Page 68 of Jina

“I killed him for you!” Jaxon shouted the words. “Don’t you understand? I did everything possible to protect you, and you turned your back on me. We were supposed to be together, Jina.”

“Who did you kill?” Then she knew. Brad Crow, her stalker. She’d told Jaxon all about the guy staring at her.

“Why would you do that?” She turned to gape at him. “I didn’t ask you to kill anyone!”

“You’re so clueless,” he said with annoyance. “I was headed to your place the night that creepy Brad Crow tried to get into your window. I practically ran into him as he darted out into the road. He began babbling about how you’d shot him when he tried climbing into your bedroom. So I finished the job. Hit him in the head with a baseball bat, then buried his body. For you, Jina. To protect you!” He was screaming at her again, as if he were on the verge of losing his mind.

And maybe he was. No sane person would kill someone expecting to be thanked for it. She had no idea Jaxon had killed Brad. Or that he’d been coming out to see her. The incident was a long time ago. What had Jaxon been doing all this time? What had brought him back to Wisconsin?

Unless he hadn’t left at all? The thought gave her a chill.

She must be the only woman in the planet who’d had two stalkers in one lifetime.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. You’re a good friend, Jax.” She tried her best to smile reassuringly, as if she wasn’t horrified by every word that came out of his mouth. “Please, put the gun away so we can talk this through.”

“You had your chance,” he said in a dismissive tone. “We talked about Nashville, getting jobs and enjoying the music scene. But that didn’t last long, did it?”

“I’m sorry,” she repeated.

“You said that eleven years ago too. Remember? The week after graduation when you told me you were moving to Madison to attend college?” His voice changed to a falsetto. “I’m sorry, Jaxon, but things have changed. I can’t come with you.”

She remembered. The same words he’d thrown back at her outside the American Lodge. There had to be more to this than her refusal to relocate to Nashville. But just then, he said, “Take the exit before that farmer’s field you drove into.”

“Sure, Jax. Whatever you say.” She glanced at him again, disconcerted to find him staring at her intently. As if she were an insect he was about to dissect.

“Aren’t you going to ask what happened?” His mind was like a Ping-Pong ball, jumping from one subject to the next. “About my scars?”

“Mike mentioned you were in a work-related accident.” She wished she’d paid more attention to Duncan, er, Jaxon, before now.

“I was hit by a car. I became a cop just like you, but it didn’t work out as well as I thought. Did you know I was also there the night you laughed and flirted with that guy at the party? Oh look, there’s our exit up ahead.”

It took every ounce of willpower she had not to react to the news that he was at the party in Madison where she’d been with Rory. Jaxon was a cop? He’d been following her for years? Did he know how her night with Rory had ended? His admitting to killing Brad combined with this latest tidbit of information was too much for her brain to comprehend.

Ignoring him, she focused on the exit, eyeing the vehicles around them. When it was clear none of them were going to get off the interstate, she momentarily took her foot off the gas, turning the wheel toward the ramp.

One. Two. Three. She abruptly hit the brake and cranked the wheel to the left, causing the minivan tires to squeal in protest. The car spun one hundred and eighty degrees. She hit the gas again, still cranking on the wheel. Jaxon screamed obscenities, but then the car was tumbling over, turning upside down like her Jeep had, while sliding into the deep gully below.

The airbags deployed, smashing her in the face with enough force to bring tears to her eyes. Twice in a matter of days was a lot. In the back of her mind, she prayed the airbag deploying on his side had caused him to lose the gun. The seat belt cut painfully across her chest, and her head throbbed with the beat of her heart. She willed herself to stay conscious.

The good news? No sound of gunfire. At least, not yet.

Dazed, she clawed at the seatbelt, desperate to get away. She released the restraint and crawled out of the broken window when she felt Jaxon’s hand grab her ankle.

No! Viciously kicking with her other foot, she used her elbows to dig into the ground to jerk away. Her foot finally hit its mark, and the hand around her ankle fell away.

Did he still have the gun? She was afraid she was about to find out.

Pulling herself away from the wreck, she staggered to her feet. Without looking behind her, she ran up the exit ramp to the interstate. It was slow going, every muscle in her body screamed in pain, and the incline wasn’t helping.

“Jina!” Hearing Jaxon shout her name, she hunched her shoulders and ducked her head in a vain effort to make herself a smaller target.

An SUV started down the exit ramp, coming straight for her. She raised her arms to flag it down, gaping in shock when she saw Cole behind the wheel.

Before she could thank God for sending him to help her, another gunshot rang out.

“Jina!” Cole stomped on the brake, even as a crack of gunfire echoed around them. The bullet missed the car, but it was a warning that Duncan was still armed and dangerous. Thankfully, Jina was on the passenger side of the vehicle. She wrenched the door open and jumped in. “Go!”

Knowing Rhy was mere seconds behind him, he didn’t hesitate to hit the gas, speeding as fast as he dared past the upside-down minivan. When they’d safely cleared it, he turned toward her. “Are you hurt?”

---