Page 95 of The Reluctant Siren
“We can’t be certain that will happen.” Jack said the wordsbut there was a hesitancy to them that Jensen pounced on. “You’re making a lotof assumptions. Reasonable ones, but still assumptions.”
“You know it will. Unless Hamilton miraculously dies thiswill go to trial and it’ll take years. His lawyers will put it off as long aspossible in the hopes that something happens to me.” Jensen explained, thoughhe was certain Jack already knew. “And then we’ll get years of appeals. What isthe likelihood that I ever come out of protection?”
“It’s good,” Jack countered. “If we convict Hamilton on evena couple of the counts we can tag him on, he’ll be in jail for the rest of hislife. Eventually his organization will either break up or move on. He’s not amafia man, for all he wants to be. When it’s clear he’s not getting out,they’ll divide up anything that’s left and move on. You’ll be okay becausethere won’t be anyone left who’ll be willing to risk their lives for revengewhen the boss isn’t the boss anymore. But, I mean, best-case scenario is stillyears, and I won’t have any control over where you go or what work they giveyou to do.”
Nothing the man said made him think about changing his mind.“Do you want your cousin stuck in that life? I’m going to admit something toyou. If I could do this all over, I wouldn’t. I would have tried to get justiceinstead of revenge. If the shit hadn’t hit the fan, I might have been able toslip out of the life with no one the wiser, and I would have gotten a chancewith her.”
Jack leaned against the counter. “That’s not likely. Onceyou’re in, you’re in for life. It’s precisely why Harlow has been asked to getnot one, but two women out of the organization. But I understand what you’retelling me. I don’t know that her family can be happy without her. I worry myuncle would look for her, and he would find her. But man, this is going to killher heart.”
Did Jack think he hadn’t taken her feelings intoconsideration? He had, but her life was more important. “She’ll still haveNiall. He won’t leave her. Fuck, man, I’m doing this for her. I wish I hadanother option, but I don’t. Meeting with your dad in the morning still leadsinto witness protection, or if I refuse, it leads Hamilton right to Harlow andNiall. I do not see a scenario in which I live with them and they’re not indanger.”
“And what happens when she gets called into another caselike this one? Do you think she’s going to stop working?” Jack seemeddetermined to play devil’s advocate. “Even if we put Hamilton away someone willmove to fill in the space and more young women will get pulled in. Harlow won’tstop being the warrior she is. Even if you’re no longer around to watch herback.”
The thought made his stomach turn. Not because of her work.She would always do that, but he wouldn’t be there to help her. But then had heever? She’d helped him in LA. His “help” had gotten her assaulted and arrestedand took years to recover from.
He never deserved her. “I have to hope her family will lookafter her. If Hamilton ever figures out how much she means to me, he’ll knowhow to shut me up. But if I walk away, he doesn’t have any reason to believeshe’s anything but a pretty girl I followed around one night.”
“I want to argue with you,” Jack said.
“But you can’t. So take me back to Dallas and we’ll get tomy apartment and I’ll give you what I have. We can meet with your boss andmaybe you don’t have to be a bartender anymore. It seems like you could usesome time off,” Jensen pointed out.
Jack huffed. “I could use a vacation, but I suspect I’llpull desk duty for a while and then go back into the field. I’m good at it. Forthe most part I like it. Hell, I was okay with this assignment until I realizedit was going to break my cousin’s heart and probably turn my whole familyagainst me.”
He did feel for the guy. It was obvious there were someserious family dynamics at work. “I’m not trying to cause trouble.”
Jack sighed. “I know, but it’s coming for both of us, and Iwon’t be under a protective order. I know you think I’m being overly dramatic,but you didn’t grow up with a romance-writing momma who will have her happilyever after if she has to kill everyone to get it. I’m lucky it was Papa whoshowed up. My mother will be on my doorstep when Nat calls her and tells herwhat happened here. I’ll be lucky if she doesn’t walk into the middle of anundercover assignment to give me a lecture and then walk around asking all thecriminals questions so she can better write their points of view.”
For a moment he worried Jack would refuse him. A bit ofpanic set in because he couldn’t take Niall’s car and leave them out here. Andthere was no such thing as ride share in this rural part of the state. If Jackdecided he couldn’t take the heat with his family, Jensen was going to be introuble.
“We should get going.” Jack set his glass in the sink andmade for the front door, his keys now in hand. “If I know my uncles, they’ll behere earlier than you would think. You don’t want to get caught fleeing thescene of the crime.”
A sigh of relief went through him. “The crime would bedrawing her further into my life.”
Jack frowned his way. “Then why did you sleep with her lastnight? Or rather keep her up for a long time. These walls are thin, brother.Why did you give her hope that you would stay this time? Don’t give me somebullshit. We both know the answer. You were selfish because you think she’sgoing to shrug it off eventually and you’ll be the only one to pay. Because forsome damn reason you think you love her more than she loves you, but I’m goingto tell you you’re wrong. She might move on, but this will kill a part of her.”
Jensen tensed at the accusation. He was in a trap, and anyway he went he hurt someone. “What the fuck do you think I should do?”
“I think you should have been a damn man and come with melast night. You would have pissed her off, but she wouldn’t have felt used.”Jack’s head shook. “I don’t know why I’m arguing with you. I’m going to getwhat I need, and there’s obviously no talking you out of it. Hell, I don’t knowif there is another way. I’m tired and feeling guilty, and I don’t handleeither well. Let’s go, and maybe we can leave them behind with all the people Icare about.”
He was going to be a fun traveling companion.
Was he right?
It didn’t matter. He stepped out on the porch, and the lasttime he’d been here flashed through his head.
It’s going to be okay, Jensen. I’m going to makesomething of myself. One day I’m coming back, and I’ll bring my wife here andwe’ll all sit down and talk about the hard times. But then they won’t seem sohard. You’ll see. Me and you and Niall, we’re going to be okay.
His brother was dead, and he was lost.
He prayed Niall would be okay. Niall would help her forgethim.
As dawn broke, he got into Jack’s car and drove away fromthe future he wanted.
* * * *
Harlow came awake to the sound of the burner phoneRuby had given her buzzing. She’d slid it into the side table the day Ruby hadbrought out Gigi and Greer and the much-needed clothing and makeup andskincare.
Ruby had explained she’d toyed with it to boost the signal,but it still wouldn’t work half the time out here. There had been a lot of talkabout satellites and the position of the Earth and the amount of time she woulddo if she got caught, so Harlow was fairly certain it was serious.
