For all the good it had done her.
Because now, here with Jackson, that old life had found her again.
“I’ll tell you everything,” Avery said quietly, her voice still shaking. “All of it. But first, is your house safe? Can we go inside?”
Jackson’s eyes stayed on the trail for a long moment before he answered. “Yeah. It’s safe.”
He rose slowly, scanning the tree line one last time. Then he motioned for her to follow. They moved in silence, careful and alert, every step deliberate. Avery kept close behind him, her pulse still racing as they left the cover of the trees and crossed the open stretch toward the ranch.
The place was exactly what she remembered from years ago, though back then she’d only seen it once when Jackson had first inherited it from his grandparents. A small house sat at the base of the hill, pale wood and wide porches catching the afternoon light. Beyond it, a barn stood open, the faint scent of hay and horses drifting on the wind. Three horses grazed in the corral, their coats gleaming under the sun, tails flicking lazily.
It was beautiful here. Peaceful in a way that made her chest ache. The fields rolled out for acres, dotted with cedar and scrub oak, and the air carried that clean, dry smell of earth and grass after a long day of heat.
If she hadn’t known better, she could have believed she was safe.
But she knew better.
The Brotherhood wouldn’t stop. They had found her once, and they’d do it again.
As they climbed the porch steps, Avery cast one last look over her shoulder, scanning the open land behind them. Nothing moved. The quiet felt too calm, too still.
Jackson reached the front door, pushed it open, and stepped aside for her to enter first.
Inside, the air was warm and faintly scented with coffee. The house was simple and clean, all hard edges softened by years of use. A leather couch sat near a wide stone fireplace, and sunlight streamed through the windows, cutting across the floorboards in long lines.
It looked like safety.
But Avery knew safety was an illusion.
Jackson went to the sink, filled a glass with water and handed it to her. He nodded toward the couch. “Sit.”
His voice was low, calm, the kind of tone that steadied chaos. Avery didn’t argue. Her legs felt unsteady anyway, and the moment she sat, the weight of the past two days caught up with her. She gripped the glass tightly, the cool condensation slick against her palms.
Jackson stayed standing, watching her with that same focused stillness she remembered from years ago. It wasn’t impatience. It was control. The kind that came from a man who’d learned to stay composed when everything around him was falling apart.
“Tell me,” he said.
Avery drew in a shaky breath. “I don’t know who uncovered me. The Marshals haven’t contacted me in months, so I didn’t think anything was wrong. But two nights ago, someone broke into my house outside Houston.”
Jackson’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes sharpened.
“It was late,” she continued. “I woke up to glass breaking in the kitchen. At first, I thought it was a raccoon or something, butthen I heard footsteps. He came straight for me. He was wearing a ski mask and carrying a knife.”
Her hand trembled slightly as she lifted the glass to her lips. The water steadied her voice. “He didn’t say a word, but I could tell what he wanted. I fought back, got to the window, and jumped.”
Jackson’s jaw tightened, but he stayed quiet.
“I had a plan for something like this,” she said. “A car, cash, clothes, and supplies stashed a few streets over. So I ran for it. Didn’t stop. I barely even looked back at the house.”
She swallowed hard. “I drove here. I figured if you weren’t home, I’d wait until you got back. I parked a few miles up the trail and walked the rest of the way.”
Silence settled between them for a moment. The kind that hummed with everything unsaid.
Avery looked up, meeting his eyes. “I didn’t know where else to go.”
Jackson rubbed a hand along his jaw. “Obviously someone followed you here.”
Avery’s stomach tightened. “Yeah, I figured that. But I didn’t see anyone. I kept checking my mirrors the whole drive.”