Chapter 13

That peace I felt before no longer existed in the swift second that everything changed.  The bright orange fields were not around us.  The other cars around us didn't matter.  It was all gone and in it's place... was the sudden shock of the instant impact against the side of the car - Jackson's side.  I could tell because I could feel it.  The jolt ran up my body and made me grunt, gasp, and scream the moment of impact.  My eyes widened - but with what to take in?  The skidding of the car as the impact bent inward? Or the actual movement of us being forced off the road to the side with what hit us?  The visual of the inside not moving? My thoughts were in panic.  Because all I could think was no, no, no.... No for that this can't be happening to us already - that they found us because after dismissing this as a random accident, that was the only other option.

There was no time to produce any other thoughts.  It just occurred faster than my ability to overcome it with rational thinking.  It was just so fast. The car that hit us didn't plow into us that hard on Jackson's side - but hard enough where it was grinding the car tires against the cement and pushed us off the road and onto the shoulder.  And past the shoulder and parallel to the road in the strip of grass lit up by the setting sun.

I was just happy we didn't flip.  It was still a huge sensation of shock for me.  All the windows on the left side of the car and the windshield shattered as the vehicle rammed into that side near the back.  The clatter of snowing glass against the dash flooded my ears past the screech of the car and the one still against the side.  But as soon as the car stopped, Jackson paid no mind to the broken windows.  Or to the other car's front against his side of the car.  It was such a rush and blur... you would think I would be use to this.

The moment we stopped, Jackson acted.  Acted swiftly and with thought unlike the shocked state of me.  I watched him with wide eyes and hard breaths as he spun in his seat, taking off his belt.  He reached behind him and into the back seat quickly.  My head craned to the side to look at him, shocked I wasn't hurt at all, I noticed that that wasn't the case for Jackson.  His left arm was bloody from the glass that was shattered on that side.  Streaks of red crawled down from above his elbow as he reached around with that arm to get what he was searching for.  Which I noticed was one of the guns we had.

My heart beat double time. I couldn't let these people get to us... how could they have found us?  Fuck!  The gun I saw didn't help my nerves and my mind from jumping to outcomes.  Of me taken, of Jackson dead....

Moving back and to face me, his eyes were wide.  He wasn't pausing for nothing either because I think he saw that outcome happening in his head if he wasn't ready.  He removed my seat belt, looking back over his shoulder to see if whoever crashed into us was coming.  "Get out this door and run through that field! And do not stop," he said to me, pushing me towards the passenger door.  His words were compelling because I could have been covered in the tall grasses or cornfields, hidden.  But before I could move or do anything, my eyes still on Jackson, my body tensed and froze the moment I saw past him and where he was facing me in the car.  Because past him... was a man with a gun.  Right outside his car door, pointing it in the car and right at him from where the glass was shattered.

Behind that gun though... was a man I didn't expect. That was a big ass understatement too.   Because seeing this man made me freeze wide eyed in my seat and I couldn't move.  When Jackson saw I wasn't moving and instead was staring past him, he turned around hard with the gun, and pointed it right at Luke.  And in the process, his feet pushed his body up and over towards me more, where I felt his body try to block mine as he aimed his gun back at Luke. 

The second their eyes met, Jackson knew exactly who he was.  He knew the people from my past and would especially recognize a guy that effected me like no other.  However, how was Luke suppose to know that Jackson was basically my guardian? Hell, how was I suppose to know that this could have happened to begin with?  It was so... unreal.  And I didn't understand at all. I was so convinced my eyes were playing tricks on me.  Luke was out of my life after all.  We said our painful goodbyes. 

And yet... it was real enough that a shiver erupted under my skin and made the hairs on my body stand on end.  There was a cringing ache deep inside the second my eyes found him and it's effect was making my lips part, eyes huge.  How was he here?  How could he be?  Let alone standing outside the car door with a gun aimed in and at Jackson?

Jackson, his back to me with his arm extended towards where Luke was aiming his gun, I saw him tense up at realizing who this was.  Since his back was to me to block me,  I could just see enough of the right side of his face to notice his eyebrows lowered and his own eyes grew.  But he didn't dare put his weapon down seeing as Luke just smashed into us and had his gun aimed at him.

