Chapter 36 Jade
Ibelieve him. With my whole heart, I believe West will keep me safe. I don’t know what it is Adam wants with me, but I trust that West will never let him get close.
A crack of thunder booms across the sky, and rain begins to drizzle down.
Pumpkin meows and bolts for the house, and West and I follow, hand in hand.
After all these years, I finally feel free. Someone knows my story. It’s like I can finally breathe again. It took so much pain and hurt to get here, but I’m here, and I’m free.
I’m ready to tell Sarah and Wren my story. I’m done hiding.
West says he has to run back to the station but will be back quickly. As soon as he’s gone, I call Nick and fill him in on all that’s transpired today. He’s worried for me, but he can tell how much I love and trust West to protect me.
I don’t mention Ian, nor did I bring it up with West. I’m not sure how he found out my secret, but now that I’ve had a bit of time to process and not feel ambushed, I’d like to speak with him.
I’m not okay with the way he went about things, but a part of me understands he was just looking out for his friend.
The wind howls outside, waves crashing against the dock and the sky a dark ominous colour as the storm above brews. Rain hits the window panes hard, the sky alight with bolts of lightning.
I send a quick text to Sarah and Wren asking them to come to West’s for dinner and then I get to work on a lasagna.
West returns quickly like he promised, and after a quick shower, he joins me in the kitchen.
“It’s sure getting bad out there.”
“Do you think it’s okay for the girls to drive in this? I invited them over.” I bite my lip.
“They should be fine. Wrenley has to come this way anyway. Does this mean you’re going to tell them everything?”
I straighten my spine with courage and swallow down the doubts. “I am.”
Pulling me into his arms, West kisses the top of my head. “I want you to know how incredibly brave and strong I think you are.”
“I’m scared,” I whisper into his chest.
“Nothing wrong with being afraid, Jade. We’re all here for you.”
“Why are you being so nice to me? I’ve been lying to you.”
“You were protecting yourself,” he says, like he understands and doesn’t blame me.
“I’m damaged and broken.” I cry, letting my tears soak his shirt.
“Hey, look at me.” West tips my chin so I’m looking up at him. “You are not damaged or broken, Jade. You are a fighter and absolutely incredible. There is no way a person who makes me so full and complete doesn’t feel it herself.”
God, this man. I don’t deserve him.
A few short hours later, lasagna fresh from the oven, the sound of the front door opening has me swallowing down nerves.
“Holy shit. It’s raining cats and dogs out there,” Sarah says, stepping into the kitchen, her hair plastered to her face and her jean jacket completely soaked through.
Wren follows behind in the same soaked state.
“Oh my goodness, follow me. I’ll get you guys some dry clothes.” I lead them upstairs and pull out a couple pairs of sweats and tees for them to change into and then meet them back downstairs.
West and I sit on the coffee table, waiting for them to come down, and when they walk into the room and see we aren’t on the couch, both their eyes rise as they hesitantly take a seat opposite us.
“What’s going on?” Wren asks.
“Yeah. You’re kind of freaking us out,” Sarah says. “First you leave work sick, then he shows up looking just as sick, and now you have us here to tell us something. Is everything okay?”
I look to West for encouragement. He nods and places his hand on my back, rubbing soothing strokes.
“My name’s not Jade,” I blurt out.
Both sets of eyes scrunch.
“Huh?”
“I don’t understand.”
I let out a sigh and let it all spill out. When I finish my story, both girls are pale, eyes wide with shock.
“My God. I can’t even imagine.”
Sarah gets up from her spot on the couch and pulls me in for a hug. “Thank you for trusting us enough to tell us.”
“I’m sorry I never told you earlier. I hope you don’t hate me.”
“I could never hate you, Jade. And it explains a lot. I’ve always wondered why you stopped talking to your step-dad after graduation.”
“He’s not actually my step-dad.” I tell her, feeling guilt over yet another lie I’ve told her. “He’s actually the cop that took me in after the attack.”
