Going After What's Mine

by Weston Parker

  She rushed out, dashing into the bathroom off the hallway. I headed to the kitchen to make coffee. I had just put the pot on when I heard what had to be a window shattering. I immediately assumed it was my living-room window and raced to see what happened. The window seemed fine.

  I yanked open the front door in time to see one of the guys from the diner running down the road and jumping into his friend’s waiting truck. I walked outside to see what had been broken.

  I could see dark glass behind my truck and walked to inspect the damage.

  “Fuck!” I shouted, looking at my shattered back window. “Motherfuckers!”

  I headed back into the house and went straight for the lock box tucked away in my top dresser drawer.

  Jenna came in the room. “What happened?” she asked, fear on her face.

  “Your little buddies decided to smash my damn window!” I snarled.

  “My little buddies?” she asked, shock on her face. “Who?”

  “Aaron, Darren, Barron, whatever the fuck their names are!” I shouted, unlocking the box with my thumbprint and grabbing my nine millimeter.

  “What are you going to do?” she asked, her eyes wide with shock and fear.

  “I’m going to end this!”

  “With a gun! Don’t you think you are overreacting a bit?”

  I grabbed a T-shirt and pulled it on, glaring at her the whole time. “No, I don’t. I didn’t move here to deal with more shit. I came here to escape exactly this kind of drama. I should have known getting involved with you was a mistake.”

  She flinched as if I had slapped her. “Getting involved with me?” she asked, her index finger pointing at her heart. “I’m sorry, but I’m the one who can’t go home because you dragged me into your twisted world.”

  I shook my head. “You’re right. We should have never hooked up. It will be a mistake I’m sure I’ll be regretting for quite a while.”

  She spun around, stomping into the bathroom and slamming the door behind her. I heard the shower come on. I sighed, the gun still in my hand. I put it back in the box. She was right. I couldn’t go shooting a couple jerks for smashing my window. That would land me in prison and leave Abby all alone.

  I ran a hand over my face and headed into the kitchen to find Abby and Kevin in there. Kevin was getting Abby a bowl of cereal.

  “That was a hell of a way to wake up. In the future, a slight knock on the door should do it,” he said, his voice full of sarcasm.

  “Are you mad at Jenna, Daddy?” Abby asked, her little face crestfallen at the idea.

  I shook my head. “No, sweetie. It was just a little argument. No big deal.”

  I heard a snort from Kevin and turned to see him shaking his head. “You fucked up,” he mouthed so Abby wouldn’t hear.

  I groaned. “I know. I’ll talk to her after she’s had some time to cool down.”

  Moving to the coffeepot, I poured a cup and leaned against the kitchen counter while I drank the first few sips.

  “I take it your window was smashed?” Kevin asked, after giving Abby her cereal.

  I nodded. “A few guys were harassing Jenna in the diner a bit ago. I intervened. They’ve been giving me a hard time since.”

  “Is it an ex-boyfriend of hers?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “No. She went to high school with them. One of them, his dad owns the diner she worked at. She got fired last week for standing up to him after he grabbed her ass.”

  “Isn’t that sexual harassment or something?”

  I nodded. “I guess the dad is some bigwig in town and she doesn’t want the hassle. I’m paying her to watch Abby for now.”

  He let out a low whistle. “You really stepped in it.”

  “Stepping in it is what I do best apparently.”

  Kevin grabbed a bowl and filled it with cereal before going to sit at the table with Abby. I took my coffee and joined them, waiting for Jenna to emerge from the bathroom. I felt guilty for yelling at her. I was frustrated and took it out on her. I hoped she would give me a chance to explain myself and apologize.

  Kevin and Abby finished their cereal while I finished a second cup of coffee. There was still no sign of Jenna.

  “That’s a long shower. I’m guessing the hot water’s gone.”

  I nodded. “We can shower later. Abby, can you go get dressed please?”

  “I have to go potty.”

  “Use the bathroom in my room.”

  Once she was out of the room, I turned to Kevin.

  “How are we going to handle Axel?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. It’d be smart to watch them and see how many guys we’re dealing with.”

  “Once she’s out of the shower, we can go,” he said. “I’m going to get dressed. I’ll be using your bathroom as well.”

  I walked down the hall, pausing at the bathroom door. I could still hear the shower running. I gently knocked on the door. “Jenna?”

  She didn’t answer. I hadn’t really expected her to. I walked away, feeling like a giant turd for the way I had treated her. After getting dressed and brushing my teeth, I went back to the bathroom door. The shower was still running.

  Kevin emerged from the spare room across the hall. “Seriously?” he said, his brows raised in question.

  “It’s been like forty-five minutes,” I commented.

  He nodded. “Are you sure she’s okay in there?”

  I knocked on the door again. I didn’t know her all that well. I hoped she wasn’t the kind of woman who would hurt herself over something like this.

  “Jenna! Jenna, I’m coming in!”

