Page 65 of Jack

“I shouldn’t have looked.” I sniffle and close my eyes.

“Probably not,” the librarian agrees softly. “That was the worst thing to happen in Willow Creek. Ariel’s death destroyed the McLeod family.”

“She was pregnant.” I cover my mouth again. No one has mentioned that part.

“She was.” The librarian sits in the chair next to me. “About four months. They named the baby Angel.”

Angel? Oh my gosh. Ariel’s Angels isn’t just for Jack’s sister. It’s for her and her daughter. I push back from the computer and shake my head. Even though the article is public record, I feel I’ve invaded the privacy of every member of Jack’s family, and I didn’t read it all. I can’t. Ariel isn’t my family, but I’ve never felt pain like this.

“Would you like me to close the screen?” She places her hand on the mouse and waits.

“Log me out, please. I’m sorry I looked.” I quickly stand, letting her have my chair.

Somehow, I have to go back to work like this. I won’t tell Emily or the others what I read. I’ll never ask anyone questions about Ariel. I understand now why Jack’s family only drops bits and pieces of their story. I have a couple hours left of my shift. Hopefully, I can get my emotions somewhat under control before I see Jack.

I’m so heartbroken and lost in my thoughts that I don’t notice or sense everything around me. I’m moving on autopilot toward the front doors. I don’t sense another presence nearby until a hand clamps over my mouth, and I’m pulled into the row of shelves along the back wall.

The hand over my mouth tightens as my back slams into the bookcase. He pins me against the shelves with his body. I don’t have to look. I already know who he is. Just like the article, I look anyway. Piercing light blue eyes glare into mine. Eyes I thought were beautiful when I first saw them. Within six months, I learned that these eyes held more evil than the darkest night.

“Lily. Lily. Lily.” Joel slowly shakes his head. “You’ve been a bad girl. You run away for nearly two months and crawl into bed with a dirty biker.” The clicking of his tongue sends cold chillsdown my back. “When we get home, your punishment will be so bad you’ll never think about acting out again.”

His hand tightens when I try to scream. There weren’t many visitors when I arrived, just someone returning a book. Everyone’s busy today getting ready for Thanksgiving. As far as employees, I only saw three. Somehow, I have to get one of them to notice us.

“You’re going to quietly walk out here with me like a good girl.”

I shake my head wildly. My tears never fazed him. Crying makes matters worse, but I can’t stop the tears today. If he takes me from this building, I won’t survive. He won’t just punish me this time. He’ll kill me.

“Youwill.” His hand around my arm tightens. His nails dig into my skin to the point I know there’s blood. He lowers his head until his face is inches from mine. “You will, or the old bat in the gift shop won’t make it home today.”

I gasp into his palm. Mrs. Hammond. Oh, please don’t let him hurt her. He would, though. I know he would. I shake my head wildly again. Sadly, his threats have just begun.

“And I’ll lock those three in the bakery and burn it to the ground.” His grin is pure evil. “I might even let you watch and listen to their screams.”

I thought his laugh was evil before. This one belongs in a horror movie. His phone vibrates in his pocket. He doesn’t reach for it.

“Time to go.” He jerks me hard, causing my head to hit the books behind me. “Act up, and they all die today.”

He peeks around the bookcase before pulling me toward the back door. The door and part of the wall on this side of the library are made of glass. There’s a cute little garden area on the other side. I glance toward the desk on the side. The librarian I met earlier isn’t there.

Hope builds when I see a biker hiding in the garden. At first, I thought I was being rescued. Hope dies when we get closer to the door. That’s not a Viking Warrior. He was one of the bikers at the bakery when Jack took me to meet Emily. Oh no. He’s signaling Joel through the glass with his hands. I can’t go out this door. I just can’t. But I also don’t want four women to die because of me.

The sound of an object making contact with a body fills the quiet room. Joel grunts. His body slams into mine, pushing me into the glass door. He falls to the floor, taking me with him.

“Get away from her!” The librarian who helped me earlier holds a folded metal chair back, prepared to swing again.

“A chair won’t stop me.” Joel scrambles to his feet.

He doesn’t take his eyes off the librarian as he reaches down and grabs a handful of my hair. With one swift jerk, he pulls me off the floor. I scream as loud as I can and shove against him. Hopefully, one of the other workers will hear and call for help.

The librarian takes a couple of steps forward and swings the chair at Joel again. With the wall behind us and the door on our right, she has us pinned into a corner. Joel has nowhere to go, and the chair makes contact again. He cries out and stumbles. The impact doesn’t move him away from me like I think she was hoping. Instead, it knocks him into me.

“We’re leaving now.” He wraps an arm around my waist and pulls my back to his front. He uses me as a shield and tries for the door again.

The librarian can’t swing now without hitting me, too. If hitting both of us will keep me in this building, she can swing away. She doesn’t swing, though. I have to hand it to her. She’s a resourceful woman. She turns the chair and uses its legs to jab Joel in the side. When he bends over, she runs to the wall and pulls the fire alarm. If this were a movie, it would be comical. As odd as this fight is, it’s for my life.

Over the blaring of the fire alarm, the sound of loud engines and the roar of motorcycles fills the air. They’re not all on motorcycles, but I know it’s Jack and his brothers. The biker outside realizes they have no chance and takes off, leaving Joel behind.

“They’re coming for you.” The librarian holds the chair like a weapon as she glares at Joel. “There’s no escaping them. You’ll be the one who dies today.”

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