CHAPTER 33
My stomach twists and turns. Just speaking about food as I place my order makes me feel like I might be sick. I don’t have an appetite anymore. It’s hard to believe that I’ll ever be hungry again. But I know I need to keep my strength up.
I smile at the server before she scurries away to place our order, obviously eager to get away from what she must have sensed was a tense situation.
Given what Jake told the hostess about us being on our honeymoon, I can only imagine what they might be whispering about us.
Luckily, I don’t have to think about it for long.
As soon as she’s gone, Jake leans across the table, keeping his voice low as he says, “That whole conversation in the parking lot last night. Now it makes sense. You knew.”
“I didn’t know.”
“Cassie, don’t give me that.”
“I didn’t know,” I repeat.
“But you suspected.” When I nod, he asks, “How?”
“While you were in the store, I found the file on Don Farris in the glove box.”
“When you first went missing, I called Marla,” he explains.
“We had no idea what had happened to you, but she told me about the information that you had asked her to try and find out about him. That’s when I asked my PI to do a deep dive into his background, in case you’d discovered something that led to your disappearance. ”
I nod. “I wanted to know everything I could about him. Specifically, how he got hired for his hits. If he had a handler who arranged things, or if there was a message board or website that he used, anything that might help me to stay ahead of another attack.”
Trying to ignore how pale Jake looks, I focus on the salt and pepper shakers, spinning them in my hands.
“According to the file, the authorities had attempted to bring charges against him on two separate occasions,” I say.
“Both times, they were offering reduced sentences to some of his known associates in exchange for testifying against him. But they could never make the charges stick because they had no actual proof.”
“I saw that,” he confirms. “But I still don’t understand how that let you know my mom’s account would be empty.”
“Like I said, I didn’t know. But when I read that they had no proof because Farris refused to discuss any jobs other than in person, that even though they knew what he was doing, they couldn’t prosecute him for it because it was just one criminal’s word against another, it clicked.”
Jake closes his eyes, drawing a deep breath as he makes the connection as well. “If he only made deals in person, that means he either went to the jail to speak with my mom, or that she has someone on the outside who did it for her.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because I was hoping I was wrong.”
He tents his hands over his nose, eyes squeezed shut.
“Jake, we’ll figure something else out.”
“I already have.”
“What?”
“I wasn’t lying when I said I’d take care of her, even if I have to do it with my own hands.”
“Don’t talk like that.”
“It’s true.”
“It’s not. You’re just venting.”
“I don’t think that I am, Cassie. If I have to choose between keeping you safe—”
“You’re upset. I get that.” Reaching across the table, I cover his hand with mine. “But the man I love wouldn’t actually do something like that.”
Only, the man sitting across from me right now looks like he just might.
I need to put a stop to this, no matter what it takes.
I can’t let Jake throw his life away just because I became a part of it.
Seeing him like this, knowing it’s because of me, is almost enough to make me regret coming back home.
“The man you love doesn’t deserve you,” he mumbles.
“Are you kidding me?” I laugh, but he won’t meet my eyes. “How can you even say that? You’ve always been there for me when I’ve needed you.”
“I wasn’t there for you when you decided to go into the woods on your own.”
“It was my decision to do that. Obviously, it was a bad one. I knew it was stupid. And to be honest, it was more because I was mad at Sheriff Kingston than you.”
“Yeah, well, I’m sure the part I played didn’t help any.”
“We had an argument, Jake, and as I recall, I wasn’t entirely blameless for it.”
“Yeah, but you’re the one who kept calling and trying to apologize. I chose to ignore you.”
“It wasn’t like I didn’t know where to find you. Do you think Hal really could have kept me out of the building if I decided I wanted in?”
“It’s doubtful.”
His lips twitch. It’s not a smile, but it’s a start.
“We’re going to figure this out.” Tapping the stack of printouts, I say, “We have a paper trail here to follow. All the money going in and out of that account for the last three months. That’s going to tell us what we need to know.”
“But how long is that going to take?”
I shrug and give him a small smile.
“What’s the rush?”
“I know you’re anxious to get back to the sanctuary.”
I am. Just thinking about the animals makes my heart clench. But returning now would just be putting them in danger. I can’t go home, not until this is over. Neither of us can.
Leaning closer to him over the table, I say, “That was before I knew we were on our honeymoon.”
His fingers tighten around mine. “You’re right. No one knows we’re here. We’re safe for now.”
The lump in my throat tastes like poison as I swallow it down. A toxic mix of shame and deceit. Because after our stunt at the bank today, they do know. They know, and now the element of surprise I’d been expecting to have is gone.
Which means that the situation has become even more dangerous.
Whatever confidence I had felt before has vanished.
But if I think about it too much, I’ll psych myself out.
I can’t let that happen. I need to stay distracted until the time comes for me to rush headlong into trouble the way I usually do.
“Let’s take the rest of today off,” I suggest. “Try to relax and unwind and enjoy ourselves.”
“How do you propose we do that?” He gives me that lopsided grin of his, the one that’s been hiding for far too long.
“Let’s go for a walk after lunch. Dip our toes in that gorgeous water I keep seeing.”
I do my best to sell the smile I give him. To not reveal that on the inside, I’m reeling. I have to find a way to put my worries aside. Tonight, I need to focus on nothing but Jake and enjoying our time together. Because if Janine and her cohort get their way, we don’t have very much of it left.