CHAPTER FIVE
623 Words
Jessica woke before the dawn. The penthouse was silent, still, except for that constant hum of the city outside. For one moment, she almost forgot where she was. Then all that unfamiliar luxury seemed to come crashing down on her, bringing with it exactly where she was: back in the city and Cole's world, no going back this time.
Jessica slipped from bed, trying not to wake Lucas, who was sleeping in the other room. A tension bunched her shoulders as she moved the weight, it seemed of everything. She had to get outside and clear her head on what to do next.
She came upon Cole awake and brewing coffee in the kitchen. He looked up as she came in closed off. "Morning," he said and handed her a cup.
Jessica took it, feeling the warmth in her hands gratefully. "Morning," she said softly, then took a sip. The silence between them was stiff from too many unasked questions and unresolved tension.
Cole leaned against the counter, watching her for a very long moment. "We might have to talk about what's next," he said finally, working respectably to sound and be serious. "We can't stay here forever, and we can't keep running without a plan."
Jessica nodded, knowing he was right. "What do you suggest?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
Cole set his cup of coffee down onto the desk. A moment later, he turned thoughtful. "I have resources, people who can help us. First, though, I need to know everything—about who's after you, why you left, and what we're up against.".
That felt like a pang in the gut to Jessica. All those years of keeping her past secret, all of protecting Lucas from the truth, came before this. Now, with Cole by her side, she realized, finally, that she just couldn't do it alone anymore. If they were ever going to have any kind of future after this, he needed to know everything.
She took a deep breath before she went on to talk more. "But when I left, it wasn't just to protect Lucas from your world. It was because I got caught up with some bad people. They were looking for you, Cole.
"They wanted to hurt you through me, so I hid," Jessica said. Cole was angry. "Who are they?" Jessica was scared. "I don't know, but they're powerful and mean. They said they would hurt Lucas." Cole was furious. "Why didn't you tell me?" Jessica was ashamed. "I was scared and didn't know what to do."
" But I was wrong."
The fear in her eyes made Cole's expression soften. He reached out, placing his hand on her arm. "We'll deal with this, Jessica. I won't let anything happen to you or Lucas. But we need to be smart about it."
Jessica met his gaze, feeling a flicker of hope. "What do we do?
Cole stood straight; he wasn't going to give on this one. "I will make some calls to some friends, people I trust. We shall see what these guys are after and who they are. For the time being, we lie low and just keep moving. You can't tag something you can't track.".
Jessica nodded; waves of determination washed over her now. They had run and hidden enough. It was time they had some control over their situation. "Okay," she said, her voice steady, "Let's do it.".
Just as they talked about the future, Jessica felt a weird kind of relief. She wasn't alone for the first time in years. There was Cole, and against all odds, she realized that on some fundamental level, she still did trust him. Maybe one really cou
ld get through this together.
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