“Jewel Diner.” Evan checked traffic before pulling away from the curb.
“There’s always a wait there. How are we going to get in and out quick?” I furrowed my brow.
“Let me worry about that. They have the best pancakes in Chicago, and I’m in the mood for some.” He patted his stomach as he maneuvered through traffic.
ooooooooo
It didn’t take long to get to the diner, and I was right. When we pulled up the line was out the door. “Trust me.” Evan patted my knee as he cut the engine, and pushed open his door. I sat there slightly confused on how he going to fix this as he jogged around to open my door. “This way.” He led me around to the side of the diner, and knocked on a door.
“Hey, Ev.” A girl dressed in a Jewel Diner t-shirt and jeans waved as she opened the door. “Come on in. I got your spot saved.” She stepped back, and Evan held the door, waiting for me to enter. “Let me know when you’re ready.” She placed two menus on the table, and then rushed off to help other customers.
“How did you?” I watched the girl flit from table to table.
“That’s my sister.” He chuckled. “I have pull here. Pick out what you want. It’s on me.” He handed me a menu, and then leaned back in the booth.
Sister. That was new. I didn’t even know he had a sister. Sitting here and letting that sink in made me realize that I didn’t know much about him. I was doing it again. I was trusting someone blindly, and I didn’t know anything about them. What else was he hiding?
ooooooooo
Evan
On the drive here, I thought this was a great idea. We had such a good time last night, and Jenni seemed to finally be opening up to me. I don’t know what changed, but as soon as I told her Maggie was my sister, I saw her start to shut down.
“You ready?” Maggie bounced back over.
“Give us a minute, Mags.” I held my hand up.
“Sure thing.” She smiled as she rushed away again.
“Talk to me.” I reached across the table and attempted to cover her hands with mine.
Jenni’s eyes flashed and she quickly jerked her hands away, placing them in her lap. “I don’t know anything about you,” she mumbled.
“We’ve talked about this before. What do you want to know?” I couldn’t help but feel hurt at the way she was reacting to me.
“I didn’t know you had a sister.” She chewed on her lower lip, and I as watched her I couldn’t help but want to bite her lip too. “Do you have any other siblings?”
“No. Mags and I aren’t that close. She’s a lot younger than me. She’s only sixteen.” I shrugged. “Maggie wasn’t a planned pregnancy. I was in middle school when she was born. We’ve never had anything in common.”
“Oh.” Jenni stared off to the side, watching Maggie. “Where are your parents?”
“Not far from here, actually. Sometimes I see them in here in the mornings getting coffee. What else you got?” I crossed my arms over my chest. I wanted her to ask me whatever she needed to be comfortable again.
“I’m being dumb. I’m sorry.” She shook her head.
“No, you’re not,” I growled. “Don’t call yourself dumb. You’re super smart, Jenni. Some asshole fucked you up. He made you blame yourself for something. I just wish you trusted me enough to tell me.” I pinched the bridge of my nose.
“You don’t want to know,” she muttered as she picked at the napkin on the table. “I’m broken.”
“You’re not broken, but I can’t keep fighting shadows. I can’t heal you from something when I don’t know what it is. Please,” I reached across the table, “tell me what he did to you.”
I watched as her eyes darted around to anything but me. She leaned back in the booth, and crossed her arms over her stomach as if she was warding something off. Her fingers furiously played with the leather cuffs as her breathing became erratic. “I need to eat.” Her voice cracked as she grabbed the menu, and began to hide behind it.
I signaled for Maggie to come back, and quickly placed my order for my usual. I was hoping that once Jenni ordered her food, she’d finally open up. It seemed as if we were getting somewhere, but I was also worried that if I pushed too hard, she might shut down completely. I knew enough from my training that some fucker had done something bad. The fact that she was still hiding from me proved it.
