Chapter 34
THIRTY-FOUR
COLD AS ICE
JACOB
The forest closes in, thick with shadows and silence. Behind me, the campfire’s glow is barely visible, a smear of warmth in the distance. Out here, with only Jessica’s lantern and the hot breath of night, I feel exposed. Vulnerable.
Jessica walks ahead, shoulders tight, leading us into a narrow clearing where the air runs cooler. My fingers twitch, instincts humming.
“All right,” I say, folding my arms. “We’re far enough. What did you want to talk about?”
“Why did you bring her back, Jacob?” she asks, voice low. “You said it yourself, she put us all at risk. She’s not worth having around.”
She dims the lantern, letting the darkness creep in. My jaw tightens.
“I was angry,” I admit. “But I didn’t stop to think about why she did it. She made a mistake, but she’s trying to make it right. That deserves a second chance.”
She steps closer, her silhouette now just a shadow.
“I don’t think she deserves one,” she presses. “She should leave. Now. I don’t trust her—and neither should you.”
The words hang there—heavy, final. My gut twists.
I shift, inching back, putting space between us. “As my friend, I need you with me on this.”
The concern in her eyes vanishes. What’s left is something harder. Sharper. Icy enough to freeze blood.
“A friend?” She repeats, like the word’s foreign. Then she blinks, resets, tone shifting to hope. “I thought we were ready to take things to the next level.”
Shit.
I guess we’re going to have this discussion now. I keep my face neutral, voice even. “Jessica, you’ve been there for me, especially after Sheila. I’ll always be grateful for that. I know losing your best friend was devastating.”
I pause.
“But we’ve only ever been friends.”
She laughs, sharp and broken, like glass under a boot. “Friendship,” she spits. “That’s what you call it?”
She steps toward me.
“I’ve given you time. I’ve waited. I’ve been everything you needed after Sheila, and you still can’t see what’s right in front of you?”
What the fuck? “Jessica, this isn’t—”
“No!” she snaps, cutting me off. “You don’t get to dismiss me. I stood by your side while you mourned Sheila. I went back into that prison to save your mom, and for what? So you could shack up with another woman who ended up lying to you?”
Who the hell is this woman?
“And now,” she sneers, “you bring her back? That little smart-mouthed bitch doesn’t deserve your attention. I do!”
Fury slices through me. The venom in her voice when she talks about Lyla makes my blood run ice cold.
I straighten, letting rage settle deep, sharp.
“Watch it, Jessica.”
She freezes.
“You say one more thing about her,” I say, tone razor sharp, “and I’ll introduce you to the side of me I’ve worked hard to keep locked away. And it’s itching to come out.”
“You don’t get it,” she breathes, wild now. “You have no idea what I’d do for you.”
Her gaze drifts over my face. Hungry. My skin crawls.
“You don’t have to keep punishing yourself,” she murmurs, soft as poisoned sugar. “I could make it better. You deserve to be happy, Jacob, with someone who has only been faithful to you. Don’t you think Sheila would want that?”
Her hand lifts toward my chest.
“Don’t you think it’s time to let me in?”
I step back.
“Jessica,” I say, voice final. “I’ve found someone. It’s not you. It was never you. I’ve never done anything to make you believe this, us, was going to happen. I’m sorry you felt differently, but you need to accept the truth. I’ve only ever seen you as a friend.”
The truth hits like a hammer. Jessica pales. Her head shakes slowly, eyes wide, rejecting it.
“Lyla sees my scars,” I add. “Yeah she fucked up, but she’s heard and seen the worst parts of me. She didn’t run. She understands. She let me see her pain too. She’s the one I want. She’s the one I choose.”
Jessica’s expression fractures, rage warring with disbelief. Something breaks. Her hands ball into fists. Her shoulders coil tight. “After everything I’ve done for you,” she hisses, “everything I’ve given you, and you’re just going to throw me away? For her?”
“This isn’t about Lyla. It’s about you. About your refusal to accept reality.”
Jessica’s breath turns jagged. Her hands tremble, nails digging into her palms.
The air thickens, the forest holding its breath.
“I’m sorry that’s how you feel,” she says, voice wobbling but threaded with steel. “But I’m not something you can just throw away.”
Her hand moves toward her back, disappearing under her shirt. The tears on her face shine like a mask, but her eyes have shifted.
It’s not heartbreak anymore. It’s intent.
My pulse spikes. Muscles tense. The world narrows.
My gaze locks on her hand.
The lantern’s glow casts her in haunting light, shadow stretching behind her like a specter. She looks like death.
I reach over my shoulder, fingers closing on my machete. “Jessica, what are you—”
A voice cuts through the dark, calm and deadly. “How did you know she was displayed, Jessica?”
Jessica’s head snaps toward the sound, gold hoops flashing. Her breath hitches. She locks up. Her hand freezes under her shirt.
Lyla, Leon, and Trish step from the darkness like wraiths. Weapons drawn, eyes sharp, focus locked on Jessica. The clearing shifts. The air turns against her.
Lyla’s pistol is aimed between Jessica’s eyes.
Jessica’s breath stutters. “E-excuse me?”
A dark smile curls Lyla’s lips as her finger flicks off the safety. “You heard me, sweetie. Answer the damn question.”
What the hell is going on?