Chapter 32
Jillian
––––––––
Jillian sat at the kitchen table, wrapping her hands around a warm mug she wasn't drinking from. The exhaustion from the last twenty-four hours settled deep in her bones. It was the mix of fear, desperation, and questions that had her clinging to Moe as if the world was ending.
"You need to eat something." Moe stood at the counter finishing his coffee. "Keep up your strength."
"I don't think I can swallow anything." She leaned back against the chair.
Moe stood near the counter, watching her with a protective tension that hadn't eased since the men had crowded the street. His gaze moved over her like a shield, keeping the entire town away from her.
She hated that he worried about her. As hard as it was, she tried to keep her worries to herself. It wouldn't do either one of them any good if she complained about being away from her mom and missing work.
A sudden knock hit the front door, sharp and deliberate, echoing through the house. Jillian jolted, turning to Moe.
He lifted a hand, motioning for her to stay in the kitchen, and moved across the room, picking up the metal hair-cutting shears, gripping them like a weapon.
He walked into the living room with slow, controlled steps.
She whispered, "Be careful."
A tremor of fear ran through her at the sight of the weapon and the steely way he held himself. She hated this.
He approached the door, shoulders tense, every movement deliberate and ready. Her instincts screamed at her not to let him go out of the house without her.
She walked slowly. Her bare feet were silent against the floor as she moved behind him. As she reached his back, her body shook.
"I'm right here," she whispered.
Moe glanced over his shoulder. "Stay behind me."
"I will."
He unlocked the door and pulled it open in one swift motion. The outside air spilled in, revealing Vaughn standing on the porch.
She rocked back on her heels.
Moe reacted instantly, grabbing Vaughn by the collar and yanking him inside with brutal force. Jillian barely stepped out of the way as Moe locked Vaughn in a headlock, the metal shears pressed hard against his throat.
She cried out, "Moe, don't!"
Moe froze at the sound of her voice, his grip tightening but not finishing the motion. His usually clear gaze was muddled with rage. She swallowed hard, unsure if he could even see her.
Her breath rushed out in a desperate plea, her hand reaching for his arm. "Please... don't kill him."
Vaughn's breath came shallow and strained as he stood pinned against Moe's chest. She stepped to the side, drawing Moe's attention to her.
"Look at me, babe." She patted her chest.
Moe's eyes flicked to hers, the fury in them flickering under the weight of her voice. Her heart twisted. He fought the instinct to protect her with violence. It was second nature to him. He'd told her stories of how he'd lived with the motorcycle club, avoiding the law.
She whispered, "We can't do this."
"I came to talk," Vaughn said, voice rough from the pressure at his throat.
The words scraped against her nerves like sandpaper. She stayed behind Moe, her hand still on his arm.
Vaughn kept his gaze on Moe instead of her. After yesterday, she was thankful for that. She stayed quiet, letting Moe handle him.
Moe's voice was low and lethal. "Talk fast."
The threat vibrated through her, sharp and protective. She kept her eyes on Moe, silently urging him to stay in control. There was enough danger surrounding them in Everstill. They didn't need something to happen that brought more people down on them.
"Wade and Copper locked Boone in one of the cells at the old police station after he went crazy on Nolan," Vaughn said.
"That doesn't involve me." Moe tightened his hold slightly, his voice a growl.
"Maybe not." Vaughn coughed. "But the fucking storm coming does."
Moe's gaze shifted to the window. "Is it the veil?"
Jillian's breath caught. She thought they'd have longer to wait, knowing Moe needed answers more than she did. She stayed behind him, her fingers curled into his shirt.
"Don't know." Vaughn rubbed his hand over his jaw. "It's probably deciding what to do with you. Or her."
Moe's grip tightened again, the shears glinting near Vaughn's throat. She gripped the back of his shirt, feeling the tension spike, terrified Moe might snap.
She whispered, "Moe... please."
He flung Vaughn away from him. The other man stumbled out of the house.
Moe slammed the door shut after forcing Vaughn out, locking it twice and sliding the deadbolt into place. She rushed to him, grabbing his arms.
"Is it safe?" She sidestepped to move out of his way.
He moved through the living room, closing the drapes with quick, decisive motions. Jillian shivered as the house dimmed, the outside world shut out completely.
She stayed near the middle of the room. "Moe... talk to me."
He peeked outside, pressing his palm against the glass as if testing its strength. Fear thickened in her throat, suffocating her.
She whispered, "What if he comes back?"
