I had nearly given up on Jaxson and had been plotting how to bash Big Ben over the head with a frying pan, even though I liked the man, so that I could get back to my life, hopefully without getting myself killed, when Ben's car finally rolled up outside the cabin. I watched Jaxson climb out of the car like an old man and trudge towards the front door. Guilt swamped me. The man had more than enough to deal with; that much was obvious. I shouldn't have piled more onto his plate.

I blitzed a bowl of chicken soup I had found in the cupboards in the microwave and headed back to the main room just in time to see Jaxson drop into his armchair like a tonne of bricks.

"Eat!" I instructed, putting the soup bowl on the table.

"I'm sorry, Tessa, I shouldn't have run out on you like that. Despite evidence to the contrary, that's not what I do. I face my problems head-on. But this..."

I pointed towards the steaming bowl, but Jaxson ignored it.

"Does she know?" he finally asked. I knew straightaway what he meant. Did Hayley know about him, about the backstory to this deplorable family drama, about him being back?

I shook my head and sniffed. "I was never ashamed of you, believe me. Angry? Yes. But never ashamed. I didn't tell her about you because of your family. You were gone. What good would it have done her, had she known that Clayton was her grandfather?"

"I'm not blaming you, sweetheart! Just gathering the facts." A faint smile appeared on his sunken cheeks, and he looked towards Ben. "I'm a soldier; I like to have all the facts going in."

We ended up talking about Hayley for hours. Ben's presence was no obstacle; on the contrary, it seemed to give Jaxson much-needed strength, and I had instantly liked the guy.

By the end of the evening, I had grown very concerned about Jaxson, though. I hadn't seen the man in twenty years, didn't know his mannerisms or his idiosyncracies, but I was convinced that his leg was in much worse shape than he or Ben wanted to let on. He could deny it all he wanted; he was in pain. So much so his body seemed to spasm once in a while, and he winced surreptitiously every so often. Still, he never tired of hearing about his daughter.

I'll never forget the expression of pure bliss on his face when he saw her for the first time, in a pixeled blurry photograph on my phone. It was a picture of her when she was just a little baby, a photograph of a photograph, not of great quality and with the table top the original photo had been lying on still visible around the edges. But I figured that Jaxson had already missed such a large portion of Hayley's life, the least I could do was introduce her to him in roughly chronological order, giving him a neat set of fake memories.

After a particularly strong spasm that he couldn't hide, this time in his wounded leg, I put my foot down. Pun not intended.

"You haven't touched the soup I made you, Jax, and you look like hell. You don't want to tell me about your leg, fine. But you need to rest."

Ben stood. "She's right, man. Get your head down! I'll be back in the morning if you need me." With a nod towards me, he was gone.

"Will she want to see me?" It was the first time I had heard insecurity in Jaxson's voice.

I didn't want to add to his pain, but I didn't want to be dishonest, either. "I don't know, but Hayley will probably rather see you than me after I tell her." Then I burst into tears.

Jaxson struggled out of his chair and hugged me. "She'll forgive you, sweetie pie. I've seen the love you have for her sparkling in your eyes whenever you talk about her. She cannot not know that!"

I held onto Jaxson like he was my lifeline.

"All her life, I've been dreaming about this, about you becoming a part of her life, our lives. But now... now that there's no way out anymore, I'm terrified."

"Hey, let's not get ahead of ourselves, sweetie. I'd love to meet her. I do! And it should probably be my first priority now, but I cannot fail Amy again. I beg you, Tess, don't tell her anything just yet. Let me fix this situation with my niece first. Please!"

He looked so lost, so tired, his left arm trembling now and again. I could not add to this burden he was already being crushed under. Hayley had gone without him for 20 years. A few more days would not matter.

* * * * *

The next morning found Jaxson in better shape. His face was still drawn and his gait uneven, but I couldn't detect any shakes.

