After I Died for Justice, He Chased Me for Years

Chapter 6

Jake was dead?

Jillian couldn't believe her ears. Her fingertips trembled violently as she stammered, "You... you told me last time he got transferred."

Nathan's voice came out tight, as though forcing every word past a lump in his throat. "I lied to you."

The air around them went thick and deathly still, so heavy Jillian could barely draw a breath.

Two years prior, she'd uncovered massive money-laundering operations under the Taylor Group. She'd risked life and limb, nearly dying in the process, just to sneak that intel to Nathan.

She never would've guessed it was all just a decoy the Taylors had set up.

Jillian fought back the burning flood of tears pressing behind her eyes. "I didn't know..."

"None of that matters now. Jake's not coming back, no matter what."

He tossed those cold words out, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

Bang. The iron gate slammed shut right in front of her, unforgiving as a fist to the chest.

The pain was too much to bear. She clutched a hand to her chest, where her heart was twisting like it was being carved open with a knife.

It took forever for her to pull herself together enough to fish out her phone. She typed out a message fast.

Jillian: [It's fine if you don't believe me, but you need to look into Nina's case again. Dig deeper.]

Minutes ticked by, one after another, but the read receipt under her message to Nathan never popped up.

All the fight drained out of her. She let her arm drop limply to her side, turned on her heel, and walked away, every step stiff and heavy like her shoes were filled with lead.

She wandered the streets aimlessly, no destination in mind.

Before she knew it, she was standing in front of their old school.

It was deep in the dead of night. Jillian lifted her head, staring fixedly at the emblem emblazoned on the front gate.

Years ago, she, Nathan, and Jake had all studied and trained here. Whenever they got a break, they'd sneak off to the campus convenience store to buy popsicles.

Back then, Jake would always say, grinning around a mouthful of frozen treat, "The three of us are gonna stick together forever. Don't think you two lovebirds can ditch me just 'cause you're dating."

Nathan would squeeze her hand tighter in his and grin right back. "Even when Jillian and I get married, we're not ditching you, idiot."

She'd laugh and nod along. "Exactly! We're gonna take down scumbags and protect people together, chase our ideals until we're old and gray, until the day we die."

But right after they'd finish making those silly promises, their drill instructor—Nathan's dad—would always catch them red-handed and make them run ten kilometers as punishment.

*****

All those warm, perfect memories were still fresh in her mind, as clear as if they'd happened yesterday, but after six years undercover, she'd come back to a world completely unrecognizable.

Jake was dead. Arthur Quinn had retired.

And between her and Nathan, there was a chasm of rifts and misunderstandings so wide it felt like they were strangers heading down completely separate paths.

All those childish oaths they'd made had blown away like smoke in the wind. All that was left was her, broken, scarred, and completely alone.

Tears streamed down her face nonstop, and her chest ached so badly it felt like someone had reached in and squeezed her heart into pulp.

She stood on the opposite side of the street for what felt like hours, until the sky started to lighten pale gray at the edges, and her phone buzzed in her pocket.

She unlocked it and saw a message from Nathan.

Nathan: [Come to my place for lunch. Arthur wants to see you.]

Jillian stared at the screen for a long, dazed second, then typed back a simple word.

Jillian: [Okay.]

She locked her phone again and headed for the market.

Noon came fast, and she arrived at the Quinn family's old home.

She was carrying a bag of fruit, and when she walked in, Arthur and Nathan were already waiting for her.

The second he saw her, Arthur's eyes went red. His voice shook as he said softly, "Jillian..."

Jillian's throat tightened so badly she could barely speak. She mouthed the words silently, no sound coming out. "Arthur."

Arthur's face softened with obvious heartache. He patted her shoulder gently. "You've been through so much these past years. Sit down, quick—today I made all your favorite dishes!"

He turned to his son, tone warm with gentle urging. "Nathan, serve Jillian some food."

Nathan's expression stayed cool and unreadable as he picked up a piece of sweet-and-sour pork rib with his chopsticks and dropped it into Jillian's bowl. "Eat," he said, his tone sharp with no warmth at all.

The scene felt so familiar it ached, exactly like a dozen small, happy moments they'd shared back in the old days.

Back when she and Jake would crash meals at the Quinn house all the time, Nathan would always slip the sweet-and-sour pork rib onto her plate first, and Arthur would tease her nonstop, joking that she was his little childhood daughter-in-law.

The rush of familiar memories pressed so hard on her chest she could barely hold back her tears, but when her gaze landed on the piece of pork rib in her bowl, she couldn't make herself lift her chopsticks to eat it, no matter how hard she willed herself to.

Back when she was undercover, she'd nearly blown her cover. Her captors had locked her in a slaughterhouse for three whole days and nights, and she hadn't touched a single piece of meat ever since.

She swallowed hard, fighting down the violent lurch of her stomach, picked up the pork rib, and placed it in Arthur's bowl instead. "You have it first, Uncle."

Nathan's eyebrows snapped together. "Arthur made that specifically for you."

The obvious awkward distance between the two of them made Arthur frown slightly, and he quickly switched gears to change the subject. "What are your plans next, Jillian?"

Jillian shook her head. "I haven't really thought that far ahead yet."

Arthur glanced back and forth between the two of them. "Well, in that case, why don't you and Nathan get married first? You can figure out all the other stuff later."

Jillian froze mid-movement, her mind going completely blank for a second—she had no idea how to respond.

Then Nathan set his chopsticks down on the table with a soft clink, his tone cold and unapologetic as he dropped the bombshell. "Dad, don't bring up marriage again. We already broke up."