Page 28 of Corrupted Lies

That was true. The car didn't drive itself and set itself alight. Someone had to do it and given that fire wasn't the usual way of taking out a threat, Jake had to assume that whoever the remaining rapist had hired had a fetish for fire.

But it was unlikely that the firebug had stuck around.

Fire wasn't the usual method used for one reason because it drew so much attention and could so easily get out of control. As soon as that car lit up, it would show up on the security cameraswatching the entrance. It had likely already been called in and cops and fire trucks were enroute.

“I think we’re safe, I think he’s gone,” he assured Alannah.

Fear wafted off her, but she reached out and took hold of the hand he held out to her. When he tugged her to her feet, Jake immediately wrapped his arms around her and dragged her into a tight embrace.

Not just because she was afraid and he wanted to soothe her but because he needed to hold her every bit as much as she needed to be held.

Usually, he wasn't a touchy-feely guy. He’d give his brothers a back slap or a fist bump, give Essie hugs when she asked, or piggyback rides, or pick her up and carry her if they were out somewhere and she was tired, but that was about it.

Normally, he was okay with hugs with Alannah. She wasn't like everybody else in his life, she’d always been different, special. Only the last couple of days, that seemed to have amped up several notches, and now it was almost a compulsion to have her close and touch her.

“He must have put the note in my car before following me when I was out jogging,” Alannah said, voice muffled since her face was pressed against his chest.

“Probably.”

“He knew you'd find it eventually, or that I would and would give it to you.”

“Yes.”

“Why did he get me out of the fire if he wanted to kill me?” Tilting her head back, she looked up at him with such fear-filled brown eyes, but with so much trust in them as well. Despite him being the reason she was in this mess, she trusted him to keep her alive, to protect her like he always had, and that hit him deep.

It was an exhilarating but terrifying prospect to have someone have so much faith in you.

“I don’t know the answer to that question, sunshine. I can guess it’s because your death is irrelevant. These people don’t care about you. They’ll kill you if they have to, but it won't be because that will be enjoyable for them. All this guy wants is to protect himself. He’s willing to go to any lengths, and if that includes taking your life I doubt he’ll feel any regret, but in the end what he wants most is to force my family to back off.”

“Doesn’t he realize by now that’s not going to happen?”

“You'd think so. But he can't give up. If he backs off and lets us put the final pieces together, he basically forfeits his life. This isn’t a choice, he’s the last man standing, which means he’ll take the fall alone. If he wants to live, he can't give up.”

Those words echoed through his mind as he stood there holding his best friend in his arms as he watched the flames dance around her car. A car they’d been sitting in right before the crash.

They could so easily have died today or in any one of the fires other than last night’s at the grocery store. These people were watching them and grabbing hold of every opportunity they could to make a move.

He had to get Alannah out of the line of fire.

For now, keeping her in his house, which they had to know was heavily protected and why they weren't targeting them while they were there was working, but it wouldn't last forever. Likely the firebug was already coming up with a plan on how to target the house without getting caught by the men watching over him and Alannah.

Jake knew he was running out of time.

Every day he dragged this out just gave these men another opportunity to try to hurt Alannah, and one of those times she wouldn't be as lucky.

Fate could only be toyed with so many times before she hit back.

There was no way he could allow that to happen when the life of one of the people he cared about the most was hanging in the balance.

It was time to act, to do whatever was necessary to protect the girl he’d once vowed to never let another person hurt. There had been many times he’d failed in that promise over the years as her family continued to cause her pain, but he wasn't going to fail this time.

Alannah wasn't going to pay the ultimate price for his decision to hunt the men who had taken so much from his family.

October 16th

4:39 P.M.

This was so unreal.

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