Page 13 of Mountain Shadow

Jens looked at her curiously for a moment, as if he were about to say something, then thought better of it. “Let’s get you some food. Then maybe you can tell me what’s going on.”

* * *

Jens

He sat across from Sarah, watching her twirl tagliatelle with pesto sauce onto her fork.

“Is that okay?” he asked. Jens wasn’t a great cook, by any means, but there was always some fresh pasta sauce in his fridge.

She looked up at him, nodding as she chewed. “It’s great. Thank you.”

Jesus, she’s beautiful.

He remembered the first time he’d seen her, months earlier. He’d been in a bar with Damien and the rest of the team when she’d walked in. She’d been expertly made up then, her lips and nails stained bright red, her expressive eyes smudged with dark eyeshadow. She’d seemed to Jens beautiful in an ethereal, almost unreal way.

From where he’d been sitting, Jens had watched as Sarah approached Damien. Jealousy, the likes of which he’d never experienced before, had reared its ugly head, souring the beer in his hand. It’d taken all of his considerable self-control not to stand up and claim her then.

He’d had no idea, of course, that Sarah was Tess’s sister, or that her presence in the bar was meant as a test for Damien. By the time he’d understood all that, Sarah had left town again, and Jens had figured that was a good thing.

He looked up at her over his own bowl of pasta. Her lips and nails were bare tonight, but she was no less breathtaking for that. If anything, she was more beautiful, even dressed as she was in clothes which swamped her slight frame.

He rebuked himself for his thoughts.

She needs help, not for you to ogle her.

Finally, she pushed away her half-eaten plate. “I don’t think I can eat anymore …” she said apologetically. “I haven’t eaten much in the last couple of days.”

He nodded quietly. “I called Damien while you were in the shower and left a message. He’ll call me as soon as they land.”

“Where are they?” she asked.

“Damien and Tess took Jamie to Legoland. It’s some kind of amusement park.”

The mention of Jamie made Sarah blanch.

“Maybe … maybe we shouldn’t call them. If we call them, they’ll come back.”

“They will,” Jens confirmed, taking the plates back to the kitchen and rinsing them quickly before placing them in the near-empty dishwasher.

“I don’t want that.”

“We have time before their plane lands, Sarah. Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”

“It’s … it’s probably better if you don’t know the details,” she said.

It struck him then that she was still trying to protect him.

“I can help you, Sarah. But only if you tell me what’s going on,” Jens said.

Sarah made her way to the living area, where she curled up on the sofa, bringing her feet under her body. Although the underfloor heating was on high enough that Jens was sweating in his short-sleeve T-shirt, he didn’t miss the slight shiver that ran through her body.

Jens kneeled by the fireplace and opened the glass door, choosing three small logs from the tower next to the fireplace. He didn’t use it as much as he’d figured, partly because he was never home and partly because it was rarely cold enough for him to want to do so, but right now he was glad to have it. He made sure the pieces of wood were staggered into a small pyramid shape, then crumpled a piece of newspaper underneath and lit a match.

He looked behind him to catch Sarah staring at him. Sitting on the large gray couch, she looked fragile and vulnerable.

“Start at the beginning, Sarah, and take your time. You live in London, right?”

She nodded. “I host an early morning radio show.” A small, proud smile lit up her expression. “We don’t usually get many crazies, not like the late night shows. Most of our listeners are people getting ready to go to work. There are a couple sections where audience members can come on the line and talk to us.” She licked her lips nervously, and Jens had to force himself not to stare at her luscious, pink lips.