Chapter 36 #2
“Bingo!” His voice boomed through the house just a few seconds before he walked back into the living room, waving the tin snips above his head in triumph.
“Good. I’m glad you found them.”
“One item on the list down. Where should I head for the vase?” he asked.
“Dakota, I really am sorry.” Jessie twisted her fingers together. “I wouldn’t have thrown it away had I known it was your mom’s.”
“You… you threw it away.” She watched as Dakota’s eyes went unfocused, his head shaking back and forth. Then his hand tightened around the snips and his eyes focused back on her. “No… no no no no!”
“I’m so sorry. I will call your mom and explain it’s all my fault.” Tears stung her eyes. “I know it must have been so valuable to her if she was asking for it back after such a long time.”
“I don’t give a fuck about the vase, Jessie! It’s over! It’s all fucking over,” he growled.
“What’s over?” God, her voice shook the same way it had in Lachlan’s shop. Because everything from a few weeks ago was rushing back at her. All the signs she didn’t want to see. The guilt in Dakota’s eyes when he realized she was putting the pieces together. “I thought this was about the vase.”
He pulled up his sleeves, crossing his arms. “Shit. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lost it like that… It’s just—”
He hadn’t been fast enough. Because that one move undid every last happy memory that tied Dakota to her family. She’d seen it. The one piece of confirmation she would have never expected to be there.
A dragon tattoo. On his forearm. Her stomach clenched. It was him. Of course. It was his voice she’d heard in the garage. Dakota stepped closer to her, and once again the smell of smoke hit her. Oh god. He’d been in her bedroom…
“How? How could you do it to him? He almost died!” she screamed as she got to her feet. “He’ll likely never walk again without a mobility device, Dakota!” Her voice was trembling. “You’ve seen him. You’ve been to the hospital! God… was that just your guilty conscience?!”
Every last bit of color drained from his face. “Slow down, Blue Jay. Let me explain.”
“Explain?” she panted, her eyes searching frantically around the room for something to defend herself with, the tin snips in his hand making her heart rate double.
She needed to get up, she needed to put space between them.
Jessie groaned as she got to her feet, taking two steps towards the kitchen.
“I fucked up. I did. And I’m so fucking sorry for that.
But I’ve been trying to protect you, Jessie.
You don’t understand. I got in over my head and by the time I tried to get out, they just wanted more and more.
We tried to save the shop. I tried to save him.
I didn’t know they were going to target you too.
I didn’t mean for you to have it all this time.
I just got this stupid vase with a false bottom and hid the thumb drive.
You were meant to keep the flowers at work. I was coming back for it.”
For someone who wanted to explain what had happened, he wasn’t making any sense. “The vase?”
“I thought it might be in your room, that’s why I trashed everything. I was trying to find the fucking vase. I took the laptop to see if you’d opened the file, because you would be in even more danger then.”
“The vase was at Hawk’s.”
“I realized too late. It was all just spiraling. They were going to burn it to the ground, Jess. I needed you to stay away!”
“Why didn’t you just come to us? We’d help you. Whatever this is, we would have helped you!”
“It wasn’t safe. You have no idea who is the real danger here. It’s not me. I would never hurt any of you on purpose. You have to listen—”
“No. No… you need to turn yourself in. To Colt. You need to GO!”
A contraction ripped through her belly, stronger than any other one she’d felt before.
Her hands flew to her stomach, trying to ease the pain any way she could think of.
But that was just it… she couldn’t really think.
Darkness flashed at the edges of her vision and her heart was pounding loudly in her ears as she swayed on her feet.
“Jess. Shit. Just breathe… fuck, we need to get help.”
She doubled over, panting heavily as the room spun. No. She needed to get a grip. Bee needed her to breathe.
“Don’t. Don’t come any closer.”
He held his hands up by his face and took two steps back.
“You’re in labor, yeah?” He shook his head. “Fuck, Blue Jay. Let me go get you help. Let me get Hawk and Birdie.”
She nodded as she took two more steps back, her legs shaking as she tried to stay standing. No. He couldn’t leave. She needed him to stay. To get Colt there to arrest him. Oh god. Bee stretched against her cramped space and Jessie groaned.
“Just sit tight. I need to grab my phone off the porch. Don’t… just don’t move, Jessie. It’s going to be okay.”
She nodded, keeping her eyes trained on the floor. But as soon as his shoes were out of sight, Jessie rushed towards the back porch. She moved as fast as she could, cursing the weight of her belly and how it slowed her down. She didn’t look back, even as she hit the wide open field.