She isn’t going to take much more. I know that. I can feel it in the looks and the way she is avoiding me like the plague. The very fact that she came home with me tells me she believes me enough to trust me to keep her safe. I planned on telling her this morning. I wasn’t going to work. I’d find some time after breakfast when Abby was playing.

“Colton!” I heard Jenna’s call, laced with fear.

I darted out of my bedroom, ready to battle. “What is it?”

“I heard a car door.”

“Take her into the bathroom and lock the door,” I ordered.

I moved to the window with the curtains drawn tightly closed and peered outside. I breathed a sigh of relief and went to the door.

“Wow, you are fast!” I said, opening the door and greeting Kevin.

He smiled. “I told you I’d be on the first plane out here if you called. Here I am.”

I shut the door behind him, locking the deadbolt. “It’s just Kevin,” I called out.

“Hey, what do you mean, just Kevin?”

I smirked. “Jenna heard the car door. Wait, how did you get here?”

“Uber. I didn’t know you guys had them here in your little town, but you do, and he was fast.”

Jenna and Abby came into the living room. Abby raced toward him. “Uncle Kevin!” she squealed.

Kevin reached down and picked her up, hugging her close against him. “I missed you!” he told her.

Jenna was watching the scene with a smile on her face.

“Kevin decided to come for a visit,” I said, hoping she would understand the underlying meaning.

She nodded her head. “That’s nice.”

I walked over to her. “I need his help.”

“You still haven’t told me why.”

I sighed. “I know. Please trust me when I say this is for the best. Can you stay here with Abby while we go out for a bit?”

“Go out?” she said, one brow raised into a high arch.

I nodded. “Yes.”

I knew she expected more, but it would have to wait.

“You have to explain this. Seriously, this is the last time you are getting out of it,” she whispered, her eyes narrowed, and her brow furrowed.

“I promise. I will.”

Kevin put down Abby and looked at me expectantly. “We going for a drive?” he asked, not saying too much.

I nodded my head. “Yep. Let’s do this.”

“You’ll be back soon?” Jenna asked.

I nodded. “I need to check out a few things. I don’t expect to be gone long.”

I watched her let out a long sigh. “Okay.”

“Thank you. I owe you. I know that, and I promise to explain everything.”

She didn’t say anything. Kevin and I left with the intention of hunting down Frank. With a town this small, I didn’t think it would be too hard to find them. They’d likely be holed up in one of the motels that didn’t ask questions.

We stopped at several, asking for my brother and found nothing. Either the clerks at the motels we checked weren’t saying or the guys had never checked in.

“Are you sure he isn’t just yanking your chain?” Kevin asked, after we left the fourth motel.

I shook my head. “He knew they were at the bakery. He saw them.”

“Where else could they be?”

I shook my head, getting on the highway and heading out of town. “I don’t know. It would make sense they’d want to avoid attracting any attention.”

Kevin nodded his head. “Outskirts of town is where I’d be.”

“Exactly. Keep your eyes open for cars with Massachusetts plates.”

“Wouldn’t that be a little too obvious?” Kevin quipped.

“Maybe, but I don’t think Frank is all that concerned with getting caught. He isn’t worried. It’ll never get traced back to him.”

“Do you think he’s in town with his guys?”

I shrugged a shoulder. “I have no idea. I don’t put much past him.”

We drove along the highway, more corn fields on either side as we headed out of town.

“What’s that?” Kevin asked, pointing to a large warehouse.

I slowed the SUV and looked at the building. I could see a couple of cars parked out front, but the warehouse looked like it was out of commission. I turned off the highway, following a gravel road that ran past the warehouse.

“Son of a bitch,” I mumbled. “Isn’t that Zane?” I asked, pointing to a dude that had to weigh close to four hundred pounds.

“Looks like him. I guess we know where they’re hiding out,” Kevin said, confirming the identity of one of Frank’s right-hand men.

“How many do you think there are?” I asked the question, knowing he wouldn’t have an answer.

“I only see two cars. Hopefully that means only a few of them.”

“Shit!”

“What are we going to do?” Kevin asked.

“I have to get rid of them.”

“How do you plan to do that?”

I shook my head. “I have no idea.”

“Let’s head back. We’re not ready to do anything right now.”

I took the next turn off the gravel road and made my way back to my house. I still couldn’t believe I had managed to get myself tangled up in so much trouble. It was one bad decision after another. I wished like hell I could go back to that day I’d met Frank. I’d tell him to go to hell. I had been excited about the idea of being a private security guard for a wealthy man. I imagined a cushy job with benefits and a regular schedule.

It was late afternoon by the time we got back to the house. When I walked through the door, I was greeted with sumptuous smells coming from the kitchen. I could smell garlic and what I thought was chocolate and bread. It was an odd combination.

