LITMIR.BIZ

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it was totally innocent. But it was far from a benign question for her. Jessica figured that since they’d be working together she probably needed to be up front. “I actually don’t have a family.”

      “What do you mean?”

      “I grew up in the state of Florida foster care system. I was never adopted. So I don’t have any family.”

      Silence filled the air for a moment. “I’m sorry—I didn’t know,” he said.

      “No need to apologize. I’ve been on my own basically forever, so I’m quite used to it.”

      “I feel bad for asking you.”

      “Please don’t. I’d like to hear about your family,” she said.

      “It’s not exactly an uplifting story, either, although it seems like nothing compared to what you went through. My dad split when I was a baby. I don’t even remember him. It was just me and my mom growing up. She had a tough time, and our relationship is rocky to say the least. We don’t talk very much. It’s a difficult situation.”

      “I’m sorry to hear that. I guess we all have our baggage.” And hers just happened to weigh a hefty amount. She was relieved when he let them ride in silence. Thankfully, they weren’t far from her apartment.

      Jessica was jerked out of her thoughts as Zach floored it. “What in the world are you doing?” she asked. Was he trying to be some kind of hotshot all of a sudden? That wouldn’t make any sense especially given how cautious his approach had been so far.

      “I think we’ve got a tail.” He gripped the wheel tightly.

      “Are you serious?” She craned her neck and took a look out the back window. It was still light out, and she could see a dark Escalade approaching them quickly from behind. This was not good.

      “Hang on tight.”

      “What are you going to do?”

      “I’m going to try to lose them.”

      She grabbed the sides of her seat and said a prayer asking for protection. Zach accelerated again, and she turned to look back. The Escalade was gaining on them and getting much too close.

      She watched nervously as the SUV closed the gap between the two vehicles. “Can you go any faster?” she asked.

      “I’m doing the best I can.” Zach jerked the wheel to one side, causing her body to slam against the door.

      But his evasive maneuver only gave them a moment of respite. With the vehicle not far behind them, she knew there was no way out of this. The only thing she could do was keep praying. Because she realized that the person driving that Escalade wasn’t just playing games. No, he was out for blood.

      When the first impact occurred, she continued to brace herself. But the second time, the Escalade pounded into the back of the car just as a truck approaching them from the side came barreling toward them.

      Jessica heard herself scream as she readied for a direct hit. Screeching tires and the sound of crashing metal filled her ears, and her body shook in pain. And then there was nothing.

THREE

      Jessica woke with a major headache and slowly realized that she was not at home in her own bed but in a hospital. An IV was hooked into her left hand. It all came rushing back to her. The car accident—which was probably no accident at all, but another attempt by the Hernandez family to intimidate her. Unless...they were through with threats and the car crash had been meant to get rid of her.

      She was alone in the hospital room, and her heart immediately sank as she started to worry about Zach. Was he okay? There was no one around for her to ask. Her heartbeat started to race, and with it the beeping monitor she was attached to.

      A petite gray-haired nurse walked quickly into the room. By her side was a uniformed police officer. “You’re awake,” the nurse stated with enthusiasm.

      “Yes, I just woke up. Where is Zach?” Jessica couldn’t bring herself to ask the dreaded question as to whether he was alive. What if he had died trying to protect her?

      “He just went down to the cafeteria to get some coffee. He’ll be back any minute.” The nurse motioned toward the officer. “And this is your security detail that has been assigned to you during your stay. But don’t worry. You’ll be very safe here.”

      Jessica let out a huge breath. She wasn’t that worried about herself right now. She was just thankful that Zach was alive. “So Zach’s fine?”

      “A few bumps and bruises, but you got the worst of it. How are you feeling this morning?”

      Morning. She must’ve been out all night. “My head hurts.”

      The nurse walked over to her. “I saw a picture of the SUV you were in. Honey, the fact that you weren’t more seriously injured is absolutely amazing. The doctors couldn’t believe it.”

      Jessica took a moment and closed her eyes and thanked God for watching over the both of them last night. From the nurse’s words and the serious look on her face, Jessica understood that it could’ve been so much worse. “My head?”

      “A concussion. Plus lots of bruising all over your body, and I’m sure you’re sore. But CT scan and an MRI confirmed no internal bleeding and nothing is broken. We’re giving you fluids to keep you hydrated and antibiotics to ward off infections from some of the cuts you suffered from the car metal.”

      Jessica nodded slightly, realizing it hurt to move to her head.

      Zach walked into the room holding coffee, sporting a bandage over his left eyebrow. His eyes widened when he saw her. He approached the side of the hospital bed. “I am so glad you’re awake.”

      “Me, too.”

      “Okay, you can talk for a few minutes, Agent Taylor,” the nurse said. “Then she’ll need to rest a bit.” The nurse walked out of the room with the officer, leaving her and Zach alone.

      He pulled the chair up right beside her and took a seat. Her breath caught and she winced slightly as he reached out and grabbed her hand. She wasn’t expecting the contact.

      “I’m sorry,” he said as he let go.

      “No, it’s not you. I appreciate you being here.” What was she supposed to say? That she didn’t like anyone touching her because she was skittish from her violent past? Growing up in the foster care system, she’d lived through physical abuse. The foster parents that were supposed to protect her had ended up causing her the most harm—both physically and emotionally. And now she was understandably on edge.

      “I thought you weren’t going to make it, Jessica. I prayed that God would intervene. It was a direct one-two punch between the Escalade behind us and the other truck that slammed into your side of the car.” His eyes showed his deep concern, and he leaned closer toward her. “I didn’t want to fail you.”

      “And you didn’t. You did what you could.”

      “The FBI is working on a safe house. It’s too dangerous to stay at your place. Not after this. I was wrong, and I underestimated the threat against you. A true rookie mistake. But I won’t let it happen again. I can promise you that.”

      “Please, don’t beat yourself up over this.” She took a breath. “But I do need some help. My cat, Tiger, will need to be fed. When do you think they’ll let me out of here? And I want to take him with me if we go to a safe house. I don’t want to leave him there alone.”

      Zach nodded. “We’ll have to figure out those logistics. But there’s actually a Miami PD officer at your apartment standing guard just in case the Hernandez family sent someone else. And as far as moving forward with the safe house, wouldn’t the cat be happier in his own surroundings?”

      Her head pounded, and it

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