Page 39 of Break Me Not

I felt like she was talking to me directly. Like she could see a part inside me I hadn't shown anyone before.

I had to settle for everyone and everything around me my entire life. I couldn't make big, risky moves. I couldn't live my life like a normal teenager and young adult.

My mind tried not to drift to my mother. I couldn't have the emotions associated with her clouding my judgment right now.

“Men like him make my job difficult,” I told her honestly. “But not impossible. I know he's not going to give up, so we will have some… difficulties ahead of us. But I promise you I will try my best to keep you safe.”

She let out a small huff. “Can I trust you?”

The words were so low and vulnerable they felt like a knife to the gut.

“I'm sorry, Liz, about keeping things from you. But yes, you can trust me.”

She nodded. “I guess I’ll go pack up my stuff then.”

“I'll send someone with you, and I'll meet you at my house later.”

She rolled her shoulders and stood up tall. “See you then.”

And then she walked out of my office with a sway that had me hypnotized. The moment she was gone, I turned my display back to me and started bringing up all the files on him.

I had something brewing in the back of my mind, but I needed a little push. Someone who had access to things that I didn’t.

Because this type of man wouldn't stop, so I needed to make sure I stopped him before it got too crazy.

I picked up my phone and dialed a number I'd used only one other time in my life.

“Oh wow, something must be bad if you need my help,” the girl on the other side of the line said with a chuckle.

“I'm going to send you a name. I need every dirty secret you can find on him. Things that would make his family and friends see him as the disgusting little bug he is. Better yet, if any of it gets the FBI involved, I'll pay you triple.”

There was a silence before another chuckle filtered through the speaker.

“I'm busy, but if you give me two weeks or so, I can get you everything you want. No promise about the FBI. And my rates have already doubled since I spoke to you last.”

I closed my eyes, trying to fight off the annoyance. I was the one reaching out to her for help. My team could only dig up so much, and I wanted to create at least some layer of distance between my company and whatever illegal activities needed to be done to get this guy to stop.

“Fine, I'll send you what I have, and you can invoice me after you give me what I need.”

“Deal.”

With that, she hung up.

Putting my phone down, I looked through the files again. I had a few hours until Liz was due at my house. Might as well try and do something useful until then.

Liz

Jax’s apartment was everything I’d dreamed of when I moved to New York.

My family was originally from Washington. My mother was a retired schoolteacher, and my father worked with some manufacturer. He ended up getting a job opportunity, which led to the move.

Back then, that was a big deal. It meant a pay raise. It meant we'd live a nice, comfortable life and own a house with a view of the city. It meant we could be happy.

But I didn’t know everything.

My parents’ relationship had always been strained. She was in charge of everything house-related and me—which, without any siblings, meant I was her full-time job—while he brought home the money.

As a teenager, instead of seeing the move as something that would ruin my life, I’d been eager to get away from the boring and the rainy and come to exciting New York City.