Chapter Twelve
Jagger was on edge for the entire drive back to the cabin, and Justice wasn’t sure what to say to make him feel better.
Their relationship was still so new, she worried about saying the wrong thing, and that was the last thing she wanted.
He kept looking out the rearview, and she worried they were being followed.
“You are making me nervous,” Justice whispered.
Jagger smiled at her, reaching across the console to take her hand, and she was grateful for the connection.
Ever since seeing Wolf on the side of the mountain and finding out that he was holding Jules, her whole world felt like it had turned upside down.
“I don’t mean to make you nervous, honey.
I am just taking extra care to make sure we aren’t being followed.
I’m worried that my sister is just a distraction.
” Justice didn’t want to agree with him, especially since she worried about what Jagger wasn’t saying.
She was the real prize—the one that Jordan wanted.
Jules was just a way to keep them in the game.
She knew Wolf wouldn’t stop until she was his.
“I know, I’m just worried about your sister. It’s crazy that I’m worried about her and have never met her.” Jagger shook his head and raised her hand to his lips to gently kiss her knuckles.
“I don’t find it crazy at all, honey. You have such a big heart that worrying for someone you haven’t yet met seems like something you would do.” Jagger shrugged. His phone rang and he pulled it from his jacket pocket.
“Dean, tell me you have her,” he barked. Justice could feel her breath catch, waiting to hear if Jules was safe.
“I’ve got her,” Dean growled. “But Wolf wasn’t there. He left a skeleton crew, and we got about five of his men. Hopefully, we can get one of them to talk.”
“How’s Jules?” Justice whispered, almost afraid to ask. Dean’s sigh into the phone told her just about everything she needed to know.
“She’s here but in shock. She hasn’t said one word to me since I found her tied up in the master bedroom,” Dean whispered into the phone. Justice didn’t hide her sob. The thought of Jagger’s sister having to endure any pain because of her made her physically ill.
“I think with her statement, we can finally arrest Hobbs and put him away for a long time.” Dean seemed hesitant to tell Justice that news, but honestly, she would be the first person cheering to see her father go away for a good, long time.
He was an awful person and deserved to finally pay for his many crimes.
She just hoped that they would be able to find him to arrest him.
Her father could be quite crafty when he needed to be.
“Get in touch after you make the arrest,” Jagger ordered. “We will figure out what to do from there.” Justice knew they couldn’t run forever, but with Wolf still out there, she worried that they would never be able to go home.
“Just get her home and take care of her,” Jagger said.
Justice could hear the sadness in his voice, and it broke her heart that she had caused his family so much pain.
Dean told them to watch their asses—with Wolf still out there, Justice wasn’t safe.
He really could have left off that last part, since she knew all too well just how much danger they were all in.
They spent the next four weeks hauled up in the tiny cabin, and Jagger felt like he was going fucking insane.
Dean had been chasing down Wolf like his life depended on it and was stockpiling evidence against Hobbs.
The call from his best friend telling him that Jules wasn’t doing well and that she had checked herself into the local hospital for treatment nearly broke him.
He wanted to go home, but he knew that doing so would put Justice in danger, and he wouldn’t do that.
Justice had done her best to put on a brave face, but he could tell that having to hide away was starting to take its toll on her.
When he told her that his sister was going to commit herself to treatment, she demanded that he go home to be with Jules, but he refused.
He sat her down and explained that she was his top priority, and the way she looked at him as if in disbelief hurt him more than he cared to admit.
Every step forward with Justice felt like it was always followed by two steps backward.
He thought they were past the doubts about how the other felt, especially after they admitted their feelings for each other on their little getaway.
But each new passing day showed him just how much Justice doubted him and the way he felt about her.
They spent most of their morning in silence, Justice finding new ways to put some space between herself and him.
She seemed fidgety, and he was nervous about even touching her, but not being close to her wasn’t an option.
He walked into the kitchen, where she was going through the refrigerator, making a shopping list, and wrapped his arms around her.
He pulled her into his body, her back to his front, and felt her whole form go rigid.
“I wish you would talk to me and tell me what’s going on with you,” Jagger whispered into her ear. Justice sighed and relaxed some in his arms.
“It’s nothing. I probably just have a little cabin fever, and I’m just grumpy.
I’m sorry I seem to be taking it out on you; that’s not my intent.
” Justice turned in his arms, and he pulled her snug against his body.
“I understand that we can’t venture out, but can we at least go into town?
We need groceries, and I think an hour out of this cabin is just what we both need.
” Justice looked up at him with so much hope on her face that he couldn’t tell her no.
He nodded, “All right,” he conceded. “But we go to the grocery store and that’s it.
We get what we need and head right back here.
” Justice squealed and bounced up and down in his arms, causing him to chuckle.
Her excitement was contagious, but a part of him worried he had just made a big mistake, agreeing to take her into town.
“Thank you, Jag.” She went up on her tiptoes and kissed his lips, and he didn’t miss the worry that was still in her eyes.
“No problem, baby. And, when we get back here, you can fill me in on what’s bothering you.
I won’t let you hide from me, Justice. I love you, and the sooner you let me in, the better we will work as a team.
” Shock registered on her face, and he chuckled and kissed her pouty mouth.
Justice disappeared into their bedroom to get ready or possibly to avoid talking to him.
Either way, he would give her a little extra time.
He had some research to do for Dean, and with any luck, he would be able to hack Hobbs’ files and find a way to link him to Wolf’s business dealings.
Jules was able to download all her original files onto a hard drive, incriminating Hobbs in an assortment of bad business deals.
Dean wasn’t able to connect Hobbs to Wolf yet—that would seal Hobbs’ fate.
He would go away for the rest of his life if they could link him to Wolf.
Jagger sifted through the thumb drive files his sister had been smart enough to save, trying to find the needle in the haystack that would give them some small glimmer of hope.
He opened a file that didn’t have a name attached.
He wondered how his sister missed naming the file—she was so meticulous about organizing everything.
Every other file was named and placed in the correct category.
The unnamed file stuck out like a sore thumb.
He clicked on it and realized he was holding his breath as he watched the pictures pop up of Wolf and Hobbs.
They seemed to be standing in a warehouse having a heated discussion.
He blew up the picture trying to see more of the background and realized that one side of the warehouse was lined with what looked like jail cells.
He gasped at the sight of the women who were sitting behind those bars, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach.
“Fuck,” he cursed. He didn’t know who took the picture, but he was guessing that it was Jules, and the thought of her being that close to danger pissed him off.
He never realized just how much danger Jules was in working for Hobbs, and he would never forgive himself for not paying closer attention to her.
He knew she left because of Dean, but he didn’t want to pry.
Jagger was afraid of what he would find out about his best friend and his sister.
Instead, he shut her out of his world and made work a priority, letting her sort out her problems. He dropped the ball, and now his little sister was paying the price.
He called Dean, knowing that this newest evidence might be enough for him to be able to finally arrest Hobbs.
The thought of going home again fueled him with new hope.
He knew that the news of returning home would make Justice just as happy.
She seemed to miss her friends and grandmother, and she would be able to see them in time for the holidays.
“Jag—tell me you have some news for me because I’m coming up empty at every turn.” Jagger smiled at the way his friend always seemed to want to get right down to business.