Dawn of Forever (Jack & Jill #3) (16 page)

Irene’s eyes bore into Jillian’s.

“I wasn’t his mistress,” Jillian said with absolute resolution. It was the truth.

“You fucked my husband.” Irene’s rage overshadowed her newfound commitment to God. Underneath that self-righteousness stood a human with an ego and bleeding emotions.

“I fucked up your husband. I
did not
fuck him.”

The man her mother supposedly loved since kindergarten, sodomized Jessica—raped her. She lacked all ability to rationalize any of that. Even the words caught in her throat. Her mother would never have loved a rapist. It was easy to stay strong when the events in her life held some sort of meaning, some shred of rationale. Knox McGraw and Sunny Day having been soul mates obliterated all sense of reason.

“Let her go, Irene.”

She whipped around, snatching her bow from the floor, loading an arrow, and piercing through Knox’s shoulder in a single blink. “If I let her go, she’ll kill me.”

Psycho Bitch with the bow and arrow skills of Robin Hood could predict the future. Except Jillian wouldn’t just kill her … she’d kill Knox too.

“Besides, the reunion has just begun. We have more guests that will be joining the party.”

Knox grimaced at the arrow plunged into his shoulder. “Are you going to resurrect Sunny from the dead?” he seethed.

He ignored Jillian’s scowl. The bastard had no right to mention her mother in that context.

“You never know. I have God on my side.” Irene tossed the bow on the table.

“I think you’re worshiping a false god.” He goaded her.

“I think you’re going to die first when my original plan was to save you until last. I wanted you to watch those around you perish from your indiscretions. I fear my need to shut you up will spoil my plans.”

“I agree. Kill Knox first.”

That got both of their attention.

“Or you could let me kill him.”

Irene smirked. “You had your chance.”

“I wasn’t trying to kill him. Had I been … he’d be dead.”

She picked up the spilled pop can and headed up the stairs. “Behave, kids. I have some things to attend to.”

When the door shut, Jillian looked at Knox. “You have more protection and resources than the FBI. How the hell did she get you here?”

“She got you here.”

“She snagged me in a grief-stricken state from the airport in Portland. I was on my way to AJ’s funeral. What’s your excuse?”

“I came willingly.”

“Bullshit. Where’s your phone?”

“Home.”

Jillian shook her head. “No way.”

“Irene’s smart. Crazy, but smart. Every bit of ‘intelligence’ that came from G.A.I.L for nearly a decade came from her. She can track a mouse through a back alley in New York City. You were trained to kill with your hands, she was trained to assassinate by typing in a password on a keyboard. Trust me. She has eyes and ears on us as we speak. She’s resourceful and manipulative.” He smirked. “So believe me when I say she has people working for her that don’t even know it. They work for cash. No questions. No names.”

“The texts … did you know she was the one sending them to me? Did you know she found God in the psych ward? Did you keep this from me?”

Knox shook his head, a gruff chuckle vibrated his chest. “No. She was admitted and I let her go. I didn’t give her another thought—just happy to be rid of her. No need to keep tabs on someone locked up in a mental institution. And I sure as hell didn’t know she found God.”

Jillian narrowed her eyes. “You keep tabs on everyone. Don’t try to convince me that you didn’t know she was out.”

He shrugged. “I knew she was out, and I had her followed for a month or so, but nothing she did warranted any more of my time or resources so I pulled my men from her. No flags. No threat.”

“You were wrong.”

He nodded. “I was wrong.”

“What did she say to get you here? Why would you willingly walk into the lion’s den without someone having your back?”

“You … and Sunny.”

“Don’t. I don’t want to talk about that.”

Knox chuckled, tipping his head back against the wall and closing his eyes. “Then what do you want to talk about?”

“Luke. I want to know what you did to him, what you said to him.”

“We chatted about the words you two exchanged in Houston. I’d planned on having the same conversation with you, but out of respect, I decided to wait until after the funeral.”

“Respect? I’m not sure you know what that is.”

“I’m not the bad guy you think I am.”

“You’re a monster.”

Monsters prey on others because they have no self-control … they’re the weak ones.

Knox released a long breath. “I told Dr. Jones to forget about you. I told him to fuck as many women as it took to make that happen.”

Once a monster, always a monster. Of course he said that to Luke.

“Don’t give me that look.”

He didn’t have his eyes open. How could he know what look she gave him?

“You found another lover. You gave him your heart and he died, taking a part of you with him. Dr. Jones needs more than a memory to keep him warm at night. You could have chosen him, but you left him behind. I told him as much. He needs to be angry and pissed at you to move on.”

“I didn’t give AJ my heart. I didn’t have a heart left to give him.” Her words lacked conviction, in spite of her intent to mean them, in spite of wishing they were true.

“I moved heaven and earth for you in your last-ditch effort to save him. People don’t do that for a good fuck. He meant something to you.”

“Jude killed him, but you knew that, didn’t you? I’m sure you had your hand in covering it up … making it look like he died from the cancer and making sure his body made it back to Portland without suspicion.”

Knox smiled, eyes still shut. “Your brother is an unscrupulous lethal weapon. He takes lives without a blink of hesitation. That’s rare. Even your father and I battled with our consciences when aiming our guns at known killers, but not Jude. He was born to kill.
But
 … something tells me he blinked more than once before taking Sergeant Monaghan’s life. He knew he was also killing a part of you. He killed AJ to save you.”

“Fuck you.”

“I know. Fuck me. Fuck Jackson. It doesn’t change anything.”

Irene brought Knox there to torture Jillian. She knew the emotional pain he could inflict would hurt her more than any kind of physical torture.

“He’s with someone. Her name is Charlie. She’s Lake’s physical therapist. My sources told me she’s smart, beautiful, and his family seems to adore her.”