After Maggie walked away with our order, I slowly slid out of my side of the booth, and slipped into hers. “Talk to me.” I lowered my voice so only she could hear me. “Tell me what makes you think you’re broken? What did he do to you, Jenni?” I reached for one of her hands. As I wrapped my fingers around hers, they trembled under my touch. “It’s me. I’m not going to judge you. Nothing’s changing. Please.” I squeezed lightly. “I’m begging you, Jenni. Talk to me.”
ooooooooo
Jenni
I never thought when I woke up this morning that the lightness I’d been feeling would turn so heavy. Evan was persistent, I’d give him that. Part of me wanted to tell him so badly what had happened to me. My therapist told me years ago that the more I talked about it, the less power it would have over me. I wanted to believe that to be true, but Evan wasn’t going to see me the same way. Once I let him in, he was sure to either run or see me as broken.
“I want to,” I whispered.
“Please.” He squeezed my hand again, and I closed my eyes.
“What kinda guy were you in high school, Evan?” I blinked as I looked up at him. His brown orbs softened as his head tipped to the side. “Were you a jock? Popular? A nerd? A loner? Where did you fit in?”
“I had friends, but I don’t think I was part of the popular crowd, why?” His mouth turned down as if he was really thinking about it.
“Did you have a girlfriend?” I attempted to look over his shoulder, but he shifted so he was the only thing I could see.
“Yes.” He gave a quick nod.
“Was she pretty?”
“I thought she was. I was really in to her. She wasn’t so in to me though. She cheated on me with my best friend.” He got a sour look on his face.
“Did you love her?” I pressed.
“I don’t think so. I don’t really think I knew what love was then. At the time I probably would have said yes, but looking back now I’m gonna say no. What crowd were you a part of?”
I took a deep breath. Do I tell him the truth? This will change everything between us. “I was an elite gymnast in high school. I didn’t have a lot of time for friends or dating,” I mumbled. “My best friend, Kenzie, understood. I had a boyfriend, Darrin, who said he understood.”
“But he didn’t?” Evan’s breathing picked up slightly.
“No. He broke up with me because I never had time for him, and I wouldn’t sleep with him. He started screwing one of the cheerleaders a week after we ended. I thought I meant something to him.” I stared off in the distance as the sounds of the diner seemed to melt away. “There was this guy in my calculus class. He was on the football team, popular, good looking, every girl in school wanted to date him.”
“Except you.” Evan shifted again. He had this look on his face like he was trying to figure me out, but wasn’t sure he wanted to at the same time.
“Right. Except me. I ignored him as much as I could, but he wouldn’t leave me alone. It was as if I was a challenge to him, and the more I said no, the more he wanted me. I blew him off, and he kept showing up. He’d bring me things, buy me things, call me out of the blue, message me, want to study.” The more I talked, the more Evan seemed to realize he’d done the same thing. It was all starting to click for him, and his eyes widened.
“I finally gave in and went on a date with him. He was the perfect gentleman. The rumors that I’d heard about him seemed to be just that, rumors. I ignored my instincts and started dating him. I thought he really liked me. We went to parties, hung out at school, and I was beginning to feel like me again. He asked me to homecoming, and that night at the dance changed everything.” I t
urned to grab my phone out of my purse. After everything happened, I’d saved a copy of the video to remind myself that I was stronger than that. It’s been part of the healing process, and now I can look at it, and see it for what it was…a way to hurt me. “He did this.” I flicked open the video section, and clicked on it before handing the phone to Evan.
I watched as his eyes darted from the screen to me, and back to screen several times. “Now I want to kill that fucker even more,” he growled.
“That was on every social media site out there. I couldn’t show my face at school without someone commenting on this. I ended up dropping out, and finishing my GED at home. Mason helped me.”
“You’re not broken, Jenni. That guy didn’t break you. You need to know that.” Evan’s eyes started to fill with tears, and I watched him blink them away.
“Yes, he did.” I pulled my hands from his. I took a few deep breaths to work up the courage to do what I was about to do. My hands shook and my fingers trembled as I loosened the laces on the left cuff. “He broke me in so many ways.” A sob bubbled up as I slipped my hand out of the cuff. “More ways than you ever expected.” I turned my hand so my wrist was exposed. “I wasn’t trying to die, Evan, but I was in so much pain.” The tears I’d been holding back began to stream down my face.
