“That’s not necessary, Trev. I can walk.”
Ignoring her, Trevor left the room. He returned less than a minute later with the chair, and Olivia didn’t bother to argue. With these two, it was pointless.
As promised, Trevor waited until she was safe and secure in Jake’s truck before leaving the hospital to meet the sheriff.
When Jake pulled into her driveway, she immediately sensed something was different. As they made their way to her porch, she noticed two new lights, one on each corner of the porch’s roof.
“They’re motion sensitive,” Jake explained from behind her.
“There are two more on the back of the house, along with a small camera there.” He pointed to the upper left corner of her doorframe. “They record a live feed, which is connected to yours and Derek’s computers.”
She turned to face him. “Why does Derek need a live recording of my front and back doors on his computer?”
“It’s just as a backup, in case something happens to your laptop.”
Olivia’s heart felt heavy. Just this morning, she’d been thinking how good it felt to live a somewhat normal life, and now this.
“Don’t be mad at Derek” Jake’s hands rested on her tense shoulders. “He was just following orders. You can be pissed at me if you want, but I’m still not taking them down. Until we know more about this Hernandez guy and why he came after you, I’m taking every precaution I can to protect you. And even if it turns out he is our guy, the cameras are staying put.”
That heavy heart began to thump harder in her chest. “What do you meanif? He has to be the one who did all those things. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“I’m sure you’re right. But the fact is, you’re out here all alone. And as much as I’d love to, I can’t be here twenty-four-seven. Sweetheart, I need to know you’re safe when I’m away.”
The near-desperate tone of his voice tugged at her chest. Olivia took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. “I’m not mad at you or Derek. It was sweet of you both to do this. And to be honest, it does make me feel safer out here.” She went onto her tiptoes and kissed him. “Thank you.”
After stepping into her house, Jake shut the door behind them and entered her alarm code. Before she knew it, Olivia found herself wrapped in the warmth and safety of his strong embrace. She hugged him back with everything she had.
For a moment in that garage, she’d thought she would never see him again. Tears fought their way to the surface, but she refused to let them fall.
They stood like that for a solid minute before he released her.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, while taking one side of her face into his palm. “Any dizziness?”
“No,” she answered honestly. With a smirk, she added, “I have a headache, but I’m pretty sure that’s to be expected.”
Staring into her eyes with an emotion Olivia didn’t dare try to guess, Jake started to say something when his phone rang. Cursing under his breath, he pulled it out of his front pocket.
“It’s D.” Glancing back up at her, he said, “Why don’t you go lie down and get some rest. I’ll be back there in a bit.”
Olivia wanted him to come with her, but refused to sound as needy as she actually felt.
“Okay.”
After another quick peck, she turned and headed back to her bathroom. She stripped down and took a quick shower, needing to wash away the day. In the privacy of her bathroom, she finally allowed her tears to fall. Olivia cried quietly, not wanting Jake to hear. She refused to add to the guilt he already felt.
Back in her bedroom, Olivia pulled out the nightgown she’d worn in South America, the night she and Jake had first made love. She smiled, the feel of the smooth silk beneath her fingertips taking her back to that amazing night with him.
Not quite ready to go to sleep, she chose to sit in her overstuffed chair positioned near the one window in the room that faced the back yard. Desperate to fill her mind with more good memories, she reached over to the small bookshelf near the chair and picked up an old photo album before settling back against the cushions.
****
Jake slid his indexfinger over the screen and put the phone to his ear.
“Talk to me, D. What do you know?”
“The information I found matches what the sheriff told Trevor.”
That was both good and bad news. “Okay, so the sheriff isn’t holding out on us, but we still don’t know why this guy tried to kill Trevor and take Olivia.”
