CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
JAKE
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“Dr. Thornton—Brad—is responsible for all of this?” Caylee gasps, staring between me and Cole. “I can’t believe it. How...why...”
There’s a cease-fire between us right now, and I hope it lasts more than ten minutes. Moreso, I hope Caylee doesn’t kick me out. We let her absorb what we just told her, knowing it's adding to her shock.
“I saw a few strange things recently but never...child trafficking. Brad. My god.”
“Welcome to the kidnap club, I guess,” Scarlett quips, rocking Zara on her hip.
Caylee’s mouth is still wide open when she turns her head, then it snaps shut.
“Too soon?” Scarlett asks. “We can get T-shirts. Create a club. Get a logo.”
Cole moans, shifting his cap on his head uncomfortably. “Scar.”
Caylee glances at me, blinks a few times then surprises us all by bursting into laughter. Like bending over, hysterically laughing.
Cole and I share a look, both unsure what to do.
We’ve been trained to recognize shock, but when it’s someone you love, it’s different.
Not that I love...
Anyway...my point is. This is Caylee, and we are stunned into non-action.
“See, she’ll be fine.” Scarlett takes a few steps, rubs her arm while balancing Zara, who is giggling along with her aunt. “Don’t let those cunts win, babe. You’ll bounce back.”
Jesus, she’s good.
Love pours from Cole’s face as he watches his sister and mother of his beautiful little girl. I’m reminded they’re all family and that I don’t really fit in here. But I want to.
I want to be part of her entire world.
Watching the van as I kept my foot on the gas, worried I’d never see Caylee again, knowing too much about what could—was—happening, was terrifying.
Talk about a reality check.
Those people never leave anyone alive to threaten their complex and sophisticated organization. Caylee would’ve been dead within a few hours.
Or less.
Instead, we caught the fuckers.
Brad Thornton, we’re advised, is now locked up, and his staff has been advised that the company is closed for the foreseeable future.
Which Cole just updated Caylee on.
“I just can’t believe it’s Brad.” Caylee wipes her eyes and then smiles when her mom steps back into the room with a hot chocolate.
“Here you are, darling.” She takes a chair and rubs her daughter’s arm. “What do you need?”
Caylee glances at me.
I act like a tree, locking my thighs and letting her know, as I cross my arms, I am not leaving. I lean back against the wall and get comfortable to emphasize my intention.
I’m here for the long haul.
Caylee swallows.
I wish I knew what she was thinking.
She clung to me when I rescued her, but for the past hour she’s started to retreat, watching me like a wild animal she’s not sure how will react.
We need to talk.
But not tonight.
I have some big changes and decisions to make; I realize that.
Unless it’s too late.
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I TELL EVERYONE I’ll drive Caylee home and take care of her. She doesn’t kick me out, and I take that as a win.
Even Cole slaps me on the back, while the women all hug.
I’d think it was the Twilight Zone if we hadn’t all been through a huge scare. It changes people...temporarily.
It’s a quiet drive home, but we are soon inside, and I flop down into the armchair when Caylee lies down on the sofa. My muscles are aching, and I’m suddenly starving.
“Hungry?”
“Not sure. I don’t know how I feel.” She bites her lip, and I note how exhausted she is.
Decision making is hard when you are in shock, stressed and tired, so I pull out my phone and order a few light options she can snack on. Some fries, a chicken salad, some drinks and a huge burger for me.
When I glance over again, she has a lost look on her face, so I join her on the sofa. She sits up, and her eyes fill with tears.
“Sorry.”
“Never say sorry to me. That was a terrifying situation. It’s going to take some time. Don’t expect to bounce back immediately just because we saved you.”
“You did save me.” Her voice is small.
“I would have burned down the entire fucking city,” I rasp, and when Caylee lifts her eyes to mine, I cup her face. “Yes, it was my job, but you’re my girl.”
Her eyes dip, and a sword stabs my heart, telling me my instinct was right. She’s finished with me. If we weren’t in the middle of a crisis right now, Caylee would be ending our relationship.
Well, the fat lady has not fucking sung yet, and I’m not a man who gives up.
