Page 99 of Jessica's Hero
As I close the last bit of distance between us, I shout, “Don’t move! You’re under arrest!”
Jess spins towards me, relief all over her face. “Kane!”
“Jess!”
Though I’m desperate to pull her into my arms, I need to make sure this woman—who is she?—is restrained first. So I veer towards the now-whimpering woman and yank out the zip ties I always keep on me, a valuable lesson my mentor taught me when I first started.
As I drop to the ground, I get my first look at the woman’s face. Shock ripples through me.“Daria?”
The dispatcher I’ve worked with for years?
“Kane,” she whines, “it’s allherfault. She attacked?—”
“Shut up.” My voice is hard. Cold. Dangerous. “I saw everything. You attacked Jess. And you’re under arrest.”
As I turn her over and zip tie her wrists together, I glance over my shoulder and say to Jess, “Call 911. Tell them you were just assaulted. And that I’m here.”
Jess gives me a shaky nod. “Okay.” While I read Daria her rights, I hear Jess telling the dispatcher what happened. She ends the call quickly and says, “They’re on the way.”
Now that Daria’s restrained, I stand back up and pull Jess into my arms. She shudders against me, and my heart breaks to see her so frightened again. And?—
Fuck. She must be hurt.
Reluctantly releasing her, I hold on to her shoulders as I inspect her neck and face. As soon as I see the red marks in the shape of fingers ringing her neck, I nearly shatter my molars to keep from shouting out my rage. Working to control my tone, I ask, “Sweetheart. Are you hurt anywhere else?”
“No. I’m—” She stops. Scowls. “No. I’m not fine.”
“Fuck. Where else?—”
“Not hurt,” she corrects. “I’m pissed. No. Not pissed. I’m furious.” Then she steps away from me and walks over to Daria, who’s now looking tearful and cowed as she sits in the snow.
“How dare you?” Jess snaps. “I’m visiting my mom’sgrave.”
Daria glares at Jess. “You ruinedeverything.”
“No.” Jess hardens her voice. Her shoulders set. Fire burns in her eyes. “I didnot. I didn’t take Liam from you. He died because he drove drunk. And Kane wasn’t yours to take.”
In the distance, sirens rise and fall.
“And,” Jess continues, “I didn’t kill Eliza. I’m sorry she’s dead, because I’d never wish what happened to her on any person. But it’s not my fault.”
I move next to Jess and put my arm around her. “And,” I interject, “it’s not Jess’s fault you got reprimanded at work. That wasyourfault for not doing your job. Take some damn responsibility for your own actions.” Narrowing my gaze, I add, “And you attacked Jess. You committed assault. In front of a police officer. So you’ll have plenty of time to think about your actions while you’re in prison.”
Daria stares at me for a second before bursting into tears. “No. No. I can’t.”
“Then you shouldn’t have attacked me,” Jess replies. She takes a breath before continuing, “I spent way too long letting myself get pushed around by people like you. People who are unhappy with their lives so they blame everyone but themselves.”
Squealing tires announce the arrival of two police cars. They come to a screeching stop near mine and four officers pile out. As they run towards us, Jess leans towards Daria and says in a softer, almost conciliatory tone, “I’m sorry you lost Eliza. And I’m sorry Liam died. I know how hard it is to lose people you care about. But. It. Was. Not. My. Fault.”
Pride swells in my chest; so intense it’s hard to breathe past it.“Jess.”
She looks at me, no trace of tears on her face. Her chin lifts. “I’m done taking the blame. It’s over. For good.”
Mike Troy comes jogging over, followed closely by his partner, Vince. Right behind them are Noah and Kyle.Mike glances at me, then Jess. “You okay?” he asks her. A beat later, his expression clouds as he looks at her neck. “Ambulance is coming,” he adds. “They’ll check you out.”
“I’m okay,” she tells him.
And now that Mike and the others are taking over, I pull Jess into my arms again. “Shit, baby,” I murmur into her hair. “I was so scared.”
