The drive back to Tampa takes me a little over twelve hours. After I returned to Kathy’s house to pack my things, I knew I couldn’t leave my car behind. It may have seen better days, but I bought this with the money I made working on Kathy’s farm. I’ve done all my schooling online. The whole college experience is over rated. I only care about getting the education I need to work with children. Becoming a child advocate is a passion of mine. Being the voice of many children and minors that have been abused or neglected, is just something I feel I need to do. There was not much to pack, I guess in some way I always knew I would go back, I just needed someone to give me that push. K.J. provided me that, although coming from him it was more of a shove.
My phone beside me lights up, letting me know someone is calling me. Looking at the unknown number, I debate with myself on answering it or not, but ultimately hit the accept button.
“Hello”
“He just showed up at Dalton’s, when can you get here?”
“K.J. is that you? How did you get my number?”
The silence on the other end of the phone is indication enough that he’s not going to answer either one of my questions.
“I’m twenty miles from Tampa, I can be there in an hour. I thought I would settle in before I seek him out.”
“You thought wrong, see you in an hour.”
The click that follows, let’s me know he hung up. I thought Jasper was a demanding person, but K.J. is by far worse. I’m not dressed for this reunion, and I need time to build up some courage. I know he must hate me, and that I understand. I know his anger will hurt me. I’m just going to have to build up a shield for it.
Pulling into Dalton’s I see endless rows of cars, parked in the grass and along the drive way. I see a guy standing by a red car, with a girl bent over the hood. Thankfully it is now dark, and I can’t really see anything, but the thrusting of his hips tells me everything I need to know.
Finally, I pull into an empty spot, at the end of the property by Dalton’s parents’ house. I get out of my car, shutting the door, taking in the fresh air. I need to clear my head, and take some deep breaths before I have an anxiety attack. I haven’t had one in months. Not since I started therapy again in Tennessee.
Almost to the back yard, I can hear some yelling, and then cheering erupts right after. I have a gut feeling that this is not something I want to witness, but I keep putting one foot in front of the other, getting closer to the crowd.
It takes a little strategic maneuvering on my part, but I eventually make my way through the masses, and end up on the other side. I recognize the shirt of the man I saw screwing some girl on the hood of a car. He is pounding on some guy, that is bleeding heavily. No one is making any effort to stop him, they just look on, as if this is not the least bit disturbing. One finale blow to the man’s face and he goes limp underneath the animal on top of him. When the guy stands up, I immediately gasp, having now recognized who it is.
“Jasper? Is that you?”
I ask the question, but already know the answer. Deep down I’m hoping my eyes are playing tricks on me. The moment he turns around and I am once again looking into his beautiful hazel eyes my stomach drops. His face is covered with blood, his clothes ruined with all the dark red splatters. Looking at him you would think he was attacked, not the one giving the beating.
I can see the hatred in his eyes, that are currently making their way back up my body. The look of disdain on his face, breaks my heart. I have to remind myself that I did this to him, I turned his once soft inviting stare, into something dark and cold.
“Jasper” I whisper again, trying to get him to say something.
He gives me one last glance, then turns around, abruptly walking away. He points at a girl as he walks by her, and she follows him toward the house.
I stand there, my body numb, not quite sure what to do. Do I follow them, demanding him to talk to me? Do I leave, and give him time to process that I’m back? Just when I am about to turn around to leave, K.J. strides over to me, “Go after him.” He says, not leaving anything up for discussion, “Now!”
His demand has me walking toward the house. Looking back over my shoulder, he’s giving me an annoyed look, so I speed up, practically running now.
Catching up to Jasper and his friend, I grab his hand, trying to get him to look at me. He snatches his hand back like I burned him. Although I ultimately get what I want, he is now looking at me, with murder in his eyes.
“Did I give you permission to touch me?” Jasper shouts at me.
I take a step back, planning on retreating. The only thing that stops me, is remembering the look on his face when I walked out of that auditorium three years ago. He loved me at one time, this is his way of hurting me back.
I stop myself from taking another backward step, instead I take two steps forward, getting into his space.
“No, but I didn’t think I needed permission, sorry. I just want to talk to you in private.”
Our eyes once again connect, he’s smirking at me, making it obvious his next statement is going to be difficult to hear.
“You want to talk in private, or you want me to take you upstairs, and fuck you until your screaming my name again?” He leans in closer, “If you want, you can join me and Macy, maybe I’ll teach you how to suck dick too.”
The girl he walked into the house with, standing to his right, looks up at him, “My name is Lacey not Macy asshole.”
This doesn’t deter Jasper. He is still staring at me expectantly. Most likely thinking I’m about to run.
“I know what you’re doing Jasper, and I’m not going anywhere.”
He looks down at my arms changing his tactics, “Nice shirt Candice, I see you’re no longer afraid of showing the evidence of how weak of a person you really are.”
Tears immediately pool into my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. He used my past against me, pointing out to everyone what I did. I feel someone drape their arm across my shoulder, I meet Dalton’s eyes, and instantly see the pity he is trying to hide. it’s then I realize he is not wearing a shirt, and his hat is missing as well. Looking at him, I see that his nipples are pierced. There are hoops hanging from each one, with spikes on the end of them.
