Chapter 32
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Jenna
“Please?”
“No.”
I stepped as close to him as I dared at work and blinked up at him. “I wouldn’t need coffee if you hadn’t kept me up last night.”
He grazed his lips over my temple and whispered, “I woke you up early this morning too, and you didn’t seem to mind.”
Tingles shot down my spine, straight to my core. “You want me to be awake enough for a repeat later?”
He smirked at me. “I’m not too worried about that.” But then his smile faded. “I don’t want to take any chances. I’m not leaving you.”
“I hate being at his mercy,” I whispered, my voice tight with frustration.
“What if we don’t find him? What if my guy is just a random creepy-looking dude and your guy was just sitting on a bench, and the rape was unrelated?
What if I hide in fear forever waiting for a figment of our overactive imaginations to show his nonexistent face? ”
“It won’t be forever. We’ll get answers soon. Please be patient and let me keep you safe.”
Answers weren’t coming that soon. Beth said the guy was good at evading cameras, but she assured us she was still working on it.
We’d confirmed the guy in the park and Snake Eyes were wearing the same type of hat, and we’d tracked it down to a construction supply company in Austin, but they said they’d been giving those hats away for years.
Anyone from an employee to a contractor to a kid who came into the store could have one.
She didn’t have any better luck with the police records either.
Apparently, Addams was as inept as Liam had said, and he still hadn’t inputted everything into the computer, leaving Beth and us in the dark.
I just nodded and forced a smile. If I said anything, he’d know how close I was to falling apart.
Sometimes it was easy to pretend we were just enjoying this time together.
Then, I’d remember how close I was to my worst nightmare coming true.
It sucked that it coincided with my greatest dream also coming true.
I didn’t want to need Liam’s protection. I didn’t want him to see me fall apart.
“Firefly,” he murmured, obviously seeing everything I didn’t want him to.
I shook my head and tried to walk by him. “I need to get back out there. The crochet club is about to let out, and there’s usually kids with them that come here after.”
He grabbed my hand before I could pass. “The coffee means that much to you?”
“It’s been a long day, and I still have three more hours to go. I’m tired and stressed, and coffee would be really good, and it just makes me feel...normal. I hate feeling like he gets to control everything we do. I get it, though. It’s fine.”
“There’s going to be a bunch of women and kids in here?” he asked reluctantly.
“Yes,” I said, trying not to sound too excited yet.
“And Izzy’s around?”
“Yes,” I answered patiently, even though he knew she was. She was the whole reason we were here. I’d promised Izzy she could leave early for Sophia’s game, and I’d begged Liam not to make me let her down.
“If I get you coffee, you’ll stay with them?”
Warmth filled my chest. “I promise.”
“Stay with people,” he warned. “Don’t go anywhere alone.”
I threw my arms around him. “Thank you!”
I pulled away quickly as a few kids ran in with their moms and grandmas following behind them.
“I’ll only be gone for a few minutes.”
Obviously. Joe’s was right across the street. “I know. I’ll be okay.”
He squeezed my hand then hurried out like every second he was gone mattered. I watched him for a moment before I followed the families into the crafts corner. “Hi, Maddy! Hi, Spence! Hi, Rachel!”
“Hi, Miss Jenna!” They called out in semi-unison.
“Good afternoon, ladies. How was the crochet club today?” I asked the adults.
“Very nice, and how are you?” Rona, Maddy’s mom, said.
“I’m great, thank you.”
“I’m sure you are,” Spencer’s grandma said with a mischievous gleam in her eye. “Who was that hunk with you?” She laughed, and the other women followed.
“Um…” I felt my face heat up, and I would’ve found a way to excuse myself if I hadn’t promised Liam I’d stay.
“Jenna, can I talk to you for a sec?” Thank goodness for Izzy.
“Of course!”
Giggles followed in my wake as I beelined it out to where she waited for me.
“Thanks for rescuing me from the inquisition.”
“Sorry, but I didn’t come to rescue you. I actually need to ask a favor.”
“What do you need?”
“It’s still alright for me to leave early for Sophia’s game, right?”
“Of course, I already told you that.”
“Thank you. I hate to ask for more, but one of her teammate’s moms just sent a message to the group that traffic is really bad. I would just deal with it, but Sophia’s the starting pitcher, so I really don’t want to be late.”
“Iz, go. You know I’d never make you miss Sophia’s big game. It’s been quiet here, but even if it isn’t, I’ll be fine. I can put Liam to work if I need to.”