  Of course, the door was locked. A couple hard knocks with my shoulder and the cheap door gave way. I was immediately hit with a blast of warm air, but it wasn’t from the hot shower. The bathroom window was open, and the screen gone. I yanked the shower curtain back, already knowing what I was going to find.

  “Dammit!” I shouted, reaching into shut off the water.

  “She’s gone?” Kevin asked with surprise.

  “Yes! Son of a bitch. She can’t be running around town on her own. If—”

  I stopped talking when Abby appeared beside Kevin.

  “Stay here and watch her please. I’m going to find her.” I raced out to grab my wallet and keys.

  I saw that her car was gone from her driveway. I climbed into my Tahoe, checked the rearview mirror out of habit, and was reminded of why she was gone in the first place. I’d have to deal with the broken window later.

  Driving straight to the diner, I looked for her car on the road as I went. She wasn’t at the diner. I sat in the parking lot, trying to think of where she would go.

  “Rose!” I said, slapping my hand against the steering wheel. Of course, she’d go to Rose’s apartment.

  Cruising through the complex, I didn’t see Jenna’s car. She wasn’t there.

  “Where the fuck are you, Jenna?” I asked aloud.

  I drove around town, driving through the parking lot of the grocery stores, fast food restaurants, and anywhere else I could think of. The whole time, I was calling her every five minutes, demanding she pick up the phone.

  Unfortunately, I had no idea where her mother lived, which was probably where she was. That was probably safe enough, assuming Axel’s guys hadn’t been sitting out front waiting to follow her. I drove back to the diner one last time and went inside to see if Rose was working. She wasn’t.

  I wasn’t going to find Jenna. I drove home, my eyes darting left and right as I searched for her car. Every time I looked in my rearview mirror, I wanted to kick myself. It was a window. It was an easy replacement. I even had insurance. I shouldn’t have gotten so mad.

  I just hoped Jenna was okay. It was probably better she was away from me. I had no idea what Axel had planned, but I wanted as little collateral damage as possible.

  When I arrived at home, it was to find Kevin in the driveway, sweeping up the broken glass.

  “No luck?” he asked
when I got out of the SUV.

  I shook my head. “Nope. I have no idea where she is. Where’s Abby?”

  “In the house. I didn’t want to leave the glass out here.”

  I nodded. “We need to figure out how to take care of this. The last thing I want to do is run, but if there isn’t another option, that’s what I’ll do.”

  “What about Jenna?” Kevin asked as we went back inside. “Are you going to leave her behind?”

  I shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t think she wants to run away with me. She can’t stand to be in the same house with me at the moment.”

  “You like her,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

  “It was sex,” I mumbled under my breath.

  “You haven’t been with anyone since Cara died.”

  “So?”

  “So, this is a big deal. I think you need to talk to her and try to work some shit out before you cut and run.”

  “What I need to work out is getting Axel off my ass. I’m never going to be able to relax with him out there looking for me. I don’t even know how the hell he found me here.”

  “Maybe he had my phone bugged.”

  I knew I should have been more careful. It wasn’t hard to track down Kevin and then find me. I hadn’t thought Axel would be that interested in making sure I didn’t talk. By underestimating him, I had put us all in danger. Including Jenna.

  “I can’t stake out that warehouse with Abby, and I have nowhere else to take her,” I said, realizing my extremely tenuous situation.

  Kevin nodded. “She’s safer with us than anywhere else. We have to know what we’re up against.”

  I groaned, knowing he was right. “Let’s go buy some plastic for that damn window. I’ll never be able to survive if anything happens to my little girl.”

  “I know. We’re not going to let anything happen. We’ll buy some binoculars and watch from a distance. They’ll never know we’re there.”

  I wasn’t quite as confident but knew sitting around and doing nothing wasn’t going to help me or Jenna. Action was required, and that meant taking some risks.

  Chapter 26

  Jenna

  I wasn’t a total idiot. I did believe Colton when he said I was in danger. That didn’t mean I needed to stick around and play house with the asshole.

  I rubbed the sleep from my sore and puffy eyes, thrashed from all my bawling the night before. I couldn’t believe I actually cried over what he did. That pissed me off more than anything else. I wasn’t the kind of woman who cried over a man. I hadn’t even cried when Jason and I had broken up.

  I was chalking it all up to stress. It had been an extremely stressful couple of weeks. Colton was the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back. It wasn’t technically him I was crying about. At least, that was what I was telling myself.

  “Are you alive?” Rose’s voice cut through my self-castigation.

  I blinked several times, letting my eyes adjust to the glaring light of day pouring in through her living-room window.

  “You need a new couch,” I complained.

  She laughed. “My couch is made for sitting, not sleeping.”

  “Blah, blah, blah.”

  “Feeling any better today?” she asked.

  “Do I look like I feel better?” I snapped.

  She giggled. “You need a boatload of concealer and a lot of cucumber slices for those red, puffy eyes. You look like hell.”

