Rescuing Jenna - Anna Blakely Page 0,92

my purse and wallet, but…” Holy shit. “There were two men. I didn’t even connect the mugging to what happened here, but now…” Jenna looked to Gabe. “Are you saying Sebastian and Garcia were the same men who attacked me in San Diego?”

“I’ll look into it to be sure, but yeah. I’d say they were.”

“Why?”

“Walker.” Gabe stared back at her. “Ortiz needed a way to get to him, and we believe his men were watching Adrian for a while before he came to Gulfside Harbor. Those men targeted you because at some point, they realized Walker had a thing for you.”

“A thing?”

It’s more than a thing. Whether anyone else accepted it or not.

“Gabe, I’m thinking the tea you brought me is probably cold by now,” Elle pointed to the drinks still in Gabe’s hands. “Will you do me a favor and go get me a fresh one?”

The big guy frowned and held it out for her. “It’s still plenty warm.”

“The baby would like a fresh one.” Elle was anything but subtle when she shot her husband a look. “Please.”

Picking up on his wife’s blatant hint, Gabe tossed the two full cups into a nearby trashcan, gave Elle a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’ll take my time.”

Elle was silent until the door shut behind him before speaking again. “I think what Gabe was trying to say was—”

“I know what he was trying to say, Elle.” Jenna shrugged. “He blames Adrian for what happened.”

“You don’t?”

“Of course not! What Ortiz and his men did wasn’t his fault. Hell, they shot him, too.”

“That’s what I told Gabe.” Her friend nodded. “Deep down, he knows that, too.”

“Uh, I think your psych radar might be off a smidge because your husband’s acting like he’s out for blood.”

Elle chuckled, her entire belly moving in synch with her laugh. “My radar is just fine. And so is Gabe.” She drew in a long breath and blew it out. “He was just really scared for you. And to be honest, I think he’s also little hurt Adrian left without saying goodbye to him. Although, lord knows he’ll never admit it.”

“Now I know your radar’s off.”

“Gabe was really affected by what happened to you, honey.” Elle got serious. “We all were. But given what Gabe said about the way Adrian reacted when you were shot…Jenna, no one was more torn up by what happened than he was.”

Jenna’s heart hurt for the misguided man. “If that’s true, then why isn’t he here?”

With a sigh, Elle settled back into her chair. Resting her hands on her belly, she said, “No one here blames Adrian for what Ortiz did, except Adrian.”

“That’s ridiculous. He shouldn’t blame himself for any of it.”

“Adrian was already convinced that he was unworthy of love before any of this even happened.”

Jenna’s brows turned inward. “How do you know that?”

“Psychiatrist, remember?” She pointed to herself. “And you forget that I spent quite a bit of time with Adrian a while back. Even then, I could see the impenetrable walls he’d built around himself.

Jenna had seen them, too. In the beginning. But little by little, she’d chipped away at them until finally, she made her way through.

Then all hell broke loose.

“That man, Ortiz…” Elle continued. “He took you and nearly killed you for no other reason than to make Adrian suffer. You almost died in his arms, Jen. That would be hard for anyone to deal with, but for a man like Adrian Walker? I mean…look at how Gabe handled things when we lost our baby. He left for three years because he blamed himself for what happened. Adrian leaving…it’s his way of protecting you.”

“Well, it’s a stupid way,” Jenna grumbled.

“Yes.” Elle laughed. “Yes, it is.”

Jenna took a moment to process everything her friend had said. While she didn’t agree with his line of thinking, she could absolutely see Adrian torturing himself for the actions of another.

She’d seen it when he spoke about his sister. She could tell right away that he blamed himself for not finding Bree in time to save her.

Now the stubborn assed man was doing it again. Only this time, it was because of her.

“What do I do?” She looked to Elle for guidance.

Elle patted her leg through the blanket and said, “Give him time.”

“You saying that as a friend or my psychiatrist?”

“Both.” Her friend, the psychiatrist, smiled.

“Okay.” Jenna nodded. She’d give Adrian some time.

But not too much.

Because one thing she’d learned from all of this was that life was short. And if you waited too