Page 21 of Wistful Whispers

Jake flinches at my words, leaning back against the counter as he runs a hand over his face. “Rather me than you! I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”

“And I don’t want you to leave because you think that’s the answer, because it isn’t!” I reply. “We’re in this together. You leaving doesn’t change that. It just makes it worse.”

Ols cuts in, his voice sharp. “She’s right. You leaving doesn’t fix this. If anything, it’ll make him less predictable.”

Jake looks at the two of us, his jaw tight. “So… we just wait?” He looks as panicked as a deer caught in a trap.

“We’ll stick to the plan,” I say. “The police know what they’re doing. They’ll keep an eye on things and we’ll stay vigilant. But you’re not leaving and you’re not confronting him. End of discussion.”

Jake stares at me for a long moment with an unreadable expression. Finally he exhales and nods, though his shoulders are still tense. “Fine. We’ll do it your way.”

“Thank you,” I say, relief washing over me as I curl up in his arms. His heart is racing and I can’t blame him but I need him to calm down. I need him to find strength so I can fall apart just for a little while. “We’ll get through this, Jake. Together.”

Oliver mutters something under his breath and I glance at him sharply. He throws up his hands. “What? I’m just saying this plan isn’t foolproof.”

“No plan is,” I reply. “But it’s better than charging in blind.”

Jake straightens, his eyes are still clouded with worry. “I’m not going to let him hurt you, Hanny-bee. Or the baby. You know that, right?”

“I know. And I trust you. But we have to be smart about this.”

He pulls me tightly against him and I can feel his heartbeat slowly return to a more normal pace. Oliver clears his throat, and we both turn to look at him.

“Right,” he says, his tone brisk. “What’s the next step? Do we need to beef up security here? Cameras, alarms, whatever we can get our hands on?”

“We have the system the police has installed at our house and we both have a panic alarm. Ols, you’re one of the people on the call list when the alarm goes off. Maybe we should get them to help us by alarming your office as well,” Jake suggests.

“Give me the detective’s details and I’ll sort it,” my brother says, already pulling out his phone. “There’s no way I’m letting Grant get anywhere near you.”

I smile faintly, grateful for his protective nature even if it borders on being overbearing. Jake watches him for a moment before looking back at me.

“I’ll feel better once we’ve got eyes everywhere,” he admits. “Maybe I’ll talk to the police again and see if there’s anything else they can do.”

“Good,” I say. “But no more talk about leaving, okay?”

Jake gives a weak smile. “Okay.”

As Oliver starts barking orders into his phone, I reach up and touch Jake’s cheek, drawing his gaze back to me. “We’ve got this,” I whisper. “All of us. Together.”

He leans into my touch, his eyes briefly closing. “I hope you’re right,” he murmurs.

“I have to be,” I reply, my voice steady. “We don’t have another choice.”

“Is there anything else I can do for you?” he whispers.

“Take me home. Let’s lock out the world for a while and just be us. I need a moment of happiness in this nightmare.”

“I can give you that!” Jake places a soft kiss on my forehead.

We say goodbye to Ols and head to the car. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t looking over my shoulder, and I catch Jake doing the same a few times but that is exactly why we need to get away from it for a while and just be us for a few hours. Jake and Hanny-bee and the little princess.

Chapter 10

Hannah

Lying in Jake’s arms,I finally feel safe. It’s a false sense of security as of course Grant can get to us, but just for a little while I allow myself to forget all of it. The alarm is set and we’re hiding away in my bedroom. In here I will allow myself to be happy, God damn it.

Jake’s arm is slung over my hips and he’s nuzzled against my back, just like a bit over a month ago when I first realised my feelings for him were more than just friendship.

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