When we get to the shed, it’s dark.
“I’m going to turn her ass so red,” Dirk says, slamming the door on the truck. “She’s not fucking here!”
Someone moans from inside, and I pull my gun from its holster. I push the door open slowly with Dirk and Raffe right behind me.
The single light bulb hanging from the ceiling shines brightly over the one man I’ve always wanted to kill.
I’m going to owe Jesse for this one.
“Well, well, well. Looky what we got here, boys. Benji’s back to play.”
Raffe sidles up beside me, tipping his head to the side. “Is this Lily’s ex?”
Dirk begins to circle the room.
“S-she told me if I ex-explained everything, you’d … you’d let me go.”
Dirk smirks behind his back, rolling his finger beside his ear. Yeah, this dude is crazy if he thinks he’s walking out of here.
“That’s the plan,” I say, flipping a chair around and straddling it. “Get to explaining.”
Benjamin, the man we rescued Lily from marrying, licks his lips. He’s clearly terrified to be in my presence again. He’s already taken one beating from me. Dirk hops up on the tool bench while Raffe begins to pace the room.
I have a feeling I’m not going to like what comes out of his mouth.
“I … I was just trying to scare her, so … so she would you know, do stuff.” He pauses. “I let her believe I was something I wasn’t.”
I was right. I don’t like it, and he’s just started talking.