Page 25 of Jessica's Hero
But five texts in a row? That’s more worrisome. Five texts in a row makes me think there’s a problem.
“Jess?” Concern turns Kane’s eyes to a deep ocean blue. “Do you need to check that?”
At first I’m not sure why he’s asking. The texts just came in, after all.
Then I belatedly realize I’ve been sitting here, frozen, as all the possible bad things that could have happened speed through my brain. An emergency at work that’s somehow my fault. Nora hurt on one of her jobs. Myhouse inexplicably burned down despite not getting any alerts through my security system.
“Sorry,” I blurt nonsensically. Reaching into my purse, I rummage around for my phone. “I don’t usually look at my phone when I’m out with someone, but I should probably…”
“Of course,” he replies. “Don’t worry about it.”
But Iamworried.
I can’t explain why, but the butterflies in my stomach seem certain. Something is wrong.
No. I’m being silly. Looking for problems when there aren’t any. For all I know, it’s just a spam number texting me, asking for donations or trying to sell me something.
When I first see the unfamiliar number on the screen, I breathe a momentary sigh of relief. It’s not Nora. Or Jackson, whose number she insisted I have in case of an emergency. It’s not work. And Iknowthe absurdity of thinking my house is on fire.
Then I read the first message, and my heart lurches to a stop.
You’ll be sorry.
Then the second.
You know what you did.
And the third.
If you’re smart, you’ll leave town. Soon.
The fourth and fifth are just repeats of the first two, this time all in bold.
By the time I read all of them, my hands are slick with sweat and my heart is racing. A chill grabs hold of my body; shaking it.
“Jess?” Kane gets up from his seat and comes around to my side, crouching down beside me. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” I reply automatically. But the quiver in my voice belies my words. With a trembling hand, I move to shove my phone back into my purse, but Kane stops me.
“Tell me,” he says. “Is it work? Do you need to leave?”
I shake my head jerkily. “It’s not work.”
“Then—” He stops. Frowns. “Jess. I don’t want to be pushy. But if something’s wrong… Didn’t you say you’d tell me?”
I did. Not ten minutes ago, actually. But to show Kane a series of messages that will lead to questions I’d rather not answer right now? To ruin our date with the reminder of how much people in town don’t like me?
“Can I look?” Kane asks, sensing me wavering. He holds out his hand. And against my better judgment, I pass my unlocked phone over to him, leaving the unpleasant texts right there for him to see.
He stares at my phone, his features growing darker by the second. His jaw twitches. Then he looks up at me and asks in a low, controlled tone, “Is this the first time you’ve gotten messages like these?”
Shame settles over me. “No,” I whisper.
“No?” His voice dips dangerously. “You’ve gotten messages like this before?”
My gaze drops to the floor. “A few times. But never this many. Just one here or there. And it’s been a long time…”
Kane stands and grabs his chair, dragging it over so it’s directly in front of me. Then he drops back into it and takes both my hands. Banked anger flares in his gaze. “This isn’t okay, Jess. I can’t believe—” He huffs out a heavy sigh. “Shit, Jess. I’m sorry. But we need to dosomething about this. I can trace the number. Find out who this asshole is and?—”
