by C L Green
The driveway is long and windy with some sharp bends to navigate between the trees. It is only as I start to wonder how long the driveway could possibly be that the trees finally open ahead of us and I catch my first glimpse of Jake’s home. To my surprise, it is beautiful.
Nestled tastefully between the trees, Jakes home is a large weatherboard with a gabled roofline and full verandahs on all sides. Painted in soft gray tones to blend in with its surroundings, it looks modern and new. Set further back and to the right of the house is another massive weatherboard outhouse that matches the colors and theme of the house. The outhouse displays huge glass windows along one side that match the windows on the house.
I blink in shock. Jake’s home is not what I was expecting. At all.
Jake follows the driveway around to the side of the house to a double car garage with paneled roller doors. Picking up a set of keys from the center console, he hits a button and one of the roller doors slowly lifts. Pulling Emma’s car in, he kills the engine and turns to me with an amused look on his face. “Not what you were expecting huh?”
I shake my head slowly and mouth the word, “No.”
Already parked in the second bay of the garage is an old blue and white Ford F100 truck. Beaten up, rusty and in need of a good wash, it fits Jake’s profile much better than the home does. “Dad’s old truck,” he mutters as he opens his door and unfolds himself from the car seat. Flicking the door shut gently, he rounds the bonnet of the car and opens my door for me.
“Where’s your bike?” I ask wondering why it’s not parked in the garage somewhere.
“At the shop. Luke’s riding it over in the morning. He’s going to bring Emma out so she knows where you are and how to get here. You and I are staying here for a few days.”
I send Jake a questioning look that he chooses to ignore. Instead, he holds a hand out to me inviting me to get out of the car. With a shrug of acceptance, I take his hand and climb out of the car. Once upon a time I would have freaked out at the thought of staying anywhere overnight without a change of clothes and my bag of toiletries. Not anymore. The new me knows how to improvise and deal with any situation.
“Nice house,” I announce as he shuts the car door behind me. Leading me to the back of the car, he pops the boot and reaches in. I receive yet another surprise when he lifts out my laptop in its bag and hands it to me. He then reaches in and grabs a suitcase. “Emma packed up some of your shit for you.”
“Um. Okay.”
That’s weird.
And organized.
He slams the car boot shut and leads me to a door near the front of the garage. Pausing to punch an access code into a security panel beside the door, I find myself chuckling. “You’ve got security on your own home, but none at the shop?”
Jake grunts and shrugs. “It was only installed today. They start work on the shop tomorrow. Emma organised it. We are adding camera’s next week. Code here is 298374. Hit the code and then this button to disarm,” he points to a button with a small picture on it. “Hit the code and this button to arm it fully,” he points to another button. “Hit the code and this button to arm just the windows, doors and external buildings if you are home alone or we are going to bed.” He points to a third button. “I’m going to have the number reversed as the code for the shop. Don’t tell anyone this number, ever. The only six people who will know this code are Zane, you, me, Emma, Ma and Luke. Got it?”
He turns to me, a serious look on his face. A small chill of fear spirals down my spine as my body reacts to something I can see in his eyes. Something he is not telling me. I realize he is being very serious about the alarm system on his home.
“Um. Yeah,” I respond softly. He nods and turns back to insert a key and unlocks the door. Swinging it wide, he points me through ahead of him.
We step into a large open living area with two dark gray double-seater couches and a large flat screen mounted on the wall. A wooden magazine table sits in the center of the room between the couches and the flat screen. The room is painted out in pale gray tones. Highly polished floorboards sparkle up at me while paneled windows spill light into the room. The pale walls and sunlight also highlight the enormous pictures of Harley Davidson’s in wooden frames on two of the walls.
“Wow,” I mumble as my eyes graze the room. “It’s beautiful.”
