Jake made it to the gas station in the middle of the night, which was great timing for what he needed to do. There was no one else around, and the night clerk was apathetic and bored. He didn't even ask to see Jake's ID. He jumped right into investigating. It only took him twenty minutes to find a receipt for the trac phone sold that day, another twenty for the two of them to find video of the man making the purchase.

Jake had him make a copy of the couple minutes of footage as he committed the man's appearance to memory. He was built similarly to Jake- tall and broad shouldered, though perhaps a bit less muscular, chin length dark wavy hair, pale skin, sharp nose, heavy brows. He couldn't see his eye color but that didn't matter. He would know him if he saw him. This was definitely not one of the men that had been following Riley in the woods.

"Okay with ya if I catch a nap in the lot before tryin' to find this guy?", Jake asked.

"Yes, sir. Go right ahead. I'll keep an eye out".

Jake chuckled in his head. He got himself an apprentice.

"Good man", he said.

Jake woke as the sky began lightening and called Trey.

"Maaan, you know what time it is?", Trey yawned.

"Sorry. I'm at the gas station. Got video of our perp. I need to know where Harrison is now".

"Hold on".

Jake could hear Trey climbing out of bed with unintelligible grumblings.

He heard some clicks of keyboard keys and mouse, then finally Trey picked up the phone again.

"He's at a hotel downtown Staunton, Virginia. You give me some time I can see what name he's registered under".

"Might be helpful. I'll start driving that way. Lemme know if he moves".

"Yep. Hey, didya say you saw footage?"

Trey was clearly more awake now.

"Got a copy".

"If you can get it to me...I'll see if I can find a facial recognition match. If he's got a record, shouldn't be an issue".

"Hopin' ya'd say that", Jake smiled. "I'll ship it as soon as I can".

Jake hung up, started the SUV, plugged the hotel coordinates into his GPS, and started driving.

........................................................................

Will drove past the diner slowly, saw Deb and Rillian both inside, and didn't see any other vehicles or people around, so he continued driving. He was thankful to be a part of protecting her but it ripped open the barely sealed wounds in his heart every time he saw her. He had never felt like a bigger asshole or a greater idiot than he did now. He had always thought of himself as a nice guy, but somehow he had been so stupidly blinded by his feelings for her that he completely ignored hers, and ended up destroying what relationship they did have.

He hated that she was with Jake. Hated it. It made him physically ill, but she was an adult and she had a right to her own decisions. Will had tried to warn her, she hadn't listened, and now, since he was the one who appeared unhinged, there's no way Will was gonna change her mind.

Maybe Sam did, though.

Rillian had cried in the grocery store but clearly her and Jake were still a couple.

Though...it had to have raised some questions, wouldn't it? Perhaps they'd already discussed and worked through everything.

Will sighed out loud. As much as he hated her with Jake he couldn't say he was keen on her breaking up with him, either. He simply didn't want her to suffer. 

Will turned off the county road onto a state forest road, put his truck into four wheel drive, dropped the plow, and started the tedious task of making sure all the roads were cleared in his section of forest.

......................................................................

Jake had been on the road for two hours when Trey called. He felt a little surge of adrenaline and his gut told him Harrison was moving before he even answered the phone.

"Hey".

"Your asshat's left the hotel, driving toward Lexington".

Jake was still en route to meet him.

"'Kay. Anythin' else?"

"Not yet".

"Keep me posted".

"Will do".

Jake stopped at the next large town he came to for gas, food, coffee, and Fed Ex. He mailed the gas station footage to Trey then got back on the highway.

Trey called about an hour later.

"He's been stopped for about fifteen minutes now at a park in a tiny little town. Where ya at?"

Jake told him the town he was nearest to.

"Dude, you're twenty minutes away!", Trey exclaimed excitedly.

Jake felt a surge of adrenaline course through his veins as Trey rattled off directions.

"You got a plan?", Trey suddenly asked.

"Get as close as I can without drawin' attention. Hear and see somethin' useful".

"Record", Trey advised. "Sometimes I can pick things out of recording that we can't make out with our ears".

"Yer the best", Jake smiled. "How much more I owe ya?"

Trey hesitated.

Jake waited, assuming he was calculating.

"Man, I know ya all private and shit, but...this girl you're protecting...she's...?"