I think Jackson was too surprised and on edge to get anything out.  I was even worse, seeing as Luke was here.  Now.  In the flesh and before my eyes. Luke was the only one prepared to face this situation, despite how crazy his eyes looked.  Or how shook up he appeared.  I took him in with critical eyes.  His bright green eyes were flickering from me to Jackson, over and over.  Those thick eyebrows arched in a fashion that told me Jackson wasn't alone with being on edge.  Luke looked ready to lose it with how alarmed he appeared.  I also took in his hair, straight and pushed back besides the strands that framed his face.  And with that, I also noticed strangely enough he was in his uniform.  The clothes didn't look much different from how I saw him in uniform three years ago.  It was the same really - still tan with all the the attachments - a talkie to radio in strapped up at his shoulder; the badge that helped light his eyes.  Only thing that changed was the man wearing the clothes and how alarmed he was. He wasn't fucking around today.

"Put the gun down, get the fuck out of the car," he ordered in that deep voice of his.  And this wasn't Officer Prenta speaking.  This was just Luke and his desperation to make me safe.  I understood instantly his problem and realized why Luke was here.

To protect me.  Like he always would and is.  He smashed into us thinking I was being taken by Jackson, as if he was one of those men trying to take me to Reid.  Somehow, someway, he found me and wasn't stopping until he he knew I was okay, safe, and not in the hands of someone that wanted to harm me or take me away.  It was just... blowing my mind that he was here and it was probably for that reason.  Obviously, he saw Jackson as a threat.  His fucking gun was pointed at him.

There was a long moment of nothing but silence and a waiting.  To see if Jackson would do as he was ordered by Luke.  Instead, he had another idea.  "Alright, you delirious piece of shit, calm the fuck down before I decide that I want to kill you," Jackson said loudly in answer at Luke's demand. Jackson though clearly wasn't as worked up as he was.  He knew who this was after all, even if he knew Luke wasn't afraid of hurting him clearly. 

Luke didn't come across as ready to 'calm the fuck down' though. His lips tightened as did his jaw and in the next moment, I watched as Luke opened the driver's side door, reaching closer in so his gun was closer to Jackson.  "Get out of the car.  Now," Luke said gravely.

I was so shocked, I was unable to respond this whole time.  Just grasping the fact that he was here... it was hard.  But I wasn't going to sit back; hell no.  "Luke," I spoke, my voice rough before I cleared it. "I-It's okay.  This is Jackson - my guardian I told you about.  Put it down," I nodded to him as I spoke quickly, blinking as I shifted with my back to my door.  I moved away from where Jackson was trying to block me. I leaned forward and made my eyes dig deep in Luke's crazy ones.  It made my stomach twist within me seeing how alert and scared he was thinking I was in danger.

His eyebrows rose gradually as he took in my words. I continued.  "This is the guy that's been living across from me for three years.  He's not a danger; he's helping me.  This was the guy that was sent by the FBI to help me when I left." It was obviously not the time to tell him about the drama with the stupid FBI. 

I watched him as his eyes focused in on Jackson.  And for the longest second, they just stared at each other.  The cars behind Luke still passing, and keeping clear of where we were on the side of the road with two crashed cars, I could feel the tension in the air raise.  But how fucking shocking was that?  Two guys, guns pointed at each other, and one realizing he made a mistake.  Yeah like that's nice and peachy.

I tried to leave behind the fact that my head was spinning in that Luke was here.  Instead, I wanted to try to resolve this somehow if I could.  After all, after this little incident, I had a few questions for Luke.  Like how the fuck he knew we were in this car, how he knew we were even here driving through this lame ass town.... How did he know?  The way to find out was in calming down first.

"Okay, come on," I said, looking at Jackson whose back was still to me, facing him full on with a gun.  Groaning with a scowl, I moved closer to Jackson and reached around him, resting my hand on his with the gun and lowering it slowly.  And as I did, I glanced up to Luke and was glad he saw that look in my eye.  He lowered his gun too, pursing his lips and taking a short breath, running his free hand up through his hair.  Then in the next moment, he put the gun back on his belt. 

