Spain's Brightest (Patri Guijarro)

Hard Part

Jessica's POV:

I sat on the couch wrapped in Patri's arms. "I'm here." She kept whispering to me. 

"You can't hide forever. Who sent that Jess?" Lola asked.

"I don't know." I closed my eyes. "I don't think it'd be my adoptive parents. They aren't that stupid. Let me look at the number." I took my phone. 

"Recognize it?"

I shook my head. "No. I don't."

"Let me call it." Lola said typing the number into her phone. She called it and waited. 

"Hello?" She put the call on speaker.

"Hi, I'm looking for Javier." She said.

"That's my cousin." The person said. "Sorry, he's deceased."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. It's just I received a text from this number and thought it was Javier. I haven't spoken to him in some time, but now I know why." 

"Must've been a mistake."

"Probably." She said and hung up. 

"Javier has a cousin?" Leila asked.

"Yeah. He was like his right hand." I sighed. "I met him a few times but he was always too high to remember anyone." I shook my head. "I never should've taken this job." I whispered. "My name is back out there, people are finding me." I started to panic.

"Jess." Patri put her hands on my face. "I'm going to protect you."

"You can't protect me from this, Patri. My adoptive parents, Javier's family? You can't protect me, Patri. You can't."

"What are you going to do? Run?"

"Yes. That's all I can do." I looked at her. "If they come for me, they'll come for anyone I'm around. If something happens to you Patri I wouldn't be able to live with myself." I put my hand on her face. "You're too good to be involved in this."

"Where are you going to go?" Jenni asked. 

"I can't tell you." I said. "Just trust me."

Patri looked down. "I don't want you to go." She whispered.

"It's better this way. I care about you too much to let something happen to you."

Patri's POV:

Over the next fews days, Jess started getting everything together to leave. We had no idea where she was going, but she said she'd be safe there. She talked with her lawyer about the restraining order, and they were looking into Javier's cousin. 

But they also agreed that leaving Spain would be the safest option for Jess right now. So that's what she was doing.

"Atletico Madrid news. The team will be without trainer Jessica Rodriguez. The team granted her a medical leave a few months ago and have announced that it will go until the end of the season. All of us here wish her the best and hope to see her back on the sidelines soon."

I looked at Leila. "Why does it feel like I didn't do enough?"

"Because you're too hard on yourself." She sat next to me. "Look. Whatever she's wrapped in right now, it's bad. Life on the line bad. And as much as you want to stay by her side and protect her, you can't. I'm sorry Patri but there are things in this world that you can't protect people from. This is something that has to go this way. It's going to hurt to see Jess leave, but it's going to be so amazing when she comes back home and is safe. It's going to break my heart to see you hurting, little sis. But one day you'll look back and know that this was the right choice for everyone." I nodded and rested my head on her shoulder. "I know I can't fill the hole she's leaving behind, but I'm going to be here for you."