Jessica folded her arms. “Well, that’s out of the question. Do you think he would hurt you, or your mom?”
“I think it’s just a matter of time until he hurts someone.”
She couldn’t imagine living with that kind of fear. “What are you going to do?”
“I think I’ve finally convinced my mom to take Molly and go to a women’s shelter. She admitted last night that she was scared of Michael. She’s packing the car right now.”
“Then what will you do? Go with them?”
He exhaled and peeled off several seeds from the pinecone. “They won’t allow me to. I’m too old to enter a women’s shelter.”
Jessica could hear the distress in his voice. “Then where will you stay?”
“I’m leaving, Jess.” His gaze met hers and she could see the deep recesses of his dark brown eyes.
Her throat closed up and her heart thumped. “What? You can’t leave.”
“I’m eighteen. I can get a job somewhere to support myself.”
The realization of what he was saying stung her eyes. This was not a fun day together. This was him saying goodbye. “When?” The word barely came out.
“Today.”
Her world tilted. “So, that’s it, then?”
He pulled her to him, crushing her to his chest in an embrace. He held her for the longest time before he spoke. “Come with me,” he whispered.
His words danced over her skin, enticing her at the same time they terrified her. Go with him? Was he insane? She couldn’t possibly...could she? Trudy was right. Her stomach soured. Christian wasn’t good for her because even though what he was asking was impossible, there was a part of her that longed to run away with him. And that was the stupidest thing she could do.
“You can’t be serious,” she finally said.
He smiled, but it seemed forced. “You’re right. I’m not serious.”
“I mean, we barely know each other. And I can’t become a high school dropout. I’m not quite eighteen yet. I can’t leave my family. I can’t—”
“Jess,” he interrupted, placing one finger on her lips. His touch sent a zing though her and she stilled. “Shut up about why you and I won’t work. I already know all the reasons. I’ve listed them out in my head a thousand times.”
Jessica pressed her lips together, her heart pounding. She pulled away from him and turned to walk back the way they had come. She needed to get away from him. From his amazing touch, and his kiss that turned her into putty. She couldn’t allow herself to think about going with him.
He hurried to keep in step with her. “Are you upset?”
She forced herself to keep walking toward the parking lot. “Yes.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.” She couldn’t talk about it. Her throat closed.
He tried to take her hand, but she pulled away. She couldn’t handle any more touches. Nothing else that could break her heart more than it already was. “You should take me home.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Now?”
“Yes.” She did everything she could to hold back her tears. “I think that’s best.”
Christian nodded, his expression shuttering. “Yeah. Okay.”
They walked back to his motorcycle in silence, and she knew this was it. He would leave and they wouldn’t see each other again.
Her body felt numb as she clung to him speeding down the highway. When he pulled up in front of her house, she climbed off his bike. Christian jumped up and caught her around the waist before she had a chance to rush inside. “Jess...”
“No. Don’t say it.” She closed her eyes, unable to look into the depths of his intense gaze. She couldn’t take in a breath. Couldn’t think about what was happening because if she did, she would die inside. She didn’t want to hear him say good-bye.
He lifted her chin and dipped to press his lips on hers. The kiss didn’t linger, and neither did he. She stood on the sidewalk and watched as his motorcycle sped down the street. Then she went inside the house. She dressed in her pajamas and crawled back into bed. Once the tears started coming, she couldn’t stop them, and she cried herself to sleep.
Chapter 16
The bell rang and Eli gathered up his things. Just one more class before the weekend. He joined the throng of students in the hallway, the excitement over the upcoming weekend almost palpable. Not that he had any plans. Moving to a new school kind of destroyed a guy’s social life. He hurried so he could grab the books for his next class.
The pretty blonde that had caught his eye yesterday was standing five feet from his locker. She wore a skirt that showed off her long legs, and she gave him a smile when he stopped. “Hi,” she said.
He grinned at her. “Hi.”
A guy stepped around him and took the girl in his arms. “Hey, Destiny.” They kissed.
Embarrassment twisted his gut and he ducked his head and turned the dial on his lock. Stupid. Of course, she wouldn’t be smiling at him. She didn’t know him.
Destiny pulled back. “Just wanted to give you something to remember me by during your last class.” She smiled playfully at her boyfriend. “See you after school, Jack.”
Jack rubbed the back of his neck. “Um, about that...”
“What?”
“I have something I have to do after school. Sorry.” He didn’t seem sorry. He had that look on his face. The one guys get when they’re trying to get away with something.
“Oh.” Her face fell. Her bottom lip came out in an adorable pout for a split second, then she masked her hurt. “All right. Call me later then, okay?”
“Okay, babe.”
Destiny walked away and Jack blew out a breath. He opened his locker and shook his head. “Man, I’m screwed.”
Eli couldn’t help himself. He turned to Jack. “What’s wrong?”
He ran a hand through his hair and cringed. “I made a stupid bet. And now I’m going to lose.”
Eli was confused. “What kind of a bet?”