He turned toward her, his jaw tight. The weight of his stare scared her.
"You need to be ready to go if the storm comes," he said.
Jillian couldn't move. Panic surged through her like a wave she couldn't outrun, ready to drown her. "What if we get separated again?"
The wind and darkness had physically beaten them last time they went through the veil. She almost lost him.
He stepped closer, his expression softening.
She shook her head. "I don't want anything to happen to you."
He grabbed her hands. Her throat tightened as she clung to him, terrified of the unknown waiting outside.
"Nothing will happen. I'll make sure of it."
"How? Are you going to sacrifice yourself to the veil so I can live?"
His head went back. Her heart was breaking. The unknown terrified her. "You can't promise my safety or yours. Not with that thing. It almost killed us."
He cupped her face, his hands warm against her cheeks. Jillian's breath caught as his forehead pressed against hers.
"I will never leave you," he said.
His mouth claimed hers, kissing her deeply, slowly, desperately. Her knees weakened. She could taste his fear and hope, every unspoken truth.
The unknown wasn't killing her quickly. It was savoring the process, unraveling her sanity one agonizing heartbeat at a time.
They might not get out of Everstill.
She whispered against his lips, "Moe...?"
He pulled back enough to speak, his voice rough and trembling. "I love you, sweetheart."
Her breath broke, her chest tightening around the words she'd needed more than she realized. Tears stung her eyes as she searched his face, seeing nothing but truth.
She whispered, "But what about—?"
"Let me talk." He kept his hands on her face, his thumbs brushing her cheeks like he needed to memorize her.
"I love you. I've loved you since the first moment you looked at me like I wasn't trapped here.
Like there was a life away from Everstill.
Since you fought for me. Since you made me want to live again.
" He exhaled loudly. "Hell, sweetheart, you weren't afraid of me.
Even when you thought I was going to kill you, you stood strong. "
Her tears spilled, her breath shaking as the confession wrapped around her. Her heart ached with the force of it, overwhelmed by the depth of his feelings.
"That is the most messed-up confession I've ever heard." She kissed him on a laugh of pure joy. "I love you, too. So much, I can't live without you. I need you, and will always, always fight to stay beside you."
He rested his forehead against hers again. "Wherever you go, I go."
"Good, because I'm not going anywhere without you." She closed her eyes, holding that promise inside her. "Forever, babe."
"Forever." He pulled her into his arms, holding her tight enough to steady the storm within her. Jillian's heart thudded painfully, the fear she'd been holding back rising again.
She stroked his face, peering into his eyes. "But I need to get back to Mom."
His expression softened.
She inhaled. The image of her mother sitting in her chair at the nursing home, confused but smiling, flashed through her mind.
She swallowed the emotions tightening her throat. "She needs me."
"I know she does." He brushed his thumb along her cheek, slow and gentle.
Grief swelled in her chest. "If we don't make it back, she'll think I abandoned her."
He cupped her face more firmly, grounding her with the warmth of his hands. "If we don't make it back, no time will have passed for her."
Her breath caught. "Can we be sure of that?"
"Time doesn't move for her while you're here. She's exactly how she was the last time you saw her. Remember when we went through the veil before?"
It was easy to forget how old Moe was because here, he didn't age. Yet she'd experienced going home and straight back to the time he'd kidnapped her. It was as if she hadn't left.
The tightness in her chest eased, and she breathed. "So, right now, Mom's okay?"
He nodded, brushing a tear from her cheek with his thumb. "She's alive. She's safe at the nursing home. She's not getting worse. She's exactly the way she was the last time you saw her. There are people taking care of her."
She blew out her breath. "I know I'm being selfish because I don't want to live without her."
He held her tighter, his hands sliding to her shoulders. "Wouldn't your mom want you to live your life for yourself? To find your happiness?"
Her tears spilled freely now. She whispered, "She would. She always wanted that for me."
He kissed her forehead. "Have you ever thought that maybe being here, loving me, staying in Everstill... maybe that's saving her?"
She closed her eyes, letting the idea settle into her chest like a fragile hope. "There's no cure for early-onset dementia."
"But while you're here, she's not getting worse. She's not losing any more of her memories. She's not losing you. She's still your mom."
Her breath trembled as she looked up at him, her vision blurred with tears. "Maybe... maybe staying here means she stays alive."
"Maybe," he whispered back. "I love you, Jillian. And I'm not letting you face any of this alone."
She clung to him, needing the reassurance that everything would work out for her, Moe, and her mom, whether they made it through the veil or not.