Page 72 of Taken

“Meg-”

“Jack, if you keep interrupting me, I won’t be able to finish.” I wasn’t sure I could finish even if he didn’t keep interrupting me.

He nodded.

John stood up. “We’re going to give you some privacy.” He waived everyone out.

“Thanks dad.” Jack said as his father reached the door.

I turned back to Jack after the door closed. “If you’re going to help me, you need to know the truth, all of it. No more secrets.” I sounded braver than I felt. Even though he knew, I felt it was important for him to hear it from me.

I squeezed my bottle of water as I collected my thoughts. “My father’s a drunk and a coward. He turned state’s witness against Sullivan for a lighter sentence. They don’t consider him a threat. But Sullivan,” I held back a sob. “He knows I was the one who called 9-1-1 because I called from his client’s phone. He’ll want revenge. After I testified against him, the FBI gave me a new name and arranged for me to get help at a women’s shelter in Indiana. They gave me a chance at a normal life.”

I looked at Jack. “That’s how I knew you discovered my past. Megan’s parents didn’t go to jail, but Margaret’s did.”

He nodded.

I gave a sad laugh and shook my head. “My mom got arrested at my father’s trial. She was stoned out of her mind and thought she could prove her innocence by screaming at my father. The judge had her arrested. It was the only time that bitch stood up for me.”

My hands trembled as remembered the scene in the courtroom that day. I brought the water bottle to my lips.

“My grandmother gave me this locket.” My hand drifted to my throat and touched the pendant. “She believed my eyes were a blessing from God.” Tears ran down my cheeks but my voice was rough with hatred. “Sullivan destroyed that for me, my last good memory of my grandmother. He told me my eyes would make him a fortune,” I made air quotes, “the innocent young beauty with the magic eyes.” My nails bit into my hands as I balled my fists. I could still see his fat face leering over me, could still smell the stale cigar on his breath, as he held my face in his sausage fingers, turning it left and right.

I shook my head to clear the memory as I sucked in much needed air. Jack handed me a box of tissues. I hadn’t heard him get up or walk over to me.

He listened quietly as I explained. It had taken me forever to build up the nerve to tell someone and once I started; the words rushed from me like floodwaters. “I haven’t talked to my father since his trial. The only contact I have with my mother is through email. When she remembers I exist.” I blew my nose. “I left Indiana when I saw the news about Sullivan’s release. He couldn’t come after me without the police knowing because of his ankle monitor, but I needed to move. I wanted to be further away. My father sold me to that bastard to settle his debts. So not only did I help send Sullivan to jail, but he lost a lot of money, too.” I sighed. My thoughts were all over the place.

I could hear a pin drop. I looked up to see Jack staring at me with tears in his eyes, a stark contradiction to the anger rolling off his body in waves.

“Meg.” Jack’s voice was raspy.

I stared into his eyes. There was sadness, anger, and… shock?

Shock? “I thought you knew…”

Jack shook his head slowly back and forth, his back teeth clamped together. “I didn’t.”

“Oh.” I stared at my lap and asked softly, “What about your dad, and the others?”

“Dad and Jamie knew more than I did, but I’m not sure how much more. They know what’s in the court records, and what Agent Jones shared.”

My head snapped up. “You talked to Agent Jones?” Would the hits ever stop?

“Jamie did. He said Jones didn’t share much, he’s very protective of you.” He quickly added, “And AJ or Doug only know you might be in danger.”

“Oh.” I wrinkled my brow as my shoulders relaxed a little. “Why’d he tell you anything?” Agent Jones knew every ugly detail of my history. I didn’t want to believe he would share my information with just anyone.

“Jamie told him what we knew, and why we wanted to help. Once Jones verified our credentials, he talked to him.”

“You really didn’t know?”

I could see Jack struggling. So many emotions fought for dominance in his eyes. Shock, anger, sadness. And pride? He quickly wiped the tears off his cheeks. “No.”

“But if you didn’t know, why’d you want to help me? Why give me all those non-lessons? Was it out of pity?”

“Pity?” He stood up and rushed around the desk. He spun his chair, and me, until I faced him. He kneeled down, his arms caging me in. “I never pitied you. And I didn’t want to help you because it’s my job to protect people. I did it because I fell for you, hard. I fell for you before I did a single keystroke of research. Which was why I kept offering you lessons.”

My eyes almost jumped out of my head as my jaw fell open. I hadn’t expected an emotional outburst.Fell for me?I couldn’t process it all yet, so I latched on to the one thing I understood.

---