I pick up the slight change in the room, the smallest creak of a floorboard before a figure flies at me, covering my face with a hand.
I let out a muffled scream before the voice hissing in my ear registers.
“Sienna! Come on. It’s me. We have to go, now.”
My eyes widen as a familiar face spins into view, corkscrew bronzed curls hanging on either side of my face.
Jess?
For a small, euphoric moment, my heart cracks in sheer happiness. She’s here. How the fuck is she here?
“Jess,” I whisper hoarsely when her hand releases. “What the hell—,”
“We don’t have time,” she hisses back. “We have to go, before he wakes up!”
I blink. “Who?”
We’re interrupted by the tread of footsteps. Jess jumps up as the light gets switched on, and I flinch as Emmett charges in, a raised gun in his hand. “Get the hell away from her!”
I’m not sure what he expected, but it’s clear he has no idea that he was facing down a small butextremelyangry female. He stops, blinking as he looks between us.
My best friend doesn’t blink. The second Emmett’s gun lowers, she whips out a handgun of her own and points it at him casually. Gasping, I scramble out of bed. “Jess!”
“Jesus fuck,” Emmett grumbles. Lowering the gun, he lifts his hands in the air. “There’stwoof you?”
Jess doesn’t waver, her hands steady as she holds the gun pointed straight at his chest. “We’re leaving,” she says calmly. “And you are not going to stop us.”
“Damn straight I’m not,” Emmett mutters. “Sienna, you’ve got some interesting friends.”
I see the moment Emmett’s deliberately casual tone registers with Jess. She frowns, her eyes sliding to me. “Is he keeping you here against your will?”
Gingerly, I move between her and Emmett, pressing the barrel down with a single finger. “Pretty sure he saved my life, actually. Could you put the gun down now, please? I’d kind of like to give you a hug, and I can’t do that while you’re holding live ammo.”
Jess drops the gun suddenly, and it clatters to the floor as she jumps on me. Her arms wrap around me tightly, and I can’t stop the tears from streaming.
“Jess,” I gasp, her face buried in my neck. “What are you doing here?”
She mumbles into my skin. “Told you I wasn’t leaving you.”
“But the wall!”
She huffs. “Oh, please. It wasn’t hard to find a gap that I could get through. They’re not exactly spending bucketloads on maintenance.”
“I can’t believe you’re here,” I whisper. My eyes dart over Jess’s shoulder to where Emmett is standing, his arms crossed and eyebrows raised questioningly. Flushing, I pull back from Jess.
“Jess,” I say slowly. “This is Emmett. He owns the bar downstairs.”
Emmett looks bemused as Jess gets a proper look at him. “Pleasure. Do you always introduce yourself with a loaded gun?”
I watch in slight shock as Jessalyn Rogers blushes. I don’t think I’veeverseen Jess blush.
It only lasts for a split second before she tosses her hair back. “Sorry about the lock on your door. You have terrible security.”
Emmett half-grins as he eyes her. “Never needed it before I met you two, but thanks for the heads up.”
He looks at me. “She staying, too?”
“I…,” I glance at Jess helplessly. She nods abruptly. “Damn straight I am. We can leave if it’s an issue.”