Evan pulled me into his arms and held me against his chest. I cried. I cried for everything I’d been hiding. I cried for the girl that I lost. I cried for Evan. He shouldn’t be dealing with this version of me, but most of all I cried for all the others who’d suffered this fate.
“You’re not broken,” he murmured over and over as he slowly rocked me from side to side in the booth. “You have no idea how strong you really are, Jenni.” Evan held me until the tears stopped, and when I pulled back, our food was sitting on the table. “Feel like eating still?”
“Can we get it to go?” I smiled a watery smile.
“Yep.” He lifted his hand and Maggie nodded.
“You come here a lot, don’t you?” I laughed as I wiped my nose with my napkin.
“Eh. Maybe.” He grinned. “I meant what I said. You’re not broken.” He narrowed his eyes as he stared into mine. “I’ll prove that to you no matter what it takes. I’m not going anywhere.”
I nodded as he paid our bill and boxed up our breakfast. As we made our way out to the car, I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted. Evan was different. He didn’t run, and that fact right there made me believe that just maybe he was a good guy after all.
Chapter 18
Jenni
It’s been a few days since I told Evan everything. Not much has changed between us, and I keep asking myself why I’m so afraid to trust him. He didn’t run when he had every right to. Each morning when I’ve shown up for work, he’s been standing outside with a cup of coffee. He’s usually in gym clothes, but today was different. I almost didn’t recognize him when I walked up. He was leaning against the corner of the building in a dark fitted shirt, and black jeans. He had a hat pulled down, shading his face. When I approached him, there was a haunted look in his eyes.
“Hey.” I smiled. “You ok?”
“Morning.” He handed me my coffee.
“What’s with the burglary attire?” I giggled as I flicked his shoulder.
“I got something going on this morning. Wasn’t paying attention when I got dressed.” He sounded almost annoyed that I asked.
“Ok.” I lifted the coffee to my lips, and sipped.
“I’m sorry.” He sighed. “Just a lot on my mind right now.”
“Do you want to cancel tonight?” I hoped he’d say no because I was really looking forward to it, but I also didn’t want to keep him from something important.
“No.” He finally lifted his eyes to meet mine. “Taking you out tonight is going to be the highlight of my day.”
“I’ll see you at six then.” I grinned as I rocked up on my tiptoes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Evan seemed shocked, and rightfully so. I’d never done that before, but I’ve been getting braver lately, and I was trying to live my life, something my brother has been pushing for years.
“I’ll be there.” He pushed off the wall. “I really gotta go.”
“Have a good day.” I waved as I all but skipped up the steps and into the building.
ooooooooo
“Tell your boyfriend he shouldn’t be lurking in the shadows at a security firm.” Mark stepped into the hallway, startling me, as I came in to the building.
“Sorry.” I cringed.
“He shouldn’t be hiding if he’s got nothing to hide.” Mark disappeared back into his office and slammed the door.
“Oookay.” I furrowed my brow. I had no idea what was going on there, but Mark had always been the quiet type. He didn’t cause waves, and was fiercely protective of his girlfriend. He never barked orders at me.
“Ignore him. He didn’t get laid last night,” Dev called as he began walking toward my desk.
“But…” Mark poked his head out and shook it before disappearing again.
“You’re not doing anything wrong, Jenni. We love having you here. Just try not to loiter by the building.”
“I won’t. I’ll tell Evan to stop showing up here.” I lowered my voice to almost a whisper. I don’t know why it was a big deal, and I was sure that Evan wouldn’t stay away no matter what I said to him. He’d never stayed away in the past. Why would he start now?
ooooooooo
Evan
“We’re meeting at ten,” Michael barked into the phone. I’d just woken up, and my brain wasn’t working at top speed yet.
