“Love each other,” Amy told her.
“Okay, then.” Joanna smiled. “Honest. I’m not judging.”
“Good. Now, what’s the plan?” Wolfe inquired, squeezing my shoulder.
More boots sounded on the porch behind me, and I figured the others had followed them outside. As much as I feared what this relationship would do to my career, I truly didn’t give a shit what anyone thought. Amy was right. We loved each other. And if we were going to protect Amy, it was time to focus on other things.
I turned toward Amy. “Joanna believes that the best way to tackle this issue is to face it head-on.”
“What does that mean?”
I hated how pale she was, how scared she was, and I wanted to erase the fear from her eyes forever. Although the plan was risky, I knew it was our best option. I glanced over to Joanna, allowing her to explain it.
“Amy, I respect the fact that you’re moving on with your life.” Joanna glanced at Wolfe, me, then the others. “And it’s clear you’ve got a strong family behind you. But if you want to make this go away forever, you are going to have to face this.”
Amy was already shaking her head.
“Hear me out,” Joanna added, her tone soft, soothing. “What Kelly Jackson did to you was…” She shook her head. “It was horrifying. He needs to be brought to justice, to be punished for what he did.”
“I just want him to go away,” Amy pleaded.
“We know you do, honey,” I said, turning to face her. I put my hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes. “And we can make that happen, but it’s gonna require you to face him again.”
She shook her head, then pressed her face against my chest. I cradled her head and held her close. I could feel the eyes of the others on me. This was the first time I'd touched her since I arrived at the house. Wolfe had remained by her side and I had kept my distance. I was tired of keeping my distance. I damn sure wasn’t going to stand back and let her face this without me.
“You can continue to hide out here,” Joanna added, “but as you said, he tried to kill you once already. He won’t let you go.”
“Then why hasn’t he come for her yet?” Reagan asked.
Joanna shrugged. “I can’t answer that. I don’t know what he’s up to.”
“He’s playing a game with me,” Amy said, her words muffled against my chest. I released her enough so she could turn, but I didn’t let her go. “It’s something Kelly would do. He said I wouldn’t live without him.”
“I figure,” Joanna inserted, “with his new role as police chief, he’s got a lot on his plate.”
“And he’s the type who wants to handle things himself,” Amy noted.
Joanna nodded. “Which means he’s waiting until not so many eyes are on him.”
“So, he’ll come for her eventually?” Reagan asked.
“I think so, yes.”
“And we avoid that how?” Lynx asked.
I knew the man would prefer to greet the bastard with the business end of his shotgun, but that wasn’t an option.
“My suggestion is that Amy go public with her story.”
“No!” Amy yelled, instantly pushing away from me. “I can’t. I won’t. He’ll… Oh, my God. He’ll kill me.”
“He won’t get near you,” Calvin declared, stepping out from the group.
I watched as Wolfe’s father moved around to face Amy.
“You understand that, girl?” His tone was gruff, his demeanor serious. “We won’t let him. This”—he motioned with his hand—“is your family now. And we protect our own. That bastard won’t get close enough to touch you ever again.”
I knew Calvin believed every word he said. I only hoped that was true.
