Just One Touch (Slow Burn #5)(21)

Jenna's mouth dropped open in obvious shock and then nervousness crowded her features.

"You aren't angry with her, are you?" she asked anxiously.

What the fuck?

Isaac's mouth fell open and his teammates' reactions were much the same. Sterling looked surprised himself, but then his expression softened and he reached for Jenna's hand, squeezing in reassurance.

"Of course I'm not angry. I love Eliza dearly. She's my whole world."

Jenna seemed stunned that he would openly express his love for his wife. Then she blushed and looked downward once she realized everyone was staring at her.

"I'm sorry. It wasn't my place to question you."

Jesus, but this got weirder by the minute, and Isaac had a very bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Come on, let's go inside or Eliza's going to wonder where we are," Sterling said, motioning for everyone to precede him into the house.



       
         
       
        

Isaac fell into step beside Jenna, making sure she was steady enough to make it on her own.

When they entered the house, Jenna stepped away from Isaac, a look of wonder on her face. She began examining the contents, stopping to run her fingers almost reverently over some of the pictures and knickknacks, allowing her hands to slide over the expensive furnishings.

At times, her lips pursed and her brow furrowed in confusion as if she had no idea what some of the items were. The others watched her odd behavior and exchanged puzzled glances.

"Is this where you live?" she asked Sterling in a soft voice.

"It's one of the many residences I own," he replied. "But this isn't where Eliza and I make our home."

"It's beautiful," she said wistfully. "Is this what all homes look like?"

Isaac's heart nearly shattered on the spot. What kind of hell had she endured in her life that she didn't even know what a normal home looked like?

"Where I was kept looked nothing like this," she said sadly. "I've never seen a real home. It must be nice."

Then, as if realizing she was revealing something she wasn't ready to share, she clamped her mouth shut and looked down at her hands, effectively ending any further outbursts. Instead she retreated to the far end of the living room and wrapped her arms protectively around herself and withdrew.

There wasn't a single man in the room whose expression didn't reflect absolute fury.

"Hey, isn't the game on?" Dex said, flopping onto one of the couches and pointing the remote at the television. It was obvious he was trying to take the focus off Jenna and alleviate the heavy tension filling the room.

As soon as it flashed on and the loud noise filled the room, Jenna nearly jumped out of her skin and let out a startled cry. She looked in horror at the TV screen, rooted to the spot where she was standing.

"What is that?" she demanded in an almost hysterical tone. "What is that thing?"

By now, however odd Isaac's teammates considered her behavior before, now there was genuine concern, and it was obvious no one knew how to handle the situation.

Isaac tentatively put his hand on Jenna's shoulder, feeling the tension radiating from her in waves.

"It's a television, honey."

He didn't think it was possible for her to look more horrified.

"Turn it off!" she said in a shrill voice. "It's the devil's instrument. It's evil. It isn't allowed. It's forbidden!"

She was near tears, her hands curled into tight fists at her sides as Dex quickly turned off the TV.

Eliza poked her head into the living room. "Soup's on, guys. Come and get it while it's hot." 

Isaac left Jenna staring at the television, shaking so hard that her teeth chattered. He murmured to Eliza so Jenna wouldn't hear.

"I think it best if Jenna and I eat out here and the rest of you eat in the kitchen. I need time. Something is very wrong here and she's beyond upset. This situation is so fucked up I can't wrap my head around it. I need to get her to talk to me and tell me everything fast, and she's not going to do that in front of a room full of people."

"If I can do anything to help, you know I will," Eliza said, compassion in her voice.

"I know, Lizzie, and I appreciate it. Jenna isn't like anyone I've ever known. It's like she's a child in an adult's body and she has no knowledge of everyday things you and I take for granted. I have a very bad feeling about what her life has been like."

"You only have to look into her eyes to see that she is one very damaged woman, Isaac. You're going to have to take it slow and not push too hard."

"I just hope I can get her to trust me enough to open up because until she does, we're flying blind. We have no clue who's after her, though the reason is evident enough. We've already been through this with Ramie and Ari, but this is way beyond what we faced protecting them. I think she's been held captive and forced to use her gift for a very long time. That she managed to escape tells me more than I can handle without losing my shit.