Firebreak (Jackson's Hollow #2)

Chapter 1

She shouldn't have lied.

Jo turned up the volume on the radio to drown out her thoughts and then turned the whole stereo system off with a forceful push of the button as she drove down the quiet suburban street, almost home. She couldn't listen to music right now, not with so much worry and guilt and panic bouncing around in her head. It was louder than the music, no matter how loud she left it.

If Ryker had lied to her like this, she would be furious. Especially about something as serious as a parent being kidnapped and held hostage in hopes that she would trade herself out. Which she was going to do, which is exactly why she had omitted the truth because he would've stopped her.

Ryker was going to be so, so, so mad.

This was how all bad stories started. But she was just trying to protect Ryker and his family, and it didn't help that she knew nothing about the people who had taken her mom. All she knew was that they had been snooping around her parents' home a few months ago, and then yesterday they had kidnapped her mom. Also, he would definitely stop her and want to come up with a plan, and she wasn't sure she had time for plans.

Even a good one.

She had no idea what they wanted with her, but she had a feeling it was about her fire powers. Possibly? What else could it be? But the only people who knew about that were the people in Jackson's Hollow. Oh, and the guy who had tried to attack her in Charlotte who she gave third degree burns...but who would believe him? Then again, maybe it had to do with her recent connection to werewolves and other magical stuff.

Jo felt a strange ache in her chest at the thought of her new werewolf family. Of Ryker. She missed him already and she wasn't even at her dad's house yet. What if she didn't have a chance to go back and say goodbye? She probably wouldn't. She couldn't see the kidnappers or whoever they were taking her mom and then waiting months to trade her for Jo.

Which was why Jo hadn't waited until Ryker's hunting weekend to leave. The more she thought about it, she just couldn't, not if her mom's life was at stake. And she couldn't leave her dad alone at a time like this.

Hopefully Ryker would understand...eventually.

That had been fun, trying to figure out how to leave Jackson's Hollow suddenly without Ryker feeling like he needed to go with her. She couldn't use the excuse of any kind of emergency without Ryker likely wanting to come with her and support her, so she had to pick something else. After some mental flailing, she'd finally managed to come up with "my dad wants some dad-daughter time."

"He had eighteen years of dad-daughter time," Ryker responded grouchily.

Jo couldn't help but laugh at that, despite the nerves and guilt trying to twist at her gut–all of which she was actively trying to tamp down since Ryker seemed to be getting better by the day at picking up on her emotions.

"And you'll get the rest of my years," Jo reminded him placatingly.

It seemed to work, as Ryker's expression softened immediately. "I like the sound of that."

Jo had liked the sound of it too, but before forever, she would have to handle this. Finally exiting the highway, Jo checked her phone while waiting at a stoplight. There was a message from Ryker asking her to let him know when she arrived and one from Blake, excited about a class they were all supposed to have together at the college next semester.

Jo giggled nervously–Ryker was going to lose it when he saw Blake in their class. And she was going to be pissed if whoever had taken her mom would prevent her from seeing it.

Heart sinking as her thoughts returned to the matter at hand, Jo groaned, half-wishing they'd just go ahead and contact her dad again already so she could get this over with. Better than sitting and waiting and wondering and worrying.