“Wow, okay. I guess that makes sense. You could have told me, though, Jade.”
“I wanted to so badly, but I didn’t want to put you at risk. I hope you can understand my reasoning.”
She gives me a big squeeze, and I feel myself relax. “Of course, I just can’t believe you’ve had to live with this.”
“I’m glad you told us your story, but why?” Wren asks, interrupting. “I mean, you could have continued keeping it to yourself and we would have never known.” Her eyes dart to West, a question behind her irises.
“Want me to take it from here?” he asks me, and I nod.
“We believe Adam is here,” he tells them, making their faces go ghostly white
“Oh my God! Is that who was at your house?” Wren asks, glancing at her brother.
“We believe so. We also believe he’s the unsub we’ve been looking for.”
“As in the one murdering these women?”
“Yes.”
“Holy shit!”
Just then, a loud boom cracks the sky, cutting the power and plunging us into darkness.
Starting the day off early, West drops me off at the bakery to make up for lost time yesterday.
I’m lost in the motions of baking when I hear the door out front chime.
Glancing up at the clock, I see it’s already opening time.
Wren isn’t on shift today, and Sarah isn’t scheduled to come in till later, so it’s just me this morning.
“Morning, Officer.” I greet Garrett with a smile as I come up behind the counter.
“Morning, Jade. You here all alone?”
Something about the way his eyes scan the shop has me unsettled. I don’t really know Garrett; I’ve only ever interacted with him a handful of times. While there doesn’t seem to be anything inherently wrong with him, I decide to trust my instincts and lie.
“No. Sarah is in the back.” Hoping he can’t see through the fib, I give him a polite smile.
His eyes squint, and his head cocks. “Why are you lying, Jade?”
Something is very wrong here. “I-I’m not.” I slowly step back, but he rounds the counter.
“Or should I call you Hadley?”
My heart pounds, and I feel tears start to escape. “I don’t know what you want.” I cry, backing away slowly.
“You,” he says. “I want you, Hadley.”
My stomach drops, and my body goes into fight or flight mode. Choosing flight, I run.
I make it to the kitchen door, but he’s on me within seconds.
Screaming, I elbow him in the gut, but he’s got me in a grip I can’t get out of.
I don’t know what he wants from me, but I refuse to give it to him.
I fight and scream, praying to God a customer enters the shop, but before my brain can register what’s happening, Garrett places a hand with a rag over my mouth and my vision starts to fade.
I’m not sure how long it’s been, but my eyes snap open with the jolt of my body. I blink through the darkness and realize I must be in the trunk of a car.
Were we wrong? Has it been Garrett the entire time? It doesn’t make sense. I don’t know him. What does he want from me?
The car comes to a stop, and I hear the crunch of gravel beneath his feet before the trunk is popped open. I flinch at the harsh light pouring through and try to scoot farther to the back.
“Out.” Garrett coaxes me from the car, and when my feet hit solid ground, a whimper escapes my throat as I take in the forest around us. In every direction, all I can see is endless trees.
We walk towards a small cabin that looks like it’s been abandoned, and I dig my heels into the gravel. “What do you want from me?” I choke on a sob.
“You were pretty out of it the first time we met,” he tells me as he pushes me forward into the dark, dusty cabin.
My mind flicks through memories of my first years in Lavender Falls, but I can’t remember the day we met.
“You were bleeding and barely alive,” he says, almost like he’s in awe.
Finally, I’m transported back in time.
To ten years ago.
My skin burns with licks of fire.
My head throbs, and all I feel is pain.
So much pain.
And I’m cold.
So very cold.
“Stay with me, Hadley.”
I try to make a sound, but nothing comes out.
Behind my lids, I see flashes of red and blue.
“You’re going to be okay. We got you now.”
I’m set down, and the motion sends my body into pure agony.
I scream.
I’m dying.
