Page 46 of Tempting Tessa

“How soon before Harris sets off the EMP attack at the military bases?” Tessa pressed.

Jessie shook her head. “I don’t know. Soon. He doesn’t tell me specifics about his plan.” She turned to leave, her movements jerky. “I have to go.”

No message for Tommy? Tess’s instincts sent up a red flag. “Tommy loves you so much. He doesn’t want you doing this any more than I do.”

Jessie stopped short, her back still to Tessa. “I know.” She turned slightly and tossed something on the ground. “Don’t try to save me. Just… Tell Tommy I did this for him.”

Tessa debated letting her walk away. It would be easy to cripple her, force her to stay. Her fingers flexed on the shotgun, the weight of the decision pressing down on her.

“Why don’t you tell me yourself?” a ragged male voice said from behind Tessa.

Jessie didn’t even hesitate. She threw something at Tessa, and suddenly, a dense cloud engulfed the garden around her.

Smoke bomb.

Tessa’s eyes stung, and she coughed, swinging the shotgun around, but the world was a blur of gray.

She sensed Tommy racing past her, but by the time the smoke cleared, he and Jessie were gone.

Nineteen

As he veered into the maze of roses, the scent of the blooms hung thick in the air. Thorns snagged at his sleeves, and his boots crunched on the gravel path. Ahead, Jessie’s silhouette ducked behind a trellis. He surged forward, his breath steaming in the misty morning air.

Why is she running?

Stupid question.

A better one was, why the hell hadn’t Tessa woken him up?

He’d deal with her later.

Ahead, Jessie slipped through a hedgerow. “Jessie!” he shouted.

From his left, two figures emerged from the shadows of a tree—Meg Carson and Declan Reid. Their weapons were drawn. They moved in tandem, joining him in the race to catch his sister.

“Where the hell did you come from?” he yelled at them.

“Finally decided to join the party, cub?” Declan teased.

He would’ve punched Dec in the face if they hadn’t been in a race. “She’s getting away!”

Meg’s voice rang out. “Not for long.” The sound of her gun going off made his insides drop.

Jessie tripped and went down. A sharp cry escaped her lips as she tried to scramble away from them, blood leaking from her calf. “You shot me!” she yelled at Meg.

“You shot her,” Tommy echoed in distress. Now, he wanted to punch Meg.

He skidded to a stop, breathing heavily and staring down at Jessie. As she met his eyes, he saw a plea for forgiveness in them mixed with irritation over his pursuit. “Why couldn’t you leave this alone?” she lamented.

“You’re my sister!” He gripped her arm, firm but not brutal, and hauled her to her feet.

She couldn’t put weight on the injured leg, hopping in place and leaning on him to steady herself. “Oh, Tommy. You have to let me go.”

He couldn’t help it. He hugged her, crushing her against his chest. Holding her again, smelling her hair, feeling her in his arms…it brought a tidal wave of emotions. “How could you leave me?”

She sobbed against his chest, her hands gripping the layers of his shirt. “You dummy. It wasn’t aboutleavingyou. It was about keeping you safe.”

“Take her to the house.” Tessa stood a few feet away, watching the reunion with a cold, distant expression. The shotgun remained steady in her hands, though she didn’t aim it at Jessie. Tommy felt her anger and disappointment over Jessie’s actions boiling up with his, yet she kept hers contained. No matter Jessie’s motivation, what she’d done had put all of them through hell.

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