Sean

“Fuck!”

I’d taken a gamble and left Jess with Misty and sped away, trying to keep up with Walker while knowing full well that I couldn’t.

I had anticipated a lot, but that had caught me off guard.

It shouldn’t have though.

That fucker was only in this for the money, and with Misty out of the way, he wouldn’t have to split it.

Worse, with her out of the way, he’d have free rein to take more extreme measures to get every penny he could out of me.

And now I had proven I would pay.

“Fuck!” I yelled again.

I could see Walker’s car in the distance, but I wouldn’t be able to catch up with him. And I needed to get back to Jess. I had to see her. I knew she would be out of her mind with worry, about Jake and about Misty. I wanted to make her feel better, and selfishly, I wanted the comfort that only came when I was with her. And I needed that comfort more now than I ever had.

When I got back, my eyes were immediately drawn to Jess. She was still, eerily so, and I could make out the tears that streamed down her cheeks.

Instantly I knew Misty hadn’t made it.

I parked, got out of the car, and went over to Jess.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, feeling hollow, weak, unable to help her at all.

“Me too,” she said. Then she looked up at me. “Is an ambulance on the way?” she asked.

“No ambulance,” I said quietly. “And we have to go, Jess.”

She looked at me like I was insane. “Go?”

“Yes, there’s nothing we can do for her, but we still have to get Jake. I’ll see that she’s taken care of,” I said.

At the mention of Jake’s name, Jess came to life, her eyes now flashing fire.

“He’s with Walker,” she said.

“Yeah.”

She looked at Misty one last time and then leaned over and kissed her softly on the forehead before she stood.

We got into the car, and before I pulled off, I handed her the pack of baby wipes that wouldn’t have been in my car two months ago but that I now couldn’t imagine being without.

Just like I couldn’t imagine being without her. Without Jake.

She took them and then silently began the grim task. The wipes wouldn’t get rid of all the blood, but they would help.

“Thank you,” she said after she had finished with her hands the best she could.

“You’re welcome,” I responded, my skin crawling at this situation. I was exchanging pleasantries with her when Jake was gone and Misty was dead. This was such a fucking disaster.

One quick glance at Jess proved she could see that too.

“How are you going to find him?” she asked quietly, solemnly, her voice telling me that she wasn’t sure if I could.

“I know exactly where he is,” I responded.

Her eyes widened with surprise but then she seemed to come to a realization.

“That’s why you’ve been so calm,” she said, the words a statement and not a question.

“Patrick taught us to keep a cool head. But knowing where he is helps,” I said.

“But if you knew, why did you let this happen?” she asked.

The words weren’t meant as an accusation, but I took them hard, not that I needed a reminder of how badly I’d fucked this up. Still, I tried to explain.

“You were right. Whether I like it or not, Misty is—” I cut off quickly at the way Jess winced and realized I hadn’t quite processed the fact that she was gone. Still, I continued. “She’s his mother. And I didn’t want to do anything that he would hate me for later. So that’s why I tried to be more delicate.”

“And now?” she asked.

I looked at her for a moment before turning back to the road.

“And now, I won’t be,” I said.

Jess was silent and when I looked at her again, I could see the tension on her face.

“I’m going to get him back,” I said.

Her expression told me she wanted to believe me but that she didn’t.

“What is it, Jess?” I asked.

She breathed out deeply. “Walker has the money. What makes you think he won’t—”

“He won’t,” I said, cutting her off. “The money he has is just a taste. Now he thinks he can get a lot more.”

“And what if he thinks he has to hurt Jake to get it?” she said, her voice trembling.

“He won’t,” I said.

“You sound sure,” she replied.

“He knows that if Jake is harmed he won’t get anything.”

I hated how distant I sounded, how callous, but I needed that distance to keep my head and get my family through this. I also didn’t need to tell Jess that Walker knew what would happen to him if Jake was hurt.

“Trust me,” I said, the words a plea that I both hated and couldn’t deny.

I could feel Jess’s eyes on me, and when I looked over at her, she nodded.

“Okay,” she said.