“You’re the best! Thank you! I’m going to go now, okay?”
A trickle of apprehension ran down my spine.
Liam wouldn’t want me here without either of them, but he’d be back any minute, and there were other people around.
I still wouldn’t be alone, and I hadn’t misled him on purpose.
Besides, if I made her late, this was all for nothing.
“Sure thing. Wish Sophia good luck for me!”
Izzy headed behind the desk to get her purse, and I quickly walked back toward the families I’d just left, bracing myself for their nosy questions.
Not that I didn’t want to gush about how incredible Liam was.
..I just didn’t want to do it with these ladies in front of their children.
Although on a positive note, if I told them he’d be back in a few minutes, that would guarantee they’d stay until he came, so I wouldn’t be alone.
Izzy greeted someone with a forced cheerfulness in her tone, and I looked over to see a young boy and an older man with an armful of books approaching her at the desk. The man was short and walked like he had bad hips or knees. Not Snake Eyes.
“Go ahead, Iz. I got it.”
“Thank you!”
Izzy hurried off, and I checked them out, smiling at how sweetly the man shared in his grandson’s exuberant enthusiasm to read about the biggest, most ferocious dinosaurs to ever roam the earth. “Enjoy your books!”
I put up the sign directing patrons to the main circulation desk and once again headed toward the craft corner.
“Jenna!” Dan burst out of the construction area and ran to me, his blue eyes wide, his long, gray hair disheveled. “You and Izzy need to get in here!”
I froze mid-step and looked around but no one else was in sight.
“W-what?”
“They’re messing it up! You and Izzy need to come now before it’s too late.”
“Who is messing what up? What’s wrong?”
“The other guys. Matt, Alex, and Carlos. Remember how you said the windows need to go low so you can see the kids wherever they are in the sensory room? You said it was for the kids’ safety.”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Well, they’re putting them in high, like my eye level and above. You won’t be able to see in at all. Even a taller person will only see part of the room. And once they do it, it’s not reversible.”
“But that’s in the plans!”
“I know, I tried to tell them. They’ve already cut some of the holes up high, but that can be patched.
Once the windows are in and sealed, though, they can’t be taken out without breaking them.
Then we’ll need to see if there’s a budget left to buy new windows, and even if we can buy them, they’d take weeks to arrive. ”
There was no budget left. I knew that for a fact because I’d spent the last of it on bubble tubes.
Where the heck was Liam? I needed to stop them, but he’d kill me for going in there.
“Tell them to wait. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
He shook his head, his messy ponytail swinging behind him. “I already tried. They’re not listening to me. They just want to hurry and be done for the day. They may have already put some in. You need to come now.”
“I can’t.”
“That first day, when you brought us coffee and donuts, you said those windows were the main safety feature of the room.”
“They are, but—”
“What’s more important than making the library safe for children?”
Nothing. Nothing was more important. Dammit, why did I send Liam out for coffee? “I just need a few minutes.”
“Once they’re in, with the extra work and money involved, we might not be able to fix it. I thought you cared about making a safe space. Where’s Izzy?”
I did care! “Izzy isn’t here.”
“Hear that? It’s quiet. That means they’re done with the saws and probably putting them in while we’re wasting time here.”
It was quiet except for the usual hum of music. Not that I’d noticed saws before either, but the noise was well-muffled in there, and the music was even louder than usual.
“I’d be nervous with my nephew in there without adequate supervision and visibility. What if something happened to him where no one could see?”
I’d be nervous, too. Once they put those windows in, if they couldn’t fix it, I’d have created a space where anything could happen.
Parents would think their children were safe, but in those hidden corners, anything could happen where no one could see.
People like Brian knew exactly what they could get away with and where they could do it without getting caught.
I couldn’t let that happen. Not in my library. Liam would understand.
“Fine. Just one second.” I jogged over to the desk and jotted down a note telling Liam I was going to the sensory room. He’d be back any minute, and he could come meet me inside.
My stomach clenched. I shouldn’t go. Didn’t want to go.
I knew this was a bad decision. Liam would be mad; disappointed even.
I hated that, but I couldn’t let my worries, or his, endanger the children who came into my library.
Besides, I wasn’t going to be alone in there.
If anything, I was better hidden if Snake Eyes came looking for me.
I left the note on the desk and put the stapler on it to hold it in place. “Okay, let’s go.”