"No! Come straight home!" Dad texted back. "You just got out of the hospital, Jessica!"
I sighed, looking down at my phone. "Dad calm down. I couldn't let Dakota face Mark alone. What if Crystal is there?"
There was a pause and then Dad texted back. "Then I'll go with him. You need to come home and rest."
"Dad," I quickly texted. "I don't have time to argue. We're already here. I'll be home soon after we talk to Mark." Then I cut off my phone before my dad started calling, ringing it off the hook.
"You okay?" Dakota asked after he pulled into Mark's driveway.
When I looked up at the house, everything seemed quiet. "Yea, everything's fine. Let's go."
But Dakota caught my arm, stopping me. "Jess, why don't you stay here? I'll talk to him and will be right back."
I shook my head. "No, and we're wasting time. For all we know, she may already be here. We can't let her get in his head."
