Chapter 20
Twenty
Jackson slipped his phone back into his pocket. His boots thudded on the hospital linoleum as he paced back and forth in the waiting room, waiting for Mia to return. She’d run to the restroom when he’d announced his plan to call his chief before leaving the hospital.
“Why don’t you call while we drive?” she had asked.
“Because if the chief mentions something that should be confidential, you aren’t allowed to hear it.”
The soft padding sound of her sneakers alerted him to her return. He swiveled to greet her.
“You make your phone call?”
He patted his pocket where his cell phone rested. “Sure did. I called my boss. Told him I need to take the next couple of days off. He didn’t ask questions. Just told me to let him know when I can work again. Then I called Swanny and asked him to pray for us.”
She scuffed the floor with her left foot. “I used to be really uncomfortable with that kind of talk. Not anymore. Now, I’m grateful for his prayers.”
His heart lifted at this.
He gestured toward the sliding doors. “You ready to go?”
“More than ready.”
Jackson held out his hand, and she slipped hers into it. The warmth of her fingers interlocking with his washed over him. His skin tingled when it rubbed against hers. They headed toward the glass sliding doors enclosing the lobby, their steps in sync.
The doors whooshed open, blasting him with a wave of late-summer heat. In the parking lot, the scent of asphalt hung heavy in the air. Almost every spot in the main parking lot hosted a vehicle. It seemed midmorning was a popular time for visitors.
Jackson opened Mia’s door. He felt her gaze on him as he walked around the truck to his side.
“It feels odd, not going in to work today.” He drove from the parking lot.
“Yeah, because you’ve gone rogue.”
He smiled at the word, even though there was very little in this situation that was amusing.
Cars zoomed down Main Street, and a red sports car made an illegal pass.
Jackson winced. He waited until it was safe before he turned into traffic.
“Not exactly. I’m going to do some more searching on my own.
There have been so many overdoses lately, many connected to this new derivative of Neurosync, that the police are focused on that also.
I can’t sit at home and wait for them to find my brother.
You heard Reggie. Thirty-six hours. That was last night.
We’re down to less than twenty-four now. ”
It was hard to breathe around the pressure filling his chest. His brother, sitting in a cage, while men planned to sell him in another country. How had this happened?
He needed to focus. “I’ll drop you off at home—”
“I’m going with you.”
Jackson nearly slammed on the brakes. “Absolutely not.”
Without looking at her, he knew she’d crossed her arms. If he glanced her way, he was sure her teeth would be clenched and sparks would be flying from her brown eyes, ready to smoke him.
“You don’t have time to waste, Jackson. You know I can use a gun, and I can fight. I also know what Dylan looks like. We could split up and both look.”
“No way.” His blood ran cold at the thought.
“Why not?” He’d forgotten how aggressive her tone could get.
“Because the last time we were in the woods, we were shot at and nearly killed. It wouldn’t be smart for us to be separated like that.”
“Gah!”
He jumped at the shriek. She banged her head back against the seat, and her hands fisted in her lap. If he stood right in front of her, she’d probably pop him in the nose.
“We were shot at, yes, and I shot the bad guy. And did you forget the part where I rappelled down a cliff? And climbed back up?”
He huffed an angry breath. “I saw it, and it was amazing. I still say no.”
“You are such a man.”
Jackson narrowed his eyes. These were dangerous waters he was getting into. “Thanks for noticing. I’m not saying this because you’re a woman.”
“Sure you’re not.” She scoffed, turning her head from his. When he saw her fist wipe her eye, his gut clenched. He hadn’t meant to make her cry. But why couldn’t she understand?
“Mia—”
“No! Don’t patronize me, Jackson! Don’t act like Blaine and treat me like I can’t handle doing the tough things. Because I can.”
“That’s not what I meant,” he growled at her. Why was she being so difficult?
“Why are we wasting time?”
“Because you aren’t listening to me.”
“Jackson—”
“No!” He lightly pounded his fist on the steering wheel.
“I’m not trying to tell you what to do, Mia.
But I have failed too many people. My mom.
My brother. I even failed you, back in high school.
I’m not gonna fail you now. If I let you go off by yourself, knowing it’s unsafe, then I’ll be at fault again if you get hurt. I can’t deal with that.”
