Page 89 of Then Came Love
After getting their laughter under control, they made plans to meet later at Tully’s Tavern, a local pub, to celebrate their decision to continue working together.
By the time Jordan got to Jax’s house, she was bursting at the seams to share her news. She saw him talking on the phone by the pool in his swim trunks—Yum—and hurried outside. Coco sprinted to her, and as Jordan loved her up, Jax looked over, his expression serious.
She pushed to her feet as he ended the call. “Is everything okay?”
“That was Reggie. He got an anonymous tip yesterday about a girl who escaped from that cult in West Virginia.”
“Really? Does he think it’s Casey? I thought he searched the compound and there was no sign of her.” Please, please be her!
Jax shook his head. “He doesn’t know. He said not to get our hopes up because it all sounded sketchy. He left his business card with everyone he interviewed on the compound, and a woman contacted him, but she wouldn’t give her name. She said the girl’s name was Sullivan Tate, but she goes by Sully. She said she came to the cult years ago with one of the leader’s underlings when he’d returned from a trip out west. He said she was his niece and his sister couldn’t afford to take care of her. She thought she might be around Casey’s age, but she couldn’t be sure, and she said she looked a heck of a lot like the age-progression pictures.”
Goose bumps chased over Jordan’s flesh. “Jax. What if it’s her?”
“I hope it is, but Reggie said this could be someone sending him on a wild-goose chase because he ruffled a lot of feathers when he was there.”
“I have so many questions. Why did she run away? How did she escape? She must have been scared or abused or something. People don’t just run away.”
“We can’t jump to conclusions. Reggie put an alert out for Sully using what little information he had. He’s heading back to West Virginia with an investigative team to see what they can find out.”
Jordan’s mind raced. “Did she give him the name of the guy? Sully’s uncle?”
“Yes, but he died a few years ago of cancer, and the woman said that a lot of members change their names when they join the cult. They’re encouraged to leave their old lives behind, so she wasn’t sure if that was his real name or not. Reggie will get to the bottom of it.”
“I know, but why would anyone want to be in a cult? Why is the woman who called him there?”
“She didn’t give her name, and he couldn’t even say if she was a member of the cult.”
“I don’t know what any of this means. Is it good? Is it even real? I want to hold on to the hope that it is. I got chills when you first told me, but even if it’s not Casey, there’s still some girl out there all alone and probably terrified.”
“Since she escaped, she probably had help, so maybe she’s not alone or scared, but safe and relieved.”
Jordan took a deep breath. “You’re right. I’ll hold on to that. I want to hope it’s her. I know we’ve had tons of false leads, but the location is right.”
“Reggie said to treat it like all the other leads. Don’t believe it until we hear from him that it’s real. This could be another attention seeker.”
“You’re right. We should think of this like all the others. My heart is racing.”
He gathered her in his arms, running his hand down her back. “We knew this was going to be a roller coaster.”
“I know. I’m glad we’re doing it. If they find Sully and she’s not Casey, then maybe she belongs to someone else, or maybe she really is that guy’s niece and she just wants to get back to her family.”
“That’s right. Reggie will let us know.” He kissed her. “How did your meeting go? Did they like the designs?”
“They loved them, with a few minor tweaks.”
“That’s awesome, babe. I knew they would. We need to celebrate.” He palmed her butt. “Starting right now.” He kissed her neck, sending warmth down her chest.
“Mm. I like this celebration.” She leaned her head to one side, giving him better access. “We have more than one reason to celebrate. Jilly asked me to keep working with her, and I accepted.”
“That’s fantastic. I’m so proud of all you’ve done. I guess I’d better watch my back, or you might become more famous than I am.”
“Hardly.”
“I have faith in you, baby. I want to see you soar.” He kissed her as he backed her up toward the house, rubbing his body against hers. “In more ways than one.”
She giggled. “I told Jilly we’d meet her at the tavern at eight.”
“That gives us just enough time for a few mind-blowing orgasms.”
She feigned a pout. “Just a few? Guess I won’t have time to get on my knees for you first.”
His eyes flamed. “The hell you won’t.” He scooped her up and carried her into the house.
She giggled. “That’s more like it, Mr. Braden.”