"Yeah", Jake admitted, reading between the lines.

"Then ya don't owe me anythin' else", Trey said firmly. "If I'd known in the beginning, I'd never charged ya anythin' at all".

"Ya don't have to-".

"I want to. Yer a good man, one of the few good cops I've ever met. Just 'cause I'm a criminal don't mean I ain't got no morals...shit". Trey sounded mightily offended.

Jake chuckled. "Fine", he agreed. "Thanks. 'Preciate it. I owe ya".

"We straight. You just observe now, hear? Call me back when you're done. Oh, and uh, the name he used at the hotel was Drake Montgomery", Trey snickered.

Jake drove fast but approached the park with caution, pulling on a baseball cap and sunglasses as he drove in. There was a parking lot a short distance from the entrance, a large playground near it with a multitude of children, parents milling about, and a black BMW parked in that lot. Jake swung into a parking space and glanced around.

The BMW appeared empty. It had New York plates. It was Harrison's, all right.

Jake's heart started slamming against his chest, his pulse thudding against his temple. He focused on his breathing, turned the recording on his phone, and exited Riley's SUV.

He casually walked through the parking lot, hands in his Carhartt jacket pockets, scanning vehicles behind his sunglasses.

He noted a silver pickup with North Carolina plates and committed the plate number to memory.

At the end of the parking lot there was a map of walking trails and the entrance to them. Jake studied the map. They could be anywhere.

He struggled to calm his anger so he could listen to what his instinct was saying.

He shut his eyes, breathed three deep breaths, then reviewed the map again.

Left.

He felt the answer rather than heard it. He started walking on the left trail, all senses on high alert, watching and listening hard.

As far as any observer would be concerned, though, Jake was simply a traveler out stretching his legs before continuing on his journey.

He heard some low muffled voices ahead, distinctly male. His pulse increased while his pace slowed.

He tried to hear what was being said and positioned his phone so the speaker was outside of his jacket pocket. As he rounded a bend he saw them. One fleeting moment of a white envelope exchanging from Harrison's hand to his gas station perp. Jake recognized him immediately. Both men looked at him, startled.

"Beautiful day", Jake commented, not changing his pace.

"Yes, sir", the gas station man agreed, stepping aside so Jake could walk past.

Jake noted a Carolinian accent and dark blue eyes. He was in a flannel and jeans like a normal person while Harrison was wearing a bright blue track suit like a fucking moron.

Harrison only wrinkled up his snooty nose and said nothing. Clearly he had no manners. Jake wasn't surprised.

He caught a whiff of expensive cologne as he went by and knew that also had to be Harrison. Obviously this man knew nothing of stealth.

His heart was pounding so wildly he was worried he might have a heart attack. It was painful to get that close to Harrison yet not pound him to death.

As Jake continued down the path he felt a bead of sweat drip down the side of his face.

After he had gone past a few more paces, he turned around, doubling back slowly.

The men were walking back to the parking lot with Jake following at a distance. He couldn't hear a thing but it appeared that they were still conversing.

The gas station man hung back while Harrison walked into the parking lot. The man hovered around for about five minutes before leaving, then Jake quickly followed.

He watched the man enter the truck with the North Carolina plates as he strode to his own vehicle without looking his direction.

Jake stopped the recording and called Trey as he made a decision. As the silver pickup moved out of the parking lot, he followed it.

"Yo", Trey answered.

"I'm following the gas station guy. Can you run this plate or should I call Travis?"

"Man, don't insult me", Trey sighed, sounding peeved. 

Jake read off the plate information then gave him the vehicle description.

Jake waited patiently on the line as he drove, keeping several cars between the truck and himself.

"Okay, if this is really him, his name is Jerrod Moore, living in Asheville".

"How can we find out if-?"

"Workin' on it", Trey interrupted, sounding exasperated.

"Textin' ya his driver's license", Trey said a moment later.

Jake opened the text on his phone.

"That's our guy", he told Trey.

"Sweeeeeet! Don't need that footage then", Trey responded happily.

"Already sent it", Jake groaned.

"Oh well. I'm sure I can discover something else useful your eyes missed".

Jake snorted.

"Keep me posted. I'll see what I can turn up as far as a record".

