Page 22 of Jack

“That’s fine?” With eyes wide, I point toward the door.

“Yeah.” Nanny shrugs. “Sometimes, he rants and raves, but he’ll be back when he calms down.”

I step over Everly, who’s catching her breath, and follow Jack’s mother into the kitchen. “Why couldn’t he come inside?”

She turns and gives me a sympathetic look. “My son is one of the best men you’ll ever meet.” She sighs deeply. “He’s also just like his father, overbearing at times. You don’t need that today.”

Fear creeps up my spine. “What’s today?”

Except for the unexpected layover in Texas, I’ve been moving for six days. They still haven’t explained how all this works to me. From the little meeting with Jacob last night, they obviously follow a set of rules and steps. They’re an organization rescuing battered women. Of course, something would happen today. It’s a lot to take in, and I’m not sure what to do. This seems to be my life now. Where do I go from here? Will I constantly have to keep moving to be free? That doesn’t sound like a good life to me.

“Today, you rest. If you feel like it later, we can talk about your next step. If not, it can wait until tomorrow.” Nanny turns to take the bread from the oven when the timer goes off.

A day of rest sounds amazing. The unknown terrifies me, though. Nanny plates up eggs, bacon, and biscuits for each of us and sets them on the table.

“What is my next step?”

“We help you start over.” Everly join us at the table. Fits of laughter are gone.

“How do I do that?” I push the scrambled eggs around on my plate with a fork.

“Well.” Nanny glances at Everly. She doesn’t want to have this conversation in front of her. “When you’re ready, we’ll go to the office and talk about where you’d like to go. Your training as a nurse will allow you to start over just about anywhere. Once you’ve decided, we'll help you get there.”

Wow. She didn’t explain things in detail, but I understand. It’s a bit overwhelming, and I’m greatly relieved. They’re really offering me a new life somewhere far away from Joel. But can I do it? Can I really start over and never live another day in fear?

Everly looks from me to her grandmother. “Can’t she stay here? Uncle Jack…”

“Sweetie.” Nanny lays her hand flat on the table, interrupting the young girl. “Don’t you have to work on the website for the bakery today?”

“Oh, yeah.” Everly springs to her feet. “I promised them it would be ready by Wednesday.” She hurries around the table to hug her grandmother.

“You’ll do a fine job, dear. Now, go straight home.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Everly surprisingly hugs me, too. “I’m sorry, Lily. I forgot about the website. Hopefully, I’ll see you at the party later.”

I release her with my mouth hanging open. “You go to club parties?”

She’s a minor. That’s not a good idea. The party I heard last night was way too lively for children.

“Yeah.” She nods. “All the kids have to leave by nine. Grandpa makes them show their manners while we’re there.”

I snap my head toward Nanny. “Is that safe?”

“Don’t worry. No one would touch us,” Everly assures me. “They’d die in the middle of the clubhouse floor if they did. Grandpa would then string their bodies up out front as an example.”

I choke on air. This can’t be real. She’s sixteen. She shouldn’t be talking this way.

Nanny quickly stands and nudges Everly out the door. “Sweetie, hurry on home. Maybe you’ll see Lily later.”

“Bye,” Everly calls out as she hurries out the front door.

Nanny cautiously returns to the table. It takes her a few minutes to compose herself. Trust me. I’m struggling to do so, too.

“Lily?”

I remove the sunglasses and slowly meet her eyes. “That wouldn’t really happen. Would it?”

“It never has.” She looks away and quickly back. “No one is stupid enough to test it.”

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