“Jasper, how dare you smart off to our friend about weakness when you are currently relying on alcohol to get through your days. People in glass houses should not throw shit, it’s a bitch to clean up.”
“I think you mean stones dumbass,” Lacey says, “Are we going upstairs or not Jasper?” She reaches for him, grabbing his arm. I expect him to pull away, but he just scowls, and looks back at Dalton and me.
“This is none of your business, why don’t you go find Bethany and play house.”
“This is my business, you are being an asshole to a guest in my home, that is not something I will tolerate.” Dalton says. “Besides Bethany is still tied to our bed upstairs, I heard this commotion and left her up there to check it out. We decided to play master/slave tonight, not house,”
“Invited guest? Who in the hell invited her?” Jasper shouts.
“Me.” K.J. says, stepping out of nowhere. I need to find out how he does that.
Jasper looks between Dalton, K.J. and myself. The look of betrayal is visible on his still dirty face. “Stay the hell away from me Candice, I don’t know why you are back, but you should have stayed gone. As for you two, I’ll make sure you both pay for this.” Jasper then slams his way past us, Dalton taking most of the hit, making his way toward the front door. Lacey is hot on his heels, practically begging him to take her with.
“Well that was fun,” Dalton says giving my shoulder a squeeze, “Glad to have you back babe, but my slave girl is waiting for her punishment.” He releases me from his grasp, leaving me standing alone with K.J.
“Well that went about as well as expected, I’m going home now.” I say to K.J.
“He will be at the bar tomorrow night. I’ll send you the address.” K.J. says. I guess I’ll be
doing this again tomorrow.
Walking to my car, I realize that it was nice to have Jasper’s eyes on me again. Even if there was nothing but hatred in his glare. Tomorrow night might go smoother. I only hope someone is there to be a buffer. I don’t think it’s wise to have Jasper in the same room with me without back up.
Chapter 3
Jasper
Waking up this morning, I feel a throbbing in my head and a turning in my stomach. I don’t remember much of last night after I left Candice standing with the two assholes I consider family. They stood beside Candice when they should have been by my side.
Rolling out of bed, I slowly make my way to the bathroom. When I reach out to grab the doorknob, I notice how tore up my hands are. I stretch out my knuckles, realizing they are a little sore. I’m sure I have multiple missed calls from my manager Ken and the boss man Trent. According to them, I can’t go around getting into fights with random people, it reflects bad on the company, and myself. I would have thought by now they would realize I don’t fight random people. I fight pompous assholes, who don’t know how to please their women.
A quick shower is what I need to clear my head, and maybe release some of the tension in my muscles. It’s Bethany’s birthday tonight, she is finally turning twenty-one like the rest of us, so we are going to a bar to celebrate. I need to get rid of this headache, and rehydrate my body before I can even think about consuming anymore alcohol.
I can see the red light blinking on my phone that is sitting on the counter. Picking it up, I walk into my closet, to get a pair of jeans. I actually have a day off today, so I’m just going to sit around the house, watching some fights I have recorded. It’s my job as champion to know everyone in my division, since they ultimately want to fight me.
Halfway to the living area, my phone rings in my hand, looking down I see Ken’s name.
“It’s early, what do you want?” I’m usually not this rude to him, but I know he is going to give me shit about last night.
“Care to explain why I have some man named Raymond calling me demanding a pay off or he’s going to the cops. What did you do this time Jasper?”
“I don’t know anyone named Raymond.” I reply, but something is telling me it’s the guy from last night.
“Really, because this guy’s friends have you on video beating the shit out of him. They want a hundred grand or they will turn over a tape. How much money are you going to have to pay before you learn your lesson.”
“Just call the lawyer, and get this shit handled. My accountant will have the money wired to the douche bag once everything is finalized. Don’t bother me again today, it’s my day off.”
“Jasper you can’t keep…” he is still talking when I hang up the phone. It looks like I’m going to have to pay this money whether I like it or not. I’ve gotten lucky a few times, not all of them have proof, it was me. Seems luck was not on my side this time. Just like the rest of the women out there, lady luck is a bitch.
I’m on my tenth fight, when I hear someone coming in through the front door. I only gave out two keys, and I didn’t hear K.J.’s bike pull up. Dalton walks into the living room, and plops down on the recliner beside mine. He could have chosen one of the two couches, but I don’t blame him, these recliners are more comfortable. I pause the fight, between the two guys currently ranked 9th and 13th. Neither of them have a shot at fighting me anytime soon, they have a lot of improvements to make.
“I watched this fight a month ago, you’re that far behind man?” Dalton asks, reclining his chair back.
“What do you want Dalton? We’re going to see each other later tonight, so why in the hell did you come here to bug me?”
“Careful brother, you might make me think I’m not wanted,” He stretches his arms out wide, “I mean come on, who wouldn’t want this?” He asks.
I don’t say anything to him. I just lean back and cross my arms behind my neck, waiting for him to say the real reason for him coming over.
