After my shower, I made quick work of getting dressed and crawling into bed. Jaxon and I only exchanged a few words, and he hadn't looked at me even once since I was out of the bathroom. He had the TV on and asked if I had a channel preference, which I politely declined. I knew I wouldn't be awake long anyway once I was tucked into the firm hotel bed. Sure enough, I fell asleep within moments despite the fact that I had a lot to process. My brain and body were just completely drained at this point. However, because of everything that happened, my subconscious was on overdrive, and it made for some horrifying dreams. I don't remember the specifics of the dream, but next thing I knew, I was being woken up by Jaxon. He had his hands placed gently on my uninjured arm, shaking me slightly as I came to. I was surprised to find I had only been asleep for about an hour and that tears were still streaming down my face as my body trembled. Honestly, I was amazed I even had any tears left in
I must have fallen asleep again in the car; I wasn't sure for how long, but boy was my dream intense. When my eyes finally fluttered open, all I saw was a man's face hovering in front of me. Since my dream was so incredibly violent and I had been in such a deep sleep, I couldn't register what was happening, or that the man I was looking at was Jaxon and not an attacker/shooter.Without thinking, I struck out with my good arm and kicked my legs, fighting off my assailant.The man caught my fist as it flew, but the momentum sent me tumbling sideways out of the vehicle until I was seized around my waist."Woah woah! Emery, it's me!" Jaxon called as he caught me and held me to his body to stop me from fighting. He held on tight while I was eased from the car and placed gently onto the ground.Immediately, I snapped back into reality and let my body sink into his large, sturdy frame. "Jaxon? Oh god... I am so sorry! Did I hurt you?"I felt Jaxon chuckle slightly as he steadied me on my fe
After Laurie took my measurements for new clothes and took my photo for my new ID, she lead me through a series of hallways until we arrived at a different room. She opened the door to reveal a small, plain room where Jaxon was seated, going over what looked to be blueprints with another man— Cal, I assumed."Jaxon, she's ready for you," Laurie announced. He and Cal immediately turned to look at me, and I suddenly felt self-conscious. I was about to reach out and stroke my hair out of nervous habit, but stopped when I realized I no longer had the length that I used to."Wow... nice job, Laurie," Jaxon stated. My heart was pounding. He had complimented Laurie, but did that mean he thinks I look nice? I willed my face to stay neutral as I approached the table. "Did you look at your file?" Jaxon asked me before I had time to overthink his comment. I nodded in response, feeling nervous for some reason about finding my voice. Something about the small, bland space was oddly off-puttin
Here's the thing about the witness protection program that I didn't think about prior. You get your documents and a new identity, but you still look the same. Sure, they gave me some highlights and a new style, but essentially I still looked like Emery Starr, and that's why I felt a constant pang of paranoia. I was confused at first why we didn't take a private plane, but Jaxon assured me that they used commercial flights to blend in. We had new ID's and nobody would be looking for a Skyler Finley or a Mason Walker. I was fine with all of this, and despite my paranoia I felt calm as we made our way through security and onto our plane.However, the minute Jaxon left my side to go to his seat near the back of the plane, I felt eyes on me. It was probably nothing, but I kept thinking about Chief's words. The line of followers that this particular mob leader had created was extensive, and they could be anywhere. Comforting, right? I settled down into my window seat and waited anxiously
Finally, the flight attendant's voice flooded the cabin and Jaxon immediately released my hand. They went through their safety demonstration as we began taxing towards the runway. I didn't have it in me to pay attention even though I didn't fly often— I had too much on my mind and felt like I could fall asleep at any moment. Jaxon and I remained seated in comfortable silence until we were in the air. I was staring out the window, looking at the city structures become smaller and smaller; my old life becoming farther and farther away. "I know you're probably tired, but let's review some of our information quick for when we get off the plane. At least the basics," Jaxon stated, breaking me away from my somber thoughts. We were speaking so quietly nobody would hear us even if they tried to listen in. I nodded, "That’s a good idea." Although I agreed, my mind felt fried and I doubted I'd be able to cover a lot before actually falling asleep. "What's your name?" Jaxon started on the q
Grabbing our luggage and making it to campus was a smooth process. Jaxon had ordered me to stay close to him at all times— a relief because the perv from the plane tried to stand by me at baggage claim until he took note of Jaxon. He was quick to step between us, acting as a wall so that Brennan wouldn't be able to see me behind his large frame. It was nice to see Jaxon in action, not that Brennan was anything like the people I needed real protecting from.I felt a little bad that Jaxon had to grab most of the suitcases since my arm was in a sling, but again, he was a huge guy so I figured he'd be fine.Our trip from the airport was mostly silent, as the only conversation that happened was when Jaxon would bark orders at me or fill me in on safety protocols. I tried my best to understand everything he was saying, but I really only got it after he broke it all down. I didn't need to know all of the technical aspects of it anyway. I was thinking about everything Jaxon told me as we ma
I opened up my suitcase and sorted out my new clothes into piles. I knew hanging my clothes up would be a task because of my sling, and making my bed would be almost impossible. Still, I figured I could get Hannah to help me when she got home from work. I had just started attempting to rip open my comforter set when there was a knock on my door.I turned to see Jaxon standing in my doorway. His brow furrowed as he took in my surroundings. "You know you really should keep your door locked."Shit. I completely forgot to lock it after Hannah left. "Did you need something?" I asked with a sniff. I didn't mean to be rude to him, I just didn't have the energy to hide how I was feeling."No, I actually came to see if you needed some help unpacking, given that your arm is injured. I can leave though if you want me to," he started to shut the door. "No wait!" I called. He stopped immediately. "I could use some help with my bed." It was true, I definitely did need help making my bed, but I al
Waking up the next morning, I felt a lot of things. I was still scared and emotionally taxed from the events of the last two days, I was physically sore from the whiplash and gunshot wound, I was nervous about beginning my new life, I missed my dad and friends, and surprisingly, I was excited to see Jax again. I looked over to Hannah's lofted bed, noting she was still sleeping. I pulled my phone out from under my pillow and lit up my screen.God, my body hurt so bad. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I didn't know how easily I'd be able to get down from my bed when I could barely even move my arm. I figured it would probably loosen up throughout the day like it did yesterday, but as of now, I felt absolutely terrible. Just then, before I could send anything, my phone lit up with a text from Jax: Mason: what's your plan for today? Well good morning to you too, I thought. Skyler: I think Hannah wanted to show me around campus- she mentioned last night maybe going to a coffee shop?