Chapter 19
**Danger Looming**
I could only taste fear in the diner, despite the strong aroma of coffee and frying bacon. Still reeling from last night, my hands shook as I poured a new cup. The shots. The threat that lurks in the darkness. Jake told him to flee if things didn't work out.
I had no desire to run. No more.
However, my stomach dropped when I turned to give a customer coffee and noticed a man in the corner booth. He wasn't typical. He wasn't even acting that way. His sneer was eerily familiar, and his black eyes followed every motion I made.
Dominic's man.
I nearly dropped the cup. With my heart pounding, I forced myself to walk past him, my breath catching. I might have overreacted. Perhaps he was just another client.
Then he said something. "Miss Emma, you look lovely today."
He had a smooth, well-practiced voice. The voice of a predator.
I turned to face him with a neutral attitude after taking a deep breath. "Can I get you something?"
He said, "Just a conversation," as he leaned back. "I was asked to convey a message by my supervisor. You see, he's a patient man. However, patience has its limits. How about you? You've been putting him to the test.
My face was emptied of blood. "I don’t belong to him."
He shook his head and laughed. "That's the issue, my love. You continue to believe that you can influence the situation.
My fingernails dug into the plastic as I held onto my tray. Even though I wanted to hurl it at his head, I restrained myself. "Tell Dominic he doesn’t scare me."
The man's head cocked. "Then he’s not trying hard enough."
My skin pricked. I had to hide my fear from him. "Go ahead and threaten me if that's what you're going to do. I have clients to attend to."
He grinned and slowly got to his feet. "There are no dangers. A simple reminder. I tensed as he reached into his coat. However, he took out a little packet and slid it across the table in place of a firearm. "For you."
My gut twisted with fear as I gazed at it. I was reluctant to open it. I had no interest in finding out what was within.
His voice was hardly more than a whisper as he drew closer. "See you soon, Miss Emma."
Then he disappeared.
I was gasping for air as I stood there with the envelope burning a hole in my palm. I opened it gently, the dinner hubbub fading into the background.
Just one picture.
Of my boys.
Jake's response was immediate. "Get your belongings packed. We're heading out."
My knuckles were white as I held the picture tightly. "We can’t just keep running."
Jake paced our cabin's little living room, his fists tight and his body stiff. "Emma, this is not running. You and the boys are staying alive because of this. He discovered your workplace. What do you anticipate happening next?
I was unwilling to consider it. I didn't like to think about Dominic or his men being close to my kids.
I murmured, hardly raising my voice above a whisper, "We can't live like this forever." "Always looking over our shoulders."
Jake's pace ceased. His eyes locked with mine, relentless and ferocious. "Then let me stop him."
I shuddered. "You’re talking about killing him."
He didn't dispute it. "It’s the only way."
I gave a headshake. "No. There must be an alternative.
Jake let out a deep exhale and ran a hand through his hair. Emma, what do you want me to do? Simply relax and bide your time until he takes you? To bring the lads along?"
I winced. "I want to believe that we can be free without more bloodshed."
He looked at me for a long time, then moved in closer. "I'll stop at nothing to protect you. However, you must determine whether you trust me enough to allow me to."
His words weighed heavily on my chest. Was I right to trust him? After all? After Luke has left? After Jake has dedicated his life to defending others like me, just to watch them depart?
To be honest, I wanted to. However, entrusting Jake meant entrusting my life and the lives of my children to him. I also doubted my ability to bounce back from another heartbreak.
I had trouble falling asleep later that evening. I was taunted by the picture that was on the bedside table. The faces of my boys. haHarmless Not conscious.
My heart stopped when I heard a commotion outside.
Steps.
I shot to my feet. The air was heavy with tension, and the cabin was too silent. I slipped toward the window and grabbed the closest object, a light.
I suddenly regretted staying at the cabin one more night, as Jake had insisted.
One more step.
The door exploded open before I could even respond. I screamed as powerful hands seized me as a stranger lunged inside.
"Jake!" I suffocated.
A battle. A grunt. Then all of a sudden, my attacker's hold on me relaxed, and he was thrown back. Then there was a loud gunshot, then another.
With strong gasps of breath, I stumbled back. Blood gathered around the man who had grabbed me as he lay on the ground. With his gun still up and his chest heaving, Jake stood above him.
I felt sick to my stomach.
Jake's dark, unfathomable eyes locked with mine. "We’re out of time."
And I realized for the first time
It is possible that we will not survive this.
Jake didn't waste any time. He turned to face me after checking the man's pulse, which was dead. "Come on, lads. We must relocate.
I nodded, trembling from the adrenaline. My sons were asleep in the tiny bedroom when I hurried in. "Wake up, babies," I said softly while giving them a little shake. "We have to go."
Caleb rubbed his eyes and blinked drowsily. "Mom? What's the matter?
"Just a trip, sweetheart," I responded, trying to make a smile. "Come on, now."
I hurriedly dressed them, ignoring my heart's pounding. Dominic's next move got closer with each second we squandered.
Jake's backpack was already packed. Before jamming a revolver into his belt, he gave me a jacket. "The car is in the rear. We drive off the beaten path. No pauses.
I swallowed my fear and nodded.
However, when we went outside, headlights pierced the darkness like a predator's eye as they flashed through the trees.
Jake stopped. "Shit."
On the other side of the compartment, a second vehicle emerged.
We were encircled.