Page 99 of In Hiding

His earphone crackled to life with Magnus’s question. “Yep. You?”

“Only just. I think I’ve gotten soft in my old age.”

He chuckled at the thought of Magnus feeling old. “You’re out of practice is all.”

Magnus huffed. “I want to be at home in bed with my wife.”

“If I recall, this was your idea.”

Silence answered Jake, making him smile. He’d already told the team they could bail any time they desired. He had no need for anyone being distracted by resentment or thoughts of warm beds and even warmer wives. He understood they had lives and loves as important to them as Sarah was to him. He didn’t want to keep them away a minute longer, especially if they didn’t want to be here.

“For what it’s worth, I appreciate your company.”

Magnus had been the least talkative of his nightly companions. Hollywood couldn’t stop nattering about his Sanctuary; Riley had regaled him with exploits of his children; and Damien wouldn’t let up about what the future held for Jake. Magnus had been the quietest of them all.

“I have to admit,” he continued, “you’ve all gone above and beyond, for no other reason than a small moment in history when we once called each other friends.”

An owl hooted in the distance. The sound echoed through the trees.

“It’s more about what came after,” Magnus explained. “The moments in history when we let each other down or got lost in the tangle of life. They taught us the value of friendship, the need for kin. Like it or not, you’re one of us again. Whatever happens with Sarah, I want you to stay in the Crossing. It’s your home. We’re your family.”

The thought of staying in town without being by her side sent a chill down his spine. Could he stand to be so close to her and yet so far? Could he be happy for her if she found someone else?

Ah hell.

Wasn’t that the kind of thinking that put her in danger in the first place?

“What would I do here?” Jake sighed. “This town doesn’t need me.”

“Don’t be too sure, my friend.”

As the clock ticked over to midnight, Jake stared up through the leaves to the sky above. The gentle sway of the tall tree rocked him like a baby, lulling him into a trance-like state he neither fought nor embraced. Momentarily, the cloud cover broke to reveal a star-studded sky and a full moon. Ringed by a halo of white, it lit the countryside enough for Jake to see the movement of small critters in the undergrowth.

He spotted a wallaby foraging for baby grasses and an echidna lumbering through the detritus of dead leaves and strips of bark. His eyesight sharpened enough to see a ring-tailed possum scaling from branch to branch, a joey clinging to its back.

His hearing zeroed in, hearing the scurrying and scratching at ground level. Somewhere in the distance, a koala grunted out its mating call and beyond that, an engine whined.

“Look sharp.” Damien’s voice sounded at his ear. “We have a vehicle approaching. Positive ID. It’s Mitchell.”

Jake moved, exiting his hidey-hole to climb down the tree. He hit the ground as quietly as he could and made his way through the forest to the woodshed. Using the cover of foliage, he closed in on the house, approaching from the south side and stealing up the stairs to the veranda.

At the side door, he gained entry. He had thirty seconds to make his way to the security system and disarm it. Lucky for him, Sarah hadn’t changed any of the settings. Resetting the system immediately, he made a quick sweep of the downstairs floor, finding Erik in the room closest to the front door. The Great Dane was already pulling on his boots.

“It’s good to see you,” Erik grinned. His teeth reflected the moonlight streaming in through the window. “Go wake Sarah. I’ll get William.”

Jake climbed the stairs and moved to Sarah’s room. Much as he wanted to see her, these weren’t the circumstances he’d hoped for. He slipped into the room and closed the door.

A curtain had been left half-open, allowing light into the room. She lay in the middle of the bed. Peaceful. Still. As beautiful in sleep as ever. Jake committed the image to memory, arguing with himself whether they could take care of Mitchell without waking her.

It took him all of ten seconds to realize that if she was angry with him because he didn’t tell her about her brother, she’d be furious if he did that. Even if it saved her from having to face her ex. There was no debate to be had. He needed to wake her.

He crossed the room and knelt on the bed, covering her mouth with his hand.

“Sarah? Wake up.”

Her body tensed before her eyes sprang open.

“Shh.” He smiled. “It’s me, Jake. He’s coming.”

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