“If they’re your friends, then the truth wouldn’t be a burden. They’ll want to help you.”
She took the last sip of her coffee then slid the cup toward the end of the table. “Well, there’s not much they can do, so there’s no point in my making a whole production out of it. And I’d appreciate it if you’d do the same. Everyone knows I don’t like to go out. That’s close enough to the truth.”
One of his eyebrows rose again. “Except for times like right now where you’re basically trapped in a building. If your friends knew what was going on, they could help you.”
“You think you know me so well, Outlaw?” She used his Zodiac code name like it was some creative insult, when all it was was an accurate description of his sexy personality. “Just because you happened to witness that asshole Theodore Wilson get the drop on me? You don’t know shit.”
She was overreacting. They both knew it, but he remained calm, which just pissed her off more.
“He used your weaknesses against you. That can happen to anybody.”
They stared at each other, that day a few months ago resting between them. Mark didn’t say anything.
Was he remembering her curled up on the floor, begging Wilson not to take her outside like he threatened to?
Was he remembering having to carry her to her bed once Wilson left and give her a sedative because she couldn’t get herself under control?
Was he remembering how weak and pathetic she’d been?
Thank God he didn’t know that she’d gotten even worse since then.
Mark reached for her hands on the table, but she slid them back. “I’m not trying to act like I know you. Although I would like to get to know you better if you’d let me. You know that.”
She did know that. He’d made multiple attempts to talk to her in the past few months. It was one of the reasons she’d run and hidden in Oak Creek.
She stood up. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’ve got a lot of work to do, and I’m not looking for any new friends.”
She winced. She was being such a bitch. But he already knew too much truth about her. Truth she was desperate to keep everyone else from knowing.
And even with all the truth he did know, he didn’t know everything. Didn’t know the most important parts.
And he never would. No one would.
“See you around, Outlaw.”
He didn’t say a word as she walked away. But as she got to the door, her steps slowed like she was sludging through mire. Every step got heavier and harder to take.
Through the glass, she could see her car parked in the lot fifty feet away. It might as well have been fifty miles. She couldn’t make it. She froze a few feet from the door.
No.
No, she could not panic now. She had to walk outside to her car. She refused to make a fool out of herself here. In front of Mark, in front of Lexi. Word would get around to everyone.
But she couldn’t force herself to move. She demanded her arm reach for the door handle, but it stayed pinned to her side. She couldn’t move forward, couldn’t even move backward.
She could feel sweat already pooling on her forehead. The sounds from the bar became muffled around her. It was like she was outside her own body.
There was no brute-forcing her way through these panic attacks. Multiple therapists had warned her of that. People who didn’t experience them often thought someone could mind-over-matter them. Think happy thoughts and the panic would recede.
That wasn’t true. All she could do was survive.
She felt someone behind her, and a deep voice whispered in her ear. “I’m going to pull your car up to the door.”
Mark.
His voice pulled her back from the dread spinning through her mind like a cyclone. She looked over at him. He had bent his legs so their faces were on the same level. All she could see were those green eyes.
“I—I—” She couldn’t get further words out.
“I know,” he whispered. “Stay here. Let me get the car.”
“Hey, you okay, Jenna?” Lexi called from behind her.
She couldn’t answer. Thankfully, Mark answered for her. “I think our girl’s had a stressful day. I’m going to drive her home. Let me grab her car and bring it up to the door.”
“You Zodiac guys are such gentlemen,” Lexi responded. “Of course, my hubby is too.”
Mark got right in front of Jenna’s face again. “I’m going outside and getting the car. Stay here.”
As if she could go anywhere else. Before she could say a word, he was gone. She watched, still feeling outside her own body, as he ran to get her car then pulled it just as close as she had when she’d arrived. A few seconds later, he was back at her side.
“I’m going to put my arm around you, and we’ll make a dash for it. Okay?”
She forced words out. “I can drive.”
He rolled those green eyes. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting you drive. I’ll get you home then call Ian to come get me.”
She wanted to argue, but she didn’t have it in her.
And then his arm was around her, and they were moving. She didn’t even have a chance to take a breath or freak out more—they were outside.
And just as the fear began to claw her from the inside out, he opened the passenger’s side door and she was in the car.
She was safe.
She could breathe.
She snapped back into her own body.
Mark ran around and got in behind the wheel. She didn’t try to talk, just pressed the navigation button on the console so he’d know where to go.
He didn’t talk on the way either, which was good since she wasn’t sure she could answer. At a red light, he shot off a text with her address.
As they pulled up to her house, she pressed in the code for her garage, and he pulled the car all the way inside and shut it off. She still didn’t say anything.
“I’ll get out then you close the garage door behind me.”
She nodded. She wanted to say more—to say thanks or laugh this off in some way, but she couldn’t. She’d been stretched too thin too many times today.
“Get some rest. Put ice on those knuckles, or they’ll hurt even worse tomorrow.”
With that, he was gone. As soon as he made it out of the garage, she closed the door behind him.
And cried for the second time that day.
Chapter 7
“We have another dead body.”
Mark looked up from the plans he was drawing in the Linear Tactical conference room. He didn’t often put his architectural and civil engineering background to much use, even though the Navy had made sure he had ample experience in both. But he had been for the past few days since Callum had shown up at the Eagle’s Nest.
And now here he was, back again.
Mark set his pencil behind his ear. “I assume you let Ray and Dorian know you were coming to Oak Creek this time since you’re not the dead body in question.”
Callum rolled his eyes. “Yes, I did, even though as actual law enforcement, that shouldn’t be required.”
“They’re protective of this town.”
Callum leaned one shoulder against the doorframe. “I suppose it’s nice for Oak Creek to have its own set of highly trained watch dogs. Even though neither of them actually exists in any database.”