This had gone far enough. I grabbed his hair pulling his head back. “Jace what’s wrong?” Now I was the one with tears in my voice. “You’re scaring me, please tell me what’s wrong.”
That seemed to calm him in a way nothing else could, my tears. I actually saw the change in his eyes when he looked down at me. Almost as if he was coming back into his body after a short exit.
“Nothing’s wrong baby. I just don’t like her to touch you in any way okay.” He brushed the hair back from my face and kissed my lips gently, and I felt the fear in my gut recede a little.
He wasn’t as forceful now. His touch, his thrusts, everything was softer, gentler as we looked into each other’s eyes.
When he pulled me into his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around me, his face buried in my neck as our bodies moved in sync, I felt the last bit of unease disappear.
Whatever was bothering him seemed to have been abated as we rolled around on the bed together. I thought he was fine when he rolled away from me hours later. But I woke in the night to find him watching me as I slept.
He put his fingers on my lids. “Go back to sleep baby, everything’s fine.” I was tired and that’s the reason I gave in and fell back asleep, but my mind wasn’t settled. Something was definitely up with him.
Tomorrow, I’ll get to the bottom of whatever ‘s bothering him tomorrow. I passed out again and smiled in my sleep when I felt his lips on my forehead.
7
Shayne
We’d decided to meet up after taking the girls home after dinner. We being, Alec, Jared and I. I didn’t tell Track about our suspicions either because, let’s just say, dude’s got enough shit on his plate as it is.
I stood in the school’s parking lot with Alec waiting for Jared who was still not back from taking Belle home. “I have a bad feeling about what just happened.”
I looked up at the night sky and felt the cool breeze across my face. It seems like lately, shit just keeps spiraling out of control and we haven’t had any luck getting a handle on things.
“Me too, did you see Jace’s face, damn. As if this shit wasn’t enough to begin with.” Alec shook his head as he leaned against my truck next to me.
“Yeah, I saw! I hope Sian’s okay.”
“You said it yourself, he’d never hurt her.”
“Yeah, but I’m not sure she knows how to deal with him in this mood.”
“Does anyone?” He had a point.
Jace can be a bit cold and reserved to begin with. Only with us, his friends does he let himself relax and be a regular kid. But since Sian came into the picture I’d seen a softer side to him.
Even though the two of us, and Track came from wealthy families, there was no mistaking the fact that Jace’s wealth far exceeded ours. Not only that, but his reach and influence was way beyond ours as well.
A year ago, before Sian, before Track kept being shipped off to that fucking detention center or whatever the fuck, the four of us were the ones everyone knew not to fuck with.
We weren’t bullies or anything like that. We just kept ourselves separated from the student body. It had been like that since Pre-K.
Everyone knew that we were heirs to this town. That the four of us combined made up the most elite group in the whole entire town, because of our families’ wealth.
We didn’t flaunt that shit, never had to, it was just something that was known. Something, that the parents of the other kids here, warned their kids to be mindful of.
The truth is Jace could end a career with a phone call. By rights he was a cut above the rest of us because of who he is, but he’s never acted that way.
The three of us had always been sort of his protectors since we were little. Even back then it was obvious that people tried to get close to him because of who he was.
Once when we were younger, someone had even tried to kidnap him. But because his mom and dad are super over protective of him, they hadn’t succeeded.
What made the situation worst was that it was his driver, someone they’d trusted who’d set him up. Not knowing that his every word and move was being recorded.
I don’t think anyone had ever seen or heard from him again, who cares. But from then until now, the four of us have been each other’s shadow.
That shit wasn’t something you forget and it had left a lasting impression on all of us. So it was an unspoken rule between Alec, Track and I, to always watch out for our boy.
Now there was Jared, an honorary member. Though his family had nothing to do with this town and wasn’t part of the fabric, he was Jace’s brother in law. I doubt even he understands what that shit means.
My mind was going all over the place because of that look on Jace’s face when we left the restaurant tonight. I had the feeling we were at the precipice of some monumental change.
I feel kinda bad because I know that he’s been doing his best to enjoy his last year of high school; the last vestiges of his youth. But I also know what lays ahead for him, what he’s been holding at bay.
“The one we should be worrying about is Mandy. Is that girl really this stupid?” Alec shook his head.
“It’s not that. I think she thinks she’s too smart. I think she really believes she can win Jace back.”
“Like I said, stupid. He should never have been with her in the first place. I still don’t get why he even went there.”
“Who knows, he’s never said why and you know he would never discuss such a thing, not even with us. At least it’s over and he came to his senses without us having to knock them back into him.”
“Yeah, but now I kind of agree with him. I can’t help thinking that she has a hand in what’s been going on with Sian. And if that’s true, that little skirmish tonight is the least of her troubles.”
“Yeah, but what about Stanley? He’s always had it in for Jace. And he and Mandy aren’t exactly close so where does he fit in with all this?”
