Page 59 of In Hiding

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Jake fell hard into her deep green eyes. Vulnerable, desperate, determined, Sarah called to him like no other woman had. She stirred a primitive need to protect, a need he didn’t pretend to understand. The sensation was foreign and roused an unfamiliar fear that maybe he wasn’t up to the job. It wasn’t like him to feel inadequate and he didn’t like it one bit. Stranger still, she brought out in him a desire to serve.

For so long he’d railed against the part of him that wanted to conform. First against Walters, then against Lucy. The idea of following other people’s rules made him feel weak. He enjoyed being different and needed to assert his power, but in Sarah’s presence, the need was silenced, replaced by the desire to please, and step up to meet her expectations. It scared him half to death.

Her skin warmed under his palm and he had to fight against the remembered sight of her body pressed up to his. He rubbed his thumb along her cheekbone, feeling a shudder ripple through her body.

“I mean it,” he insisted. “I’ll teach you everything you need to know so you can feel confident and safe.”

Doubt passed through her eyes. “I don’t think I’ll ever feel safe.”

He smiled, trying to convince her otherwise. “We’ll see. For now, you have extra eyes and ears around the place between Will, me, and the new security system. And don’t forget, Ben comes with the package. You saw how big he is.”

Her mouth curved softly. “He is a gentle giant.”

“Believe me, he can be brutal when needed.”

Stepping back, she pulled out of his hold and walked over to the windows. Silhouetted against the light, her figure drew his attention. Covered from head to toe, it seemed she wanted to hide under her clothing. The most he’d ever seen was her left leg, the one that got caught up in the tree. The scar was impressive.

“It’s okay to be nervous,” he said, unmoving.

“The not-knowing is the hardest part. Right now, I know he’s behind bars, but he’ll be able to apply for parole soon and then, he’ll be out.”

“You really think he’ll come for you.”

She nodded, staring out across the valley. “I know so. It’s not a question of if, but when.”

The sound of her voice was adamant, and while Jake knew Ryan Mitchell to be a violent man, he also knew how much he hated prison. Would Mitchell honestly risk being locked up again just to hurt her? Assuming he could even find her, surely he’d have to understand that harming Sarah would only lead to one thing.

Another stint in prison.

“Why?”

She crossed her arms over her chest and hugged herself. The guarded vision drew him closer. She looked powerless and all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and use his body to shield hers. He didn’t. He stood beside her, with his hands relaxed by his side in the hopes he didn’t present as a threat.

“Why would he come after you?”

She pressed her lips together, indecision on her face. “Our relationship had broken down. He’d threatened to hurt me if I left.”

That was all? Jake half expected she was about to confess she had dirt on Mitchell and was going to expose him, but he understood the power one person could have over another. When Lucy left him, he remembered being desperate enough to do just about anything to get her back. Sure, he cared about her, but it came with a fatalistic passion that drove him crazy. As he looked back on it now, he could see how toxic they were for each other. Or rather, how poisonous he’d been to her. Shame ripped through him like a hot knife.

“William was only ten, but he wanted to leave his father and come live with me.” She shook her head. “It sent Ryan off the deep end, especially because I wasn’t his birth mother. Ryan couldn’t understand how his son wouldn’t choose him.”

“That would’ve been a blow to his ego.”

“It’s not just me who’s in danger.”

“Your son is scared for your safety, Sarah, not his own. He wanted to learn how to fight to protect you. Not himself.”

Her head snapped around. Tears gathered in her eyes. “Have I done enough to keep us safe?”

Jake stepped closer. “Tell me what you’ve done.”

She wiped away the wetness. “I made some changes to our names. My married name is Mitchell and my maiden name is Christensen.”

Trust, at last. “Where does Andersen come from?”

“My great aunt. It was my mother’s maiden name. Legally, it made it easy. When we put the paperwork through for the adoption, we used Andersen. Sarah’s one of my middle names.” Her shaky smile took his breath away. “Same but different. I just don’t know if it’s enough to keep us hidden.”

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