“Thanks,” Jake murmurs back as he guides me across the room to a hallway. Without stopping to point out other rooms along the way, we pass by another roomy open dining area adjoining with a gleaming white open plan kitchen with shiny stainless steel appliances. We also pass by a few other closed doors. Which doors lead to rooms and which doors lead to cupboards, I have no idea. Arriving at the end of the hallway, he flicks a door open and we step into a large master bedroom.
Without hesitating, he lets go of my hand and strides over to throw my suitcase on the bed. The bed itself is solid timber with thick posts at each corner. It is flanked by two matching bedside-tables. There is also a large matching tallboy on one of the side walls. Above the bed head is yet another timber framed picture of a Harley Davidson.
Jake points to a door. “En suite. Unpack. Just put your shit wherever you want it. Move mine if you want to. I’ve got some calls to make and I’ll be right back.” Flicking me a glance to confirm that I am listening, he then walks past me and out the door.
Strange.
Jake seems aloof. Detached. Something is definitely wrong.
I stand staring at my suitcase while I wonder if Jake is unhappy because I smoked pot this afternoon or is it something else? I can’t think of anything else I have done to upset him. With a shrug, I make a snap decision to never smoke pot again and start unpacking. Problem solved.
Opening the suitcase, I grab out the last thing I see Emma packed for me. Toiletries. I wander to the en suite to put them on the sink. The en suite is another oversized room complete with a sparkling double shower on one wall and two individual vanity basins that look like they have never been used. There is also a large white spa in one corner that is peppered with many shiny silver jets. I shake my head with confusion again. The house seems spotless. So not Jake.
How can this be? Jake is a slob.
I set my toilet bag next to a basin and head back to the bedroom to examine the other items Emma packed for me. Emptying everything on to the bed, I see she has done a decent job of setting me up with jeans and t-shirts, plus she has even thrown in a little black dress with matching red high heels. Clearly she has planned for all scenarios.
Wondering where to hang my dress, I look around the room and spy another door leading off to the side near the tallboy. Walking over to open it, I find a large walk in robe with vast expanses of empty hanging space. Apart from a couple of black suits and some collared shirts, Jake has very little hanging in there.
I hang my dress and spot some empty space on the built in shelves so return for the rest of my clothes. With my clothes unpacked, I look around and instantly decide I could shop every day for a month and still be hard pushed to fill all the space in this wardrobe. It’s a woman’s dream.
I make one last run back to the bedroom, to bring back the high heels as well as some thongs and jiffy shoes Emma thoughtfully packed as well. Zipping the suitcase closed, I carry it and the shoes to the walk in robe and stack them all away neatly. I then head back to the bedroom and sit on the bed.
Unpacking done.
Now what?
Jake still hasn’t returned and I feel like a fish out of water in his unfamiliar home. Should I wait or go looking for him? It feels rude to just make myself at home by wandering around so I dig my phone out of my pocket and send Emma a text to thank her for packing me some clothes.
She replies:
No wuz. Stay safe.
Stay safe?
Another strange chill spirals down the back of my neck as I realize that Jake made such a point of showing me how to set the alarm system. His insistence that I not tell anyone else the code was a little strange too.
<
br /> Why are we here? Why aren’t we at the shop?
I send Emma another text.
Is there something I should know?
Her instant reply raises the hair on the back of my neck.
Talk to Jake.
Oh my God.
They’ve found me?
How the hell did they find me? I thought everyone promised me I was safe. What went wrong?
I send Emma another text.
Do they know where I am?
No reply.
I stare at the phone horrified for a few beats before quickly keying another message.
How did they find me?
Still no reply.
Emma?
She finally replies.
Talk to Jake.
Oh my God.
I feel a trickle of sweat run down my temple as I stare shocked at the screen on my phone.
They found me?
Still staring at my phone, I startle when Jake appears in the doorway holding his phone loosely in his hand. “You’ve been talking to Emma,” he says quietly, his eyes watching me carefully.
“Not really. She told me to talk to you,” I reply returning my eyes to stare blankly at my screen as if the answer to how they found me is going to launch out and make itself known.
