Page 18 of Jericho

I wish I could say that the lesson taught by my father at an early age wasn't true, but even Luke only got close to me as an undercover federal agent so he could take down my father and the organization. Every day since he told me who he was, I have wished that he had been successful. It's impossible to picture what a life without the criminal element would look like, but it can't be any worse than the one I'm living now.

My appointment goes like clockwork, this one a little longer than last week because I'm due for a haircut and a new set of nails.

When I lift up on the tips of my toes before opening the back door, I breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of the sedan parked exactly where it's supposed to be, but the fear of what could happen before I'm safely inside the car with Samuel makes me rush to the vehicle and jump inside.

I look up as the car pulls away after clicking my seatbelt into place and meet dark green eyes so familiar I don't realize I memorized them until now.

"Hey, Peach."

My heart races as every emotion in the book hits me right in the chest. I'm ecstatic, livid, so incredibly happy, but also enraged and terrified.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I growl as he pulls the car out of the alleyway and heads left instead of right as we've always done when Samuel is driving.

The routine is to the salon and straight back home. I have a thirty-minute window to get there before Damien will suspect something is wrong, and that's not a whole lot of wiggle room to be fucking with.

Tears streak down my face, but I know better than to try and jump from the car, even though a part of my head is telling me that might be the only option.

"You have to let me go," I demand.

Maybe it won't be so bad if he just deserts the car and leaves me to find my own way home. Damien could possibly consider the blip an issue he needs to deal with through Samuel and not me, but the further he drives in the opposite direction of where I'm supposed to be heading, the harder my hands tremble.

"You have no idea what you're doing," I sob, my eyes frantic as if there's a single damn thing I can do to change this man's mind. "He'll kill me."

"He'll end up killing you if you stay, Aspen. You know that as much as I do."

"Th-this isn't just ab-about me," I manage.

I feel like I'm going a little insane, and I know there's a real chance I'll get to a certain point and I won't ever be able to get back in touch with full reality.

"My son!" I scream. "You're going to get my son killed."

Instead of assuring me that won't happen, he remains silent, hands gripping the steering wheel tighter as he leaves the busy streets of town.

"Luke, please," I beg, but he never looks in the rearview mirror again.

I'm already due back at the house by the time we pull up outside a house I don't recognize, and I watch as a man I don't know opens the front door before heading toward the house.

"Luke," I whisper when he opens the door and exits the vehicle without so much as a backward glance. "Luke!"

He doesn't stop walking, disappearing into the tree line just as the man opens the back door of the vehicle.

"Get out," he grunts, and all I can do is blink up at him. "Get out on your own or I'll get you out myself."

The warning is clear in his voice, and with shaking hands, I unclip my seatbelt and climb out of the car.

"He has trackers on the car," I explain.

"Lift your arms. Do you have any weapons?"

"Do I look like I’m carrying a fucking weapon?" I snarl but obey and lift my arms.

He proceeds to search me, a quick pat down and much less intrusive than the ones I've gotten at the airport.

"Trackers on the car," I repeat. "He probably already knows I'm here. He'll kill you for this."

The man stands to his full height. He's taller than me but he's not a massive block of muscle the way Luke is. He's less intimidating, but I know there are a lot more things a man can hurt me with than just his strength. Honestly, I'd be safer in the woods with a damn bear than this guy.

"We cleared the car," he says as he takes a step to the side. "He won't find you. You're safe. Let's get inside."

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