Page 56 of Secret Wolf Baby

“You did throw a wrench into the investigation,” he admitted. “But that was also my fault. We both know I can get a bit selfish and impulsive. Declan chewed me out for an hour for doing it.”

I gave a small smile. “Well, for what it’s worth, I’m glad it happened. I like it here a lot better than I ever did over there. Claire does, too.”

“I’m surprised they let you come here if they were worried you knew that much,” he mused. “You would think that they wouldn’t want to risk you telling anyone anything.”

I winced inwardly. I wanted to tell him about Reacher and Dad and their impromptu visits, except admitting that felt too dangerous. Jackson knew about Claire now, so they couldn’t threaten me with that any longer, but there were plenty of other ways they could punish me. Just telling Jackson this much felt like a massive risk. What would they do if they found out I told him they were still threatening me? Moreover, what wouldJacksondo if he found out? Would he throw me and Claire out for betraying him? Or would he go after Dad and Reacher even harder? The risk that it would backfire on me, either fromReacher’s end or Jackson’s, made me keep my mouth shut. I could tell him when I knew more.

“I think they wanted me to make sure you stayed in line,” I said, trying not to give too much away. “They figured they’d scared me enough that I wouldn’t talk.”

“Well, I’m glad you decided to after all,” he said.

“You’re not angry?”

He paused, considering. “I am,” he admitted. “What you’re telling me is the type of thing we’ve been looking into for weeks now. If you’d told me, we would’ve had a much bigger head start.” He took a deep breath, running his fingers through his hair as he looked at me. “At the same time, I understand why you didn’t.”

“I was afraid of what they would do,” I muttered. “They’ve…” I trailed off, not wanting to relive those moments.

Jackson seemed to guess what I was thinking before I could utter a word. “Those bruises on your wrists, I’d almost forgotten about them.”

I nodded, rubbing my forearms, feeling the phantom fingers lingering there. “That was usually as bad as they got physically with me,” I said. “Most of it was verbal and mental abuse, that sort of thing. Calling me stupid and worthless, controlling every aspect of my life.” I gave a half-laugh as I stared at the wall, unable to look at him for this next part. “You know, when I first came here, I had so much freedom that I had no idea what to do with myself. So much of my life was regulated that I wasn’t sure what I was allowed to do. It took me a while to get out of that mindset.”

Jackson let out a low rumble of anger. “Those assholes,” he growled. He pushed himself to a seated position, turning tolook at me. “I’m going to make those assholes pay, Audrey. If it’s the last thing I do. I promise.”

Chapter 19 - Jackson

At breakfast the next morning, I was still wrapping my head around the fact that I had a kid. It felt surreal, like something out of a dream.

Which was why I felt totally unprepared when Claire wandered into the kitchen, her hair still a rat’s nest from sleep. A couple of locks jutting out at weird angles were pretty adorable on a ten-year-old, though.

“Morning,” she said around a yawn.

“Hey,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. The more I looked at her, the more I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed it sooner. We had the same nose, and the same eye shape. “Sleep all right?”

She nodded. Her eyes darted between Audrey and me as she blinked away the grogginess. A moment later, the exhaustion seemed to vanish, replaced by alertness, as if she sensed some sort of change. Her lips turned into the faintest frown.

“What happened?” she asked.

Shrewd kid. I’d be arrogant and say she probably got it from me, but I knew it was probably from Audrey. That, and I was too focused on how oddly nervous I was. It felt like I was meeting her for the first time.

I glanced at Audrey, silently communicating that it was her choice. I wanted Claire to know as quickly as possible, but I also knew that Audrey was the one who had raised her. She would know what was best for Claire.

Audrey looked at me, then at her daughter. That same nervous tension from the night before crackled around her as she bit the inside of her lip.

“Claire, sweetie, there’s something I—we—need to tell you.”

Claire frowned. She leaned against the wall, putting one foot on top of the other the way I used to as a kid. She glanced from her mother to me, her brow knitting the same way Audrey’s did when she was suspicious of something.

“What?” she finally asked.

“You know the little bit I’ve told you about your father?” she asked.

“You told me he went off to the military and was fighting monsters?” she asked. “It’s okay if it’s not true. I always kind of thought you were making it up to make me feel better.”

Honestly, I was surprised Audrey had painted me in that nice a light. I knew it was likely for Claire’s sake, but it was still better than I’d probably deserved.

Audrey bit her lip. “It’s closer to the truth than you think,” she said.

Claire’s brow furrowed as she frowned, her eyes narrowing. Now that I saw it, it was the exact same expression I’d given countless times. She waited in silence for her mother to finish, all her attention locked on Audrey, who took a deep breath.

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