It was Jenna.
He answered on the second ring. "Hey, how'd the interview go? Do you know--"
"Reece?" Her voice cracked.
"Jenna?"
He heard a gulp, then a gasp. Then her words came, tight and strangled. "Can you hear me?"
Christ, was she crying? "Hey, hey, calm down." He kept his voice low and soothing, the way he did when he was sitting with Faith, and she woke up from a nightmare. Inside, though, his heart was pounding. "Are you okay?" Images of car wrecks filled his mind. Or lanky, muscled teens with iron pipes in their hands and anger on their faces. "Can you tell me what's going on?"
"I just--I just--" Her voice broke, and he heard her draw in a loud breath, obviously trying to pull herself together. "I'm sorry," she finally managed. "I know you're working. But can you come? Please, Reece. I need you to come."
Chapter Ten
Jenna paced the length of the car and back again, her feet moving because if she stopped, she'd cry or scream or throw herself into the bed of the El Camino and cry like a baby.
Dammit. How could she have been so stupid? So ridiculously naive?
And where was Reece? He should be here by now. She wasn't more than fifteen minutes from downtown, and she'd called at least twenty minutes ago. But he still hadn't come, and the more the minutes ticked by, the stupider she felt for ringing him in the first place. She should have called Brent. Or Amanda. Or, hell, she could have called Easton.
But her fingers had dialed Reece, and now he was going to see her like this, worn down, defeated, and a sniveling, mascara-lined mess.
Where was he?
She wiped her eyes again as the s
queal of tires echoed in the distance, followed by headlights cresting the small hill that led to the parking lot she was currently pacing. And then Blue pulled up, and Reece was sprinting from the truck to her side.
"Jenna." His hands clasped her upper arms, and he held her in place as he examined her, his eyes taking in every inch of her, his inspection so meticulous that she knew he must be seeing her disappointment, her embarrassment, her frustration.
Her fear.
Not of the dark. Not of the dangers of being stranded in a dark and secluded parking lot.
No, this fear was new, and it stemmed from the wildness she saw in his expression. A fire so intense it could reduce her to ashes. And she saw something else, too. A promise. Or maybe a threat.
She wasn't sure. But as he bent toward her, she felt her breath catch in her throat and her chest tighten in anticipation. He was going to kiss her.
She drew in a sharp breath, and the sound acted as a talisman, breaking the spell. He froze, his posture shifting almost imperceptibly, but enough for Jenna to know that the possibility of a kiss had faded with that errant breath--and she wasn't sure if she should be relieved or very, very disappointed.
"God, Jenna, you scared the hell out of me. Are you okay?"
He pulled her close, crushing her against his chest. And at that moment, she realized just how worried he'd been--and how desperately she'd needed to see him tonight.
His fingers dug into her arms as he eased her back away from him. This time, his eyes fixed on hers. He released his grip, then brushed her hair back from her face, the gesture so tender she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him close.
"I'm okay," she whispered, her voice muffled against his chest. "I'm okay now."
"What happened? Are you hurt? Did someone--"
"No. Nothing like that." She swallowed, gathering herself, then stepped back. Her emotions had been all over the place--she'd been all over the place. But now that he was here, she felt calmer. And all the more foolish because of it.
"I--it's not as bad as you'd think from looking at me. Promise. It's just, I don't know. Everything piled up on top of everything else. I mean, I'd thought they were serious about me getting this job, but then--"
"You didn't get it?"
"Not even close," she said. "The whole situation was a crock. It was me and a half-dozen other candidates, and it was so damn obvious that they weren't legitimately interested in any of us. We were just there to be cost-free labor, and--" She clenched her fists at her side, because she didn't want to think about it anymore. For over an hour now, she'd been kicking herself for being so stupid. For getting her hopes up about something that had seemed like the perfect situation, but the truth was she should have seen the warning signs.