Page 13 of Jessica's Hero
I’m not sure why I’m pushing. Nora’s giving me an out, and instead of taking it, I’m doubling down.
“Do I wonder why you let that secretary at the community center talk to you like that every time we go there?” Nora interjects. “Of course. And it pisses me off.”
Pain stabs into my chest. “I’m sorry?—”
“Jess.” Nora pats my arm. “I’m not pissed atyou. I’m pissed at the secretary. And believe me, I’ve thought about telling her off more times than I can count. But then I remind myself; you’re an adult. You probably don’t want me butting in to fight your battles.”
Oh.
In a small voice, I ask, “But you would? If I asked?”
“OfcourseI would.” A shadow moves across her features. “Did I mess up, Jess? Should I have stepped in? I’m so sorry.”
“No, no.” While I like imagining badass Nora telling off Janet, the condescending secretary at the community center, I know it’s something I need to handle myself. Eventually. “You didn’t mess up. I just didn’t realize you noticed.”
“How could I not? Even the way she says your name is obnoxious.” Nora wrinkles her nose as she imitates Janet’s nasally tone, “Jessica. This isn’t abarn, you know. Could youpleasemake sure the door is closed behind you?”
It’s so similar to the way Janet says it, I burst out laughing. “That’s exactly how she sounds.”
“I know.” Nora chuckles, but her smile quickly sobers. “If you want me to help, Jess, I’m happy to. I’ll tell her off. Tell her to close the damn door herself, if she’s so worried. If anyone is giving you a hard time, I’ve got your six. You know what that means, right?”
My nose prickles. “I do. I looked it up the first time I heard you say it.”
“Okay, then. So that means if you ever need anything, just ask.”
As I look across the table at Nora, at the earnest look on her face, I almost tell her all about the creepy things happening at my house. The mail and the mysterious footsteps and the broken bird feeders—which I didn’t mention to Kane the other day—and the furniture I still can’t bear to touch after knowing some intruder had his hands on it.
She could help. I know she could. But that would mean bringing Blade and Arrow into it, which is something I’d really rather not do.
I want to be Nora’s friend. Not her client. I don’t want her to feel forced to spend time with me. Or be put into the awkward position of having to tell me her team won’t take on my case, explaining that there isn’t enough evidence. Then she’ll feel bad, and it’ll make things between us weird, and I might end up messing up a friendship that means a lot to me.
So I swallow back the words balanced on the tip of my tongue. With a smile that almost feels real, I say, “I will. And if you ever need anything, all you have to do is ask. I might not be a kickass Green Beret, but I’ll try my best to help.”
“Jess. I know you will.” Her expression softens. “And I think you’re pretty kickass, too.”
Just like I have every time I’ve come home since the break-in two days ago, I hold my breath as I walk through the door.
Even though Iknowno one’s here, thanks to the new and improved security system Kane helped install, it’s not enough to ease my fear.
Logically, I know if anyone had approached the house while I was out with Nora, an alert on my phone would have gone off. The police would have been notified. And they wouldn’t ignore me this time, not after Kane went to the police chief and complained about how some of the employees had treated me.
The chief actuallycalledto apologize. That was a shock. He told me how sorry he was, and promised to make sure the employees in question were punished. “That’s not how we do things here,” he told me. “And I blame myself for not being more on top of things. After a while, you trust your people to do their jobs without having to check on them. But I shouldn’t have. That’s on me. But I promise, anything that happens going forward, you can come to me.”
While I appreciate the apology, I’m not completely sold. I know there are still a lot of people working at the department who don’t like me. Who may pretend to help for the sake of their jobs, but who’ll turn their backs at the first opportunity.
Not like Kane.
Kane, who did everything he promised.
After he took approximately a thousand photos of my house, he took me to the Sleepy Hollow Inn to stay for thenight, leaving me with instructions to call him if I needed anything. “If you’re scared, if something seems off, you hear a weird sound… anything,” he told me. “You just call. It doesn’t matter what time it is.”
The next day, his day off, no less, Kane spent hours at my house installing new security cameras and sensors. Now, if anyone evenbreathesnear a window—which is how Kane thinks the intruder got in last time—the alarms will go off. Plus, I have extra locks on every door, panic buttons spread throughout the house, and an array of self defense items like pepper spray, safety whistles, and even a tiny stun gun.
“I shouldn’t give this to you,” Kane warned. “It’s not legal in New York, so I could get in trouble if anyone finds out. But if you’re in danger… I want you to be able to defend yourself.”
Like I’d tell anyone where I got it from. I wouldn’t do anything to get Kane in trouble. Not before all this, and definitely not now.
As I walk into the house, I scan the living room, exhaling heavily once I realize everything still looks the same as I left it. No upside-down pictures, no rearranged furniture, nothing missing from the coffee table or the bookshelves.
