Chapter 26

Inside,the apartment felt abandoned,as if Brandt had been gone for years instead of just a few hours.Lori got a sense of baited breath,as though the walls themselves were waiting to see what would happen next.“Where do you think he went?”she asked,hating the teary sound of her own voice in the silence.

“I don’t know,but don’t worry about him right now,”Jack told her.“Let’s get you to bed,alright?Doctor’s orders.”

He helped her up the stairs and into the bedroom,where she sank onto the edge of bed with a sigh of relief.Jack helped her undress,as he had hundreds of times before,but there was nothing sexual about it now—his hands were tender and kind,almost fatherly,as they eased off her jeans and pulled her shirt off over her head,then stripped away her panties and bra,too.He held back the covers so she could crawl beneath them,and she snuggled into the soft comfort of the far side of the bed,pulling the blankets up under her chin.