Absolution (The Protectors 1)

It took just minutes to catch up to them but I made sure to maintain my distance. They ended up making three stops at various schools and I was surprised how much time they spent at each one. I would have liked to see how Jonas interacted with the kids but figured with Cole’s presence, he would probably hide any interest he might have had in any one kid. Even as the thought crossed my mind, I wanted to spit out the bitter taste that flooded my mouth. And it wasn’t because I believed that Jonas was guilty of the things he stood accused of…the things I had proof he’d done. It was because I needed him not to be. Because I knew, had known for a while now, that I wouldn’t be pulling the trigger, no matter what happened. I’d thought after seeing the emails between Jonas and Devlin that I could do what I needed to do but as I’d lain in bed that night listening to Jonas’s cries as he struggled with his relentless nightmares, I’d known then that I couldn’t punish him for something that had been done to him.

Only problem was, if I didn’t pull the trigger, Ronan would send someone who would. Someone who wouldn’t see Jonas’s kindness or gentle nature or his need to comfort…or the pain that consumed him. They wouldn’t care that he’d suffered at the hands of another. They would deliver justice, not mercy.

I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop the men that Ronan would send so I was left with only one choice. Take Jonas and run. Find a place for him to start a new life and make sure he got some help so he wouldn’t hurt anymore kids.

He’d hate me of course. There was just no way around that. But I wanted him alive more than I wanted him to keep looking at me like he always did – with equal parts of want and need and just a hint of fear.

As I followed Jonas and Cole to a deli, I parked across the street and far enough down the block that I wouldn’t be visible, but had enough of a view to watch them as they ate in the outdoor seating area. Jonas looked so at ease with Cole that I felt envious. What would it be like to have Jonas smile like that at me? What would his laugh sound like?

What did it fucking matter? I was about to destroy his entire life.

A rush of anger and frustration surged through me and I started up my car and headed back to the gallery. I’d seen that there were still boxes in Jonas’s car so he likely had more stops to make before he got back to the gallery, but I didn’t want to risk not being there if he came back early.

I’d made a lot of progress on Jonas’s studio and had only a couple more days’ worth of work. It didn’t leave me much time to make plans for figuring out how to get Jonas out of the mess he was in.

It was close to three o’clock when I heard the gallery door open. I expected to hear heavy footsteps but when there was nothing, I left the studio and walked up front. I was surprised to see a pregnant woman wandering around the space, her hand resting on her protruding belly. I knew instantly who she was because I’d seen her picture in the many articles I’d read in the hopes of understanding her connection to Jonas.

“Can I help you?” I asked.

The woman startled and I felt bad when I saw a rush of fear go through her briefly before she gathered herself.

“Sorry,” I said.

She laughed and shook her head. “No, it’s my fault. I was thinking about something else. Um, is Jonas here?”

“No, he’s not, but he should be back soon.”

“Are you Mace?” she asked as she gave me a quick once over. I liked that she closed the distance between us. With my size and my tats, I wasn’t exactly the most approachable guy.

“I am,” I said as I automatically held out my hand when she introduced herself.

“I’m Casey Prescott. I’m a friend of Jonas’s.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said. An uneasy rush of emotion went through me as she spoke because the lilt of her voice and her warm smile reminded me of someone I’d lost long ago…someone I’d driven away. Someone who’d once been my entire world.

“This place looks amazing,” she said as she looked around. “May I?” she asked, motioning to the doorway that led to the studio.

“Please,” I said.

“Wow,” she said as she took in the now clean room. I’d managed to get the last wall up the day before and had started on hanging the lights.