No, a little voice spoke up inside her head. You don’t need to be with anyone at all. You need to look after yourself and forget about everyone else. No one can be trusted.
She didn’t need to hear any more of the conversation. She got to her feet and headed back into the bedroom to grab her things. At least by traveling light, packing wouldn’t take her long. In a way, she was almost relieved at having this decision made for her. At least now she wouldn’t need to worry about her choices possibly getting innocent people hurt. She’d be back on the road again, and there was a certain sense of freedom in that, though at the moment the idea of that freedom left her feeling untethered and slightly agoraphobic.
She stuffed her belongings into her hold-all, forgoing the normally obsessive layering of her clothing, and went into the bathroom to get her toiletries. Her hands shook, and she knocked her toothbrush into the sink, the item clattering against the porcelain.
The slam of the front door sounded from downstairs, and she hurried, dreading the confrontation with Ryker. It would be better if she could just make herself disappear. She didn’t want to hear his excuses or reasoning.
She just wanted to go.
Jenna turned to leave to find Ryker standing in the bedroom doorway, staring at her. His hair was messy from sleep, and he wore only a pair of jeans, his chest and feet bare. His brows drew together as he assessed her fully dressed and holding her bags.
“Somewhere you needed to be?”
Her mouth ran dry. She didn’t want to fight with him. After everything she’d been through, she hated confrontation. But she had no choice.
“I overheard your conversation with Sam. You lied about my car not being ready.”
Understanding dawned on his face. He stepped toward her, his hands out held. “Jenna, baby, I only lied because I wanted you to stay. I knew the moment you got that damn car back you would leave Arlington, and me, far behind.”
“You didn’t know that. We could have swapped numbers. I could have visited.”
He shook his head, his mouth twisted in sadness. “No, you wouldn’t have. We were barely acquaintances back then. You’d have continued this crazy journey of yours and have been gone and never looked back. You would have barely given me a second thought.”
Yes, she would have left with no attachment, and without her heart in pieces. Hadn’t that been the idea all along? Keep moving so she never had to experience the pain of having someone she loved hurt her again. No, it had been Garrett she’d been running from, hadn’t it? Only Garrett, not all men.
That voice in her head piped up, Are you sure about that? Are you sure you didn’t just keep moving so you’d never give anyone the chance of breaking your heart again?
“You still lied to me, Ryker,” she said. “My life is in danger and you lied about the one thing that could get me to safety.”
“Jenna, not a single thing has happened that has put your life in danger! You saw a dead bird, you heard a bit of banging, your clothes weren’t in the right order, and you thought you saw someone. Not a single one of those things means anything except for in your head.”
She gasped as if he had slapped her. “Are you saying you don’t believe me? That Garrett isn’t out to get me? What about the call about Stephen Francis being dead? Am I imagining that, too?”
“No, but at the same time you don’t know for sure Garrett was responsible for his death. Nothing that has happened has been directly linked to him.”
“That’s how he works! He’s sneaky! He would want everyone to think I’m crazy and that he’s nowhere near. He’s been playing with me this whole time and you’re the one who’s falling for it.”
“Jenna,” he said, his voice measured. “You’re obviously frightened and your mind is turning otherwise normal situations into threatening ones. I’m not saying that you’re lying—I think you believe in what you think is happening completely—I’m just saying that there might not be anything to be frightened of.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I can’t believe you don’t think this is all real! I trusted you!”
She pushed past him and headed for the stairs.
He gave a tired sigh. “Where are you going now?”
She turned to glance back at him. “Where do you think? I’m going to collect the car that’s been ready for the last three days.”
She ran down the stairs. He followed her and grabbed his keys from the hall console. “Wait, I’ll take you.”
“No, you won’t. Sam said he’ll be there. I’ll get a cab.”
“Jenna, please.” He reached out and grabbed her arm.