Page 64 of Jack

Nick clicks around on his laptop. In less than three minutes, he looks up. “She’s at the library.”

The library is halfway between the bakery and Angie’s. I guess it’s not a bad place for her to hang out on her lunch break.

“Books aren’t bad,” Worley Bird says.

“Emily, did you call Sandy?” This isn’t a normal order. Sandy updated her online form to where customers have to fill out every question. An email address is now required to place the order.

“I called both flower shops in town. They didn’t deliver this. We got really busy after Lily went to lunch. When it died down, the box was on the front counter.”

“A personal delivery?” Dad rubs the back of his neck. He feels the same eerie feeling as I do.

“Jack.” Nick taps the table to get my attention. “Libraries have computers too. If she used one…” He doesn’t need to say anymore.

Jay’s hand clamps around my wrist. “He’s here.”

I don’t look back to see how many brothers follow me out. It’s a lot. I run through the Den and straight out to my truck. If she’s in danger, I’m not about to put her on the back of my bike. Besides, it’s too cold today to ride with her. Rodeo jumps in thepassenger seat. Jay follows us out of the parking lot in his truck. Bankz is riding with him.

In a way, I hope Joel Clark is here. I don’t want him near Lily, but I’d love to get my hands on him. I haven’t read the file Nick worked up on the scumbag or Lily’s. Dad has. I know it. All I got was his name and photo. If he’s here, I’ll find him. First, I have to get to Lily. Once she’s safely on club property, I’ll hunt her ex down.

When the tires hit the pavement, I slam my foot to the floor. We’ll be at the library in less than ten minutes.

“I’m coming, angel,” I whisper.

And I’m bringing an army of Warriors with me.

Chapter 28

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Lily

My lunch breaks are boring when Jack’s not in town. They don’t drag by. They’re just boring. When Jack works at the garage, he picks up our lunch from one of the restaurants around town. Angie’s seems to be his favorite. So far, I have to agree.

On nice days, we eat lunch outside in another area Emily overly DIYed behind the bakery. It’s like a mini park back there with all the plants, decorations, and outdoor furniture. It’s the perfect place to get some fresh air and relieve workday stress. Emily had a wooden privacy fence installed a year ago. Customers would see her from the parking lots and interrupt her breaks with their orders rather than going inside.

When Jack’s not here, I walk to one of the nearby restaurants for lunch. As far as I go is Angie’s. Today, I grabbed a rotisserie chicken sub at The Sub Shop. Yeah, that’s its name. It’s a bit chilly today, but I still sit on one of the benches outside thelibrary and eat my lunch. I found the library the first time I walked the five blocks to Angie’s. The Sub Shop is halfway between here and the bakery.

I finish eating and throw my trash away before walking into the library. My first is always the little gift shop. I’ve bought a couple of used books here. Book sales are always great. It’s the coffee that pulls me in here. They even have pastries from the bakery. Since I work at The Cupcake Cottage, Mrs. Hammond gives me a little discount. She’s a sweet little retired school teacher. She makes everyone feel special when they visit. Of course, she gives extra attention to the kids.

My lunch break is a little off schedule due to a midday rush of customers picking up special orders and extra sweets for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I still have forty minutes left. I aimlessly wander down a few rows of bookcases. I left the last book I borrowed at home and don’t feel like starting another one. I can’t call Jack. Another Church meeting was called before my lunch break started. I’m so bored.

The computers in the back area are free. I seem to be the only visitor at the moment. I slide into one of the little workstations. I’m not supposed to contact anyone from my old life. That included using my email addresses. I had one at the hospital and a personal one I used for just about everything.

Since I couldn’t log into those, I created a new email with a fake name and birthday on a different site. My old ones had some part of my name in them. Now, I’m Gummybear. Nina and I ate them by the bags full. I sent her an email three weeks ago. The subject line and the body of the message just said hi. As of today, she still hasn’t replied. I don’t think she’s even opened it. Wow. That stings.

The Google search bar taunts me. I should leave right now. I shouldn’t look, but I do. No one tells me much of anything here, just the basics. Since curiosity kills the cat, it gets me, too. Itype in Jack’s sister’s name and instantly regret it. Several news articles and the obituary for Ariel Magnolia McLeod pop up. She has a beautiful name.

I click on the first news article and stare at Ariel’s photo. Like her name, she’s beautiful. There’s no doubt she’s Jack’s sister. Ariel, Nanny, Maci, Harley, and Everly all have the same facial features and brown wavy hair. Their shades are a little different. Ariel’s hair has more red highlights than the others.

Her bright blue eyes sparkle and pull you in. Even from a computer screen, her eyes seem to talk to you. She’s so happy in this photo that I can almost hear her laughter. She’s playing with Logan and Everly. They were so small. The caption under the picture says they were three and four. My heart breaks for them. They were just babies. This is where I should’ve walked away.

The first paragraph says Ariel was killed by her boyfriend on January 18, 2011, almost fourteen years ago. A small photo of the evil man is included. Heartbreak turns to anger and hatred. I can’t look at him. I should close the page out and leave. I read on.

Halfway through the third paragraph, I gasp and cover my mouth with both hands. My heart is broken. It’s completely shattered.

A woman putting returned books away on the shelves nearby rushes over. I haven’t seen this librarian before. She’s younger than me, probably still in college.

“Did you lose what you were working on? Maybe I can get it back for you.” She reaches for the computer mouse and freezes when she sees the article. “Oh.”

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