Chapter 11
Olivia woke with astart to find Jake crouched in front of her, whispering her name. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she sat up straighter.
“Jake? What’s wrong? Did I have another nightmare? I’m sorry—”
He shook his head, his eyes alert and focused. “You didn’t have a bad dream. I heard something, and need to go check it out.”
She got up, her movements stiff from both sleep and sore muscles. Jake stood with her. The way he was looking toward the raised ground behind her was frightening.
“Is it them?” Olivia didn’t care whether or not he could tell she was scared.
“That’s what I need to find out. Here.”
She glanced down at the small, black gun he was holding out for her.
“Take it.”
Olivia looked back up at him, not moving a muscle toward the weapon. She’d noticed the extra pistol holstered to the side of his leg yesterday, but never dreamed she’d ever have the need to hold it, let alone possibly fire it at someone.
“No. I...I want to go with you.”
“Sweetheart, listen to me. I need to know if it’s them, and I can’t be distracted because I’m worried about whether or not you’re safe. That happens, I run the risk of getting killed, and I am no good to you dead. If I know you’re hidden here and able to protect yourself, I can do what needs to be done to make sure we’re both safe.”
His words sent a shockwave of panic through her system. Memories from the day before assaulted her. Jake leaving her behind that large bush. Gunshots and explosions. The flashbacks and her overwhelming fear.
Olivia didn’t want to go through all of that again, but Jake was right. He needed to be one hundred percent focused on what he was doing. If he got killed because he was worried about her, she’d never be able to live with herself.
Ignoring her fear, she took the gun from his hand. Between her dad and Mikey, she’d learned at a fairly early age the proper way to handle and respect a weapon.
“Safety?”
Relief filled his eyes, and his muscles relaxed. “Here. It’s on. Just flip this down. The mag is full, and there’s already one in the chamber, so it’s ready to shoot. I’m going to climb up this way and check things out. If you see anyone who isn’t me, do not hesitate to pull that trigger. Got it?”
“Okay.” Her confirmation came out a lot shakier than she liked.
“Just make sure you don’t shoot me,” Jake added with a wink.
Lightning fast, he wrapped his free hand around the base of her neck and kissed her forehead. He was gone before she could react.
Forcing long, slow breaths into her lungs, Olivia stood still, listening for any sign that Jake was in danger. It was impressive how silently he moved.
He was up there, somewhere behind the tree, yet the only thing she heard was the occasional chirp or click from bugs and other critters she had no desire to get to know.
The longer she waited, the more nervous she got. For just a moment, Olivia considered going up there to check on him, but given the way she’d reacted when he snuck up on her last time, she was afraid she’d accidentally shoot him. The fear of that happening kept her where she stood. Frozen...again.
Other, unwelcomed memories swirled. Horrifying images kept popping into her brain, and the fear clawing its way through her body felt as fresh as the day it all happened.
No! Not this time.
Olivia blinked the images away. She had to stay alert and focused, and stop thinking of all the things she couldn’t change. Things she didn’t try to stop.
Damn it, Bradshaw, this isn’t helping Jake!And he was what mattered, now. He wasallthat mattered, and she refused to let him down, too.
