I threw my arms around him and kissed him deeply. “You never ever have to worry about me wanting someone else. You’re everything I want.”
His lips turned up in a small smile. “I hope so.”
“You are.” I said as someone tapped on my window and I jumped.
Jordan was standing beside the car, smiling down at me. He stepped back, giving me enough room to swing my door open and get out.
“It’s about time. The band is cool and all, but I really want to get back to Danny. Kadi could be there trying to screw with him while we’ve been away.”
That thought hadn’t even occurred to me; I assumed that she would know that Drake would tell me everything and we would all be aware of her little plan.
“Shit, you didn’t call him?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I called, but telling him his “kind of” girlfriend was just using him to get back at his cousin isn’t exactly something you want to tell a person over the phone.”
“Go get your stuff and throw it in the car. We can leave as soon as you’re ready.”
“I’m packed, let me just grab my bags out of the bus and I’ll be right back,” he said as he turned and walked back into the bus.
Drake walked around the car and handed my keys to me. His eyes met mine as he brushed a stray lock of hair away from my face. The anger I had seen in his eyes earlier had all but disappeared now, and was replaced with warmth as he trailed the back of his hand down my cheek.
“Hurry back to me,” he whispered.
“You know I will, I’ll see you tomorrow.” I stood on my toes and kissed him softly.
Jordan walked back outside to my car with his bag slung over his shoulder. “Let’s get the hell out of here. I need the pool.”
I stepped away from him, giving him one last lingering look as I slid into my car. I expected Jordan to get directly into my car, but instead he walked over to where Drake stood. I watched nervously as they spoke, afraid Drake’s newfound temper would make and appearance and they would start hitting each other.
I was shocked when Jordan held out his hand and Drake shook it. With that, he turned and walked back to the car. Drake watched him closely as he slid into the car and grinned at me.
“You can close your mouth now.”
I realized I was staring back and forth between the two of them with my mouth hanging open. I snapped it shut as I started the car and pulled out.
“Want to tell me what that was all about?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I didn’t want this to be the last time we saw each other, and since your head is up his ass most of the time, I figured I should probably make amends with him so he doesn’t keep you away.”
I glared at him. “My head is not up his ass.”
He snorted and gave me a bewildered look. “Whatever, you’re like a lovesick puppy. It makes me want to gag.”
I rolled my eyes as I hit the interstate and floored it. I wanted to make good time so that I would be able to make it back tomorrow.
“What’s the rush? You’re driving like an idiot.”
“I just want to get back to him.”
He laughed. “I rest my case. You said you’re sleeping at Danny’s house before you leave again, so it’s not like it will matter what time we get there.”
I realized he was right as I started slowing down a bit. “Yeah, that was kind of dumb wasn’t it?”
“It’s alright, your hair is blonde so use that as your excuse.”
I reached across the console and pinched him. “Asshat.”
The rest of the trip was uneventful; one stop to fill my car up and two Starbucks later, we were pulling up to the house. I got out and stretched; my body tight from the long drive. I sent Drake a quick text letting him know we were safe before following Jordan into the house. He stopped dead in the doorway to the living room and I bumped into him.
“Chloe, go back outside,” he ordered.
Never one to listen, I refused and started trying to look around his tall frame to see what was wrong. A string of curses left my lips as I saw Danny and Kadi locked in an embrace on the couch. Jordan tried to catch me as I slipped under his arm and into the room, but he wasn’t quick enough. His fingertips brushed my shirt as I stomped over to them and grabbed Kadi by the neck, pulling her away from Danny.
I threw her into the nearby chair and glared down at her. “I can’t believe you’d have the nerve to show up here after what you’ve done!” I shouted.
Danny jumped to his feet. “What the hell are you doing?”
Jordan walked into the room and put his hand on Danny’s shoulder. “She’s been using you. She was only here to break up Chloe and Drake.”
Danny looked back and forth between the two of us. “Have you two lost your minds? She doesn’t even know Drake!”
I looked down at Kadi, who was staring at the door, probably plotting her escape. “Oh she knows Drake. She’s one of his one nighters from before we got together.”
Kadi opened her mouth to speak, but caught herself at the last-minute. She turned her attention to Danny, giving him a pleading look. “Danny, they’re crazy! I would never do that to you!”
“Quit lying, we saw the fucking pictures.” Jordan growled.
“What pictures?” Danny asked.
“Who knows? You said they were with that band; they’re probably both on drugs or something.” Kadi cried.
I laughed in her face. “Like anyone in Breaking the Hunger would be on drugs. If anyone is screwed up in the head, it’s you,” I turned to Danny, “She took pictures of Jordan and I together and showed Drake, trying to get him to break up with me. Unfortunately for her, Drake didn’t fall for it.”
I smirked as I said the last part and saw anger flare in her eyes. I hit a nerve and I watched as she struggled with whether to tell me off or stick to her story of being innocent. I waited patiently, until finally she broke.
“I wasn’t a fucking one night stand! Drake loves me, he just can’t see it because of you!” She spit out venomously.
