Whatever Jazz said to her gave Ainsley the impression that she’s crashing in a hotel for the night, which marginally settles me. I don’t think Jazz would go through the trouble of contacting my sister, knowing she’d be worried about her if she wasn’t genuinely safe. I don’t understand why Jazz didn’t call me , though, and why she ran in the first place. It’s driving me nuts. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll get those answers until I corner Jazz, which I have every intention of doing later on this morning.
I rub at the knot forming in the back of my neck. “The one thing I’m sure of is that Jazz won’t miss spending the day with her sister. We pick her up at eleven every Sunday morning, so if Jazz doesn’t come home before then, I’m going to camp out in front of Belle’s house until she shows up there. One way or the other, I’ll get to her.”
“I hate saying this, but you know I’m gonna give it to you straight.”
I make a spit it out motion with my hand.
Bentley shrugs. “I think you fucked up... at the party, I mean.”
“How did I fuck up? I was doing exactly what we went there to do. And I made more progress in a couple of hours than I have in the last two years . My dad’s finally letting me in. He put a lot of trust in me by bringing me to that house.”
“I know that,” he assures me. “And that’s a really good thing. But the hooker part? Seriously, man?”
“I didn’t have a goddamn choice.” I blow out a breath. “If I didn’t accept his generous gift , as he called it, my dad would’ve known I was lying to him. It was his way of testing my loyalty to him, and I passed that test with flying colors. It had to be done, man.”
“Yeah, but what if Jazz finds out?”
“There’s nothing to find out,” I argue. “And even if there was, my dad or Madeline wouldn’t say shit because they’d have to explain their role in that whole situation.”
“I still think you need to come clean. Didn’t you two agree that you wouldn’t keep secrets from each other anymore?”
“She wouldn’t understand this.” I shake my head. “If I told Jazz, the only thing that would accomplish is hurting her, and she’s had more than enough pain over the last few months. I’m not going to add to it.”
“I think you’re making a mistake, man.”
“It’s my call to make. Stay out of it, Bent.”
“I care about her, too, you know. I have a right to be concerned.”
I scratch the light stubble forming over my jaw. “I know you do, but it’s still my call. Drop it .”
His brown eyes narrow. “I don’t get it. Wouldn’t you rather have Jazz hear about it from your point of view? It’s not like you—”
I hold a hand up, cutting him off. “I said, drop it . Unless you or Reed tell her—” I glare right back at him, “which neither of you will do —she won’t know. It’s better this way.”
Bent shakes his head. “I think you’re making a big mistake.”
“Yeah? Well, then I guess it’s my mistake to make, isn’t it? Since she’s my girlfriend.”
He frowns. “You’re a dick. You know that?”
I scoff. “Trust me, buddy. I’m well aware.”
Chapter 10
JAZZ
“You sure about this, babe?”
I sigh and turn to Shawn. “I just told you about all the shit I’m dealing with. Why would you even question my need to protect myself?”
He sucks on his full bottom lip for a moment. “Who would’ve ever thought your life would be more dangerous moving out of the projects? If I didn’t know you so well, I’d swear you were making this shit up.”
I scoff. “My life has become a telenovela. Why would anyone make that shit up?”
Shawn’s lips twitch, probably remembering all the time we’ve spent bingeing Latinx soap operas on Netflix. We used to make fun of all the preposterous storylines, and now I’m living one. How’s that for irony?
He reaches over and fingers a lock of my hair. “I happen to have some fond memories involving those ridiculous shows.”
I suck in air when his eyes darken. More often than not, Shawn and I would only make it through half an episode before we’d wind up screwing on his bed. Chemistry was never a problem for us, and it’s clearly still not an issue for him, but I’m not on the same page. Hell, I’m not even in the same book.
Pushing his hand away, I say, “Shawn, don’t.”
“C’mon, Jasmine, forget about this crazy-ass plan of yours. Why don’t we turn around and go back to my place? You know I can make you feel good.”
I undo my seat belt and pull the door handle. “Please don’t make me regret asking you for help. You’re the only person I have.”
Great, now he looks pissed. “You said it yourself. He cheated on you tonight. He’s probably been lying to you all along. That pretty boy doesn’t deserve you.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “That doesn’t make it hurt any less, and two wrongs don’t make a right, Shawn.”
“And you think meeting up with Tiny will make it right?”
“Nooooo. I think meeting up with Tiny will give me some reassurances that I desperately need right now. You’re the one who always preached about never relying on someone else to protect me. That if anyone ever comes at me, do what I need to do to save myself. This is me doing that .”
Shawn pulls his hat off and turns the brim backward before putting it back on. “I don’t fucking like this, Jazz.”
“Duly noted. But I’m still going in there.”
He curses. “If you insist on doing this, I’m not letting you walk away until I know for sure you can handle the damn thing. We’ll go to a range or something in the morning.”
“Can’t.” I shake my head. “Sundays are the only days I get to see Belle.”
“Well, then we’ll go Monday.”
“I have school on Monday.”
“You’re going back there? Seriously?”
I rub my temples. “I have to. You know I can’t walk away from this.”
“If something happens to you...”
“I can’t not try . Besides, something can happen to any one of us when we least expect it. My mom is a perfect example of that. She waited at that bus stop almost every damn day without incident for years . I bet she didn’t think she’d get caught in the middle of a drive-by on her way to work that morning and never make it home. I doubt anyone thinks that when they’re going through their regular a.m. routine.”
“I wouldn’t say no body,” he argues.
I roll my eyes. “You know what I meant.”
Shawn grabs my arm to halt my progress when I try getting out of the car. “Hold up a second, a’ight? If we do this, you need to promise me that you’ll be careful.”
“I promise. You know I overthink almost everything. I’ll be safe.”
Shawn yanks the keys from the ignition with a nod, and we both make our way over to the worn-down apartment building. Shawn raps on the door in a one-two-one pattern. After listening to several locks disengaging, it swings open a moment later. The man filling the doorway is the exact opposite of small, which makes his nickname hilarious. Seriously. Dude’s six-and-a-half-feet tall and easily three-hundred pounds. To most, he’s a scary mofo, but to me, he’s just Shawn’s brother from another mother.
Tiny steps aside and flashes a toothy smile. “Damn, girl, you’re getting better with age.”
I smirk. “Thanks, Tiny.”
Shawn punches his arm. “Back the fuck off.”
His best friend takes a step back and holds his palms out. “Chill. Didn’t realize you two were a thing again.”
“We’re not.” I shake my head.
Shawn scowls at that, which makes Tiny laugh.
“So, to what do I owe the honor?” Tiny gestures for me to have a seat on the brown leather couch.
My ex-boyfriend takes a seat on the cushion beside me. “Jazz needs a piece. Something small and easy to handle, preferably.”
“You don’t say...” Tiny’s brows raise in surprise. “Someone giving you trouble, shorty?”
I nod. “You could say that.”
Tiny cracks his knuckles. “All right, then. Step into my office.”