“Last week my girl got mad and dumped me. I begged her to give me another chance. Gabe found out and said I made a huge mistake, and that I’d be ditching her within a month. We made a wager. But that was before I met Trisha.” He made a face. “I really like Trisha. But I can’t get rid of my girlfriend or I’m out two hundred dollars.”
Eli pointed in the direction that Destiny had disappeared. “That’s your girlfriend?”
“Yeah.”
“And you don’t want her?” He raised his eyebrows. What crazy upside-down world had he fallen into?
Jack shouldered a book bag. “Don’t get me wrong. Destiny’s hot. But we don’t have as much in common as I thought. Ya know?”
Eli grinned. “I’ll take her off your hands.” He said it half-jokingly, but Jack got a weird look on his face.
“Dude, that’s a great idea.”
Eli didn’t understand. “What’s a great idea?”
Jack rubbed his hands together, his gaze staring up at some unknown thing above them. Then he smiled and clapped Eli on the back. “Yes. This could work.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You flirt with my girlfriend. Make her like you. Then she’ll dump me, I’ll be free to date Trisha, and I won’t be out two hundred dollars. Don’t you see? It’s a perfect plan.”
Eli stared at him. “You’re crazy.”
“No, not at all. This really could work. The name’s Jack, by the way.”
“Eli,” he said, wondering what kind of weird drug this guy was on.
“I like you, Eli. And you’re the perfect person to help me out. You know she’s hot, right? You saw her.”
“Yeah.”
“So, why not do this for me?”
The flirting part wasn’t a big deal. He’d gladly do that. It was the whole plan to deceive her he didn’t like. It made him feel icky. “I don’t think so.”
“I’ll pay you.” Jack glanced down the hallway, which was now almost empt
y. The bell was about to ring. “A hundred bucks. We can split the winnings.”
Was this guy for real? A hundred dollars to flirt with a pretty girl? “You’re kidding.”
“Not at all. You do this for me, and I’ll be able to rub it in Gabe’s face for the rest of the year.”
“I don’t know.” Eli could use the cash, thanks to his father. But he wasn’t sure this was the way to earn it.
“Come on. All you have to do is flirt. That’s it.” Jack nudged him. “An easy hundred.”
Before Eli could respond, Jack said, “I’ll chat with you later. We’ll work it all out.”
Eli nodded and rushed off to his next class. Had he just agreed to Jack’s weird plan? He didn’t remember saying yes, but that’s kind of how it seemed it ended.
He liked Destiny. Maybe flirting with her wasn’t such a bad thing. Jack wasn’t such a great boyfriend for her, anyway. Maybe he’d be doing her a favor.
Chapter 17
Jessica woke with a headache. The sun hung low in the sky, giving her room that orange-glowing, late afternoon look. She climbed out of bed and threw on her robe. She didn’t feel like getting dressed. All she wanted to do was sit on the couch and watch something mindless on Netflix. She grabbed her favorite fuzzy blanket from the closet and turned on the living room TV.
Her chest felt hollow, like she’d taken out her heart and forgotten to put it back. Christian was gone, and she would never see him again.
The garage door made a low humming noise and she knew her father was home. A minute later, he entered the living room. “How are you feeling, honey?” he asked as he took off his tie.
Horrible. Rotten. Like scum. She sucked in a breath and forced a smile. “Better.”
He walked to her and placed his hand on her forehead. “I don’t think you have a fever.”
“Yeah, I don’t think so.”
“I’m glad you’re feeling better. Are you hungry for anything in particular for dinner? We could order pizza and breadsticks.”
Her stomach rolled. “No, thanks. I’m not hungry.”
“All right.” He frowned and turned toward the stairs. He paused with one foot on the stairs. “Let me know if you do get hungry. They say you’re supposed to feed a cold.”
What about a heartbreak? She had no idea if the saying included that one. Jessica pinched her lips together and nodded. Her father left the room and Jessica nestled into her blanket.
She watched two movies back to back, then started in on episodes of Supernatural. A soft snoring sound let her know her father had gone to bed somewhere in there. She didn’t feel like sleeping since she’d spent a good portion of the day in bed.
When she got hungry, she grabbed a Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey from the freezer and a spoon. No point in getting a bowl. She knew she’d eat the whole thing. She started up Supernatural again. Dang, Sam and Dean were good-looking. She wasn’t sure which one was hotter. She’d have to watch a few more episodes to figure it out.
A movement outside the window caught her attention and she turned, her heart thumping. It was pitch black outside. She squinted but didn’t see anything. Must have been her imagination. The ghosts on TV were getting to her.
She scooped another bite of ice cream. Another movement and she froze. Someone was outside. Relief poured over her when she realized it must be Christian trying to get her attention without alerting her father. She rushed to the front door and unlocked it, then pulled it open.
No one was on the porch. She stepped outside and tried to see around the front of the house in the dark. “Christian?” she whispered. She desperately wanted to see him.
A rough hand wrapped around her nose and mouth, cutting off a scream, and a man pulled her to his chest. It wasn’t Christian. He wore a cop uniform. Michael.
“Don’t make a sound,” Michael said, his voice threatening. “If you do, I will hurt you. Got it?”