“Officer Garrett, you need to step away now. The paramedics got her.” That’s Nick’s voice.
“I don’t believe my brother did this.” Brother?
Tears stream down my face.
“I-I don’t understand.”
“Sit.” He points to an old wooden chair, and when my eyes go to the gun at his waist, I do as I’m told.
“Adam came to live with us when he was six. I was already a teenager by that point, but I loved Adam like he had always been my brother.” Garrett begins to pace, and I try to hold back my tears as I listen to his story.
“My mom was a drug addict. She met Adam’s dad at some crack house, and next thing I knew, I had a step-dad and brother.
Our home life wasn’t great. But we always had each other.
Adam wasn’t a violent person. He got angry a lot, but I never imagined he was capable of what he did to you. ”
My heart constricts at the story he’s painted.. How did I never know what Adam’s homelife was like? Or that he had a brother?
“When we pulled up to the scene at your house and that boy was there, blaming my brother, I didn’t want to believe it. It just wasn’t possible. But his prints were everywhere.
“Those women.” His head shakes, and he pulls up a chair in front of me, brushing back my hair with his thumb.
I fight against a flinch. “I never even recognized you all these years. Your hair is so different. It wasn’t until that first victim.
Those stab wounds took me back to that day ten years ago.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was Adam, so I called my mom.
She left Adam’s dad after the murders. I sent her to a rehab program in Vancouver, and then she relocated to Hadley when she got out.
I wanted to be close to her, so I applied to Lavender Falls PD.
We didn’t know where Adam was. But when I called her after that first murder, she said she ran into Brian a couple months ago.
She said she told him where we were living but he never mentioned Adam at all.
They didn’t talk about it. And then West had me look for red cars, and I fucking knew. He was here.”
“You’re right.” I nod desperately, voice cracking, hoping by some miracle he will let me go, still not understanding what it is he wants from me. “What are we doing here, Garrett?”
“I’m keeping you safe.”
I shake my head, and a tear slides down my cheek. “I was safe. West was going to protect me.”
Slamming his hands down onto his knees, Garrett pushes back from the chair he was sitting in, making me flinch. “Don’t you see it? This is fate, Hadley. I saved you once, and God put me in your path to save you again.”
“No, Garrett.” I cry. “West was going to keep me safe. You didn’t have to do this.”
Garrett moves fast, and I bite my tongue against a sharp sting across my face.
“You’re mine, Hadley! Why can’t you see that? I’m meant to be your protector.”
“Garrett, please. Let me go,” I beg, no longer holding in the tears that steadily flow down my face.
His head shakes back and forth, and he looks agitated and crazed. Like this isn’t really him. “I can’t do that.”
“No, please. Don’t do this, Garrett. West is your friend.” My voice breaks.
“Here is how this is going to go.” He walks over and begins to bind my hands to the chair.
“I am going to go back to work, and when West realizes you are missing, I’m going to help him search for you.
Except we are never going to find you. After a few weeks, I’m going to quit my job and tell them I’m relocating.
By then, he’ll have forgotten about you and we will be able to run together.
I’ve already got a place for us to go in Saskatchewan. Adam will never find us.”
Sobs wrack my body, and I know what I have to do to get out of here.
I play his game.
“Adam won’t find us again?” I ask, my voice quivering.
“No. I’ll keep you safe,” he says as he finishes bounding my arms and starts on my legs.
“I think your plan is really good, then,” I manage to croak out, hoping he can’t tell it’s a lie.
His head snaps up to mine, and he looks at me suspiciously. “Yeah?”
“Yes.” I nod desperately.
“Good. I’m glad.” He smiles and hums as he finishes securing me to the chair. “Okay. I have to go back now, but I’ll return as soon as I can.”
When he starts to move in for a kiss, I fight the urge to vomit and allow him to press his lips against mine. The second I hear his tires crunch against the gravel as he leaves me behind, I let the tears take over as I begin to scream for help.