“Daddy!” Abby shouted, racing toward me with chocolate on her face. I had been right about the chocolate.

Jenna stepped out of the kitchen, looking at me first then Kevin. “All good?” she asked.

I nodded my head. “Yep.”

“I can go home?”

I shook my head. “Not yet.”

She sighed and went back into the kitchen.

“You’re in trouble,” Kevin whispered.

I smirked. “I usually am.”

I walked into the kitchen, leaving Abby to tell Kevin all about her day.

“After dinner,” she said the two words, not needing to say anything more.

I nodded my head. “Okay. What are you making?” I asked, inhaling the scent of garlic.

“Spaghetti and baked chicken. It was all I could find in the cupboard. I’m not a cook, so don’t complain if it doesn’t taste good.”

I laughed. “It smells delicious.”

I stood back and watched her for a minute. She was gorgeous. Even when I knew she wanted to kick my ass, she was beautiful.

“We made cookies. You had some chocolate chips in the pantry.”

I smiled. “That explains the chocolate on Abby’s face.”

Jenna smiled. “She insisted you have to eat a cookie fresh from the oven.”

“That sounds right. Can I do anything to help?”

“Set the table.”

“Got it.”

I quickly grabbed plates and utensils and did as I was told. I wasn’t going to push her. I could feel the tension in the room and didn’t want to make it any worse. Jenna brought out the dishes and set them down, wiped her hands on her jeans and announced dinner was done.

We all sat down and had a very normal, casual dinner as if we had done this very thing a hundred times before. Jenna was pleasant and didn’t let on she was pissed as hell at me. Kevin and I cleared the table while Jenna loaded the dishwasher after dinner.

“I put Kevin’s bag in the spare room. I’ll take the couch tonight again,” she announced.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Kevin quickly replied.

“No, it’s fine. I’d prefer the couch,” she said with a smile.

“If you guys don’t mind, I’m going to crash early. It was an early morning and I’m beat,” Kevin announced.

He was giving me an opportunity to talk to Jenna. I didn’t want to. “Oh, come on, it’s barely after seven.”

“I want to shower first.”

I nodded my head. “All right. You can use the shower in my room. I’m going to get Abby in the bath,” I announced, feeling lucky to have an excuse to avoid being alone with Jenna.

Kevin shook his head, knowing exactly what I was doing. I was a coward. I could admit it. We left Jenna alone in the living room. I stalled for as long as I could with Abby. Kevin came into Abby’s room where I was reading her a third bedtime story.

“Get out there!”

I wrinkled up my nose. “No.”

“You better or I will.”

I glared at him. I couldn’t hide my jealousy.

He smirked. “Thought so. Good night. I’ll see you in the morning.”

I nodded my head, took a deep breath and finished the story before turning off the light and closing Abby’s door. I felt like I was walking to my execution as I dragged my feet down the hall and into the living room. Jenna was sitting on the couch, her eyes focused on the TV, but I didn’t think she was actually watching the cooking show she had on.

“Hey,” I said sitting down next to her.

“Hey,” she replied with a lack of enthusiasm.

I couldn’t do it. I realized in that moment I couldn’t tell her about my dark secret. I sat next to her, my shoulder touching hers. I could feel the heat coming off her warm body. It didn’t take long for the air in the room to become thick with sexual tension. I wanted her. I needed to hold her in my arms. It was only sex, I reminded myself. I had been stressed and needed to relieve the tension.

“Don’t,” she whispered when my hand ran over her thigh bared in the sleep shorts she had on.

I kept moving my hand upward, testing her resolve to turn me down. I could feel her own tension. Sex was an excellent way to avoid the other situation that led to her sleeping on my couch.

“I want you,” I whispered close to her ear, smiling when I saw her shiver.

“You have to tell me what’s going on,” her voice was a harsh plea.

“I will.”

My hand pushed the shorts up higher, my fingers sliding underneath. The back of my knuckles brushed over her panties.

“We can’t,” she whispered.

“Sure, we can. I need you, Jenna.”

Her face turned to me and I took advantage. My mouth slammed over hers, forcing her lips apart and shoving my tongue deep inside. I heard her little moan and pushed deeper. My fingers slid under the tiny cotton fabric between her legs, feeling the heat of her arousal.

Her back arched as she squirmed on the couch. I pulled my mouth away from hers.

“Come on,” I whispered, standing up and reaching for her at the same time.

She defiantly stared at me. “I shouldn’t.”

“But you want to. I want you to.”

I grabbed her hand, gently pulling her against my chest, kissing her again.

“I’m mad at you,” she said, wrenching her mouth away from mine.

“I know.”

I kissed her again, feeling her body press against me. I broke the kiss, grabbed her hand and led her down the hall. She didn’t fight it.