"I want to know then why the hell you are here in Pennsylvania?  What happened?" Luke asked me.

He sure was one to talk.  Especially when I had more questions that were a little more important.  It pissed me off and made me confused.  But I was grateful at the same time he was here but that could be my stupid heart talking. I groaned, shaking my head at him.  "No.  No, you are not getting anything until we know how the hell you knew we were here in this car?  How did you know 'something' happened?  Ever think we wanted to go on a fun-filled fucking road trip?"

"Jesus fuck, we are not doing this," Jackson jumped in with disgust, turning slightly to look at me with a craned neck and fury in his eyes.  "I'm not having a civil conversation right now about this shit," he said, glancing ahead of him again at where Luke was standing outside of the car and looking in at us.  "My car is wrecked thanks to his stupid assumption, I am bleeding, and this sets us back time," he said between me and him.  Then Jackson just focused on Luke staring at him.  "And that's not even mentioning I never liked you to begin with."

Luke raised an eyebrow, calling him crazy - which I understood.  This is their first meeting and Jackson says he never liked him to begin with.... Neither of us were in the mood basically.  But I wanted to know what was next.  What are we going to do - and what will Luke do?  It all depends on what we can come up with and if we can get some answers.   

And it started with coming up with a very very awkward agreement.  One that was hard to even fathom to begin with.  Yes folks, lets just starts there.  How was I suppose to take in everything that just happened?  That he was here.  Luke was here again, in my life after we had already said our final goodbyes.  Like I mean seriously I kind of just wanted to laugh and flip off the world for doing this to us.  Because I don't know how I am suppose to be able to say farewell again to this guy and even worse, I'm sure he was already hurting now.  I can't imagine how bad this will be... because how was I suppose to prepare myself for this?  For those green eyes that have been through everything with me in the past.  Jesus fuck was right. 

You can times that by five billion too.  Because I just wanted to laugh harder and cry at the same time when we came up with the plan on what we needed to do.  It started with taking all our things from the car - everything Jackson and I grabbed from our houses - and packing it into Luke's truck.  How awkward was that?  We were to pack everything in his truck, leave Jackson's car because it was in worse shape than Luke's huge truck.  Then the plan was just to settle down, have something to eat in this town, and sort everything out.  We were trying not to panic - mainly Jackson and I.  I mean, we are the ones that knew we were running from people after us.  We had to be patient and stay calm.  We were far ahead of them.  But then again, if Luke somehow managed to find us, why wouldn't they?

***

You guys find this crazy?  Yeah you aren't the only one.  I mean, if I would have known I would be sitting across from Luke at a table in a nice bar and grill at this point... ha!  I would have laughed, rolled my eyes, or insulted you.  I was still was finding it impossible to understand that this was actually happening.  He was right there, within arms reach across from me at the table as Jackson sat besides me.  And so much closer now... I read from him that he was still on edge.  Not sure why because we had more of a right to be.  But it was a little chilling.  He looked like that cold self of him that he showed me right when we met again after three years.  He seemed closed off. Guarded but on alert at the same time. Yet his eyes weren't looking anywhere besides me, the table, and Jackson.  Mainly me as we sat there among the soft chatter of other folks eating at other tables around us.

We took our orders before we spoke about anything.  Jackson ordered one of the sandwiches on the menu as I ordered the spaghetti dinner (I was not giving up this chance to eat when we probably won't be at a nice place like this for a while).  Luke just ordered a small side salad.  I could imagine he wasn't hungry; he looked more sickly than anything actually with his thoughts.  That kind of scared me. 

I licked my lips and let out a sigh. We had to get this thing rolling somehow... I wasn't going to handle tension right now.  I wanted food and I wanted fucking answers.  That started with Luke.  Running a hand up through my bound hair, I sat back in my chair more and just tried to relax.  My eyes focused in on Luke again and I watched his eyes on the table again, in thought.  "Luke," I spoke in a neutral voice, triggering his eyes to shoot up into mine.  "Can you tell me how you knew I was in that car?  Or why you would think I was taken?" It really did puzzle me.