She was silent for a moment. He wondered if she was too angry to speak. The silence was nearly unbearable.
When she finally spoke, her voice was like velvet. “I guess I’ve gotten so used to believing that men can’t be trusted and that they always put themselves first, that I never gave you the benefit of the doubt.”
He was horrified. “I made you feel that way?”
She kept her gaze out the side window. “No. Well, not only you. I told you about my ex-fiancé. And you know how cold Blaine was growing up. I never understood that he didn’t love me until I was in seventh grade.
My teacher had selected me for a special biology camp.
There were only five spots, and I got one.
I was so excited. My mom was on a trip, so Blaine promised he’d take me.
But the day before, he told me he had business and I couldn’t go. ”
“Oh, Mia.” Jackson patted her shoulder. “That’s rough.”
She shrugged. “You haven’t heard the worst. I overheard a phone conversation when he thought I was in bed.
He was talking to someone on speakerphone.
His ‘business’ was a date with a woman. He was cheating on my mom, and he put his girlfriend ahead of me.
I knew then that I’d never been a priority for him.
I guess I carried that with me. I expect men to fail me, so they do. I’m sorry.”
He thought about it. “Like I assume the worst will happen if I’m not in control.”
“Exactly.” Her chin jutted out. “You are treating me like a child. Worse than that, you’re treating me like I don’t have a voice in this argument. Just like Blaine.”
He couldn’t think of a worse comparison than being told he was like Blaine Turner.
But she was right that he wasn’t giving her a choice. He didn’t want to do that. But what if she got hurt? “You could get hurt. Or worse.”
She gave a watery chuckle, like she was laughing to cover a sob that wanted to break free. “Jackson, you’re a paramedic. People get hurt—and worse—every day. If I live trying to avoid that, it’s not really living.”
He stewed for a moment. He didn’t like it, but she had a point.
Her hand touched his arm. The warmth sank into his skin.
“Jackson. I put my whole heart and soul into working with these kids. Now some of them are in danger because of something I advocated. If I don’t help and they get hurt, I’ll never forgive myself for staying safe while my kids were in danger. ”
That was the argument that sold him. Because it was how he felt. He needed to be part of Dylan’s rescue. He needed to help make it right.
He tapped the steering wheel lightly, twice, then tilted his head to see her. “I’m still not keen on you coming along, because I don’t want to see you get hurt. But you’re right that it might be helpful to have another person.”
“Plus, you really don’t have time to drop me off. Every moment counts.”
He huffed a heavy sigh. “Promise you’ll stick close to me.”
“Done. So do you have any ideas?”
Jackson tapped the steering wheel. “I have one. There’s an abandoned meat factory not far from here, on the edge of the woods.
I was thinking about the place I heard Reggie describing, and I thought maybe it was there.
It’s close to where they camped. Remember Reggie said they didn’t travel very far? ”
“Yeah. He said it looked like a warehouse. A meat factory could fit the bill. That sounds like a good place to start. But it doesn’t sound smart for us to charge inside.”
He scoffed. “If I see signs of recent movement on the outside, then we can call in backup.”
He stopped the truck half a mile away from the factory.
“Why are we stopping here?” she asked.
“I don’t want them to hear my truck coming. If they are here, it might spook them and make them come outside to investigate.”
“Good plan,” she said.
Jackson and Mia slipped out of his truck. “Let’s stick to the cover of the trees while we can. And minimal talking.”
She rolled her eyes but refrained from commenting. It made him grin. He loved it when Mia’s snarky side showed up.
A thick wall of trees blocked them, the branches reaching hundreds of feet into the sky.
Many of the trees were so thick it would take five people with arms outstretched to encircle them.
Smaller trees grew along the path, their growth restricted by the giants that blocked the nourishing sunlight.
These trees forced Mia and Jackson to make multiple small changes in direction, which made Jackson think of the evasive maneuvers the starship captains on various Star Trek shows would call for.
It took twice as long as if they were walking on the paved road.
Jackson reminded Mia not to remove her attention from the forest floor for too long.
The uneven ground writhed and dipped, and it was covered with sticks, rocks, and debris.
Mia nearly had to catch herself twice when she tripped over an obstacle or a hole dug by some foraging animal.
Jackson was careful not to act too solicitous.
He didn’t want to irritate her again by making her wonder if he doubted her.