Page 38 of Jake's Angel

“Well, I need to go to Magpie’s to order a strawberry rhubarb pie for Daddy because it’s his favorite and Mama said hehasto have one. Of course, he won’t get to eat it until she’s done chewing his ass for not coming home before he went to the clubhouse this morning.”

“I thought we could eat lunch there, and then I have a list of shit Liz asked me to pick up for Sadie’s graduation party this weekend.” She shrugs, ticking off all the other errands she has to run for the party, but my brain stopped processing everything after the word Magpie’s.

“Do they serve breakfast all day at Magpie’s?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, twenty-four-seven.”

I run to my room, grab my backpack, return to the living room and push her out of the front door, then I turn the lock and pull the door closed. I grab Jayde and drag her by her wrist to her car. “Let’s go.” She laughs at my eagerness. Waffles and strawberries with whipped cream have recently become my new favorite meal.

Jayde chats my ear off the entire way to the diner, talking about Sadie’s party, the clubhouse, and all the crazy preparations they have yet to finish. By the time we pull in, my head is spinning with all the things she’s said needs to be done, and it’s not even my party.

I wonder if I’ll be able to go.

It’s probably not a good idea with Mack being there.

We find a booth in the back. The same one Bethany and her tribe of tarts were sitting at. Misty, our waitress, takes our order, then we sit and eat in silence for the first few minutes.

“So, Sadie said you ran away from a shitty situation.” Jayde tosses her hands up when I glare up at her from my plate. “What I mean is—she told me you didn’t choose to live there, and the people weren’t accepting of you because you're adopted?”

I snicker to myself. That’s putting it mildly.

“People like rumors and gossip more than they care to know the truth.” It’s the best explanation I can give without telling herthe truth. “My mother left a long time ago and pissed off a lot of people in doing so.”

“What about your dad?” She shoves a bite of pancake into her mouth, waiting patiently while I try to find the best way to answer her. It’s not that I don’t want to, I just don’t have any answers for her except the simplest one, which is—I have no fucking clue.

There’s a lump in my throat I’m pretty sure has nothing to do with the waffles, and I’m trying desperately to swallow past it. I don’t like talking about my mother’s death. There are too many unanswered questions.

I shrug and give her the only thing I know about him. “I don’t know who he is. He bailed on her … on us.”

“Wait, he left you, and then she … what? She just left you there? No explanation, no nothing?” I see the pity in her eyes. She hurts for me, and although I appreciate her empathy, it’s unnecessary.

“Hey.” I reach over, touching her hand with mine. “It’s no big deal, really. He didn’t want to be a father and she …” I shove a strawberry in my mouth, turning to watch the passing cars out the window. “She died.”

I hear her sharp intake of breath and close my eyes for a second, trying not to react to her sympathy. People have always reacted one of two ways when they learn about my parents. Most think I’m trash because of who my mother was and how she rebelled against her parents, tarnishing their good name. Others offer pity.Poor orphaned girl. Her mother died and her father abandoned her. Such a shame.

I see the sorrow in Jayde’s eyes. I don’t fault her for it. She doesn’t know how her pity makes me feel. She’s just trying to be a good friend by getting to know me and empathizing with me over my fucked-up situation. I can’t find the right words to tellher that my parents leaving me wasn’t even the worst part. It was just the first cloud in the long running shit storm that is my life.

I excuse myself to use the restroom, leaving money on the table to cover the bill.

I handle my business, then wash my hands and splash cold water on my face. Leaning on the sink, I stare at the woman in the mirror staring back at me. She’s broken, damaged, and scared. Sometimes she feels all alone, but the one thing she is that everyone has always overlooked and underestimated—is resilient.

I may not have been wanted by my father, and my mother’s death may have delivered me into the hands of the Devil herself, but I don’t have to be that scared little girl anymore. I get to choose from here on out who I want to be, what I want to do, and where I want to do it. My life, my decisions. It’s time to find out who Avery really is.

Walking out of the bathroom feeling proud and confident for the next stage of my life, I feel an arm grab me from behind, pinning my back to a large, muscular body. Another hand covers my mouth, and a man’s deep, husky voice whispers in my ear.

“Don’t scream. I’m not going to hurt you. I’ve come to warn you.” He waits for my reaction. When I nod, telling him I understand, he slowly backs us into the corner near the exit door. The same corner I shared that searing kiss with Jake.

“I’m going to release you now. Don’t talk. Just listen. Nod if you understand.” I do as he asks, and he lowers his hands, taking a step back. “You’re being watched. A man by the name of Marco Cusenza has sent some of his peons to kidnap you and bring you back to him. They were supposed to grab you at the mansion, but Chuck fucked it up.”

I’m barely able to take in air. My breathing is coming in short pants. He sees my trepidation and attempts to soothe me, even though he’s the cause of the terror I’m feeling.

“Hey. Hey. Take a deep breath, sweetheart.” I do as he says. “There you go. Okay, look, I’m not here to hurt you. I’m not one of them. I was, but I’m not. Not anymore. Shit.” He places a phone in my hand, clasping his own hand around mine. “When you’re ready, you text me from this phone. You tell me where and when, and I’ll meet you there. I’ll tell you everything you want to know about your mother’s death.”

My eyes widen, my heart thumps so hard in my chest it feels like it may burst. He nods his head, his eyes never leaving mine.

“I was there. I know exactly what happened. For that reason alone, I should be dead. I’m putting my life on the line to help you, and now, since you’ve run from them, you’ve put your life on the line too.” The stranger says quietly.

My palms are sweating, tears are streaming down my cheeks. A mixture of fear and anger is causing my body to vibrate. I can hear the thrumming sound of my heartbeat and the airy sound that echoes in my ears with my every breath.

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