His eyes rested in mine for the longest moment.  The jade in them I had a history with... but he was blocking it.  Blank but intense as he thought something over.  He didn't look like he wanted to tell me anything as he just sat there.  I knew that he would have to tell me; Jackson and I needed to know. I was happy he spoke up.  "Okay listen... After I left for good that night, I knew that there was still a risk that it was too late and I brought those men to you.  So...." Luke pursed his lips, not looking thrilled to admit this.  "I hired a... private investigator that I could trust to just watch you even though that isn't his job.  I trusted him.  So his job was to come by every once in a while and make sure you were home and okay for a while until I knew for certain you were safe."

Was... was he serious?  Talk about paranoid.  He hired a real private investigator... only to have him spy on me to make sure I was okay.  That nothing suspicious was going on and that I was safe.  I understood - I did.  But how could I do anything besides just stare blankly at Luke.  I know I shouldn't be shocked; this was Luke and it made my heart twist because this was something he really would do.  He was so protective of me and even still... it was shining through.  But at the same time, I really was surprised.  He left.  Yet he still needed to know that even after he left, that nothing would happen to me as a result of us meeting again. 

"Well fuck," I heard Jackson grumble from beside me in an unhappy tone.  But to my eyes, it was just a voice and words with nothing more.  Luke had my attention as I stared at him for the longest moment.  And he just stared back nonchalantly almost; it's not like this was a shock to him.  He was just telling me what I asked.  Leaning forward, I watched him take a sip out of his water that he ordered before leaning back and looking at me. 

 Finally, I just scoffed.  Luke though continued.  "He was to alert me if anything happened or if he so much as thought something seemed suspicious.  I just... I needed to know I left and didn't already ruin your life if I led those men to you."

It really made me try to understand this situation even more.  "Okay so he obviously called you.  Told you something happened," I sighed, shaking my head.  I could already see where this was going.  The private investigator he hired probably called him and told him he saw me and a man (Jackson) leave town, thinking I was taken.  I was surprised my assumption was slightly off.

"Well... I got a call from him.  He didn't see anything happen; his job was suppose to check every few hours for the first week after I left to see if all was good.  He showed up at your house but it was too late.  He got there after you were gone and found a few bodies too.  I was told, while I was on duty actually, that your house was a wreck.  It was broken into with two dead guys, and you were gone when he searched for you.  Your car was still there so that was reason enough for me to understand you were taken."

Luke's words were hard to filter in.  I mean, his guy he hired came after that man tried to attack me and take me.  All this man saw was the aftermath and it painted a bad picture.  I mean house broken into, me gone, and my car there.  What Luke didn't understand yet was what actually happened.  Clearly, he could see I was not taken despite his investigator reporting a break in at my home. 

Jackson decided to jump in after hearing what Luke said.  "There was a break in.  They came to take her," he told him, making Luke's eyebrows shoot up in surprise as he looked at him.  At seeing me here and safe with Jackson, Luke probably assumed his guy was mistaken.  But he wasn't.  He was on the right track.  "But I managed to get there and kill the men there to take her," he confirmed to him.  "I helped her and told her that we needed to leave before more came.  So her and I got in my car and started driving.  They could have been following us for all we knew.  Which apparently is easy if you could find us."

Luke nodded to him, following.  He didn't like knowing that happened either way.  No matter if I was safe right now or not.  His expression said enough when he looked away from Jackson and to me, tense.  It's as if he looked sorry that he wasn't there to have been the one to have helped me.  It clearly got to him that I could have died or have been taken if it wasn't for Jackson.  Swallowing, Luke's eyes slowly fell to the table.  "At least you're okay," he said.

I knew now why Luke was so sure Jackson took me before.... But a more pressing question and interesting one had yet to be asked.  "I am okay," I said, nodding to him and hoping he could get over that danger has reentered my life.  His eyes flicked back up to mine blankly as I asked him, "But I want to know how you knew I was in that car and why you hit us."

I understood he hired some guy to watch and check to see if I was safe.  But... it was quite ridiculous how he managed to not only somehow leave and look for me but to find me.  To know what state I was in, the road we were on, the car we were driving.... I want to know how.  At this, Luke took a deep breath and even looked down.  In shame maybe if I was reading his face correctly.  Pursing his lips and swallowing, I saw him take a moment again before he said anything.  Glancing up to Jackson then to me, he spoke in a harder voice.  "May I see your phone, Albany?" he asked me in a quiet voice that seemed too serious.