"Thanks", Jake said appreciatively before hanging up.

He followed the truck out of town, back toward Tennessee. As he was driving, he forwarded the driver's license to Travis, who called back shortly.

"Yello?"

"Glad to hear ya ain't dead", Travis observed. Anyone else?"

"No, sir, an' my cover ain't blown, neither, but they saw me, real up-close like".

"Better alter your appearance as soon as ya can", Travis advised.

"Yes, sir".

"So, who's the perp?", Travis inquired next.

"Burner phone guy", Jake answered, quickly getting Travis up to speed on everything.

"Please tell me Riley's safe", he added once he finished his briefing.

"She's workin' as we speak".

"And Will-?"

"Is happy to help and as reluctant for her to see him as you are. Despite whatcha might think, he doesn't want to hurt her further and didn't mean to do what he did".

"He still did it, though", Jake snapped, his temper bursting momentarily to the surface.

Jake followed Jerrod Moore all the way into Asheville, at which point he ended up losing him in heavy traffic. Assuming he was heading home, Jake plugged in the driver's license address to his GPS and high-tailed it to a large apartment building.

The truck was parked in the lot, Jake noted with relief. He drove around the block then set up camp across the street. He couldn't tell where Jerrod's apartment would be within the building so he called Trey again.

"Man, you got some timing!", Trey answered with a snicker. "This guy's got a record, all right- B and E, attempted carjacking, assault, robbery, assault, domestic disturbance, served some time...but his record's been clean for five years now. He also has a dishonorable discharge from the Navy".

"So, the kinda guy gonna snatch someone for a shit ton of money", Jake summarized, his pulse increasing.

"Exactly the kinda guy gonna snatch someone for money".

"I was callin' 'cause I need the layout of this apartment buildin'", Jake requested.

"On it", Trey replied.

Within five minutes Jake knew which window belonged to Jerrod and had positioned Riley's SUV accordingly.

"Where's Harrison?", Jake asked.

"On his way back to New York".

Exactly as Jake had suspected- Harrison wouldn't be the one going near Riley. He'd be sending someone else to do his dirty work.

An uneventful hour later, Travis called.

"Hey, I've got a record on your gas station fella", Travis said eagerly.

"I already got that".

"What?! Well, why'd ya, why'd I-?", Travis sputtered.

"Sorry, Trav. My guy got me the info a little bit ago. I was watchin' this guy and didn't think to call".

"That's all right", Travis replied, his feathers easily smoothed. "What's the plan?"

"Ain't really got one 'cept watchin' this guy, seein' what he's up to. Harrison's headin' back to New York".

"Where ya at, exactly?"

"Outside his apartment building".

"'Kay. You be careful there. Them Asheville boys ain't none too helpful. I only got one contact there and he's moderately helpful at best".

"Yessir", Jake agreed.

He sat in the vehicle until the lights went out in Jerrod's apartment, waited an appropriate amount of time to make sure he wasn't leaving, then went to get some food. He was starving. He loaded up on food and drinks at a gas station, purchased a razor and shaving cream, and shaved in their bathroom.

Within twenty minutes he had resumed his vigil, all the way until Jerrod left the next morning with only a couple hours sleep in between.

He followed Jerrod to a massive factory building, watched him walk in a door along with a plethora of other people carrying lunch bags, and assumed he was at work for at least a few hours. Jake waited thirty minutes to make sure he wasn't simply popping in to grab something, then quickly drove back to Jerrod's apartment building.

The building door was locked, but Jake simply waited until a young woman with a struggling toddler emerged, held the door for her, then slipped inside after they passed.

He tested the knob of Jerrod's apartment but it was locked. He glanced around, listening for activity, stealthily pulled out his lock picking tools, and opened Jerrod's door in forty-five seconds.

He entered cautiously, listening for a woman or a roommate. No one was there. Jake moved quickly and methodically, searching for the envelope Harrison had handed him or anything else incriminating. He dug through drawers, searched in paper piles, under couch cushions, in his mattress. He found nothing. No envelope or any notes connecting Jerrod to Harrison or Riley.

Frustrated, Jake left the apartment, relocking the door from the outside, and heading back to Jerrod's place of employment.

........................................................................

