Page 70 of Jake's Angel

“Open it.” Caleb orders. All eyes are on me as I walk back and take the bag from Caleb and open it. Shuffling through the clothes, I pull out a pair of stretch pants, a couple t-shirts, and a pile of panties and bras in all colors, styles and fabrics.

One purple lacy set, with a matching bra and thong panties, especially catches my attention. Picturing her luscious, firm little body in these brings my cock to life.

My mind starts conjuring up a series of images of my Angel modeling each of the various pairs of panties and now my spank bank is full, and my dick is rock hard.

Calm yourself you fucking perv. She’s the Pres’s daughter for shit’s sake.

Caleb clears his throat, a warning to get the smile off my face and stop touching her frilly panties.

“Keep digging. But be careful, I don’t know if the safety is on.” He says.

Reaching to the bottom of the backpack, I find a thin, velvet bag and the lump I feel there creates both alarm and suspicion. I pull it out quietly and pull open the strings.

“Shit.”

“Take a closer look at it and tell me what you notice.” Caleb sips his cup.

I check the chamber, remove the clip, which is full, then put it back together. Making sure to engage the safety, I put it back in the bag.

“It looks new, has a full clip. Clean. Doesn’t look like it’s ever been fired.” I look back to Caleb, who’s still calm as can be drinking his coffee.

“With a stack of cash and a gun, either she’s planning on being gone a long time or she’s not done running,” he adds. “There’s more in the duffle. I noticed it last night when I went in to check on her.”

“You went through her things?” He shrugs like it’s no big deal.

“My Bug’s been gone for sixteen years. She didn’t show up here looking to meet her family. She ran away from the one who raised her.” He takes another slow sip. “I learned a long time ago you can tell a lot about a woman by what’s in her bag.”

“Why didn’t you mention it to Gabe or the guys?”

“I was planning to, but then he got on his soapbox about the party and his ignorant ideas of keeping her in the dark about things. It didn’t come up.”

“You said you checked it yesterday. They weren’t talking about the party yesterday.” I narrow my eyes and try to hold in my laughter when all he does is shrug one should and continue sipping his damn coffee.

Sneaky bastard.

Caleb was right. There’s a huge stack of cash. Thousands of dollars. No credit cards, no identification, only cash. What’s her back-up plan?

“With this much money, either she’s planning on settling somewhere and this is her startup money, or she’s not done running. I’ve never known a rich girl who carried cash instead of flashing their daddy’s credit cards all over town?”

Thinking back to when we first met, I realize, “She doesn’t want to draw attention to herself or leave a trail. She paid cash for breakfast at the diner. From her clothes to her cash, Avery was trying to blend in. It’s not uncommon for people to pay cash, but rich kids who come through here are usually all too eager to let you know they have a gold card and can do whatever they want. Like those three girls we saw come walking in.”

“What girls?”

“I don’t know who they were, but Avery sure did. They spooked the hell out of her, and she ran out of the diner.” I don’t tell him how I kissed her senseless before she left.

“Go to her. Don’t do anything, just be there with her. She’s scared, hurt, and, I would imagine, lonely. Maybe having someone be there, not wanting or expecting anything from her, will help her feel better.” He pats my back. “Give her time and she’ll open up if you don’t push her.” I grab her bag and head for the door.

Stepping out on the porch, I find her asleep on the swing. I close the door quietly, not wanting to wake her up just yet, and stand here, leaning against the door, watching her like some kind of creeper. I can’t help it. She seems peaceful. I don’t want to disturb her.

What is it about this girl that makes me want to protect her so much?

She’s not helpless. She’s proven she can stand up for herself on repeated occasions. I smile because she definitely doesn’t have a problem telling people off.

But then there are moments when I see her fear, the uncertainty that she tries so hard to bury. Maybe it’s finding out all the secrets and shit being thrown at her with no warning, but I don’t think that’s it. Not all of it. She was trying to get away from something. She didn’t know what she was running to whenshe came here. Yesterday was shitty for all of us, but for her most of all.

Leaning down, I touch her shoulder gently, trying to rouse her. “Avery. Avery, wake up.” She adjusts her face on her knees but doesn’t open her eyes. A soft whimper leaves her mouth in protest at being woken up.

“Come on, Angel. I need you to wake up. We need to talk.” Stroking her cheek with my hand, I sweep away a few strands of hair that have fallen there. She opens her eyes slowly, taking in my face. “That’s it.” I stroke her cheek once more. She watches me with suspicion, but doesn’t flinch or move away from my touch.

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