“I’ll be there.” I yawned as I rubbed a palm down my face. It had been a long night. I’d followed Dean to see where he was selling, and had almost run into Dev. I wasn’t far from his office, and I wondered how right he’d been about me being seen there and blowing my cover. What if Jenni had been leaving at the time?
“Don’t be late. Vince has more product.”
“I said I would be there.” I sighed. “Why wasn’t I on this buy?” I was angered at the fact that buys were happening without me. I was never gonna get this sting set up if I kept being left out of the loop.
“I went in your place. Boss seems to like me better.” Michael chuckled.
“I’m sure he does,” I thought to myself. Michael was always trying to get me out of the picture because truth be told, I was more liked by Vince than him. “Who made that call?” I growled.
“You don’t need to worry about that. Just be at Sal’s at ten.” The phone clicked, ending the call, and I rolled to my back in the bed.
As I lay there, I stared at the ceiling. I usually brought Jenni coffee in the morning. How the hell was I going to do that if I was at Sal’s? I couldn’t stand her up. We were supposed to go on a date tonight. I wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardize the way things were. We’d been doing really well lately, and were finally moving in the right direction. I almost kissed her last night, and I asked myself the entire drive home why I didn’t.
“Fuck it,” I muttered as I quickly climbed out of bed. I’d think of something. I was not missing either of these things today. I grabbed my usual black attire and shuffled to the bathroom for a quick shower.
ooooooooo
When I left my apartment, I rushed to the coffee shop to get Jenni’s caramel latte, and then headed to Ford Stevenson. It wasn’t far from where I needed to be, so it didn’t take me long to get there. I parked on the street, and then quickly moved between the buildings. The shadows would help hide me, and I could wait for her without worrying about being seen by someone I shouldn’t be.
When she came bouncing up, I was still lost in my head. She was so happy, and I practically growled at her. I felt like a total ass. When she kissed my cheek, I felt like even more of an ass. I knew that this date tonight had to be one of the best dates she’d ever been on. I needed to get a sting set up, and close this case before I got any deeper. Lying to Jenni made me sick, and I had a
sinking feeling every time I did it that it was going to blow up in my face.
Once Jenni disappeared inside, I rushed to my car and peeled off the curb. I was being stupid and driving like an asshole on my way to Sal’s. When I pulled up behind the building, Vince was leaning against a dark panel van.
“E!” He lifted his arms like I was a long-lost son and he was welcoming me home. “I missed you on the buy. Glad your mom is doing better.”
It took me a minute to realize that this must have been Michael’s doing. Vince had wanted me there, and Michael had made sure that I wasn’t. “Yeah. Much better.” I gave a quick nod. “I’ll be there for the next.”
“Great.” He turned and opened the back doors to the van. “Check out this haul.” I stepped around to see four more duffels filled. “These are going for a five a piece, and you get two bags.” He nodded toward me.
“That’s a lot of weight,” I mused.
“I know you can handle it.” Vince grinned as he unzipped one of the bags to show me how full they were. “We cut this last night. I don’t think you’ll have any trouble unloading it.”
“Not it all.” I smirked. “Give me a week.”
“Nice, nice.” He handed me the bags. “Our next shipment is coming in two days. I want you there for it. We’re meeting at the loading dock at the shipyard. Think your mom will be ok?” He gave me that half glare/ half smirk like he knew that was a bullshit excuse but wasn’t ready to call me out yet.
“Definitely. I’ll be there.” I flung the duffle I was carrying into the trunk of my car. “Just give me a time when you’re all set up.”
“Sounds good. No testing the merchandise.” He chuckled as I climbed into my car.
“Later.” I lifted my chin as I sped away. I needed to get Michael busted so he wouldn’t interfere. This buy would be the perfect set up, and then this would all be over.
ooooooooo
By the time I passed all the intel on to Toni, went home and took a nap, and got cleaned up for my date, I was in desperate need of normalcy. I missed playing the role of the college guy, and I wanted tonight to be low-key for both Jenni and myself.
On Broken Wings (The Witness Series Book 7) Page 12
