Page 76 of Jig's Last Dance

We move into the oncoming lane, and Cyn looks behind him in the mirror. His eyes widen before he barks, “Incoming.”

Jig wraps his arms around me and shoves me to the seat just as a loud thrum sounds and the back windshield shatters. I flinch, unable to hold back a sob, and Jig tightens his hold around me as we swerve again.

From my spot huddled underneath Jig, I hear the loud report of gunfire and squeeze my eyes closed, going stiff. Vaguely I hear Jig shout, “Go left.”

We veer again. Someone fires a gun, and then Cyn accelerates. After a few heart-pounding moments where all I can hear is my breath seesawing in my chest, Jig sits up.

But I don’t move. I’m trapped, caught in a nightmare that was never real until now.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I rock on the seat until Jig touches my back. “Sunshine?”

I flinch and his hand disappears before he pulls me up and around, so I’m straddling his lap. He tries to grab my chin, but I collapse against him, burrowing into his warmth.

I don’t know how much time passes, but at some point, Jig is lifting me and carrying me into the house. Up the stairs we go, passing the closed doors before he lays me on his bed and crawls in beside me.

After that, I stare at the wall until I fall asleep.

When I come to, I’m sprawled in Jig’s arms, practically drooling on his chest. For a moment, I take the time to enjoy how it feels. He’s strong and warm and feels safe. A mirage, I’m sure.

But I need to feel safe because my world is spinning around me. Nothing is right anymore.

Did my parents feel this way before they died?

Did my dad know this was coming? Did he leave us to pick up the pieces? The fragile image of my big bad dad is cracking under the information that I can’t outrun.

Jig strokes his hand down my hair, and I shift, knowing I’ve been caught, but he doesn’t say anything, and I don’t move. It’s peaceful, wonderful, until I mentally sigh and tip my head back, meeting his brilliant blue gaze.

“Do you know how my parents died?” I rasp, my throat dry.

He shakes his head, his gaze firmly on mine, and taking a deep breath, I murmur, “They were run off the road. My mom was pinned in the car. She couldn’t move and suffocated to death.”

Jig’s hand tightens in my hair before he continues his gentle caress. Swallowing to drum up some damn spit, I continue. “My dad, he was shot in the head.”

Lowering my gaze, I hold back the sniffle, and Jig raises my chin, searching my gaze. With a small smile, I rest my cheek against his chest and listen to his heartbeat.

The steady thrum soothes me, and it’s this that scares me. I can’t afford to get attached. For all I know, with John’s weird-ass questions about Rain, I’ll be damning her to a horrible fate unless I can figure a way out of this mess before then.

“Rumor is that Ice Man was a snitch,” he says, and I stiffen.

He tightens his hold until I relax, but now I know. Whatever he did, Dad earned the enmity of this world because snitches are like parasites.

“Is that why you were mad?” I ask.

He shifts, pushing me to my back and hovering above. My skin tingles under the intensity of his gaze, and I bite my lip to keep back the plea on my lips.Love me.

What a ridiculous notion. Love.

Love didn’t save my parents, and it’s not going to save me. Shit. Look what their love gave me: nothing but trouble.

“I wasn’t mad. I was surprised,” he says gruffly.

“Really?” I scoff, turning my head away.

“Yes, really. Your dad worked for that scum. And betrayed him at that.”

“If he’s scum, then he deserved to be betrayed,” I say stiffly.

“Maybe so.” He sighs, leaning his forehead against mine.

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