anybody. Nate was a
schemer. He knew how to plan, implement, and consequently destroy. “If
someone’s playing us, then it would be Nate, not my new friends, Jett.”
The air
felt cantankerous. I almost wanted to open my mouth again, when Jett stirred,
turning his back to me as he spoke.
“Are you
finished?”
His harsh
words took me by surprise.
I stepped
back, suddenly angry. “You don’t believe me?”
Shock
crawled up my neck as I watched Jett grab my bag. “No, that’s not it. I do
believe you. That’s the thing. I believe what you say is true.” With that, he
turned away from me and walked to the door, expecting me to follow after him,
which I did.
The drive
back to the gang’s headquarters seemed overly long and tiresome, filled with
awkward silence and tense vibes that were so unusual in our relationship.
Leaning my head against the cold glass, I watched the dark clouds hovering over
the skyscrapers.
Soon, very
soon, it would be raining again.
Was Jett
right in his assumption that my new friends rather than Nate might be involved?
It all seemed impossible, almost unbelievable, but how could I know the truth
in a world where craziness couldn’t be restrained?
The soft
pounding in my head increased as I remembered the two bags in my car, and the
knowledge that the police had been near Jett’s apartment. In spite of Jett’s
warning, I could barely suppress the urge to call Thalia and finally get
answers to the questions burning inside my head.
“What are
you thinking about?” Jett’s voice jolted me back to reality, his tone sharp, as
though sensing my turmoil.
I shrugged,
glancing at the busy streets. “Nothing.”
“You sure?”
I turned to
eye him for a moment. The hard mask he had been wearing since the hospital was
still in place. His stance was rigid; his eyes were focused on the road ahead,
his grip around the wheel tight, as though he needed to gain control over
something—anything. Shivering, I wrapped my arms around myself as I
realized that the topic of conversation was dangerously close to returning to
his brother. Jett would want to continue our conversation at some point,
whether I wanted it or not. Seeing that Jett was already disgruntled, I doubted
talking about such a sore point would help ease the tension—and
particularly not since Jett seemed convinced that Nate held no power behind
bars.
“Yeah.” I
folded my hands in my lap, fidgeting in my seat. “Nothing at all.”
“All
right.” He let out a loud sigh as his foot hit the accelerator. We sped ahead,
overtaking two cars. Ignoring his bad mood, I turned my attention back to the
clouds.
This was
going to be so difficult.
At least your baby’s safe, Stewart. Or is it?
The
uncertainty made me shiver again.
I closed my
eyes for a moment. It had been a long night and three hard days. A few months
ago, back when Jett and I started dating, his fast driving had bothered me. Now
I was used to it, even bordering on feeling safe. Maybe it was Jett, his
authority and personality, but even when he was angry, I felt protected and
sheltered. There was something peculiar about the man next to me, as if the
control he exerted over the wheel could be applied to all aspects of my life.
Or maybe it was just the hope that the faster we went, the more easily we could
escape whoever was trying to destroy us.
Escape
whatever had been slowing me down.
Either way,
I didn’t mind his driving.
I just
wanted to erase the bad memories, the bad vibes, all the things that haunted
us.
Driving
fast, if only to get away from it all, and never look back, felt good.
It was only
when Jett slowed down that I forced my eyes open and glanced out the window. I
instantly recognized the houses, the familiar street sign, and the bakery.
Whoa!
My body
jerked into an upright position the moment Jett pulled up in front of my
apartment.
“What are
you doing here?” I asked.
He had
claimed it was too dangerous to contact anyone,
schemer. He knew how to plan, implement, and consequently destroy. “If
someone’s playing us, then it would be Nate, not my new friends, Jett.”
The air
felt cantankerous. I almost wanted to open my mouth again, when Jett stirred,
turning his back to me as he spoke.
“Are you
finished?”
His harsh
words took me by surprise.
I stepped
back, suddenly angry. “You don’t believe me?”
Shock
crawled up my neck as I watched Jett grab my bag. “No, that’s not it. I do
believe you. That’s the thing. I believe what you say is true.” With that, he
turned away from me and walked to the door, expecting me to follow after him,
which I did.
The drive
back to the gang’s headquarters seemed overly long and tiresome, filled with
awkward silence and tense vibes that were so unusual in our relationship.
Leaning my head against the cold glass, I watched the dark clouds hovering over
the skyscrapers.
Soon, very
soon, it would be raining again.
Was Jett
right in his assumption that my new friends rather than Nate might be involved?
It all seemed impossible, almost unbelievable, but how could I know the truth
in a world where craziness couldn’t be restrained?
The soft
pounding in my head increased as I remembered the two bags in my car, and the
knowledge that the police had been near Jett’s apartment. In spite of Jett’s
warning, I could barely suppress the urge to call Thalia and finally get
answers to the questions burning inside my head.
“What are
you thinking about?” Jett’s voice jolted me back to reality, his tone sharp, as
though sensing my turmoil.
I shrugged,
glancing at the busy streets. “Nothing.”
“You sure?”
I turned to
eye him for a moment. The hard mask he had been wearing since the hospital was
still in place. His stance was rigid; his eyes were focused on the road ahead,
his grip around the wheel tight, as though he needed to gain control over
something—anything. Shivering, I wrapped my arms around myself as I
realized that the topic of conversation was dangerously close to returning to
his brother. Jett would want to continue our conversation at some point,
whether I wanted it or not. Seeing that Jett was already disgruntled, I doubted
talking about such a sore point would help ease the tension—and
particularly not since Jett seemed convinced that Nate held no power behind
bars.
“Yeah.” I
folded my hands in my lap, fidgeting in my seat. “Nothing at all.”
“All
right.” He let out a loud sigh as his foot hit the accelerator. We sped ahead,
overtaking two cars. Ignoring his bad mood, I turned my attention back to the
clouds.
This was
going to be so difficult.
At least your baby’s safe, Stewart. Or is it?
The
uncertainty made me shiver again.
I closed my
eyes for a moment. It had been a long night and three hard days. A few months
ago, back when Jett and I started dating, his fast driving had bothered me. Now
I was used to it, even bordering on feeling safe. Maybe it was Jett, his
authority and personality, but even when he was angry, I felt protected and
sheltered. There was something peculiar about the man next to me, as if the
control he exerted over the wheel could be applied to all aspects of my life.
Or maybe it was just the hope that the faster we went, the more easily we could
escape whoever was trying to destroy us.
Escape
whatever had been slowing me down.
Either way,
I didn’t mind his driving.
I just
wanted to erase the bad memories, the bad vibes, all the things that haunted
us.
Driving
fast, if only to get away from it all, and never look back, felt good.
It was only
when Jett slowed down that I forced my eyes open and glanced out the window. I
instantly recognized the houses, the familiar street sign, and the bakery.
Whoa!
My body
jerked into an upright position the moment Jett pulled up in front of my
apartment.
“What are
you doing here?” I asked.
He had
claimed it was too dangerous to contact anyone,
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