Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
Jump put his arm around Blakely, hoping that his touch would be a steadying presence. There wasn’t any way he would let the police interview her on her own. She hadn’t done anything wrong, and he knew the police would use her as a scapegoat and pin this on her since it would be the easy answer.
“So she was beside you all night?” Dooley asked.
“No. But I have an alarm on the unit, and she didn’t know the code. If she’d opened the door, I would have gotten an alert on my phone. There were no alerts. She didn’t leave my apartment.”
Dooley didn’t look convinced. Jump worried that he would have to contact one of the JAG officers and get them to back him up. He didn’t want JAG involved. He didn’t want anyone from the Navy involved. His buddies wouldn’t hold this against him, but someone from the officers’ ranks could.
“I can show you the alerts.” He opened the application on his phone and held it up for Dooley to see. The man frowned then flicked his gaze to Blakely.
“Why haven’t we ever heard of this cult before?”
“We were in Washington and Oregon most of the time. When I left, I made my way down here.”
“Why did you leave?” Dooley asked.
“Because it was a terrible existence. I didn’t want to spend my life like that.”
Dooley tapped his pen to the pad of paper. “How about you come down to the station until we verify everything?”
Panic blossomed in Blakely’s eyes. He had to do everything in his power to keep her from being taken in.
“It could take you days or weeks to figure everything out. She is staying with me. You can come by to ask questions if you need anything from her.”
It looked like Dooley was going to argue when someone in a suit came over. “
“Hi, I’m Detective Riser.”
“Hello, Detective, I’m Jump and this is Blakely.”
“Anything important I should know about?”
Dooley frowned and motioned for Riser to follow him. James took Blakely’s arm and led her a few feet away from the other officer. They were behind his friends.
“Are you okay?”
Blakely nodded. “Yes.”
“You’re not going to go sit at the police station. If they keep insisting, we’ll find a lawyer for you.”
Blakely shook her head. “You don’t have to help me. I’m probably more trouble than I’m worth.”
He pulled her into a hug. “No way am I leaving you to the wolves. I’ll stay with you and help you whatever way I can.”
“Thank you, but I don’t know why you are helping me. I’m no one.”
He leaned back and met her gaze. “Everyone is someone and I want to help you. You deserve help.”
“I don’t know that I do. What if the community I grew up in decides to file a complaint that I stole the money?”
“The money is still in the account, and the account is in your name. They have no legal claim.”
“Still, they would see it as wrong. I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
“I’ll be fine.”
Her eyes were on the ground, and he put his fingers under her chin, lifting her head so he could see her blue eyes that drew him in.
He wanted her safe, and more than that, he wanted her to have a good life.
If she was left to Grayson, he would destroy her, and if the cops pinned this on her, that would destroy her, too.
Staring into Jump’s brown eyes brought goosebumps to her shoulders. What was up with her feelings? No one had ever made her feel this way, and that scared her. Maybe walking away from him would be best for her. But the thought of leaving him was more than she could bear.
He might tell her to leave once he figured out that she was more trouble than she was worth, but for now, she would stay with him. When he eventually tired of her, she would go quietly.
Maybe it would be different. What if some of those movies she watched, the newer ones made this century were real, and she found someone who loved her?
Before meeting Jump, she never thought she would find anyone. She hadn’t even believed love existed. She’d never seen it before, but Jump was treating her like she was special.
She wouldn’t get her hopes up, though. One thing she knew about life from the cult was nothing was permanent. They’d moved from house to house, skipping out after months or a few years, never staying in one place long.
“You’re being way too nice to me.”
“No, I’m not.”
His fingers were no longer on her face and she missed his touch.
She knew what sex was because of the animals they kept from time to time.
She’d heard the men her father brought home to be with her mother.
One of her sisters had talked about it. Of course she’d been beaten so badly that her arms had been broken.
Blakely’s throat closed. Though it had been two years, the death of her siblings and the things they went through still caused her to tear up sometimes.
It wasn’t fair. She might not have been close with any of her siblings.
Her parents had positioned her as an enemy because of the time she’d spent with foster parents.
She also brought attention and strangers to their place.
She’d been an outsider, but she still felt for them.
As an adult living outside her family’s control, she understood how terrible her upbringing had been. The horror her younger sisters and brothers must have endured gave her nightmares.
She never wanted kids. Not because she didn’t like kids, but she knew she would be a terrible parent. She had no idea how to be. She certainly couldn’t put herself in a situation to be in charge of anyone.
“Thank you. I don’t know how I would get through this alone.”
The detective and Dooley were on their way back. She was thankful Jump took her hand. Before they stepped around Jump’s friends, Cy stopped them.
“I know that detective. He’s fair.”
She tried for a smile, hoping he was right. She squeezed Jump’s hand, hoping he would keep her upright.
“Blakely, right?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Officer Dooley has told me everything. I think you need to be careful. It’s obvious you were targeted. This guy from your past, Grayson Gold, I’ll see what I can find on him. I have a few friends in Seattle, and maybe they have information on the group. What was the name of it?”
“The Faithful.”
“I’ll see what I can get on them. Please be careful. He could be around here, so when you leave, make sure no one is following.”
“I’ll make sure no one follows us,” Jump said.
“Good man.” The detective narrowed his eyes. “You, I remember you.”
“Yes, Cy.”
“That’s right. Your girlfriend, Willa was her name. How is she?”
“She’s my wife now, and she’s great.”
“That’s good to hear.” The detective nodded. “I remember you guys. Take care and be careful. This guy tried to burn this place to the ground. He’s dangerous.”
“We will. Thank you.”
“And Blakely, I want you to have my information. Call or text me anything new. And if that guy shows up, call for the police. Don’t face him alone.”
As an adult, she hadn’t ever had an interaction with the police, but this was much different than she expected, at least with the detective. The other officers hadn’t seemed to want to help her.
As long as Grayson didn’t find her, she would be okay. She could make it in the real world. She just had to trust the right people, and it seemed like trusting Jump had been the right decision.