Danny paled slightly as his mouth dropped open. “So they’re telling the truth? Everything you’ve said to me was a lie?” He asked.
She sneered at him. “No offense Danny, but you’re not my type. You’d think you would have figured that out the third time I dumped you, but no, you keep coming back for more.”
I heard a loud crack and was stunned to realize that I had slapped her. My hand stung as her cheek started to turn red.
“You bitch!” She screeched as she lunged at me. The air was knocked from my lungs and I grunted from the pain that seared my ribs as I fell to the ground. She grabbed my hair and yanked as we tumbled around on the floor.
My ribs were screaming in protest as I threw her off of me and launched myself at her. I pinned her to the floor and punched her in the face. She clawed at my face and bucked, trying to free herself, but I was seeing red. That coupled with the adrenaline coursing through my body gave me enough strength to keep her pinned.
“Stay.” Punch. “The.” Punch. “Fuck.” Punch. “Away from Drake, Danny and Jordan.” Punch.
Her head slammed back against the carpet and she moaned. I felt arms wrap around me as they lifted me away. I fought them, trying to get back to her.
“Chloe Bear, enough. You’ve almost knocked her out.” Jordan said as he struggled to hold me back.
I let him pull my body tight against his as I stared down at Kadi’s bloodied face. I really had done a number on her; blood was pouring from her nose and a large cut on her cheek from one of my rings. One of her eyes had already started to swell shut and there were several bruises starting to show on her normally flawless skin.
Danny started yelling at her, telling her to get out of his house. She moaned as she tried to stand. She swayed from side to side, but no one offered to help her.
“You’ll pay for this. I’ll have you arrested!” She spit out as she clutched her side.
“I don’t think you will. It’ll
be your word against ours. Plus, I’m sure Drake would be glad to press charges against you for stalking.” Jordan said in a scarily calm voice.
Kadi’s mouth gaped open as she processed his words. Her word wouldn’t matter against ours, and we had several witnesses that could testify that she was stalking Drake. She was backed into a corner and she knew it. She sent us one final glare as she limped to the front door, slamming it behind her.
Danny walked past us, refusing to look at either of us.
“Danny, wait.” I called after him.
“Just… Just leave me alone for a little while.”
I bit my lip as I watched him disappear around the corner. “You should go talk to him Jordan, he’s really upset.”
“Give him some time to cool off,” He said as he turned me around to inspect my face.
I winced as he ran his finger along my cheek. “Easy, she got in a few punches too. Great, now I have bruises on top of bruises.”
He laughed as he pulled his hand away. I must have had a cut somewhere on my cheek; there was a small amount of blood on his fingers that he wiped on his shorts.
“You look way better than she does, I promise.”
I tried to laugh, but it shot pain through my ribs. I sucked in a breath and gritted my teeth to keep from crying out.
Jordan frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“My ribs are hurting; I think I need a pain pill.”
He lifted my shirt to my bra and ran his finger along my ribs. “You shouldn’t have done that, you’re still healing.”
“Sorry, I’ll try to make sure I’m not hurt next time I get into a fight.”
He said nothing as he continued to run his fingers along my ribs. I started to take a step back, suddenly uncomfortable, when he looked up at me. My stomach dropped as I saw the need in his eyes. He lifted his hand and cupped my face.
“I don’t like it when you’re hurt.”
“I’m fine, stop worrying about me.” I said nervously.
“That’s impossible. Chloe, I don’t even know how to say this. You’re so important to me, you’re in my head and no matter what I do, I can’t get you out. I’ve tried to stay away and I can’t.” As he spoke, he lowered his head until we were nose to nose. “You could do so much better than him.”
“Jordan, what are you doing?”
“I want you and I can’t stand it anymore. I had to tell you, to let you know I’m an option.”
He leaned in, pushing past the mere centimeters that were between us. His lips brushed mine softly as my eyes widened and I tried to push him away. He refused to budge as he continued kissing me. I struggled against him, refusing to kiss him back. He became more aggressive, trying to part my lips, but I wasn’t having it. Defeated, he pulled away.
“Don’t do that ever again!” I yelled.
“You won’t even give me a chance Chloe! You cared about me before, what happened?”
“Jordan, there was a time when we might have been a possibility, but not anymore. I love Drake. I’m sorry if I’m hurting you, but I don’t want you that way.” I said softly.
The look on his face broke my heart, but I stood my ground. I felt tears running down my cheeks as he stared at me, a scowl on his face.
“He’ll break you Chloe. When he does, I’ll be here. Just please, don’t forget that.”
I watched as he walked out of the room without another word. I dropped down into the same chair I had thrown Kadi in earlier and covered my face with my hands. I had just lost Jordan and I knew it. It was like I was reliving everything that happened with Logan all over again, only this time I was doing the right thing.
Chapter Seventeen
Chloe
I’m not sure how long I sat there until my phone started ringing. I pulled it out of my pocket and groaned at the unknown Maryland number flashing on my screen. It looked like mom wasn’t going to leave me alone after all. I resigned myself to the fight that was sure to ensue as I answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Is this Chloe Richards?” An unfamiliar male voice spoke.
