Chapter 9
Janet didn't know whether to laugh or to cry when she saw the look of concern on Jack's face. What had happened to her little slice of heaven? How had she ended up right in the middle of a gang's revenge for the death of a man she didn't even know? How much crazier was her life going to get? She didn't really want to know the answer to that question. She continued to stare at Jack while Terri tried to reason with him.
"Jack, it's great you want to protect Janet, but what if this situation isn't resolved before you have to leave? What then?"
"I'll worry about that if and when it happens."
"You can't think like that," Terri protested. "Janet's welfare is at stake here. If you say you're going to protect her, then you have to have a plan. A long-range plan."
"She's right, Jack," Janet finally spoke. "You can't give up the reason you came here. You have conferences to attend and cooking shows to do at the hotel. Robin's Nest does have an excellent security system. Jonathan Higgins, the man who runs the place, gave me a tour when I first started working there. He wanted me to know that if I did something wrong, I would set off the alarm system. Luckily, Zeus and Apollo, his trained dogs, like me."
"So, you want to go to the estate? Is that what you're saying?" Jack asked.
Janet moved closer to Jack and rubbed the palms of her hands along his forearms as if to soften her words. "What I'm saying is that I want to be safe. I'm scared, Jack. I'm really afraid."
He saw the tears she tried so hard not to shed welling up in her eyes.
"Aww, Janet, don't do that. Please don't cry. It's going to be all right."
"No one can guarantee me that, Jack. No one."
"You're right, of course," he said, drawing her into his arms and holding her close to his solid chest, "but you know I had to try."
"Hold me," she said, as a tear slipped unchecked down her cheek. "Let me pretend,for just a few precious minutes, that none of this has happened. Okay?"
Jack gently stroked the back of her hair and kissed the top of her head. "Take all the time you need."
Terri smiled as she tiptoed into the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea. She hated what Janet was going through, but she thought of one possible bright spot. If Janet agreed to move to the estate, maybe all three of them would get to spend a few days at Robin's Nest.
And that's exactly what happened. Thomas explained to Janet that Mr. Pineda had given her a leave from her job with pay. He told her that security would be tight and that she would have someone with her at all times if she moved into the main house. Not wanting to leave Terri and Jack unprotected, Thomas invited them to stay, as well. By late that night, the trio had been shown to their private rooms and had become the official guests of Robin Masters' estate.