The time without Jake passed slowly. I felt sick, anxious, lost. Other than work, I didn't know how to keep my mind from straying to scenarios of him spending his time with another woman.

Will tried to warn me. Sam confirmed it. Jake hid it from me.

Those three brutal truths kept ringing through my head but my heart simply refused to give up hope. The conflict between my head and my heart was exhausting, rendering me immobile.

Eddie simply sat with his head in my lap, comforting me with his warm presence. Deb seemed at a loss for how to cheer me up and actually stopped trying to feed me. I couldn't eat. I tried, but everything felt like it was choking me.

She gently nagged until I ate enough to get her to stop nagging, then I would stop.

Jake texted me periodically, each text simply making sure I was all right. Sam's words rang in my head- 'You're not his girlfriend. You're his property'.

Three days after Jake was gone, I was manning the diner's dining room during suppertime on Friday. Two large bearded men I'd guess to be close to my age were eating. I stopped at their table to check on them.

"Food's great", one replied, "but I got a weird question for ya. Are you neighbors with Jake Bowe?"

I was slightly startled but smiled, replying, "Yes, I am".

"I knew she looked familiar!", the other exclaimed. "We was with him when you was all drunk and he had to get ya home!"

I felt the horror of that night coloring my cheeks a deep red.

"Oh, it's okay", the first grinned. "Jake said you don't drink none and somebody gotcha drunk on purpose. It's not a big deal".

"Yeah", his friend added. "I get that drunk on an average Tuesday. We ain't judgin'".

I laughed lightly.

"How is ol' Jakey anyway?", the first asked. "We ain't seen him since".

"Oh, do you not always work for the same...um...crew?", I struggled for the correct word. "He's been gone logging a couple times since that night. In fact, he's working there right now".

"Nah, he ain't there", the second man said. "We just came from there. We ain't worked with him this week at all".

I looked from one man to the other, my stomach sinking.

"Is it possible you could have missed him?", I asked, hearing my voice shake and hating myself for how pathetic I sounded.

"There ain't no way-", he started to reply, then abruptly stopped short after I heard a distinct thump from underneath their table.

"It's a large crew, ma'am", the first man replied quietly. "It's possible we missed each other".

I noticed a look exchanged between the two of them then the other man nodded slowly, looked up at me, and said, "Yes, ma'am. Two ships passin' in the night and all that".

"I see", I replied, dread filling my entire being. "Anything else I can get you?"

"No, ma'am. Just the check is fine".

In a daze, I worked through the next couple hours on autopilot, holding back tears, willing myself not to consider what I had learned.

"Darlin', what's eatin' you?", Deb asked once we were back at her house.

"I don't know", I explained lamely. "I don't like cold, winter, or Jake being gone".

"I understand", she agreed sympathetically. "Try a hot shower".

I nodded in agreement but the only thing the shower was helpful for was washing away my tears.

Jake hid things from me. He's lying to me. He isn't working, probably never was. He probably is with another woman right now.

...........................................................................

Jake was back at Jerrod's apartment building, watching him as he had been the previous evening. This was tedious. Jake was frustrated, tired, and missing his girl.

He had texted her a handful of times to make sure she was okay but he couldn't think of anything else to talk about. Plus, he needed to keep his focus on what he was doing or he might miss something crucial.

Oh shit.

Speaking of missing things...

Jake called Trey.

"You still stalking Jerrod?", Trey answered.

"Yeah. With no results. Found nothin' in his apartment, neither. I need to know what was in that envelope".

"Hey, send me that recording", Trey advised.

"I will. But I was just thinkin', this feels pretty pointless. Be better if I woulda had a trackin' device to attach to his truck".

"I can getcha one...but where would I send it? You don't want somethin' like that sent to yer house".

Jake thought a moment. "Send it to Travis at the station".

"For real?", Trey asked.

"Yeah. He's good shit. He's helpin'".

"Okay, I'll git my ass down to Fed Ex right now. Talk soon".

"Bye".

...........................................................................

The next day Jake was hoping Jerrod might embark on some shenanigans being that it was Saturday...but he simply went to work again.

This was going nowhere.

Jake held out until Jerrod left work. As he started on a different route from his typical way home, Jake felt a flurry of excitement. Maybe now he was getting something.

