At All Costs || Jerrie

Chapter 21

"Thanks for the necklace, by the way" I whispered.

"It looks good on you" she said softly.

We were about to go in for another kiss when it knocked twice on the front door. Knowing our families had arrived, we pulled apart and walked out of the bathroom to answer the door. As soon as we arrived in the hallway, Jade unlocked and opened the door for our families.

"Welcome" Jade and I said in unison as we hugged them.

"Flowers for my favourite couple" Karl said warmly.

"Aww, how sweet" I chuckled.

I accepted the white roses he got for us. My parents got us a bottle of wine. James and Norma got us a box of chocolate. Once everyone had said hi to each other and given us their sweet gifts, Jade and I lead them to the kitchen. Dinner was already ready, so it was just for us to sit down and kick off the night I was so nervous for.

We took a seat around the table. Jade poured wine in the glasses for the adults and I poured soda for my little sister. She was only sixteen. There was no way I'd give her alcohol before she legally could drink.

"Thank you, Jade" my mum Debbie said warmly.

Jade put the lid back on the bottle, then she sat down on the chair next to me. Like the sweetheart she was, she intertwined her slender fingers with mine so we held hands under the table. From my peripheral vision, I saw her lips curve up in a smile.

"So girls, how have you been?" My dad Alex asked curiously.

And that was the question that started the anticipated family dinner. We spoke about our jobs, but didn't mention the four masked men who abducted me and Jade. Instead we said they abducted Jesy and Leigh-Anne. They wouldn't get as worked up as they would if we said we were the ones they took. Each one of them listened carefully to every word, asked questions every now and then. Most of the questions were for Jade, I completely understood why. Her job was way more exciting and dangerous than mine. Besides, it was more interesting to listen to her stories about saving lives and dealing with robberies and other crimes, than listen to me talk about all the essays I had to grade and how my students were improving. My job wasn't as interesting as Jade's, though we both had jobs that were important for the country. Education and law enforcement kept the world going, it was just too bad not every country had those two things.

When my parents and my parents-in-law wanted to focus more on me, however, Jade suddenly became tense. I knew she reacted to what I told them. On Monday, now after the weekend, Leigh-Anne and I will be taking our students to Lee Valley Camping And Caravan Park for a camping trip. Jade hated the thought of me going away without her, especially now with a serial-killer and his henchmen on the loose. I knew she'd bring up the subject once our families leave and I knew she'd try to stop me from going.

I understood why she wasn't so fond of the thought of me going away overnight, but I hated the way she reacted. When she got mad or became cold towards me, it made me feel like she didn't believe I could protect myself, if now self-defense would be needed. There wasn't even a reason for her to get mad about the camping trip. Her fear of Sam and his henchmen coming after me wasn't a reasonable reason. She would have to come up with something else to make me stay.

**

Jade
Everyone else was inside, either watching telly or talking to each other. I was on the balcony, breathing some fresh air. After today, I needed every ounce of fresh air I could get. The past week, it's been feeling like I've breathed in carbon dioxide. With everything going on with Sam and other crimes I have had to deal with, there hadn't been a chance for me to sit back and relax. And I've been worried for Perrie. She's not safe. Her safety was at a high risk. And I knew I wouldn't be able to relax until I'd put Sam behind bars. He was after me, after the people I loved, and his pursue of revenge stressed me out. The only time I finally would be able to take a breath would be when I've arrested him and locked him back up.