“I don’t know and the stupid cops don’t seem to be getting anywhere. I know one thing for sure, if Jace doesn’t kill her dumb ass Track will.”
“Damn! I’m not sure which of those prospects are worst. Valerie’s cool though. Track’s finally letting her hang around with us. He must really like Sian.”
“Haven’t you noticed? Since Jace met Sian there’s been a shift even among us. I’m dating Tammy, someone I probably would’ve never noticed had it not been for Sian. Then there’s Belle and Cassie.”
“Yeah, they’re all cool, funny we didn’t notice until now.”
“I noticed you noticing Cassie earlier.” I punched his shoulder playfully.
“Are you blushing?”
“Shut up, here comes Jared with his late ass.”
“What the fuck, what’s Track doing here?” He pulled in right behind Jared and glared over at us.
He slammed out of his truck and walked over to join us. “Okay what the hell is this about I have shit to do.”
“How did you know we were going to be here?” He gave me one of his patented looks.
“Since when have you clowns ever been able to hide anything from me?”
Alec told him what he saw and what he suspected since there was no point in hiding it now. “Fuck, I’m guessing since he’s not here you haven’t told Jace yet.”
“What do you think? He’s not behind bars is he?”
“Dammit! Who made that call? If he finds out any other way you fucks are screwed.”
“I’ll take the blame, it was my call not to tell him.” Track looked at Jared like he was seeing him for the first time.
“I appreciate that you’re his girl’s brother and that’s maybe why you chose this path, but these two should’ve warned you, that’s not how we roll. Especially when it comes to Jace.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Do you know who Jace is?” Jared looked a bit bewildered by the question as he looked at Alec and I for an answer.
“Uh…”
“I see that you don’t b
ut these two do and they should know better. Let’s leave that for now. We shouldn’t hang around here too long.”
He headed around the back of the building and the three of us followed until we reached the emergency exit.
Track picked the lock with ease and held the door open for the rest of us to go in ahead of him. Once inside we headed straight for the lockers and once again it was Track who fiddled around with the combination lock on Stanley’s until it sprung open.
“It’s gone, the bag is gone.” Alec pushed his way in front of us. Track pulled him back when he reached into the locker.
“Don’t touch anything. If there were explosives in here the idiot cops should know how to wipe it down for trace evidence.”
We closed it back and headed for the door. Once outside I was suddenly not so sure that we shouldn’t have told Jace.
Track was right when he said that Alec and I should know better. Because Jace is my best friend and he’s so laid back, it’s sometimes hard to remember who he is, who he’s going to be one day. Things had been going so smoothly since we were kids that none of us really gave it much thought anymore.
But with everything that’s been going on lately I’m not sure how much longer that’s gonna last. “Shit, we better tell Jace about this. What the fuck was I thinking?”
“Why are you guys freaking out like this?” Jared was starting to look a bit spooked.
“Don’t worry about it Jared I’ll take the blame.”
“That’s not answering my question. The blame for what Shayne?”
“Let’s get outta here. Why don’t you follow me Jared and I’ll fill you in on a few things.”
Track walked him over to his truck and I took Alec home before heading home to bed. I texted Tammy to say goodnight before turning out the lights and hoping that the next day would be uneventful. Somehow I had the uneasy feeling that it wasn’t going to be though.
8
Track
It seems I came home just in the knick of time. I should be with my girl right now taking care of her after that bitch tried to humiliate her, but instead I have to put out this fire before it ignites.
I know Jace, can read his face almost as well as my own and I know that something’s about to break. I’m not the kind of person who can put off one thing to work on another, so I guess I’ll have to deal with everything at once.
The fact that I need a huge favor from him that involves his girl only makes this situation more fucked.
If he goes into one of his moods he’d probably lock her away somewhere with him and I’d have to come up with something else in a hurry.
As to Shayne and Alec it wasn’t hard to read them and know that something was up and the tracker I put under Shayne’s truck had led me here.
Had I been here none of this would’ve happened, but it was too late for self-recriminations now. I had to do what I had to for my sister.
There was no getting around that. But I hate that my friend has been dealing with this shit without me here to have his back.
I watched the new kid Jared get strapped in after dropping off his truck and coming back to mine. I hadn’t had time to really get to know him since they moved here but from what I’ve learned so far, he and his sister are cool.
The fact that she was Jace’s, was already wearing his ring, was enough of a vouch for me. But I have yet to know what kind of person the brother is.
“I asked you if you know who Jace is and apparently you don’t. I’m going to tell you something now. Don’t interrupt.”
“There’s something you should know about Jace, the whole Sanders family in fact, but especially the heir.”
“I’m sure he would’ve told you eventually seeing as how he’s marrying your sister, but because of the call you made I’m going to tell you some of it so you never make that mistake again.”
“Jace’s family practically owns this town. His dad’s studio, which will one day be his, is the leading studio in Hollywood and has been since the beginning.”
“Everyone in this town relies on the Sanders family in one way or another. But that’s not all. They don’t just own a movie studio.”
