*
Taking the life of another never came without permanent sacrifice. Everything had a balance. In exchange for Trigger and Four’s last breaths, Jessica had to let a piece of her soul die, a soul that she shared with Jillian.
She left Jackson to deal with Knox and the high probability that she had been followed. None of it made sense. Extraordinary coincidence was more comforting than the idea that their identity and whereabouts had been compromised. But how and by whom?
“Welcome back!” Dodge greeted Jillian as she stepped inside their house escaping the blistering temperature and suffocating heat index.
“Thanks, it’s good to be back.”
“So you and AJ huh?” Dodge grinned.
Jillian felt an uncharacteristic blush heat along her neck and cheeks. “Yes, we’ve become … close.”
“Well, Lilith and Char talked the other day and they’re both real smitten with you. Said they haven’t seen AJ looking this happy since he returned from his last tour before the divorce.”
Of course Lilith and Char talked because Lilith could hear just fine out of one ear.
“You must have a lot of things to catch up on since I’ve been gone.”
“Mainly drinking in peace, but yeah, a few other errands too.” He winked and waved before leaving through the back door.
Lilith sat in her chair reading a book.
“Why did you let me believe you’re deaf?”
Lilith raised her head an inch and placed her bookmark inside. “I hadn’t planned on it.”
Jillian sat down on the sofa beside Lilith’s chair.
“But then you started telling me a story … your story.”
Jillian couldn’t hide the pained look on her face. “No one was supposed to know … I shouldn’t have—”
“I’ll take it to my grave, sweetie.” Lilith held out her hand and Jillian took it.
Her heart squeezed with anguish, thinking how close Jackson had come to ending Lilith’s life to save theirs. “If you ever tell anyone it would put your life in danger.”
“It’s not my story to tell. I promise.”
Jillian nodded.
“Why are you in Omaha? I have to know why you left the love of your life,” Lilith pleaded with her own pained expression.
Jillian felt the burden of Lilith’s sympathy and knew the right choice, the only choice, was to never say another word to Lilith about Jessica Day.
However, Jillian thrived on bad choices.
“I didn’t leave the love of my life. Jessica did because she died.”
The soft wrinkles around Lilith’s eyes deepened with confusion.
“It’s complicated.” Jessica made lemonade and then made Lilith swear on the lives of her grandchildren that Jessica Day didn’t exist.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Day
“I swear to God … if you say a fucking word—” Luke glared through narrowed eyes at Gabe.
“You’ll lose your license. I get it. Once again … not stupid. Wish I could say the same about you,” Gabe mumbled as they trekked to the hotel like oxen hauling full loads.
“For the record, she’s not my patient anymore, and we’ve never had sex.”
“Thanks for that, but just so you know, I’m not keeping record. I’m your best friend. I know more about you than you know about yourself. But I think Kelly might be my one, and I don’t want to screw it up because our best friends can’t get their shit together.”
“I’m working on it.”
“Well, work faster. And tell Jessica she needs to say something to Kelly about your trip to Tahoe before she hears about it from my parents when we go to visit them next week. Got it?”
“Yeah, I got it.”
Kelly and Jessica were waiting in the lobby.
“So, Jess and I were going to share a room, but she said we could stay together.” Kelly leaned up and kissed Gabe. “The other room has two queen beds, are you okay with it too, Luke?”
“Yeah, are you two okay with staying in the same room?” Gabe gave Luke a tightlipped grin.
Luke looked at Jessica who was staring at her feet. “We’ll survive.”
Jessica looked up, wetting her lips then rubbing them together.
“Let’s go then, ladies. We’re not going to stand here holding all this shit forever,” Gabe said.
“Oh … here, babe.” Kelly took a few bags from Gabe as Jessica jumped to ease Luke’s load as well.
They took the elevator to their rooms and made plans to meet up for carbo-loading after Kelly and Gabe took a “nap.”
“So…” Jessica shoved open the curtains to their ocean-view window “…I think I’m ready to talk about the bag you left at my place.”
After weeks of the silent treatment since he’d left that bag, Luke was rethinking his unconventional plan to find intimacy with Jessica that didn’t involve him losing blood.
“Is this the point in our ‘relationship’ that you confess you’re into kink?” she asked, turning back toward him.
He grinned with his lips twisted to the side. “Yeah, about that …”
She plunked down in the swivel chair, throwing her feet up on the desk, reminiscent of their time at his office—minus the leather chair.