"Holiday's over, Terminator. Tomorrow is Monday; I've got to go to school. You'll probably have to get back to wherever you are stationed at the moment. Much as I'd like to, we can't hide here forever," I reminded him when he sat down, after he had passed me a cup of coffee.

He rubbed his neck. "I know."

Before he had the chance to say anything else, my phone pinged.

'I'll find you, bitch! He won't be able to save you!'

Jaxson picked up the phone that I had dropped, after I had read the text message. While my face had lost all colour, his went bright red.

"Don't worry, babe! He's not going to hurt you. I'll make sure of that."

"I don't even know how he knows that I talked to someone about Amy! And you'll be gone by the end of the evening. Jesus, what do I do now?" I paused, then added, "I need to phone Alex."

I felt my blood pressure spiking and my heart galloping as if it was competing at the Royal Ascot. What was I going to do? I didn't know whom to trust anymore.

"I'll still be here tomorrow. I'm on leave. You will go to work tomorrow, live your life. I'll make sure nothing happens to you. As soon as Ben gets here, I'll sort things out. Promise!"

* * * * *

With Jaxson gone and Ben having taken up his watchdog position right outside the cabin, refusing to do his duty from the comfort of an armchair, I dialled Alex's number several times, but the calls went to voicemail immediately. On the 15th ring or so, she finally picked up.

"Now is not a good time, Tessa!" she said, sounding oddly flat.

"Not a good time? It's not a freaking fantastic time for me, either, Alex. Who did you tell? And don't give me any..."

She did not even pretend to be confused about what I was talking about. "Someone must have overheard. Most likely James. His office is next to mine, as you know. I think I forgot to shut the door when you called me. We'll talk later. Gotta run!" The call was disconnected.

I raced to the front door and nearly ripped it off its hinges, trying to get it open with trembling hands.

Ben didn't turn this time.

"Ben, I need to phone Jaxson right now. You have to give me his number. It's an emergency!"

When Ben finally faced me, I took a step back. His face was blank.

"Jaxson's gone," he said.

"Gone? What do you mean? It can't be. He said I'd be protected. He promised."

"And you are! I'm here, ain't I?"

My heart dropped. It was true. Jaxson had never said anything about him being my protector. But he had said... I wasn't sure anymore. He had said that he would like to meet Hayley but to hold off until his family problem was resolved. But 'would like' wasn't the same as 'will'. What was going on?

"Ben, I think my friend is in trouble. I just talked to her, but her office isn't next to James's and she would not forget to shut her door! Ever!"

"Slow down, Tessa!" Ben butted in. "Who is James? Who would not forget to shut her door? Details, woman!"

I explained everything to Ben. Alex was lying, in a way that I would spot immediately, but others probably wouldn't. She was telling me that she was being threatened. Was someone with her or did they tell her that her phone was tapped to keep her in line? Whatever it was, she hadn't betrayed me willingly, which was a relief and a terrifying thought at the same time. How much danger was she really in?

I still had no idea how word had gotten back to Simon and no way of helping Alex, unless I could get hold of Jaxson.

Ben listened patiently, then handed me his mobile. "I don't think he'll pick up, but you can try."

I dialled the number a hundred times, without success. I texted Jaxson, no answer.

"What's going on, Ben? And don't you BS me now! What is Jaxson up to?"

"He's getting Amy." Ben's voice was flat again, but I could see a battle raging behind his eyes. Still, he refused to talk to me.

My phone buzzed. I jumped. At the third attempt, I managed to press the green answer button.

"Who is Alex?" Jaxson came straight to the point.

"Have you got Amy?" I countered.

"Not yet. Who is Alex?"

Jaxson swore, after I had filled him in. "Christ. That certainly complicates things."

"I've decided to tell Hayley today, Jax. I'd love for you to be there when I do." I hadn't known I was going to say this until I actually said it. What I did know was that I needed to make Jaxson come back. Something was wrong. I could see it on Ben's face.