“I love him, but I can’t. The more I love him, the more he’s going to get hurt. Why? I love him so much. How can I protect him if he’s next to me? Loving him, no, no.” Gillian rocked back and forth, her heart breaking into pieces. “I can’t love him if it means Mike will hurt him. I won’t.”
The purr of Jack’s truck faded as Gillian sat in silence, tears streaking down her face. She rose to her feet, shuffled across the room, and moved the curtain aside to stare out. Pain licked at her heart as she took a shuddery breath. There was no doubt Mike would hurt Jack. He was a cold, brutal monster and he’d do whatever he wanted to. It was for the best. Better to hurt him a little now than have him killed. Dropping the curtain back, she rubbed her sweaty hands down her thighs and grabbed for the phone.
After calling a cab, she hovered by the window. Spotting the blue and white car, Gillian grabbed her bags and stuck them outside. Without a word, she loaded the car and crawled into the back seat.
“Where to?”
“Seven fifty-four Bridge Street.” Gillian swallowed the rising panic. The small cabin she’d found was out of the way, hidden between two taller, more modern buildings. It was a place her mother would never find her, one where she would be safe until she figured out how to keep Jack safe.
Tears burned her eyes as she dug out her phone. Her thumb traced over the keypad before she tucked it back into her coat pocket and leaned back. Jack would be hurt, but it was better to wound his pride than take his life.
She paid the cabbie when he parked, carried her luggage up the stone pathway, and opened the door with a tearful sigh. She closed the door and leaned back against it as fresh tears began to fall.
Curled on the floor, she sobbed, her heart shattering, the sound echoing in her ears as the shadows spread across the ground.
* * * *
Jack rubbed at his temples, frustrated as he listened to Gillian’s cell ring endlessly. Beyond his office door, he could hear Lenny and Barbara arguing, the angry note only drawing a sad shake of his head.
“Come on, Gilli, answer the phone.” His plea filled the silence of the room for a moment before fading into nothing. The pain in his chest grew as he hung up the phone. Tossing it onto his desk, he leaned back, wiping a hand down his face. Movement in the doorway drew his attention and he crossed his arms over his chest.
“Something you wanted?”
“I warned you, didn’t I?”
“Gloat somewhere else. She’s scared, but not of me.” Jack rose to his feet. “I’m busy.”
“Sure, cleaning out your office.”
Jack shrugged and opened a drawer. A week without Gillian had left him more than a little short tempered. He’d stopped by her office, but she was always one step ahead of him. She’d started working from home, coming in only when she needed to. Even at the university she was conspicuously absent.
Aware of Barbara hovering in the door, he rifled through files, pulling out the open cases he’d been working on and stacking them on the desk.
Five minutes later he eyed Barbara. “Are you still here? Don’t you have somewhere else to be? I suggest you find somewhere else to go.”
He tensed at the blaring roar of the alarm, slammed the drawer shut, and locked it before rising. Grabbing supplies as he went, coat in hand, he headed for the apparatus bay. He stormed by Barbara and raced down the hallway.
“What is it?” he called, sliding across the cement floor toward the door leading out to the trucks.
“Car accident.” Brad panted as he ran by. “Single car rollover on North Dinosaur Trail.”
Jack stumbled and his heart froze. He glanced at the clock, terror ripping into his heart. Gillian could be on her way to work by now. Where on the Dinosaur Trail had the car gone off exactly? “Where?”
“Out past the Fun Land Amusement Park.” Lenny glanced uneasily at Jack. “They’re requesting extraction, ambulance and police are en route. Passerby saw the taillights, called it in.”
Jack nodded, climbing into the cab of the fire truck and slamming the door. The EMS truck pulled out, sirens blaring, leading the way. Falling back on his training, he went through the charts and game plan as they raced to the scene. Jack rounded the bend and felt his heart drop. He recognized the familiar box shape of a red and white ambulance, lights flashing. Beside it, several cruisers were parked, blocking the road. Men and women in various uniforms hurried about.
Glancing off the road, Jack gulped in shock. A familiar car lay on its roof in the brush. Broken glass spread across the road and into the underbrush. One tire spun lazily in the morning light. The rear lights glowed red, the bumper twisted into a pretzel. He clambered down from the truck and he slapped his helmet on, heart in his throat. What the hell is she doing in her own car?
Jack muttered a prayer and began pulling open doors, grabbing the equipment needed. He grunted and jerked out the Jaws of Life, already heading for the ditch. “Single female occupant. Unresponsive, she is still breathing…” The cop’s voice faded into nothing as Jack shouldered past him.
“Hey, Jack.” Lenny grabbed his arm. “Why don’t you sit this one out?”
“No, I need…” Jack tugged himself loose. Ignoring Lenny’s irritated expression, Jack muscled his way next to the other two men. “What’s needed done?” Jack demanded as a paramedic slipped into
