“You don’t have to go with me if you don’t want to. You can, but it’s not necessary.”
“I should. I need to see if he really burned my place out.”
Jump nodded. “I think he did. It looked like yours was on fire when we were leaving.”
She nodded. “I thought so, too, but I wasn’t positive.”
Grayson burning her apartment was a very strong reaction. Why had he thought her apartment being destroyed would send her to his arms? She didn’t like him, never had, and he honestly thought she would want anything to do with him. There wasn’t any way she would ever want to be with someone like Grayson.
She could build a life outside The Faithful. She’d had doubts over the last two years. There’d been tough days when she’d thought about giving up and going back to the cult just to make life easier. It wouldn’t have really made life easier.
Living in the real world was hard. Making decisions after long days of work was taxing. She’d been lonely, lost in a sea of endless decision making, and tough days. But knowing Jump and his friends, she didn’t feel so lonely. Maybe it wouldn’t last, but she hoped it would. She wanted Jump in her life, and not just for a few weeks.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Jump stopped the car about a block from the apartment complex. They couldn’t get closer. He’d tried, but the lot was closed and there were other people looking to get stuff from their apartments.
His buddies were there with him to help move stuff if he could get anything from his apartment. It wasn’t looking good. The area was totally roped off, and no one was being let in.
Blakely’s third-floor apartment looked like a huge black hole. The second story of that building was totally gutted. There was no way anything was recoverable from her place.
He moved to stand next to her and bumped her shoulder. “Hey, are you okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah, there wasn’t anything important in there, only a government ID that I can get a copy of.” She glanced around then turned back to him and met his gaze. “All of my paperwork is in a bank in a safe deposit box. That’s one of the only good things I learned from my dad. Maybe it’s overkill, but I feared losing my paperwork.”
Jump nodded. “Looks like a smart move now. I have my stuff in a lockbox that is fireproof. I got my passport and a few other things before we took off last night.”
“That was good.”
“Yeah.” He pointed to the building. “Not sure we’re going to be able to get in.” The guys joined them on the sidewalk. “You already know a few of the guys, but I’m going to introduce them again. Bang, Cy, T, and Foster.” Each guy shook her hand as he introduced them. They were his buddies.
A couple guys came walking over and he recognized them as SEALs from another team. He waved them over.
“Blakely, this is Flash, MacGyver, and Preacher. They work with me.”
Blakely smiled as she waved. “It’s nice to meet you. Did you come by to help?”
“We heard and were nearby. Thought we’d see if we could help.”
“Thank you. I appreciate you stopping by. I’m not sure if we’ll be able to get anything from my place.”
“Which one is yours?” Flash asked. Jump pointed to his apartment and Flash nodded. “That’s good, because whoever owns that one on the other side is screwed.”
“That’s me,” Blakely said.
“Wait, you?” Flash asked. “That’s your place?”
She nodded. “Yeah. It’s toast.”
“Shit, that sucks. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be insensitive.”
“It’s okay. There wasn’t anything important in there. Just stuff.”
Preacher stepped closer. “There’s this store where you can get some good clothes that won’t cost you much.”
“I think Jump has already mentioned it. We’ll probably go by tomorrow or soon.”
“Good,” Preacher said.