“Yes, who is this?”
“My name is Charles Rogers, I’m an officer from the Ocean City Police Department. Do you have a minute to talk?”
“Um, yeah sure.” I answered nervously. I knew this call had to have something to do with my mother. I assumed they had found her, but still I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
“Miss Richards, I don’t know how to tell you this, but your mother was killed in an accident the other night. I’m sorry that we are just now contacting you, but due to circumstances we just now found you. Is there any way you can come down to the station and talk with me?”
At that moment, the world stopped rotating. The earth stilled as I realized my mother was really and truly gone from my life and that we would never make amends.
“Sure,” I whispered, still in shock. “I’ll be there shortly.”
“I’ll see you then, and again, I’m so sorry for your loss.”
He disconnected, but I sat there with my phone still next to my ear. He had said she was in some kind of an accident, what if she was drunk and wrecked her car? Why hadn’t I tried harder to get her to go into one of the programs my aunt had suggested? I felt as if her blood was on my hands.
I rose from my chair and stumbled my way up the stairs to the guest room Jordan was staying in. I was terrified that he would turn me away, but I needed him now more than ever. I knocked softly on the door. When no answer came, I turned the knob and pushed it open. Jordan was sitting on his bed with his back to me, staring out of his window.
“Not now Chloe, leave me alone.”
“Jordan, it’s my mom. She’s dead.”
His head swiveled so fast it looked like something out of a horror movie. It would have been comical if the situation wasn’t so dire.
“What did you say?” He asked.
“The police just called me, my mom’s dead; some kind of an accident.”
I felt faint and my knees buckled from underneath of me. He was off the bed in a flash and caught me before I hit the floor.
“Chloe. Chloe! Look at me!”
I raised my eyes to meet his. His face was full of concern as he lifted me and laid me down on his bed.
“Are you ok?” He asked.
“Yeah, no. I don’t know. She was horrible, but she’s still my mom.”
My vision clouded as tears filled my eyes. He sat down next to me and pulled me into his lap. Sobs wracked my body as I let grief overtake me.
“Shhh, let it out. I’m right here.” He whispered into my ear as he held me tight.
I clung to him as my tears soaked his shirt, but he never once complained. I cried until I felt that I had nothing left inside of me. When my tears slowed, I pulled away from him and wiped my eyes.
“I’m sorry.” I hiccupped out.
“Don’t ever be sorry for crying.”
“I have to go to the police department. Can you drive me? I don’t think I can drive.”
“Of course, let me get Danny and we’ll all go.”
He left me on the bed while he walked down the hall to Danny’s room. They both appeared a couple of minutes later. Danny walked straight to me and wrapped me in a hug.
“I guess we’re both orphans now.” I whispered against his neck.
“Guess so. Come on, let’s get you down to my car.”
He held my arm as we walked to his car, helping me into the backseat before shutting the door and sliding behind the steering wheel. Jordan came out of the house a minute later and joined us. I stared out the window as he weaved through the congested tourist traffic and parked outside the police department. I brushed their hands aside when they tried to help me as I got out and walked across the lot to the double doors. I had to be strong and stand on my own two feet.
An older woman with a no-nonsense appearance sat behind a desk just inside the entrance. She glanced up at us as we entered.
“Can I help
you?”
“We’re here to see Charles Rogers. My name is Chloe Richards and he’s expecting me.”
She picked up the phone and dialed a number. After a brief conversation, she hung up and pointed us to a row of chairs sitting against the far wall.
“If you’ll have a seat over there, he will be out in a moment.”
I watched from my seat as officers and other employees walked back and forth around the station. I had never been in the trouble with the law, but cops always made me uneasy. I felt like they were staring at me, telling me they knew about all the bad things I had ever done. Danny seemed at ease, but Jordan seemed as uncomfortable as I was. He continuously tapped his foot on the floor as he followed their movements with his eyes.
A young officer with coal-black hair approached us. He had a kind face, and if not for his height, I would have assumed he came from Chinese decent.
He smiled at us as he approached. “Chloe?”
I stood and shook his hand. “That’s me,” I gestured to Danny and Jordan. “This is my cousin Danny and his best friend Jordan.”
He shook hands with both of them. “Nice to meet you, I wish it was under better circumstances. If you will follow me please, there are some things we need to discuss.”
He led us down a hallway to what looked like an interrogation room. I sat down at the table in the center of the room with Jordan and Danny hovering behind me, as he sat down across from me.
“Sorry about having to use this room, I don’t have an office of my own and I thought privacy would be the best thing.”
“Not a problem.” I answered.
He cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. “I’m sure you have questions.”
“Yes, I do. First of all, what happened?” I asked, already dreading his answer.
“Her death has been ruled a suicide; she parked her car on the railroad tracks and waited. By the time the conductor saw her, it was too late.”
The train’s whistle; when my mother called me, I heard it in the background. She had spent the last moments of her life telling me how much she hated me. I stared at him as numbness spread across my body as Jordan rested his hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me.
Twisted (Torn Series) Page 17