Raising an eyebrow, I eyed him confused. Did I hear him right...?  I didn't think too much about it at the moment - otherwise I probably would have figured it out.  But at this point, my brain felt just fried.  I was shocked he was here to begin with and wasn't letting what else I would be feeling come in.  Reaching into my pocket and grabbing it, I reached across the table towards Luke and handed him my phone. 

The dimly lit room showed him looking over to Jackson for a long moment as he held my phone in his hand in the air where he grabbed it from me.  Glancing to Jackson next to me, he didn't look happy with Luke staring at him like that.  "If you were suited to protect her," Luke said to Jackson when I looked back to him, his jaw tightening.  "Then you would have been smart."  I watched as Luke moved his hand with my phone over his water.  Astonished, he dropped my phone in the glass.  As it went down into his water, it made my eyes widen. 

"Whoa what the fuck Luke?" I said probably too loudly as I stared at him with an outrageous face no doubt.  Couldn't we have had a little chat about this first?  Couldn't he have told me why he needed to drown my phone before he did it?  For all he knew, there was some top secret shit on there... even though there wasn't. 

He ignored my loud words aimed at him.  His eyes just narrowed in Jackson's.  Looking at him beside me, all I could see was him pursing his lips and looking down at the table.  Either in anger or embarrassment or both.  For what?  I started to slowly figure it out.... "You're her guardian.  I know I am a cop but I at least would have assumed you would have removed any devices from you and her in case they are being tracked."

"Oh trust me, I won't make that mistake again because apparently it leads crazy guys like you to stalk us and smash into my car for no fucking reason," Jackson hissed at Luke.

It clicked.  How he knew to hit Jackson's car.  Because he was tracking me through my phone.  How?  I have no idea but Luke was smart enough.  One of the times we were together before, he must have somehow gotten a hold of my phone and placed something in it for tracking.  The ironic part now was that he was upset with Jackson because apparently, Jackson should have known phones could be tracked.

"Okay wait," I said defending Jackson.  "If he destroyed my phone like he apparently should have, then you wouldn't have found me.  You would be stuck at home worrying and thinking that those men really took me still.  So you're lucky."

"Oh trust me, I know," Luke answered me in a straight voice with a matching face.  "But I put that in your phone in case you were taken," he told me, indicating Jackson.  "Like I said, I was paranoid and wanted to just make sure you were okay.  If someone is protecting you, they would have got rid of your phone, thinking those men were tracking you," he said.  His eyes shifted over to Jackson as he continued.  "So I suggest you also get rid of your phone; you don't know if they are tracking you or not either just to be safe.  They could do what I just did to your car.  They would be able to locate you.  And the reason I didn't hit your car harder was because I knew Albany was in there.  Imagine if they could pinpoint her location like I did...."

My mind was going into a panic.  Not of fear of them finding me like he said could happen.  Not because Jackson and Luke were holding a very tense exchange.  Not because Luke was even here exactly.  But... the thought of him... driving all that way, tracking me down, and hitting the car I was in yet careful enough so I wasn't hurt.  Staring at him from across where we were sitting, my eyes just searched his face as he was locked in a stare with Jackson.  He was stone, blank, and hiding a lot.  A stone cold man would not do all that for me.  I knew that this was really Luke, even if he has changed.  Even if he is more tense or paranoid.  But it also meant he cared about me still, even more than before it seemed.  And that was overwhelming ladies and gents.  Very overwhelming.  You can imagine how that made me feel. 

Loved.  And pissed off.

The man shows back up in my life.  Smashing Jackson's car and destroying my phone and it's only been over an hour.  Welcome back Luke.  I can only imagine what more could happen now.... I was already having a hard time with it all.  I didn't know what this even meant; where do we all go from here?  How do we stay safe?  And how could I survive if Luke parts from me again?  And even more, if he doesn't... that could be more painful knowing I would be putting him in more danger. 

