The noise coming from my assistant’s desk brought me back to the land of the living and out of the number trance I had been in. I could hear Bridget and Sophie talking to my assistant, and I could hear Alonzo cooing. Bridget was married to my boss, Alex Ross. They had their baby, Alonzo, four months ago.

My office door opened. Bridget and Sophie came in and sat down in the chairs in front of my desk. Bridget shifted to move Alonzo to her right shoulder so she could soothe him. Needing my baby fix, I got up and took Alonzo from her. I walked back to my desk and sat down.

Alonzo was already reaching for my glasses. He was the happiest baby I had ever seen. “Thank you for bringing the baby to see me.” I knew they’d come for another reason, and I had an inkling I knew what it was.

Bridget leaned back in the chair. “I didn’t bring Alonzo here to see you. I spend my days playing with either a computer or a baby, and nobody tells me gossip anymore. I want to know how your trip with Brock went. I also want to know if it’s true that his mom actually shot one of the men after the bounty?”

“I’m still not sure where Brock’s mom had the gun hidden. When we came back from the lake, a man had a gun to Suzy’s head. All I could think about was how my past would destroy Brock’s future. The next thing I know, she’s fired a gun, and the man behind her dropped. I looked over to see if Brock shot him. He didn’t appear have an open shot with the way the guy was holding Suzy. But she stepped away, still holding the gun in her hand, and shot him again. I’ll tell you one thing. I’m afraid that if I ever upset Brock, she might come after me.”

Sophie had a big grin on her face. “If I ever get married or find a man I want to settle down with, I hope his mom is like Brock’s. I looked at the surveillance video from their house. She was amazing. Seeing a little five-foot elderly lady take down a six-foot-four bounty hunter was spectacular.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” Bridget said. “Have you talked to Patty since this happened?”

I hadn’t. I’d been avoiding Patty. Not wanting to answer Bridget’s question, I changed the subject. “Are you guys planning on going over for the wedding?”

Bridget leaned forward. “Don’t think I don’t see what you’re trying to do. Patty called this morning. She’s beside herself that you won’t take her calls.”

I sighed. “Every time I talk to her, she begs me to come back to Shialia, and I don’t know if I’m ready.”

“Jessica, these men are coming after you here. Brock will do everything he can to protect you, but you need to stop letting these men win, and live your life.”

“You don’t know what I’ve been through. It’s easy for someone to sit there and tell me what to do, but you haven’t undergone days of being tortured.”

Sophie bristled. “I’ve seen the files, and I’ve seen more than you know. You know nothing of my past and what I’ve been through. I’m just telling you that you will regret not seeing the birth of your niece or nephew, and you’re letting these men win.”

That was true. I didn’t know anything about Sophie’s past. I was still trying to figure how she knew so much about mine. “I’m thinking about it, but I’m still not sure if I’m going. I’ll talk to Brock about it tonight. I know it doesn’t matter where I am. It seems I’m not safe anywhere. I’m worried that, if I go home, I’ll feel more vulnerable and I won’t be able to protect myself.”

Alonzo fussed in my arms, and Bridget came to take him back. “We’ll come with you if you need us to.”

It was sweet of Bridget to offer, but this was my demon, and I needed to face it. “I think I can do it, and I’m seriously considering it. But don’t tell Patty!”

Bridget nodded at me, and then I turned to Sophie. “And when are you gonna tell us where you keep getting all your information? I know you’re a hacker, but you seem to be hacking databases that could get you into a lot of trouble.”

In the chair next to Sophie, Bridget threw up her arms. “Don’t you think I’ve been trying to figure that out? My best friend is holding out on me! I’ve checked every database I can find, and I can’t figure out where she’s going. I put key logging apps on our laptops, but she’s not using any of the laptops I can find.”

For the first time in a long time, Sophie looked upset. Usually, nothing ever rocked her emotions. “One day, I will tell you what’s going on. But until then, please drop it.” Sophie got up and walked out of my office.

Both Bridget and I were a little stunned. “I didn’t mean to piss her off.”

Bridget got up with Alonzo on one shoulder. She reached down to grab the baby bag with her free hand. “She’s been like this for the past year. Something’s going on, and she’s not ready to tell us. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not stopping me from digging around to see if I can find out for myself because she would do the same for me. But when she’s ready, she’ll bring us in. Just don’t forget that we’re here for you too.”

It was around five o’clock, and all I could think about was how much I wanted to be there for Patty when the baby was born. She had always been there for me. I needed to get past my fears and go be with her. As long as Sam and Brock were there, I would be okay.

I got all my stuff ready and headed over to see what Brock’s response would be to going out for dinner tonight. Traffic was light, and the trip over to the club went quickly. Daisy was working behind the front desk when I arrived. The club had been open for a few hours, but people who showed up early only sat at the bar and talked.

Daisy had on a white cocktail dress instead of her regular fet wear. “Daisy, aren’t you going to the club tonight?”

“Daisy’s Master Neal is out of town. Daisy volunteered to work the desk tonight, and then she’s gonna go home.”

I walked over and gave her a hug. “It’s good to see you, Daisy. We’re heading out for dinner.”

Leaving Daisy to greet the people who walked into the club, I headed down the stairs. It was still early, so the music wasn’t loud. I walked toward the bar, looking for Brock. After my conversation with Sophie and Bridget today, I was ready to talk about heading over to see my sister and Sam.

When I sat down at the bar, Eric came over and brought me a glass of wine. “Do you know where Brock is?” I asked.

Eric shuffled from foot to foot. I could tell he was uncomfortable about answering my question. When he looked over to his left, I followed his gaze. Brock was in the middle of a scene with a beautiful redhead.

When I stood, Eric grabbed my hand. “It’s not what it looks like. You need to talk to him before you get mad.”

I looked over at the scene again. The woman looked like she was in ecstasy. “It looks to me like I’m not giving Brock what he needs.” And that Eric was covering for his friend.

Eric ran his hand down his face in frustration. “Jessica, it is not what it seems. He’s helping with a scene. Don’t jump to any conclusions.”

I yanked my hand out from under Eric’s. “Fine, but I’m not gonna sit here and watch it. I’ll go upstairs and wait for him.” Not waiting to hear what Eric would say to defend his friend, I stood up and headed toward the door.

Tears started pouring down my face. How could he do this to me? How could he do what my ex-husband had done to me already? At least my ex-husband hid it from me. Brock was shoving it right in my face.

On the way up to Brock’s apartment, a plan flashed into my head. Maybe it was time to head to Shialia and see my sister. Alone.

I dug my phone from my purse and dialed our pilot. He said he could get a plane ready for me within the hour.

I headed to the apartment and back to my room. I needed to pack and get out of there before Brock saw me. I wanted to be in the air before he even realized what happened. It would give me time to think about what I saw.

Once I had my suitcase filled, I reached up and took off the necklace that Brock had given me. Without my GPS tracker, it would be harder for Brock to find me. 

All I had to do now was figure out how to get out of the building without being seen. The front door was covered. Daisy would know something was up and alert Brock that I’d left.

I knew my Lexus SUV was parked in the back of the lot. If I could get down the stairs without being seen, I could go out the back door to my car.

By some miracle, I made it down the stairs and out the back door without being seen. As I was getting into my car, I heard shouting coming from the back door. I looked up to see John coming toward me. Knowing I needed to hurry, I put the car in reverse and peeled out of the parking lot.