His excitement quickly faded to disappointment as Jerrod swung into a grocery store. Jake punched the steering wheel in frustration.

After he followed Jerrod back to his apartment, he made a decision. He was done with this for now. He would return with the tracker when it arrived, and let that do the work for him. He needed to see Riley and make sure she was okay. He couldn't be entirely sure that she was safe simply because this guy was in his sights. It was possible Jerrod could be subcontracting a kidnapper for Harrison, rather than being a kidnapper himself.

.....................................................................

During a lull between customers, I saw I had missed a text from Jake.

Be back around seven. Where ya gonna be?

I felt a flutter of excitement immediately dampered with a wave of apprehension. My emotions were so all over the place.

I'm at work, I replied.

Tell Deb I'm gonna pick ya up. We can get yer stuff from her house then drop her keys back off.

I felt a wave of mild irritation followed by concern. That seemed pretty demanding. What if we were busy? What if Deb needed me?

You're his property, Samantha's gravely voice rang out in my head.

I'll check, I replied.

I found Deb putting chocolate frosting on a chocolate cake she had baked that morning.

"Deb?"

"Yeah, darlin'?"

"Is it all right if Jake picks me up here at seven then runs me to your house to get my things? Then drops your keys back off after that?"

She smiled at me, "Of course! I bet you're excited to have him back! I don't need you the next couple days. Go ahead and spend some time with your man".

"Thanks", I replied halfheartedly.

When Jake arrived, he strode into the diner and wrapped me in a bear hug that lifted me off my feet. The table of women who were in the dining room giggled as I felt my face flaming with embarrassment.

Jake set me down carefully.

"Can we go?", he asked.

"Sure. Let me get Deb's keys", I said, as he knelt down to pet Eddie.

Before he had hugged me, I noticed something which bothered me immensely- he was clean-shaven again, after his beard had finally grown back, after he had asked me what I preferred and I had said I preferred the beard. The last time he went away he had also returned with a naked face. What if he had another woman...and this woman preferred him to shave?

I felt distinctly nauseous as I considered this.

Jake graciously opened the diner door and my car door for me as he always did.

He had his hand on my knee as we drove to Deb's as typical.

He hovered with a smile as I packed my things.

I loved him so much, and he treated me so well. I wanted to be with him every second of every day. This hurt so much. Why would he need to be with someone else? Why couldn't I be enough?

I wasn't enough for Harrison, either.

Maybe that's how it was, how it would always be for me. At least Jake was sweet and kind to me when we were together. That was a huge improvement compared to Harrison. Maybe I could learn to live with his absences and appreciate him when he was here. Maybe that could be enough.

When I finished packing, I impulsively threw my arms around his waist and squeezed him. Jake exhaled roughly as he wrapped his arms around me.

"Baby, I really missed ya", he said. "Sorry I had to be gone so long".

My heart ached. "Why did you?", I asked quietly, wondering if he might tell me the truth.

"They were real behind", he explained. "They asked everyone to stay through Saturday".

Tears stung my eyes. I knew this was a lie. Not only did I not believe the feeble attempts of his friends to cover for him, but if he had actually been at work, this part was still a lie. His friends were in the diner last night on their way home.

...........................................................................

Jake wanted nothing more than to grab Riley, rip all her clothes off, and toss her on the bed, but he could feel that she was sad, and didn't think that was the appropriate response to her feelings.

So, he suppressed his emotions, taking a shower alone, refraining from instigating anything sexual, simply holding her until he fell asleep. It didn't take long. He hadn't slept much the last few days.

...........................................................................

I wanted to scream and cry belligerently as Jake breathed deeply and slowly next to me. He had barely kissed me or touched me since he returned. Nothing even remotely sexual. After days apart, I would think he would want to...he typically had his hands all over me all the time. He seemed distant, distracted, inward focused.

I recalled the last time he had returned from a work trip. He also had been distant then. I had instigated sex that night. If he really was cheating, this behavior would fit. He didn't have a sexual need right now if that's what he was off doing.

Silent hurt tears snuck out of the corner of my eyes, trickling down into my ears as I lay on my back with his arm across my stomach and his chin on top of my head.

...........................................................................

* And this is why honestly and communication is the key to all relationships! Keep reading- more drama and action on the way! *