A heavy striped head swings over the door beside us at the mention of feed. Daisy stretches her neck, her upper lip curling as the zebra tries to reach my hair. There’s a flutter as Rocky appears, then an ear-splitting crow as the rooster wakes the rest of the world.
Soon, we’re surrounded by the sounds of the animals as they stir from their slumber. Jake gives me a look so hopeless that I can’t help but laugh.
“But—” he says, cut off as Stephano headbutts his knee.
“Later,” I promise.
“How much later?”
“Tonight.”
Jake sighs with disappointment. I press a kiss against his stubbled jaw, then slip from his embrace. Daisy nickers, waving her head through the air, urging me to bring her breakfast. Chip and Bagel, the pigs, oink from behind their door, not wanting to risk being forgotten at mealtime.
There’s a lightness to my step as I hurry to the tack room to grab everyone’s food while Jake gets to work freshening their waters. Would I rather be doing what I was five minutes ago than scooping grain? Definitely.
But I can’t deny that I feel better than I had earlier. My mind is clearer, my confidence found. I plan to use the thoughts of what I have to look forward to later to help me get through the day, and let’s face it—I need all the help I can get. Because there’s a target on my back, and if the right person gets the chance, they’re going to hit it.
CHAPTER 5
If looks could kill, I’d be a dead woman right now.
Fortunately, they can’t. And people have tried using far deadlier methods against me before and failed. Still, I can’t deny that it hurts. I’m sure plenty of mothers hate their son’s girlfriend, but most of them probably wouldn’t actually commit murder if given the chance.
Yet as Janine Walker glares at me from the seat beside her defense attorney, there’s no denying what I see in her eyes. Hatred. Blood lust. Disgust. I’m sure the woman would have my head impaled on a stake if she could.
Rubbing my sweaty palms across the thighs of my slacks, I fight the urge to shift in my seat. Refuse to be the one to look away first. I know how any sign of weakness whets a predator’s appetite. I refuse to be seen as prey.
Perhaps sensing my discomfort, Jake wraps an arm around my shoulders. He scoots closer, until I’m tucked against him. Plants a kiss against the side of my head.
Janine ends our staring contest, her gaze softening as it shifts to her son. Within seconds, it’s hardened again, her entire expression turning to stone as her eyes flit between me and Jake. It’s only then that I realize what he’s doing—making it clear who he’s chosen. And momma ain’t happy about it.
If Jake notices her intense glare, he doesn’t let on. He doesn’t acknowledge her at all. Instead, he looks straight ahead, listening to the judge as he opens the preliminary hearing.
To the casual observer, the man next to me would appear completely calm and relaxed, but I know better. The telltale signs of his distress are there, in the way his forefinger rubs against the cuticle on his thumb. The shallowness of his breathing. How tight he’s holding me.
He makes a smallhmmnoise. I glance up to find the stoic expression he’s been wearing replaced by a frown. It grows as I watch. My muscles tense, I follow his gaze to the bench, where Janine’s defense attorney is speaking to the judge in a voice too low for the rest of the courtroom to hear.
The judge’s eyebrows rise. He adjusts his glasses. Finally, he nods.
Clearing his throat, he says, “Due to an unexpected development, I’m accepting the defense’s motion to delay proceedings. We’ll postpone until next Monday.”
I look at Jake, not understanding what’s just happened.
“Is that normal?” I whisper.
“No.”
“Should we be worried?”
“I’m not sure.”
Janine stands, casting a final poisonous scowl at me as she’s led away by the bailiff. Beside me, Jake rises tohis feet.
“Come on,” he says, holding his hand out for mine. “Let’s see if we can find out what’s going on.”
We hurry after the prosecutor as he leaves the courtroom.
“Hey, Dennis,” Jake calls.
