Chapter 42
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Liam
“Let’s go, Firefly,” I said, ushering her into the car. I wanted to hold her so damn badly, but not here. I had to get us the hell out of here. Away from them.
I gunned it down the street.
I wanted to wrap my hands around their necks—all of them, Jenna’s parents and Brian’s parents—and I wanted to squeeze until the fear in their eyes matched the fear in little Jenna’s eyes. Until their tears and sorrow matched hers.
That picture in her bedroom…how could they look into those devastated eyes and not know something was terribly wrong? It was bad enough seeing her pain now; the thought of little Jenna like that was torture. How the fuck did they live with her and not know?
I was so fucking proud of Jenna, but I was pissed the hell off. I was pissed at her mom for calling and for nearly every word she said. Pissed at his parents for protecting him. At least her dad got it, but even he had too many fucking excuses.
I was really pissed the fucker wasn’t there. I wanted to beat that fucking smirk off his face. Tear off the fucking hands he touched her with. Cut off his dick and shove it down his throat and—
“I’m okay.” Jenna’s sweet voice broke through my spiraling rage. She reached over to touch my leg, soothing me.
Fuck, I was screwing this up. She shouldn’t be the one comforting me. A glance in the mirror confirmed their houses were far behind us and fully out of sight, so I pulled over beneath a towering tree.
I twisted in my seat and carefully held her bruised face, smoothing my thumb over the worry lines crinkling her forehead. “You were amazing, Firefly. So brave.”
She leaned into my hand, her eyes falling closed. My heart twisted. I was an ass, caught up in my own anger when she was so exhausted. I tried to gently pull my hand away so I could drive, but she grabbed my wrist and opened her eyes, spearing me with the intensity in her beautiful blues.
“Let me get us to the hotel, then I’ll hold you all night, Firefly.”
She shook her head and let go of my arm, unbuckling and scrambling onto her knees on the seat. “Now.”
“In the car?” I clarified, even as I unbuckled and she started climbing over the console.
I knew what that asshole had done to her in his car, and there wasn’t much room between me and the steering wheel.
As pissed as I was, I was even more impressed with Jenna, and there was no way my cock wasn’t going to respond to her.
“Yes.” She settled herself onto my lap, her knees squeezed against my hips.
“So fucking proud of you.”
“Me too.” She beamed at me, and the rage in my gut settled. My girl was strong, and she knew it. Was learning it, at least, and I’d make sure she never doubted it again.
I buried my face in her hair. “Love you so much.”
“Love you, too.” Her breath whispered along my neck. Even squished in the confines of the rental car, she fit perfectly against me like she was made for me. And I was made for her.
My cock stiffened, like I knew it would, and there’s no way she didn’t feel it. No way to give her more space. “Sorry,” I said. “You want to move?”
She shook her head, and like the badass she was, she rolled her hips against me. “Not afraid of you.” She leaned back and looked down at me. “Not going to be afraid of Brian anymore, either. Call Beth.”
Anticipation burned through my veins. “Hell, yeah. Let’s find that motherfucker.”
“Easy there, killer. Not for you, or for my dad either. Let’s see if she can dig up some dirt on him.”
A little while later, we sat on the small couch in our hotel room, my phone between us. When I clicked on Beth’s name, Jenna jumped up and paced in front of me waiting for the call to connect.
After a few rings, Beth answered, “Liam? Is everything alright?”
“Hi, Beth. Everything’s fine,” I said calmly, trying to soothe both of them. “Jenna and I have a favor to ask, if you don’t mind.”
“Is Jenna there?”
“Yeah, I’m here.”
Beth’s voice softened. “I heard what happened. I’m really sorry.”
Jenna dropped down on the couch. “Thank you.”
“You probably already know this, but I was attacked, too. That’s when my agoraphobia started. Talking about it helped a lot, and I’m here if you ever want to talk.”
“I appreciate that. There’s something else I hope you can help me with…someone else.”
“What do you need?”
I held Jenna’s hand and pressed my leg against hers, pride filling my chest as she took control.
“Can you look into someone for me? Brian Belke.”
“Sure. Do you have his address or date of birth?”
Jenna provided both, as well as his high school and college information and his parents’ names.
“Am I looking for anything specific?”
“Um, he—” Jenna’s eyes shot to me, and the words stuck in her throat. I squeezed her hand and waited, ready to jump in if she needed me to, but she had it. “I don’t exactly know. Maybe something he did…to a girl. It could have been years ago, or maybe recently, too. Or maybe…child pornography?”
