Page 48 of Jenna's Protector
“I’m okay.” I pat his shoulder, trying to reassure him. “You stay. I need a moment to clear my head—and process all of this.”
I make a vague gesture, trying to encapsulate what’s happening in the room. All of this is beyond me.
“Are you sure?” he asks, his voice low and gentle. “I can come with… If you need me.”
“You stay. This isyourcase.”
A flicker of guilt crosses his face, but determination quickly replaces it. He nods, sinking back into his chair, his attention already turning back to the files and screens in front of him.
Carter won’t rest until he brings those missing girls home.
He can’t.
He’s the kind of man, much like the others in that room, who was born a hero and became a protector by choice.
I excuse myself, my legs shaky and my head pounding. I need a moment to process the whirlwind of emotions within me. As I step into the hallway, I collide with a solid wall of muscle.
When did…
How did Forest leave the room and I didn’t notice?
Strong hands grip my arms, steadying me, and I look up and up to see Forest’s ruggedly handsome face, his expression a blend of concern and understanding.
“Jenna, I’m so sorry.” His voice is low and sincere. “I never meant for you to be dragged into this.”
“How did you know?” The question bursts from my lips, the words trembling with a mixture of anger and confusion. “How did you know what happened to me could be connected to those missing girls?”
Forest sighs, his shoulders slumping under the weight of his guilt. “I didn’t, but things never added up after I found you. It felt too organized, too methodical to be a one-time thing. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, these people operate in small circles. It may seem as if they’re all isolated with no connections, but I find rats like to live in the same cesspool of human depravity.”
“I still don’t know why you put Carter in contact with me.”
“I have a sense about these things. When Blake talked to histeam about Carter’s frustration with his case, it brought up that night I ran into you.”
“The night you rescued me.”
“No, you pretty much rescued yourself. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.” How he says it as if what he did means nothing makes me wonder about the enigmatic giant of a man standing before me.
This man is complex. On so many levels.
“So you kept digging?”
“Not digging. I filed that night away and packed it into a nice, tidy box, but my spidey senses lit up when I overheard Blake talking about his brother. It justfeltconnected.”
“You’re an incredible human being. Has anyone told you that?”
“I don’t know about that.” His lip twists, and a low, rumbly chuckle emanates from his chest.
It’s not a question but a statement of fact. Because, of course, he knows. Forest Summers is something out of this world.
“We’ve run across Sentinel twice now. Their tentacles reach far and wide, and they’re not limited to human trafficking. They’ve stumped us for too long, and we’ve recently discovered they’re also into the black-market trade of nuclear weapons. We need to bring them down, and you might be the key we need to do it.”
“I don’t know about that.” His words hit me like a punch to the gut. The air rushes from my lungs in a painful gasp. “I remember so little about that night, and now my sketches are of no help.”
“Little?” His left brow arches in question. “I have an eidetic memory and recognize when someone else does too.”
“I don’t. I have good recall, but that’s about it.”
“Your sketches are next level. Don’t downplay how important those will be in helping us on this case.”