Her lungs were on fire. She needed a breath. She nodded and he lowered his hand. She gulped in air, her knees weak. She struggled not to throw up.
“Where is he?” Michael hissed. “Tell me where they went.”
“I don’t know.”
He tightened his grip on her arm. “I think you do.”
“I swear. I don’t.”
He twisted her arm behind her and pain shot through up to her shoulder. She cried out. She couldn’t help it.
“Shut up and tell me where they went.”
“I can’t!”
The porch light turned on and her father stepped out of the house. “What’s going on here?” His hair stood up on one side of his head, like he’d just jumped out of bed.
“I’m taking your daughter in for questioning.” Michael didn’t let up on her arm. Instead, he began pushing her toward his squad car parked in the street.
“Dad!” Desperation swept through her as she stumbled down the sidewalk in her pajamas, her bare feet scraping against the cement. “Don’t let him take me.”
“Questioning? For what? Are you arresting her?” Her father followed after them.
“Do not interfere with official police business, Mr. Sharp.”
“You can’t question her without a parent present. She’s a minor.” His voice was laced with alarm.
“Don’t tell me how to do my job.” Michael spat out the words as he opened the back door of his squad car. He shoved her inside. She fell onto the seat, her shoulder aching. He shut the door as she scrambled to sit up.
Jessica placed her hand on the glass. Her father was yelling something about having his badge for this when Michael climbed into the driver’s seat and took off down the street.
Her pulse raced. This was not good. She had no idea what he was going to do to her. Was he taking her somewhere to hurt her? Her shoulder was already hurt. She couldn’t imagine what Christian had gone through in his life, with this kind of abuse.
Michael pulled up to the police station and cut the engine. He opened the back door and grabbed her arm. “Get out.”
Jessica was too terrified to argue with him. She exited the car, stubbing her toe as she tried to keep up with him. He took her inside, down a few halls and into an interrogation room. He shoved her toward a chair. “Sit.”
She obeyed, her body trembling. She couldn’t get her shaking under control. It felt like she was freezing and couldn’t get warm.
He sat opposite from her and leaned on the table. “Okay, young lady, you are in a lot of trouble. But I can make it all go away if you just tell me where your boyfriend took off to.”
Jessica swallowed. Answering him had only made him angry before, but she didn’t know what else to do. She couldn’t give him what he wanted. She didn’t have a clue where he went. “He didn’t tell me.”
Michael swore and hit the table with his fists, making her jump. “Do you realize what I could do to you? Do you want to go to jail? Do you know what girls like you deal with in jail?”
She shook her head and didn’t say anything else. She didn’t want to make him angrier.
“I know you spoke with him earlier today. I know he told you he was leaving.”
Dizziness came over her. Had he been there? Had he been listening to them? Or was he bluffing?
Before she could find out, someone opened the door and she could hear her father in the hallway shouting, “I demand to be taken to my daughter!”
A female police officer came into the room. “Are you interrogating a minor without her parent in the room?”
“No.” Michael’s eye twitched.
A tense moment passed as they stared at each other. The female shifted weight. “Chief wants to talk to you.”
Michael looked like he was going to blow up. A few seconds ticked by and he let out a breath. “All right,” he said, getting up. He pointed to Jessica. “Stay here.”
He left the room and her father entered. He was dressed, but his shirt was one button off, making it obvious he tossed the clothes on. He rushed to her side. “What happened? Are
you hurt?”
Jessica rubbed her arm. “My shoulder hurts.”
Her father turned to the female police officer. “I hope you realize I’m going to sue the city. I want that man’s badge. He broke laws tonight. This is outrageous.” He turned back to Jessica. “What was he interrogating you about?”
“He wants to know where Christian’s mom went.”
Her father’s brows pulled together. “Why? What’s going on?”
“She left town to go to a battered women’s shelter.”
Her father asked her some questions and she suddenly couldn’t keep any of it inside anymore. The whole story came out. After she told him everything she knew, she felt better. Her father talked to the police officers and they let them go.
Her father took her home and walked with her up to her bedroom. Jessica hugged him. “Thank you for what you did tonight.”
“I’m sorry he hurt you. And I’m sorry I didn’t know he was hurting Christian.”
“What do you think they will do to him?”
“From what I heard, he’s already under investigation for other unrelated incidents. One officer implied there might even be criminal charges against him, and after tonight I’m going to make sure he never hurts anyone else.” Her father shook his head. “I never would have believed it, but I think your friend was right.”
“Christian?”
“Yes. I think Mr. Connor is a dangerous man and deserves to go to prison.”
Jessica closed her eyes and let out a breath. Finally, justice was going to happen. Michael would be where he belonged. Too bad it happened too late. Christian had already fled the town to get away from him.
Chapter 18
Jessica slept until almost eleven. She’d needed it. She lazily rolled over and snuggled into her comforter. Too bad shifting had put pressure on her shoulder, which throbbed in pain. She tried to fall back asleep but ended up getting up when her shoulder wouldn’t let her.
She showered and dressed, going through the motions but still feeling like she was only half a person. Which was stupid. Christian was a high school crush. Nothing more. It wasn’t like she was in love with him or anything.
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