Mule

Chapter Fifteen: Leads

The heater finally kicked on around seven a.m., and Ana tugged the blanket up to her cheeks. Connor and she were going to head for Cashmere around ten, so she still had a few hours to sleep in. Her brother had slept next to her but wasn't there at the time. He must have gotten up with their father to deal with more legal things.

As she lay there, she thought of the meeting she'd gone to as well as the many revelations it had given her, or rather possible revelations. She hadn't told Derek about it yet and made Connor swear to keep her ideas between the two of them until after they got back from Cashmere. She hated lying to him, and she hated thinking of him sleeping on that uncomfortable cot with other drug dealers and petty criminals. They said it wasn't worth transferring him to Ephrata since the results would be back faster than it would take to do the paperwork.

It was all for the best. She didn't want him that far away, or she would follow him there. She would defend him until her dying breath if she had to.

His words at the field kept resonating in her mind. He'd said everything she needed to hear about her relationship that she had wanted to say for the last four years. She'd settled with Jared because he was comfortable. He kept himself at a distance so they hadn't gotten as close as two people in love should have. She didn't worry about him breaking her heart by leaving the way Derek did. Jared deserved to be with someone who wanted the same thing he did just as much as she deserved a man who wanted what she wanted. They'd been going through the motions, but their hearts weren't in it.

Taking out her phone, she decided to Facetime Jared. it was early, but she figured he would be up with the kids. She didn't want to do this over the phone, but she couldn't wait until she saw him again. The longer it festered, the harder it would be.

He answered, and she saw he wore a robe and his hair was wet. He was sitting on the hotel bed.

"Hey, Ana," he said with a flat tone.

"Hi." She smiled. "How's California?"

"Good." He pressed his lips in a line. "And you?"

She thought about giving a generic answer, but she knew it would be better to be honest. She wouldn't tell him everything, just the basic details.

"It's not good over here. My stalker is escalating, and someone close to me was murdered."

His eyes grew wide. "Jeeze, Ana! Are you serious right now? Why didn't call me? I would have come over there and—"

"No, no, I wouldn't ruin the kids' vacation."

Jared looked away for a moment, and she noticed he was tapping his leg. He was nervous about something, and he'd been acting strange since he answered the phone.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah." He ran his fingers through his hair. "Fine. It's all good here."

"Jared?" a voice said off to the side. "Who are you talking to?"

Ana frowned. She'd heard that voice before.

"Is that Sophia?" she asked.

Jared hesitated then nodded. "Yeah, it's her. When I told her you weren't coming, I invited her. You know, since she graciously gave up her week with the kids."

Ana smiled. "That's sweet of you, Jar. Really, I'm glad you invited her."

His expression grew solemn then he stood up and walked out of the room and into the hall.

"I didn't want to talk in front of the kids," he said. "I wanted to tell you when you got back, but I think you should know. Sophia just got diagnosed with cancer."