 "Okay fine.  Consider my phone destroyed," Jackson said, bringing me back into the mix.  Glancing over to Jackson, I could see he wasn't considering anything like I was.  I could see what was on his mind was how he would love to kick Luke's ass.  "Moving on, you wrecked my car.  You will pay for it.  And you will leave us alone, go back home."  His voice was final. I knew this wasn't going to go over well.  I honestly started to think about just getting up and going outside for a bit.  But the food that soon came damned me to the table under my time served is up.

The waitress that came out and brought the tray of our food made me internally groan from how good the food looked.  It was a long day after all and I really didn't eat; we were driving the whole day and since it was late in the evening and dark outside, yeah I was starving. 

"The spaghetti dinner," she said as she set it down in front of me. 

"Hell yeah," I breathed as I unraveled my silver wear from the napkin and took in the amazing scent of the spaghetti.  I watched as she set Jackson's sandwich in front of him and even though I was not in the best mood, it was quite amusing to see Luke get his small salad last; that should have been out way before our food after all. He didn't seem to mind though.  He didn't even seem to notice as he was staring at Jackson and him back.  I was the only one that started to eat but to be honest, I feel like I was more interested in what they were talking about.  Especially when Jackson told Luke what he is going to do - like go home and leave us. 

I was stuck here because I wanted to hear what had to be said and I was hungry too.  At the same time, I would have felt better eating outside.  Twirling the noddles around my fork with a sigh, I looked between them as I took a bite.  There was a very long silence after Jackson laid out what had to happen.  I knew Luke wouldn't take that. 

Luke's eyes were narrowed, his mind and body stiff.  "I will pay for the damage I did to your car.  But you have another thing coming if you think I am leaving, going home, and abandoning Albany," he told him in a dark voice.  "They are after her.  I'm not leaving."

"They are after her because of you," Jackson growled back. He was not use to someone objecting to his words, besides me really.  But it was never over anything really serious.  Jackson was a man that liked control, and was strong enough to handle it in his eyes.  Nobody like Luke has crossed him that I have seen (on a matter like this too).

His words though... they did get to Luke.  Because technically it really was true.  It was because of him that this was happening.  It was both of our faults.  Luke's eyes, finally, glanced over to mine.  I had stopped eating even as Jackson I noticed just picked up his sandwich and took a bite.  Luke and I were locked with our gazes.  And I could read that slightly sorry look coming through the blankness.  Biting his bottom lip in thought before he pursed them, I watched him lean forward slightly with his elbows on the table.

"I.. I am sorry.  I'm sorry this happened and it is because of me," he said to me, even though he looked to Jackson a few times.  "I just, I couldn't help myself after seeing you finally after three years.  And it was selfish.  I'm just... I'm sorry," he said in a hardening voice as he looked down and away.  He didn't want to face this but it was true.  "I led this to happen.  I was the one that pushed to see you more. And though I will not forgive myself for dragging you back into this awful danger, I want to do my absolute best to ensure you are free and happy again.  I want to help you," he said and cut himself off there.  I could tell there was so much more he wanted to say and didn't.  Probably because Jackson was right here or because it was intense whatever he was feeling.

"It's my fault too," I told him, even though he did push.  But I caved way too quickly and I was happy doing it too.  I saw where he was coming from as those green depths searched mine.  The thought of him coming with us and helping me.... It hurt.  It hurt bad to think about him willing to die for me like that again.  I didn't want him to do that.  I wanted him to live his life like a normal man.  And not give it up for me.  "It's not just yours.  But why can't you just... go home?  I don't want you to be the one to get shot for me.  I don't want anyone getting hurt for me or even protecting me.  It's too dangerous.  I don't even want Jackson doing it because this is my issue and nobody else's.  They are after me and if I owe you anything, it's peace.  Luke, I want you to go home to your family and live a happy life."

"I'm coming.  And I don't care what he says," he said looking back to Jackson.  He spoke directly to him.  "You may not like me.  You may hate me.  But if you care about her and are willing to protect her like it's your job too... you will understand the benefit in me coming and helping.  It's not like I have to stay away now in case they find her because it's kind of late. I am coming - no matter what."

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I am sorry this is a little shorter but the next scene didn't belong at the end of this chapter.  I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and that Luke is back.