Page 71 of Reckless
Alas, I had to pull myself out and clean up. At least a little. When I returned to the bed, I found Dante and Jaz hadn’t moved an inch, though they were done making out. I climbed onto the bed and cuddled closer to her back, placing a hand on her hip.
“Is it bad that I don’t want this moment to end?” Jaz murmured. Though she faced Dante, I knew the question was meant for both of us.
“No, babe,” Dante whispered.
“No,” I agreed. How could I argue? This, being here with her, even with Dante here…it was nice. It was nice, a respite from all of the shit happening outside. Midpark wasn’t safe for Jaz; I’d known it for a while, but lately, as more crimes get added onto the pile, I’d really come to see it.
Someone had it out for her, but who?
Jaz rolled onto her other side, facing me. She gave me a gentle smile, reaching up to run a hand along my face. Such a tender, soft touch. I couldn’t remember anyone ever touching me like that, let alone look at me with such adoration in their eyes.
“I finally feel like…” She trailed off, biting her lower lip as she tried to think of the words to say. “Like I found somewhere I belong. Where I really, truly belong. I don’t want that to be taken from me because of a crime I didn’t even commit.”
“I won’t let them win,” I promised.
“Yeah,” Dante spoke, “I’ll stab every single person in this town before I let that happen—” When Jaz rolled over to glare at him, he added, “Obviously not mommy dearest, but everyone else is fair game.”
Jaz quieted for a minute. “Even then, it’s like…senior year is almost over. We’re going to graduate. Then what?”
I wished I had an answer for her, I did. I wished I could tell her everything would be okay, that there would be no more loss for any of us, or for the community in Midpark. Frankly, I wished I could lie to her, just to make her feel better. But I wasn’t a liar, not to Jaz. I might’ve said I wouldn’t let them win, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t be a bloody finish. Sometimes you had to fight blood with blood.
I might not know who wanted Jaz to take the fall, but I’d find out, and when I did, they’d wish they never targeted my girl.
Chapter Twenty-Two – Jaz
Mom wasn’t happy with me having a life while being under scrutiny by the police department, but as I kept telling her, I refused to stay in that house and lock myself in my bedroom out of fear. Yes, people kept ending up dead, but it wasn’t my fault. I wasn’t the one doing the killing. Someone else was, and for whatever reason, they want me to look bad.
Besides sleeping with Archer while he was with Brittany, I thought I’d been laying pretty low, but maybe I was wrong.
The only thing that placated my mom was the fact that Jacob was taking me to Archer’s house, and that he’d be watching the entire time. I didn’t want him inside the house, but Mom didn’t need to know all of the details, so I let her continue thinking whatever it was she wanted to.
I might’ve prepped for it like I was going on a date, too. Whoops. What can I say? I guess when it came to Archer, taking things slow just wasn’t an option. We had too much history, had gone through so many things together prior to today. Plus, I knew how good he was with that dick, so…yeah.
You’d think after that afternoon with Dante and Vaughn on Friday, my vagina would want to cool it for a bit, but nope. If you thought that, you’d think wrong.
Though I knew I shouldn’t, I wanted him. I wanted him so bad. Archer had been the focus of my anger, my rage, for so long after that party, along with his girlfriend and everyone who’d been there. I’d bottled up so many emotions, blamed him for everything when in reality it had been Brittany pulling the strings.
You know what they say about love and hate? It’s a very thin line, and I’d been straddling it this entire time with that one.
The only way Archer and I would ever know if there was something concrete between us, if what we felt could last or if it would fizzle out after the shiny newness wore off, was to try. Simple as that.
When my makeup was done and I thought I looked good, I headed out. Ollie was at work again—no shocker there—but Mom was home to see me out. Jacob sat in his car just outside, and though I tried to make a mad dash to the front door and slip out before my mom reached me, I failed. She was like a freaking ninja.
“Honey,” Mom spoke, stepping between the door and me. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and she wore yoga pants that were a size too big. Or maybe she’d been losing weight working for Ollie, cleaning his entire house weekly from the floors to the ceilings. “Are you sure you want to go? I still don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Mom wouldn’t think it’s a good idea, even if I wasn’t being framed for murder. If she had her way, I’d never see any boys, ever. Maybe she thought I’d end up like her, pregnant from a guy who kept his true nature from me.
But that was the difference between her and I. She might not have realized the kind of person Dad was, but I knew exactly who my guys were. What they were capable of, what they’d do for me, I knew it all, and while I might’ve been uneasy about it at first, I wasn’t any longer.
“I know,” I said. “I’ll be fine, Mom.”
“I’ve heard that one before,” she remarked, frowning as she folded her arms over her chest. “Lots of times. And each time, somehow, something always happens. Oliver thinks I should let you make your own decisions, that you’re old enough to make your own mistakes and face the consequences, but I…I don’t know if I agree with him on that. You might be eighteen, but you’re still my baby.”
God, I was not ready for a super deep talk like this.
“Mom, I have to go. Jacob will be with me, anyways. Nothing will happen.”
“Jacob was with you at that party, and those two girls still ended up dead.”
