𝗣 𝗬 𝗥 𝗢 𝗠 𝗔 𝗡 𝗜 𝗔 | BOOK THREE

F O U R T E E N

[graham eaton]

"What else would this entail?" Jolene asks.

My father thinks, looking over at me.

"Has James been to the place of your work?" He asks.

She raises an eyebrow and nods.

"Yeah, about a thousand times, why?" She asks.

He furrows his brows and looks at me.

"That means that you'll either have to have Graham with you 100% of the time that you're working or you'll have to move your work for the time being." He says.

She looks at me then at my Father.

"I work just down the Hill from the Fire Station, isn't that close enough?" She asks.

He shakes his head.

"No, I'm afraid it's not. See, if James is as smart as we're thinking he is, he can calculate when Graham will be with you, and when he won't. If he locks onto those patterns, one day he could strike and we'd lose you in an instant." He says.

Her blue eyes are pale and grey, similar to Livia's in a way. But, around her pupils, is a ring of the most striking hazel color.

"Does he know where you live?" My Father asks.

She nods.

"Yeah, we shared an Apartment over by the movie theater." She says.

My father nods and looks over at me.

"You can't go back there, for anything." He says strictly. "He might be waiting there for you. For the time being, you should find somewhere safe to stay. Do you have any family in town?"

She shakes her head.

"I'm from Queens. My mother and Stepfather live up in New York and my Dad died three years ago. My grandparents all live either in Washington or Puerto Rico. I moved here after college to get something new." She says.

My father looks at me and I exhale.

"How about you stay with me? I always have an extra guest room at my place and that way, I know where you are at all times." I say.

She raises her eyebrows and looks at my Father.

"Would that work? I mean, seriously, I don't want us to get sick of each other in the first few days that you're stuck with me." She says.

I smile and nod.

"It will be easier. That way, you don't have to stay at a motel or search for a new apartment." I say. "We can stop by the station and explain the situation to the Chief."

She nods. She looks at my father and shakes his hand.

"I'll call if I have anymore questions," She says.

He nods and says goodbye. We walk outside to the motorcycle and climb on.

"I'll see if I can take the rest of the day off to help you get situated in the apartment and figure out a space for you to do your work." I say.

She nods. She wraps her arms around my abdomen, leaning into my back now, more comfortable with me. I drive through town, driving up past her shop on my way to the station.

"That's his truck," She says, squeezing her arms tightly around my torso. "He's at my shop."

I stop at the red light, placing my feet down on either side of the bike to stabilize us.

"Bury your face in my back. Hide your hair. Don't let him see you." I say.

She reaches up and tucks her ponytail under the helmet and buries her face in between my shoulders. I watch as he exits the shop, looking around. I look back at the light and drive away up the hill. I park behind the station and spin around to look at her.

"Jolene," I say, propping my leg up on the seat. "When we get in there, a lot of information is gonna be thrown at you. Is this what you wore last night when he saw you?"

She nods.

"Yeah, I ran out of the apartment as fast as I could. I don't have any other clothes at my shop." She says. "Why?"

"If James sees you, even from afar, and he recognizes you, then all of our efforts to protect you go down the drain." I say. "So, when we get in there, I'm gonna give you some clothes to change into. You can take a shower, clean off, I'll keep the guys out. This station is a safe place for you, we all have the same goal here--to keep you safe and find James."

She nods. I pull the helmet off of her head and place it beside mine. We walk inside, my hand in the small of her back, leading her inside. I pull the door open and walk into the common area of the station.

"Graham, wasn't sure if you were coming back today or not." Chief Williams says. "Oh, you've brought a guest."

He spots Jolene and his expression softens as he looks at the beaten girl.

"My name is Jolene Hale," She says. "And I know the identity of Ghost."

Chief Williams approaches us, an eyebrow raised.

"You know who Ghost is?" He asks. "You know who he is?"

She nods, then looks back at me.

"We just got back from the police station. She gave a full report and everything." I say.

He looks at her, examining the swollen cheek bone and bruised jawline.

"WitSec?" He asks.

I shake my head.

"Personal Chauffeur everywhere she goes. Starting right now." I say. "Chief Eaton assigned me to her case. Said I was someone she trusts."

He nods, looking at her again.

"Makes sense. Guess we'll be seeing you more often." He says.

She nods, smiling at him gingerly. 

"She needs to clean off and change. Mind if she uses the showers?" I ask.

He shakes his head, pointing to the back hall.

"Showers are back there. Shout if you need anything." He says.

She nods and disappears down the hall. I run after her with some clothes, a pair of black fire-department brand shorts and a selection of a few shirts, as well as a pair of clean socks.

"Hey," I say, holding out the bag of supplies to her. "Here are some clothes. I just grabbed a few things. These should hold you over until we get you some better stuff later tonight."

She takes them and smiles at me.

"Thank you, Graham." She says.