Adore.

She didn’t begrudge Luke a single thing. Jillian wanted him to find happiness. Luke deserved a happily ever after more than she did. Of course imagining him with someone else filled her with pain, but Knox was right, Jackson was right … she chose to leave him behind. If she had it all to do over again, she would have made the same decision. Luke’s family needed him.

“I’m happy for him … for them.”

“Really?” Knox opened his eyes.

“I loved him enough to let him go.”

“How kind of you. I’m sure he doesn’t see it that way. I never took you for the if-you-love-something-set-it-free type.”

Questions whirled in her head. Had her mother let Knox go? Did he let her go? With her mother dead, would Jillian ever know the whole truth? Did she
want
to know the truth?

Jones

T
he unanswerable question.
Where does one search for someone who doesn’t want to be found? For the safety of his family, Luke had to go through the motions of his life until the universe answered that question for him—until Jessica answered that question. He remained Dr. Jones by day, transforming into the man willing to risk his career and his own life to find her.

“Brother dearest?” Lake called, letting herself into Luke’s place.

He needed to confiscate her key.

“In my office.” He clicked out of his search screens and shut the top to his computer.

“Watching porn?”

He leaned back in his desk chair, resting his folded hands on his stomach.

“To what do I owe this unannounced visit?”

She eased into the leather chaise lounge in the corner of his office. “Nonsense. I announced myself when I opened the door.”

“You need to get enrolled in school again or find a job.”

“I have a job.”

“I mean a paying job, a forty-hours-a-week job.” Luke applauded his sister for volunteering to work with amputee children at the hospital, a position Charlie suggested, but it became her excuse to not reenroll in college after her accident. Their parents weren’t going to be able to support her living in San Francisco forever and Luke loved his sister, but he was not an enabler.

“Will you drive me home tomorrow to spend the weekend with Mom and Dad?”

“I can’t.”

“Why not? Mom and Dad want to see you, but they have guests and can’t come visit us.”

“I have somewhere I need to be.”

“Where?”

He gave her a pointed look. “Since when are you my keeper?”

“Since Jessica died and since you blew off Charlie.”

Sometimes he swore the woman before him was Jessica. Lake had a strong personality and spoke with uncensored words. Contumacious.

“I’m leaving town tomorrow.”

“For?”

“Research.”

“What are you researching?” Her eyes grew wide with expectancy.

Luke chuckled. “Stuff for something I’ll be presenting at a conference in the spring.”

“What’s the topic?” Lake’s relentlessness was unmatched.

“Life after death.”

“Really? Sounds intriguing.”

“Very. So let’s plan a trip home in a few weeks.”

“Christmas is in a few weeks.”

“Well there you go. Perfect timing.” Luke grinned.

Lake rolled her eyes. “Take me with you.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Why?”

“I’m going to be busy. I won’t have time to watch after you.”

“I don’t need you to watch after me.”

“No.”

“Come on.”

“Absolutely not. It’s too dangerous.”

“Dangerous? Where are you going? Looking for ghosts in the ghetto?”

Luke sighed. “The answer is no. No now. No tomorrow. No if you ask me a million more times.”

“You’re no fun.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“I’m not going to watch Jones for you.”

“I’m not asking you to. Eve has agreed to watch him.”

“I think you’re taking advantage of your secretary.”

“Probably, but she loves Jones, maybe more than me, so I don’t feel bad about asking her.”

“So you’re just going to leave me by myself this weekend.”

“I’m sure Charlie will indulge you in a movie or some female-bonding thing.”

Lake shrugged, a pout stealing her full lips. “I’m trying to give Charlie some space. I think being around me reminds her of you.”

Luke’s brow furrowed. “I’m sorry. That’s one of the main reasons I hesitated getting involved with her. I didn’t want anything to happen to your friendship.” It was a half-truth. Jessica was the biggest reason for his reservations about a relationship with Charlie or anyone else.

“It’s fine. I’m actually comforted by the fact that my brilliant psychiatrist brother is messed-up in the head. It makes the rest of us feel less crazy for having a human side.”

“Next weekend. I’ll go home with you then. Okay?”

“Deal.” Lake stood, taking an extra moment to gain her balance.

He walked around the desk and hugged her. “I am messed-up and yes, the whole ‘human side’ really sucks.”

“I love you, Luke. You’re still my idol.”

“Thanks. But I think you need to set your role model standards a bit higher than me.”

“How long will you be gone?”

“I had Eve reschedule my patients for next week so I don’t feel rushed. It depends on what I find and how soon I find it.”

Her. It depended on how soon he found
her
.

*

Luke boarded the
plane for Chicago. It was the safest destination to take by plane. He would pay cash for a rental car and drive to Omaha where he would pay cash for a hotel. Jude/Jackson was his ticket to finding Jessica. Luke didn’t buy his claim that he couldn’t find her.

“Sir, we’re experiencing a slight delay. Can I get you something to drink while we wait?” the flight attendant asked.

“I’m fine. Thank you.” He tipped his head back and closed his eyes. The 6:00 a.m. flight was always a bitch.

A while later the flight attendants began their pre-flight instructions to the passengers. Luke opened his eyes and stared out the window as they taxied down the runway, waiting in line to be cleared for takeoff.

“So Chicago, huh? I’ve never been. This should be fun.”

Lake.

Luke whipped around in his seat to blue eyes that mirrored his. Lake smiled, pink Beats covering her ears.

“What the hell are you doing?”

The older gentleman sitting next to her scowled at Luke.

“I thought I’d surprise you. No one really likes to travel alone.”

“You can’t be here.”

She laughed. “We’ll be in the air in less than sixty seconds. I think I’m here to stay.”