“You’re still safe,” he says softly as he crosses the room and drops down to sit on the bed next to me. “He won’t get to you.”
I twist my head to look into his beautiful green, concerned eyes. “Who won’t get to me Jake?”
“Vincent Altieri.” I watch as he slouches forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He suddenly looks tired. I can see no traces of his trademark smirk and shiny green mischievous eyes.
“Who is Vincent Altieri?” I ask as I toss my phone on the bed behind us.
Jake sighs and slumps further forward to place his elbows onto his knees. “Tony’s boss.”
“Why are we here Jake? Why aren’t we at the shop?” I ask, my voice starting to sound pitchy as the stress of this conversation wreaks havoc on my vocal chords. I once again feel the familiar tightening of fear as it starts to ball in my stomach. I can feel my blood coursing through my veins as it begins to thicken in response to the rise in my adrenaline levels. My body is preparing for fight or flight.
Jake shakes his head and stares at the floor between his feet. It is starting to irk me that he is not looking me in the face while he delivers all this bad news.
Why won’t he look at me?
“Because he knows about the shop. He knows about me. He even fucking knows about my fucking business. Seemingly he now knows more about me than I do.”
Oh my God.
They know where I am. As in not only the location, but who I am spending my days with. My mind starts to race as I stare at Jake who is still not looking me in the eye.
Is there more? Is he mad because I might put his business in jeopardy? Does he want me to go?
Flight. I need to go.
I need to run so this does not affect anyone but me. It’s all my own fault anyway. Jake, Zane, Emma, everyone else shouldn’t have to look after me.
As if sensing my inner turmoil, Jake moves suddenly. In one powerful motion, he swings, pushes me back and rolls to hover above me on the bed. I stare up into his concerned green eyes silently as he speaks with harsh clarity. “You are still safe Ari.”
I blink.
I wish I could believe you.
He moves his face closer to mine. So close I can feel his hot breath whispering across my lips as he speaks. “You have to believe me. Zane has already started negotiations with Vincent. We’ll work something out. I think he’ll accept a cut of our business in exchange for your immunity. We both think he doesn’t realize it was me who did Tony. At this point he is still only chasing you. Only Luke, Zane and Ma know where this house is. It was built recently and I have always kept it separated from the shop. The title is under Ma’s birth name. Emma is working on shifting it to another name as we speak. They won’t find you here.”
“I was so stupid to think they wouldn’t find me…” I mumble as I feel my body start to tremble.
They found me.
After all that’s happened over the past few weeks, I’m going to die anyway. And even though Jake doesn’t mind, he is willing to take a hit for me too. He is offering up part of his business for me. It’s too much.
“I’m sorry baby,” Jake murmurs as he lowers his lips softly to mine. “We’ll sort this out. Don’t stress. I won’t let them get to you.”
“You don’t have to do this.” I feel the tears prickling at my eyes as I continue to stare up at him. He shouldn’t have to do this. Even worse, deep down in my heart I know there is nothing he can do. Even if he tries to buy my immunity, they will still come for me. It’s the way they work. They are going to come for me and I am going to die for what I did. “I’d be better giving myself up to them and saving you the effort of trying to protect me.”
“No fuckin’ way!” Jake growls angrily, his hot breath beating against my face in his fury. His eyes flash as a hint of fear races through them. He looks genuinely scared that I will leave.
“We’ve got this Ari. You are not going back to them. Ever. You hear me? You belong here now.”
God I wish I did…
“I can’t do this to you. I can’t do this to Zane, Luke and Emma. They’re heartless bastards Jake. I used to hear the stories when Tony was in the kitchen talking to his so called friends. At the time I thought they were all bullshit, but now I know better.”
Feebly trying to shove him off me, my mind racing to thoughts of flight, Jake pins me down harshly with his hands.
“Settle woman,” Jake growls. “There’s no need to run. We’ve got this. There’s more than one way to skin a cat and Emma’s working her ass off trying to find something useful on Altieri to bargain with. I’ve only known your girl a short time but from what I’ve seen, she’s good. Give her some time. She’ll find something. Meanwhile, Zane’s negotiating. We’ve just got to sit tight and wait this out.”
