Page 17 of Fierce Hope (Hope Landing: New Recruits #3)
Jade stood in her living room, watching Deke methodically secure each window. His broad shoulders blocked out the lamplight as he moved, tactical gear snug against his frame. The condo shrank with his presence—safer yet somehow more confining.
She hugged herself, fighting the ridiculous urge to straighten the already-perfect throw pillows. Her condo suddenly felt exposed. Generic art prints. Untouched decorative bowls. Not a single family photo. The place screamed temporary residence. A furniture showroom, not a home.
“Can I get you some tea? Coffee?” The words tumbled out as Deke set his go-bag against the wall with a soft thud. “I have ...” Her mind went blank. When had she last bought groceries? When had she last had a visitor to offer anything to? “Actually, I’m not sure what I have.”
“I’m good.” His voice came low, all business. He pulled a small electronic device from his pocket—some kind of motion sensor—and swept his gaze across sightlines to the parking lot. “You should try to get some rest. Been a long day.”
“About that ...” She perched on the edge of her sofa, the cushion barely denting beneath her weight. “I’ve been thinking. DJ needs you at home. I’ll be fine here, really. The police are aware now, and?—”
“Jade.” Just her name. Nothing more. Argument closed.
His tone stayed gentle beneath the firmness, making her chest ache with something unnamed. She watched him move through her space with military precision. Cataloging exits. Assessing vulnerabilities.
A cold wave of loneliness washed over her, nearly stealing her breath. Her entire life mirrored this condo—meticulously maintained, ruthlessly impersonal, designed to leave no trace when she inevitably ran again.
A sharp electronic chirp split the silence. Deke’s whole body tensed, eyes snapping to his tablet. Jade’s heart lurched at his expression.
“Someone’s by your car.” His voice dropped to barely a whisper. He moved to the window in one fluid motion, hand already reaching for his sidearm. “Stay here. Lock the door behind me. Don’t open it for anyone but me.”
Before she could protest, he slipped into the darkness. Her hands shook—actually shook—as she threw the deadbolt. She pressed against the cold glass, peering down at the parking lot. Falling snow transformed the security lights into diffused halos, casting familiar shapes into menacing silhouettes.
Movement caught her eye. Deke advancing between cars. Another shadow retreating. Her breath fogged the glass as she strained to see more.
“Stop!” The shout knifed through the night. Boots crunched in snow, then pounded in rapid succession. Her fingers dug into the windowsill as Deke disappeared from view, pursuing the figure behind the building.
Seconds stretched. Endless.
Every nerve screamed at her to follow. To help somehow. Her condo suddenly felt vast and empty, the silence deafening in her ears.
More sounds filtered through the walls. A crash. A grunt. Then nothing.
Silence.
Worse than noise.
What if the intruder had hurt Deke? What if?—
Three sharp raps jolted her from spiraling thoughts.
“Jade? It’s me.”
Her fingers fumbled with the lock, yanking the door open. Deke stood there, breath clouding in visible puffs, melting snow glistening on his shoulders. His jaw set in grim lines as he held up something pinched between two gloved fingers.
Metal glinted in the hallway light—a bullet. With something etched into its surface.
“They got away,” he said, stepping inside. The scent of winter air clung to him, crisp and clean against the staleness of her condo. “But they left you a message.”
Her hands trembled as she examined the cold metal cylinder. Her stomach twisted violently at the sight of her own name carved into its surface.
Deke pocketed the vile thing. “I’ll have my team check this for prints and DNA.” He secured the door, testing the knob twice. “They’re getting bolder. Coming right to your home?—”
“I’m sorry.” The words escaped before she could trap them behind her teeth. “I never meant to put you in danger. Your team?—”
“Don’t.” He stepped closer, his pine-and-snow scent enveloping her. “This isn’t your fault.”
But it was. The weight of unsaid truths pressed against her ribcage, constricting each breath. Deke had just chased an unknown assailant through February’s bitter cold, risking his life. While she cowered inside. And he didn’t know what—or who—he was really protecting her from.
His hand settled on her shoulder. Warm. Solid. Without conscious thought, she leaned into his touch, seeking comfort she hadn’t earned. For just a heartbeat, she allowed herself to feel safe. To imagine what trusting someone—what belonging somewhere—might feel like.
“I should check the perimeter again,” he murmured, but his hand lingered.
Jade straightened, pulling away before she surrendered to the urge to stay in that moment forever. “I’m okay now.” The slight waver in her voice betrayed her.
Tomorrow, she decided. Tomorrow she would tell him everything—or enough for his team to start searching her past for suspects. She owed him that much. But tonight ... tonight she just wanted to pretend this could be real. That she could be worthy of a protector like Deke in her life.
She watched him move back to the windows, rechecking locks with practiced hands. Lord, what would he see when he looked at her once he knew the truth? Would that protective warmth in his eyes turn cold? Would he feel betrayed?
Tomorrow would bring what it brought. For tonight, she wrapped her arms around herself and tried to memorize how it felt to matter to someone. To be sheltered rather than alone.
Even if it was all built on quicksand.