“Jace is the heir to an empire that encompasses oil companies, telecommunication companies, restaurants, car dealerships, airlines, you name it they own it.”
“In short, Jace is worth billions, not millions, billions. His dad lets him have his freedom now, but even now he’s being groomed to take over by the time he’s twenty-five.”
“The Jace you know, isn’t the whole story. That boy has a lot of power. One of the reasons I admire and love him as much as I do, is because I’ve never seen him abuse it.”
“There are some here who don’t have half the influence he has and do some fucked up shit, but not Jace. With that said. When it comes to the people he loves, he has the worst fucking temper you’ve ever seen.”
“Your sister…she’s the catalyst. Too much shit has been happening to her since they got together. I’m afraid that the explosion coming so soon after the attack might be the end as we know it.”
“Come on, it can’t be that serious. What is it that you think he’s going to do?”
“That’s the problem, I don’t know. But I know it’s going to get bad. And not telling him that you guys suspected Stanley is not going to end well if it’s not handled the right way.”
“Like I said, it’s not your fault, you don’t know him that well yet. Those two do and they should never have agreed to leave him in the dark.”
“I’ll tell him about Stanley and try to diffuse the situation but I can’t promise anything.” That’s not exactly true. I can promise that Stanley’s in for a world of hurt if this shit is true.
“You’re staying at Jace’s place right?” He nodded his head still looking a bit at sea. I hadn’t even told him the half of it. Hadn’t told him what Mr. Sanders was capable of if someone fucked with his kid.
Ever since Jace had been snatched as a kid his parents have been extra vigilant. I doubt even Jace knew how much protection was on him at any given time.
My biggest worry is that the kid who liked his freedom will lose it behind all this if something didn’t change. But something tells me that there’s no hope for it.
If his dad doesn’t pull the plug he just might do it himself to keep his girl safe. It hurts me to think of it, of things going back to the way they were when we were younger and he’d been so closed off from the rest of us.
He’d fought hard for the freedom he now enjoys and it had been hard on his parents as well, which is understandable.
Someone they’d trusted had tried to take their kid for ransom, I can only imagine the horror they still lived with.
But they love their kid enough to give him space, to allow him to be a regular kid with this friends. One of the reasons I look out for Jace is because I know how much his freedom means to him, and what losing it will do to him.
I filled the new kid in on most of it without going into too much detail as we circled the block. I was hoping he’d use the information to help my friend, and also to keep him from making the same mistake twice.
Jace isn’t known to be very forgiving when someone crosses the line and I’m afraid that shit’s been happening way too often here of late.
Hopefully my little favor would take his mind off of this latest shit; that’s if he says yes that is. But how can I ask him now? Do I ask and then tell him about Stanley or do I tell him about Stanley first? Shit!
There was no time to waste and I needed an answer sooner rather than later; time was running out as we speak.
“I’ll take you back. Don’t forget what I told you.”
I called Jace as I pulled onto his long ass driveway. “Hey you still up?”
“I am; what is it?” Well shit! I took the phone from my ear and looked at it shaking my head.
“I’m here, I need to ask you for that favor meet me around back by the pool.” I hung up the phone and nodded goodbye to Ja
red after we left the truck before making my way around the side of the house.
Jace was there three minutes later, still with that look on his face. Whatever he’d been doing in the last few hours since we left the restaurant hadn’t done much to improve his mood.
“What’s this favor you keep talking about? Are you in some kind of trouble?” Dammit, that tone. Don’t do this shit Jace, at least give yourself one more year.
“I guess you can say that, but it’s not what you think. I can’t tell you all of it now, but I can tell you why I did it. I have to ask your forgiveness first though.”
“My forgiveness, for what?” I looked at him as he dropped onto the lounge chair next to mine.
“I’ve been keeping something from you for a long time. It wasn’t my secret to tell and I’m only doing it now because things seem to be coming to a head.”
“This have anything to do with you having to go to that place each time you act up?”
“Yeah, I guess you can say that.”
I didn’t realize how hard it was going to be to open up to him about my sister. I’d never looked at it as me deceiving my friends before, but now I couldn’t help but think he might see it that way.
I told him about Ariel and how she’d been hidden away all this time. I told him about my hacking into the Pentagon, but didn’t tell him about ANONYMOUS, because that was another secret I’d sworn to keep.
He listened to every word without saying anything. “You have a sister!”
“Yeah!”
“And this favor you want from me that involves Sian is about helping to keep your sister safe.”
“Yep!” I couldn’t tell from his tone whether he’d agree or not and the way he looked off in space as if deep in thought didn’t help any.
“You know how I feel about secrets right.” He turned his head and looked at me then and I knew Jace the kid had flipped his switch. I felt a little sad about that.
“I know, and you know that I wouldn’t have kept this from you if I had a choice. Her life’s in danger Jace. From what I can tell it’s been that way since she was born.”
Eden High Series 2 Book 5 Page 6