“Poor Trinity.” She sniffs as a tear rolls down her cheek.
We stopped in to see her at the hospital on the way out. Her parents were distraught, still talking to the police as Caylee and Trinity hugged.
“It happened to both of you.”
“But I’m an adult. She is just a young girl. How is this going to impact her? God, I hope Brad is hanged for this. What a monster!” Caylee cries.
She doesn’t know the half of it.
I wish I could protect her from it all, but there will be a long road ahead prosecuting him, and she’ll be part of it.
“He is the worst of society. I’m glad they’ve taken him into custody.”
“How long have you known?” Caylee asks, rubbing her temple, processing it all.
“A few weeks. After our first date, I started to piece things together. Something you said triggered my memory of the day near the park.”
I watch as she connects the dots.
“Oh, my god. If you hadn’t, both Trinity and I could be—”
She crumples in my arms.
“It didn’t, baby. It didn’t happen.”
I let her cry, wrapping my arms tight around her.
The next time she speaks, anger has kicked in. “That motherfucking bastard. I want to kill him. How dare he do that to me? To all those girls. We trusted him.”
That-a-girl.
That fury will see her through the grieving process and help her heal. As long as she doesn’t stay angry.
“Yeah, well, someone inside might do that for you. No one likes child traffickers.” I kiss the side of her head.
“Good. I hope he dies.” Caylee wipes her tears away angrily. “I can’t believe that every day I was working alongside that man while he was doing this.”
Guilt.
“You couldn’t know. No one did. These people are broken and clever,” I share. “Don’t waste your time feeling responsible, Caylee.”
“But you knew.”
“It’s my job. I’m trained to know, and I’ve worked on a taskforce specifically targeted to finding these types of people.”
Honestly, finding Brad the way we did was more luck than anything.
Our food arrives and we both nibble and share the food, cutting up the burger but mostly pretending to eat. Even my appetite is crap.
“I should go to bed,” Caylee eventually says, flopping back on the sofa. She shoots me a look that’s half resigned. “I can ring Cole. You should go.”
I freeze, a fry halfway to my mouth.
The fuck?
“What?”
I feel the bottom of my stomach fall out as I take in more of her expression. She doesn’t trust me and wants me to leave.
I deserve it, but the sting is fucking painful.
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CAYLEE
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“I’M NOT GOING anywhere.” Jake tosses his fry onto the plate and glares at me angrily.
I look away.
The chances of him leaving at some point over the next few hours or days is almost one hundred percent. I can’t deal with that right now.
“I don’t want to be alone. You could,” I wave my hand at his phone. “Have other priorities.”
I stand, but Jake grabs my hand and pulls me back down.
“Caylee—”
“I should have gone home with Cole and Scarlett or Mom.” I shake my head. “It’s fine, Jake. Just help me clean up.
I reach for the dishes.
“Stop. I’m not leaving you, Caylee. Not tonight—”
“That’s it, Jake.” I rip my hand away. “It’s not just tonight. What if you have to leave tomorrow? Or next week. I am scared to be on my own right now. I can’t rely on you. Which is fine. No, it’s not fine, but it’s fine. Ahh, god. I—”
“I’m not ever leaving,” Jake says firmly, turning me to face him. “Bathroom breaks aside. And work. But I’m not leaving.”
I don’t believe him.
I don’t trust him.
“Please don’t say that,” I whisper.
I could stay with any number of my friends—all of whom have been messaging—or my family, but in my heart I want Jake to stay with me.
That doesn’t mean he is reliable. In fact, I know he’s not. This is too important. What if I have an anxiety attack or something?
I can’t put my faith in the wrong place.
Now and in my future. This has to end. So, I can be free to meet a man who is committed to our relationship and could love me.
The timing is terrible.
But that doesn’t make it less true.
I open my mouth to tell Jake to leave when he surprises me by pulling out his phone and tossing it on the table.
“There. Unless it’s your family checking on you, it can ring all night. I won’t answer it.”
My mouth drops open as I glance between the device and Jake.
I don’t believe him.
But god, I want to.