“I’m right about dinner tonight. Sam and Tyler aren’t expected, but they’ll arrive just the same. How do I know that? I just do. I see it. I always know where Tyler is. It’s like seeing a map in my mind, and wherever he is there’s a pinpoint of light. That isn’t exactly how it is, but it’ll give you a reference for how I know.”
“Does he know you’re aware of him all the time?”
“Tyler is too concerned with the fact that I give him information I pull out of thin air, and he doesn’t know where I am. He hasn’t considered the bigger picture. He’s obsessed with finding me, but I don’t think he’s actually considered what he’d do once he had me in his sights. His feelings about me are all jumbled up. The only thing he really knows is that it unsettles him that I can do something he can’t explain or accept.”
Jack smiled mischievously. “He has a thing for you. We all think he’s half in love with you already. A one-minute conversation changed his life. You changed his life.”
“Yes. And soon I’ll do the same for you. In order for that to happen, you’ll have to keep my secret. I mean it, Jack. You and Caleb can’t tell him I’m here, or that you’ve seen me.”
“Why not? What harm is there in the two of you finally seeing each other again? I think you and Tyler could be great together.”
If only that were true. Unfortunately, their meeting would be tumultuous. She couldn’t see it all clearly, but she understood when they finally did come together, his case would drag her into a dark and dangerous world. She couldn’t tell Jack all of that. He might give her the benefit of the doubt, and he did doubt, but he wanted the best for Tyler. She did too. She wanted the best for all of them.
“It’s important, Jack.”
His eyes narrowed with suspicion. Okay, not a good enough explanation.
“What if I told you that if you tell Tyler where I am, harm might come to someone in your family? Someone you love could be hurt. Would you risk it just so you wouldn’t have to lie to Tyler?”
“Is something going to happen to someone in my family? Have you seen something? Who’s going to be hurt?”
She ignored his concern and his questions, though she knew his feelings ran deep.
“Would you risk it, Jack? Because I won’t. Not even so I can see Tyler now, instead of on a future date I can’t pinpoint.”
“I’d never risk my family. Who’s going to be hurt?”
“I won’t tell you that.”
He dropped the glass in his hand. It shattered on the gravel drive.
His anger came fast and swift. She’d known he’d be upset about any threat to his family, but she hadn’t anticipated his actions. He grabbed her by the arms, lifting her from the ground so they stood face-to-face. His eyes narrowed and filled with rage. The anger washed over her like the heat of a wildfire and took her breath away.
“You’ll tell me who’s in danger, and you’ll tell me now.” He spaced out each word to make sure she knew he meant business.
“Jack . . . Put . . . Me . . . Down.”
She struggled to assert herself, even though she looked like every ounce of energy had drained from her body. Afraid to let her go, her skin turned translucent and the deep blue of her eyes faded and dulled. It looked like he’d hurt her, and he’d barely touched her. She’d wilted like a flower in the desert heat.
He set her back on her feet gently and kept his hands on her arms to hold her steady. He brushed a hand over her golden hair. “I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
“I’ll be fine.”
She took a step away and erected a wall to block the remains of his anger. She never thought she’d need one between them. She’d made a mistake in not remembering his love of his family and his overwhelming need to protect and keep them safe. She wouldn’t make that mistake twice. Out of practice dealing with people in person, the computer allowed her anonymity. Maybe a little too much anonymity.
“Listen. Just tell me what you know about my family. I need to know. I have a right to protect what’s mine.”
“Yes, you do.” Feeling stronger by the minute, Jack’s concern replaced his anger.
“Then, tell me who it is.”
“It won’t help you to know.”
“I’m not playing games here, Morgan. I want to know. Now.”
“It’s complicated, Jack. Let me lay it out for you this way. Everyone’s life flows in a line like a river. We’re born and we age. There’s no going back to the beginning, or changing the past. The future is the only thing we are capable of changing because it hasn’t happened. There’s a process to life. Every action has a reaction. If you do or don’t do something, that action can affect the future. In the case of Tyler’s sister, an event changed the timeline and sent her down another path, one she wasn’t meant to take.”