Protecting Jess

Chapter 17 - Reality for Breakfast

Jess looked up as Shaun hopped back into the bedroom on one foot, grabbing his socks, his jeans undone, riding low on his hips, his shirt halfway on. His face was stormy, and she knew he'd just gotten a call about the same thing. So there went their refuge. Indeed, back to reality and this entirely messed up situation with a screaming thud.

"Gone where?" she asked quickly, watching Shaun quickly move back out to the kitchen. She followed, and leaned on the counter as he pulled out some protein bars from a cupboard. "As in gone away?"

"I tried to tell him not to, but he said he has to. I—"

Her aunt was crying, and Jess's heart ripped in two. She flipped her phone to the other ear and pulled with one hand, finished getting dressed, listening to her aunt hiccup out the story that her uncle had gone out to do early chores, telling Jenkins he'd be back in a few minutes. When he didn't come back, Jenkins had gone out to help, and discovered the overnight officer beaned on the back of the head, just coming to. There was no sign of her uncle.

"Did you know he was going to do this?"

"I thought I had talked him out of it. He said he had to go after her, that she would listen to him and turn herself in, but—"

"We're on our way out, Auntie. Stay put in the house. Make some tea. Did you tell Jenkins all this too?"

A tearful yes squeaked out, and Jess quickly said goodbye and ended the call. Time to get a move on. The sun was just coming up, peeking in through the kitchen window to throw faint light across the room. He couldn't have gotten too far, it was just daybreak.

"Where's my jacket?" she mumbled, and Shaun handed it to her when she turned around, his already on.

"Jenkins have any idea what happened?" she asked. He handed her a protein bar and clipped his gun and badge to his belt. He looked down at his vest, and threw it over his arm, along with his utility belt.

"Yeah. Said your uncle took one of the horses, he didn't know which one. Not before he fed the rest of them though, of course."

Jess shook her head. Of course. "He'll have taken Gus. Gus is a good horse for what I assume he is attempting to do and can navigate in the dark like a pro. Gus is also accustomed to gunfire. Uncle takes him up to hunt sometimes."

Shaun caught her eye, and stepped to her, folding her into him with his free arm. He put his chin on her head, and she wrapped her arms around him for a moment, steadying herself, listening to his heartbeat.

It felt right, this. She knew her feelings for him had to wait, but she had a pretty good idea that she was falling for him, fast. Her brain was putting out signals to slow down and get through this mess first, but her heart had other ideas.

"Dammit," she mumbled into his chest, more for her own conflicted state of mind than her uncle's fool idea.

"Alright. Let's go."

-----

Shaun was driving too fast, and he knew it, but he needed to get back out to the farm as soon as possible. Guilt was gnawing at him, and in turn he was gnawing at his fingernails, trying to think of how on earth they were going to track him. Likely Vern already had men on it, but this was a little different. Now Kevin would look guilty of something. He wasn't, of course, guilty of anything more than wanting to protect and be responsible for his family. But still, this was bad.

He'd also let the thought fly that they should have gone home, not to his place. He should have been there when Kevin and Gertie were interviewed too, and been more adamant to Mack and Lewis about it. His feelings for Jess had clouded his judgment a few times now. He didn't want to ever forget last night, and what had happened, but perhaps it hadn't been the right call.