“Asshole,” Beth muttered. She cleared her throat, and said firmly, “You got it. I’ll dig up everything on him.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m here if you want to talk, anytime, about anything. I’ll get started on that jerk right now.”
We heard the clicking of the keyboard already. “Thanks, Beth. Means a lot to us,” I said before I ended the call.
I hoped he didn’t hurt anyone else, but if he did, I hoped we could nail his perverted ass to the wall for it. Either scenario sucked for Jenna, and it broke my heart that I couldn’t make it better for her.
We sat there for a bit, just holding onto each other, and I ordered dinner.
Jenna’s eyes started to close, exhaustion taking over.
Her trust overwhelmed me. I was so fucking grateful to have her here in my arms. Shaken, but not broken.
Thank God. She was mine to protect, and I’d never screw it up again.
“I swear it, Firefly,” I whispered against her hair. “I’ll keep you safe.”
A little while after Jenna dozed off, her phone rang, startling her awake. She looked at the screen, and her face went white.
“Who is it?” I asked.
“Tyler. I don’t know what they told him. I’m not ready yet,” she rushed out in a panic, staring at her phone like it was venomous.
“Let me talk to him.”
She hesitated, then handed me the phone.
“Tyler, it’s Liam.”
“What’s wrong with Jenna?”
“Nothing, she—”
“My parents said she came home to tell them something, and I needed to come home too, and now you’re answering her phone. What’s wrong?” he demanded.
“We’ll talk about it tomorrow,” I said in my professional calm-in-the-chaos voice. “Just know that Jenna’s alright, and she appreciates you coming home.”
“I want to hear Jenna say she’s okay.” He sounded young and scared and protective all at once.
It wasn’t on speaker, but Jenna obviously heard because she took the phone from me. “I’m okay, Ty.”
“What’s going on, Jen Jen?”
“Just wait for tomorrow, please.”
“You’re sure you’re okay?”
“Positive.”
“Fine. I love you.”
“I love you too, Teddy Bear,” she said, her words wobbling with emotion. “See you tomorrow.”
She hung up, a huge sigh escaping from her.
“It’ll be alright, Firefly.”
“You don’t know that.”
Tears and doubt and fear swam in her eyes, and I tried to kiss them away, but she was right. I didn’t know what Beth would find or what Tyler would tell us.
Jenna jumped again when a knock sounded at the door.
“It’s just dinner. Go sit, and I’ll get it.”
We sat at the small table squeezed into the corner next to the couch. Jenna picked at her grilled cheese and fries, and I started to wolf down my hamburger, but it turned to sawdust in my mouth when Beth called.
Please don’t have bad news. I knew what a heavy, illogical motherfucker guilt could be. Jenna didn’t deserve that.
I held Jenna’s hand and answered the phone, putting it on speaker on the table. “Hi, Beth. We’re both here.”
“Hi, guys. I’m still looking, but I wanted to share what I found so far.”
Fuck. Jenna squeezed my hand, her eyes fixed on the phone, her bottom lip trembling. I pulled my chair closer, wrapping an arm around her.
“Go ahead,” I said.
“Jenna, he has a lot of child pornography on his computer. Sick stuff. I’d like to send him a link to a site that the FBI controls, if that’s okay with you. If he clicks on it, they’ll be onto him.”
“Yes,” Jenna whispered. “Send it.”
“Will he be able to track it back to you?” I asked.
“Definitely not. Sending an untraceable email is child’s play.”
I looked at Jenna, and she nodded. “Do it,” I confirmed.
“I’ll keep digging, and as soon as I’m done on his computer, I’ll send it. If there’s anything else on this asshole, I’ll find it.”
“Thank you, Beth,” I said.
“Um,” Jenna started, her breath hitching. “In the email you’ll send, will there be a picture or a description of the girls?”
“I could put a description in.”
“Could you describe them as…um…to look like me?”
Beth’s voice softened. “I will. I’m sorry for what you’ve been through, Jenna.”
“It’s okay.”
“It is not okay. But I know you will be okay.”
“Thanks, Beth. Appreciate everything you’re doing.” I ended the call and tried to hold Jenna, but she pushed away, standing quickly.
“I’m going to shower.”
I wanted to say no. Wanted to tell her to stay with me and let me take care of her. But I didn’t. I tried to smile for her. “I’ll be right here for you when you’re done.”
She nodded and hurried into the bathroom, and I sat through the first few minutes of her heart wrenching sobs until I couldn’t take it anymore.