Page 116 of Is Anyone Listening?
"There's probably a crash in your future. I've ridden that adrenaline high before."
"I don't think that crash will compare to anything I've gone through today. I was almost killed twice. I really don't want to test my luck a third time."
"You won't have to do that. I'm not going to let anything else happen to you, Cassidy."
"I appreciate the sentiment, but I think it's over for me now. Jeff is in jail, and not even his brother seems interested in defending him. I'm guessing Tom will be more focused on protecting himself going forward. I'm not sure if this underground railroad is going to create problems for him and my grandmother, but I think they will have a lot of questions to answer, especially from the families who are missing loved ones."
"I agree, and I suspect their network will have to end. Or at least operate in a more overt way. I am glad to see that Tom does have a good side. I wasn't sure about that, especially recently, when you pointed out all the flaws in the investigation into Natalie's disappearance."
"I know now that Tom was covering up the railroad, that he and my grandmother genuinely thought everyone was safe. They just couldn't say why." Feeling suddenly exhausted, I said. "I need to sit."
Finn waved me toward the porch bench, and I took a grateful seat, happy when he sat down next to me. I was starting to really like his strong, powerful presence beside me. "Do you think Marcus Pierce will send other people after Jessica?"
"I've spoken to Tom about that. He didn't know much about the Jessica situation. Ellen wasn't as open when it came to Jessica, and now we know why. She didn't want to tell him that Jessica was Lily's child."
"That was a shocker," I murmured. "I never expected to get a sister out of all this. How crazy is it that I might have gone my whole life and never known about her? But, somehow, we ended up at the same place at the same time. I guess it was fate. I wasn't sure I really believed in fate before, but maybe I do now."
"It's hard to say it was anything else," Finn agreed. "Tom said he'll talk to the U.S. Marshals about getting Jessica back into witness protection until the trial."
"But she said that didn't work before."
"They'll try to make it work now. They'll also try to find links between the man who was pretending to be Tyler Pierce and Marcus Pierce. If they can establish that Marcus paid the man in the woods to kill Jessica, that should add more charges to what he's already facing."
"I wonder where the actual Tyler Pierce is?"
"They'll look for him, too."
"Do you think he's also dangerous?"
"No idea. But until the situation settles down, Jessica will need protection." Finn gave me a questioning look. "Are you going to tell your father he has a daughter he never knew about?"
"That's a good question. I have a lot to talk to him about. But I need to get my head straight on all the details. That's going to involve a longer conversation with Ellen. And in the end, I really think she should be the one to tell him everything. But we'll see if I can make that happen. My grandmother and father are like two immovable objects. It might take a force of nature to bring them together."
Finn's smile warmed my heart. "I think you just described yourself, Cassidy."
I smiled back at him. "I didn't use to be a force of anything. Since I came here, I've become a different person. One who is willing to take risks, to push back, and to fight. I have never fought for anything the way I fought for my life today."
"You're stronger than you thought."
"I am. And while I might have misjudged my grandmother and Tyler, I wasn't wrong about you, Finn. My gut told me you were a good guy, and you are."
His smile faded. "I wasn't as good as I thought I was. I shouldn't have taken Tom at face value when he shut down the private investigators who showed up in town. I should have asked more questions. And that boat trip with Nathan and Tessa was a huge mistake. I was distracted by my friend's call. He has PTSD, and he needed to talk to me urgently, and dealing with him took my mind off what was happening with Tessa."
"That's why you disappeared for ten minutes."
"Yes."
"That makes sense. And I know you didn't think Nathan would do anything to Tessa."
"I really didn't." His blue eyes darkened as his gaze met mine. "It wasn't just your investigation that shook me up; it was also you, Cassidy. I've been a little stuck in my life. I got thrust back into a career I'd walked away from a long time ago. I told myself I couldn't say no, couldn't turn my back on my family, that it was only temporary, but then months turned into years, and I am still here."
"It seems like you enjoy running the bar."
"I actually don't mind it, but I never wanted to spend my whole life in Stonecross. And I don't know that I want to do that now."
"There is a big world out there. Maybe when Sophie moves to New York, you'll want to come visit."
He met my gaze. "I'm definitely going to do that, Cassidy."