Staring up at the earnest look in his eyes, I wish I could believe him. But I know I can’t.
Jake’s watches me thoughtfully for a while before he starts to relax above me and his eyes start to twinkle and soften. “I can see you don’t believe me. I see you need more convincing.”
Instantly I feel my own body relaxing in response to his and I sigh. His lips twitch and he grins. I don’t feel like grinning so I roll my eyes at him. This appears to amuse him even more because I barely have time to register what is happening when he swoops down, pecks me on the lips, and then launches up off the bed. Bending back, he grabs me by the hips, lifts me, stands me on my feet in front of him and announces, “C’mon, I’ve got something to show you.”
I stare up at him, shocked at the speed with which he had me on my feet. He grins again, grabs my hand and tows me towards the door.
Chapter Nineteen
Body Shots
Jake leads me down the hallway, through a side door and through his laundry to an external door where we exit into his backyard. A gravel path stretches before us. The path leads to a set of sliding glass doors on the side of his large outhouse.
As we approach the sliding doors, Jake announces that this is his shed. I smile and chuckle softly. Jake’s shed looks more like a second house than a shed.
Still holding my hand, he stops me in front of the sliding glass door and turns to grin at me. His eyes are twinkling and he looks excited. Letting go of my hand, he reaches up and places both hands on my shoulders before gently spinning me around to face back towards the house announcing, “Wait here for a second. I’ll yell out when you can come in. I just want to make sure there are no nasty surprises.”
Huh?
Intriguing.
Curiosity fills me as I hear him rattling around with his keys again before he opens and closes the sliding door with a soft thud. As I wait for him to invite me in, I gaze around his backyard and note
that Jake is not a gardening man either. There is no formal backyard apart from the gravel path leading to the shed. The trees loom close to the house from both the left and right sides. The expanse cleared between the two buildings is sparsely vegetated with dead, brown native grasses and plants and the area is littered with leaves and twigs. Jakes backyard fits my normal profile of him far better than the house does.
I am not waiting long before I hear Jake cursing loudly from somewhere behind me. “Holy shit man. That’s one of my favorites. How the fuck did you know? You had a whole fuckin’ box full to pick from and you went the Winnings. Jesus fucking Christ man, it’s fuckin’ drowned.”
Torn between doing as I have been told (staying put) and turning to find out who Jake is talking to, I fight the urge to turn around. Realizing that it is unlikely he would be talking to another adult in such a tone, I start to wonder if he has a child in there.
Oh my God.
Jake has a kid?
How did I not see this coming? I knew he had a wife but no one ever mentioned children. Visions of a smaller version of Jake leap to my mind. They are only there for a brief second before reality seeps in and I realize there is no way Jake would have left a small child on its own in his shed. Especially not out the back of his house and for any length of time.
Is there?
Surely not. Jake’s nature is to take care of people, not abandon or abuse them. Unless the child was old enough to be out the back on his own? If that’s the case, then Jake became a father as a teenager.
Holy shit.
I hear Jake muttering again; not so loudly this time. “Just give it over man and I’ll let her in. Man, let – the – fuck – go.”
With my curiosity piqued, I decide I can’t wait any longer. Ignoring Jake’s orders to wait, I turn and grab the handle to the sliding door, whipping it open before he gets the chance to stop me. As the door slides smoothly open, I catch movement to my right and see that Jake is far too preoccupied to notice my failure to follow orders.
Bent over with his fine, jeans covered ass pointed in the air, Jake is battling (and clearly losing) a game of tug-of-war with a big, wrinkly, fawn colored puppy. The huge baby has a black boxing glove in its mouth and he’s leaning back on his feet, growling softly as he thoroughly enjoys the impromptu game with his huge human friend. The scene is rather David and Goliath but it’s plain to see that David is winning.