Page 51 of Christmas Homecoming Secrets
“Not a chance.”
“Jade—”
“I’m not leaving, Bryce. Please don’t try to get me to change my mind.” She shook her head. “I’m more determined than ever to catch the person responsible.” She pointed toward her smoldering home. “What if Mia had been in there? Or what if all three of the kids had? Because sometimes we have slumber parties on my den floor.”
“Jade, you can’t play the what-if game. You’ll just run in circles.” She swiped a stray tear, and his heart thundered with the need to comfort, to reassure her. “This is just a blip in the road. A speed bump. Once this person is caught, everything can return to normal.”
But the child who’d slept so innocently in his arms had Bryce convinced that would be a new normal. The burning question about whether or not Mia was his wouldn’t leave him alone.
“I can’t stand the thought of them in danger. The kids, my family. Any of them.”
Bryce pulled her into a loose embrace and let out a low breath when she didn’t pull away. He rested his cheek on her sooty head. “This can’t go on much longer. Whoever is doing this is getting bolder. Sooner or later, he—or she—will make a mistake.”
She nodded, then stepped out of his embrace and straightened her shoulders. “You’re right about one thing for sure. This can’t go on much longer. It has to end. I’m getting back on top of this investigation, and I’m going to figure out what someone thinks I know—and why that scares them badly enough to want me dead.”
* * *
Thirty minutes later, Jade pressed fingers to her tired, burning eyes. Her parents’ home hadn’t been touched by the blaze, which was a real blessing. Her place, however, was a disaster. Unable to get in for so much as a change of clothing, she dropped her hands from her eyes and riffled her mother’s closet. Thankfully, her mom dressed young for her age and loved jeans and sweatshirts. The jeans would be slightly too big, but a belt would take care of that.
Showered and dressed in fresh clothes, Jade made her way into the den, where she planned to tell Bryce he was Mia’s father. It had to be said. She found him asleep on the couch. A very restless sleep. He tossed one way, muttered something, then turned and lashed out with his hand. Sasha jumped up from her spot in front of the fireplace, but Jade, recognizing the signs, hurried over to him while staying out of reach. “Bryce,” she called softly. “Wake up.”
His muttering ceased, but the frown said he was still dreaming. Sasha moved closer and nudged his thigh.
Jade touched his shoulder and leaped back in case he decided to swing at her. He thrashed, muttered something and kicked out. Sasha hurried to him and nudged her snout into his face.
“Bryce, wake up now.” Jade’s firm tone—in addition to Sasha’s actions—must have penetrated his mind somewhere in the depths of the nightmare, because his eyes opened, and he sat up blinking.
His eyes focused on her for a moment before recognition dawned. “Oh, hey, sorry. I didn’t mean to doze off.” His gaze dropped to the dog, who now sat next to him, hovering over him.
“It’s okay,” she said. “You were dreaming.”
“Yeah.” He scratched the dog’s ears, and Sasha started to visibly relax.
“A nightmare,” Jade pressed. “Do you have them often?”
“It was just a dream, Jade.”
“It was more than a dream.”
“No, it wasn’t,” he snapped.
Her heart went cold. “Right.”
Bryce scrubbed a hand over his head. “Sorry, it was just a stupid dream. It’s not important. The big question is, are you all right?”
“I think so.” Physically, anyway. Emotionally, she’d just taken another hit. He obviously had some PTSD issues and refused to admit it. It also looked like Sasha was much more than a well-trained pet. She was a service dog.
Jade took a seat in her dad’s recliner and leaned back. If she thought she could sleep, she’d lift the footrest and close her eyes. Instead, she frowned. “I forgot to ask you what you were doing here so late. I thought you’d gone home.”
“I did, but I couldn’t sleep. My mind wouldn’t shut off and I…” He shrugged and looked away from her. “Sasha was getting disgusted with me for all of my restlessness and was insistent that I do something to alleviate it.”
“Sasha, huh?”
“Actually, yeah. She gets her point across really well without saying a word. Anyway, I thought we could talk. When I pulled up, I heard your dad yelling for you.”
“I’m glad you came back.” She dropped her head and pressed her hands to her cheeks. “I can’t get the sound of those explosions out of my head.”
“I know the feeling. I still hear the sound of the IED that went off and caused me to lose my leg.”