“I stopped by to warn you that Candice will be at the bar tonight. Bethany wants there to be no drama. I promised her you would be on your best behavior. Since you’re my bro and know how bad blue balls feels, I know you’ll play nice.” Dalton is looking at me, waiting for me to respond. When I can see he is starting to get annoyed, I simply say, “No.”
His face falls, eyebrows lowering slightly, showing his frustration. “What do you mean no?”
“I’m not going to play nice and pretend to be okay with her being there. She left me, remember? Now she is the one trying to come back and act like nothing happened.”
“You’re not the only one she left. We all cared about her. She isn’t your enemy Jasper, she had her reasons for leaving. Maybe if you could get past your anger you would realize second chances don’t happen often. You need to talk to her, at least let her explain why she lef.”
I don’t have the energy or the patience to continue on with this conversation. There would never be a good enough excuse for her abandoning me along with all her friends. Bethany may want her at the party, and she may expect me to play nice, but we don’t always get what we want.
“Alright, just shut up and get out of my house, no one wants to play Doctor Phil right now.”
“I’ll see you around eight o’clock then, try not to get into any fights tonight. Ken called me this morning when he couldn’t get a hold of you. A hundred grand is a lot to pay for pussy, especially that piece you had last night.” He says this scrunching up his nose, “You may want to scrub your skin with some rubbing alcohol, I swear that bitch had something growing on her lip.”
He walks out of the living room laughing the whole time. Him and K.J. have been busting my balls about the chicks I’ve been hooking up with. Dalton seems to forget he used to do the exact same thing, but now Bethany has him wrapped around her little pinky. There is absolutely nothing he wouldn’t do for her, it’s sickening.
Chapter 4
Candice
When I walked through the door of Aunt Stacy’s house last night, I could finally breathe a little easier. Three years ago when I first got here, I was determined to keep to myself until I turned eighteen, and left to find my place in the world. That shortly changed. This place is my home. This is where I belong.
I enjoyed getting to know Kathy, she was a really sweet person. I hardly left the farm, Kathy understood and never pressured me. I would lay awake at night, writing letters to Jasper that I was too scared to send off. I have never been the go and get em’ type of person, I prefer to stay in my comfort zone, and watch from a safe distance. Jasper may not know it, but for the first time in my life I am prepared to fight back. I’m not running anymore.
I hear a soft tapping on my door, before Aunt Stacy opens it, “I tried to give you some space, and let you settle in, but I could hear you pacing. Is there something wrong?” She asks, while making her way to the edge of the bed.
I look down at her, now that she’s sitting, I take a deep breath before I unload all my thoughts on her. “I saw Jasper at Dalton’s last night, it didn’t go very well. He completely hates me. He was there with some girl that was absolutely stunning, when I touched him he freaked out. I didn’t see Izzy or Bethany there, but I’m sure they’re just as mad as Jasper. I never told them what was going on, so as far as they know, I just up and left everyone without cause. How am I supposed to fix this? How can I make Jasper love me again? How can I try to do all this while Christopher is still out there somewhere, probably waiting on me? What happens if I run into him, or London, who by the way probably still hates my guts?”
By time I am done with my rant, my hands are covering my stomach and mouth. I feel sick with worry and panic. I’m currently trying to recite the lyrics to one of my favorite songs in my head. This is just one of the many suggestions the therapist told me to do when I feel anxious. When I am calm enough to open my eyes again I catch my Aunt staring up at me and smiling.
“I will help you with all of this, so long as you te
ll me when you started singing.” My Aunt asks me as she stands up to give me a hug. Did I just sing that song out loud? Pulling away, I sheepishly look at her, “I’ve always sang, I just never do it in front of anyone. I didn’t realize I was singing out lout just now.”
“It was beautiful. You have a real talent for it. Why don’t we go get a cup of coffee and I’ll help you figure out what to do.”
I follow my aunt out of my room and into the kitchen. She pours me a cup of coffee with four sugars and a lot of cream. I love my coffee sweet, I’m surprised she remembered. She walks over to me and sets the cup in front of me on her new round table. Everything else in the room looks the same, which surprises me, aunt Stacy loves to redecorate.
“Upstairs you had some concerns about Christopher and London,” She says, while grabbing my hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Let’s start with Christopher. Your uncle hired a detective to find him shortly after you left. He must have someone helping him, because as soon as our guy spots him, he disappears again. He was last seen in Miami a month ago. There is no way of knowing what he’s thinking or possibly planning, but you already put a restraining order on him, that is all we can legally do. Just make sure you are never alone in a public place, and listen to your gut, I promise we are doing everything we can to keep you safe.” She pauses and looks at me before she continues, making sure I’m still listening. I haven’t had a flash back in over a year, so I’m hoping they are all but gone.
“Now London is a different story. She went missing two days after you left. The cops think she ran away because she couldn’t deal with the shame of what she had done. Her parents hired a retired CIA agent to find her, but they never could. It’s crazy really, because her disappearance helped her father win the election. My gut tells me something else happened, I don’t think she felt shameful at all, but that’s neither here nor there.”
Torn Apart (Fatally Flawed #2) Page 2