Page 81 of Jacob

“Oh my God, Skye. I’m so sorry, baby.” He runs to her.

I step away from the side of the bed.

“I’m here for you now. You’re safe. I’ve got you,” he says, puffing and panting, threading his arms around her, but she doesn’t hug him back.

Over his shoulder, Skye side-eyes me with a frown. “I’m fine, Owen.” She pats him twice as if he was a friend and then leans back away from him.

Moving out of their hug, he inspects her. “Look at your face. You’re not fine.”

“Owen. I really am fine,” she insists, swiping his hands off her face. “But please don’t touch me. I’m just a little tender in places.”

Keeping him in the dark, she’s not willing to share with him how emotionally fragile she is or the fact that she just broke down in the bathroom with me. And she certainly doesn’t want him touching her like I’ve been doing.

“I tried calling you over and over again, Owen. Where have you been?” I snap at him.

He finally looks over at me. “I told you I was going to Barcelona. I was busy, the exhibition was huge, and I was entertaining clients I met over there.”

That’s code for boozing it up and partying, no doubt.

“Too busy to listen to your voice messages?”

“I’m here now, am I not?”

Too little too late, Owen.

Owen defends himself. “If I’d known, I would have been here in a flash.”

“If you’d listened to your voice messages, you would have been here sooner.”

“I was working.”

“So you’ve said.” I fake-smile at him.

Skye’s gaze bounces back and forth between the two of us.

He turns his attention back to Skye. “I heard on the news that they got the guy who took you and that you met him online? When you told me you’d met someone, was that him?”

Not wanting to answer, she shakes her head.

Nope, Owen, that guy she’s met is me. Yup, I feel like a bastard.

“You work in digital media, Skye. You should have known. Don’t talk to strangers online, don’t give them your details, and never meet up.” He keeps pushing.

“Owen.” My voice rises in a warning. “Don’t do this now. Skye isn’t ready to talk about it.”

Looking between us, he raises his hands in submission and reluctantly agrees to stop.

A soft chatter behind the door emerges before it opens and in walk a much more relaxed-looking Rhona and Seth.

Owen rises from the edge of the bed.

A caring smile lines Rhona’s lips as she checks her daughter over.Are you okay?she mouths.

Skye yawns. “I’m just a little tired.”

“C’mon then, boys, let’s leave her alone.” Seth instructs us to leave.

Owen takes Skye’s hand and gives it a squeeze. “I’ll be back.”

---