  “Thanks. I knew there was a reason we were best friends. Who else would tell me how shitty I looked after I’ve had such a miserable week?”

  “I’m so sorry you have to go through this. I thought he seemed like a good guy. It just goes to show that you can’t judge a guy by his looks.” She sat down next to me.

  I leaned my head against her shoulder. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Why can’t I find a good guy?”

  She chuckled. “You and me both. Maybe this is a sign that you’re supposed to go back to school. Admit it. You were hesitating because you were falling for him.”

  “I can’t fall for a guy I barely know. Especially a guy who runs hot and cold more frequently than the worn-out hot water heater in my house.”

  She sighed. “You can’t, but you did, and you know it. You are not the kind of girl who has hot sex with a guy you don’t like. You are a good girl. He got to you. Maybe it was that danger you said you sensed, or maybe it was the fact that he is so damn hot. Whatever the reason, he got to you.”

  I buried my face in my hands. “This is not normal, and it is definitely not normal for me. I think a little time and distance is what I’ll need to be cured. I can’t handle seeing him. Every time I see him, my mind goes straight to the gutter.”

  Rose burst into laughter. “Now who’s the naughty one?”

  “I’ve been corrupted and I probably need therapy. I’m going back to my good girl status. No more wild nights with sexy men. I’m lucky to be getting out alive. I should have listened to that little voice in the back of my head.” I groaned.

  “I don’t know. You had a great time. Like you said, you got out alive. I think you are going to be reliving those nights with him for some time. Lots of wet dreams in your future.” She winked and slapped my thigh at the same time.

  “Dreams are much safer. I’ll stick with those.”

  “I’m sorry. I have to get going. Are you going to stick around?”

  I nodded. “For now. I really don’t know where else to go. If Colton is right, my place isn’t safe. Which seriously, I still can’t believe he is comparing the value of my life to his stupid window. Making it seem like I’m the damaged one in our relationship because of a few punks I have never done anything to provoke.”

  “I know. He’s a pig. You have to make him tell you what’s going on. Or call the police. Who cares if he is a wanted fugitive and they haul his ass to jail? He deserves it.”

  I groaned, frustrated and exhausted. What I really wanted was a good night’s sleep in my own bed.

  “I’ll walk you out,” I said, standing and trying my best to calm down my unruly hair. “I’m going to grab a soda from that vending machine. I need some serious caffeine.”

  A hot shower was what I needed. I hadn’t actually taken one when I made my great escape yesterday. I only had the one change of clothes with me, too. I hadn’t been able to grab my bag before I snuck out the window. Though I still couldn’t believe I’d actually snuck out the window. I hadn’t done that since I was like fifteen and sneaking off to a party. The single change of clothes would have to do until I could figure out a way to sneak home and get more.

  Hopefully, I wouldn’t run into anyone I knew on my quick adventure out of the house. I knew a few of Rose’s neighbors, but I didn’t care if any of them saw me looking like death warmed over.

  Together, Rose and I made our way down the stairs. I had raided my purse for all the change I could find and was shoving it into the machine. When the first Diet Coke dropped, I snagged it, popped the top, and took a long drink, letting the caffeine infuse my body.

  “Scoot, I need one,” Rose said, using her hip to nudge me out of the way.

  I stood there drinking and thinking about the next soda I was going to get from the machine when I noticed a car driving by. Rose stood up, holding the can she just pulled from the machine in her hand as she stared at the car as well.

  “Weird,” I muttered, watching the car stop in the middle of the road. The windows were blacked out, preventing me from seeing the driver. I had no idea if the person behind the wheel was looking at us or something else entirely.

  “Very weird,” she mumbled. “I don’t think I’ve seen that car around here before.”

  “You think it has anything to do with the trouble Colton warned me about?” I asked the question not expecting an answer. It was more of me musing aloud, letting my fear get the better of me.

  The car began to pull away. We both tried to look at the license plate, but it had a dark-tinted cover over it, obscurin
g it from our view.

  “Uh, that’s even weirder,” she said, pointing at the plate.

  “I’ve seen those before,” I reasoned.

  “On a four-door? I’ve seen them on the little hot rods the morons around here think make them look like street racers.” She rolled her eyes.

  “Great. Now you’re really freaking me out.”

  “I picked you up at your mom’s. No one knows you are here. You’re safe.”

  I took a deep breath. “You’re right. He has me jumping at shadows. I’m fine. No one knows where I am. Have a good day at work.” I gave her a quick hug.

  “You should call him. Tell him about the car, just in case. If it is real, I don’t want to risk you getting hurt.”

  I groaned. “What’s he going to do? Drive around looking for a black car with black windows? It isn’t exactly specific details.”

  She shrugged a shoulder. “You never know. He may know what they drive.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t want to call him,” I pouted.

  She laughed. “You don’t have to go back to his house, but you need to tell him about the car in case it is more than a coincidence. Don’t make me call him for you.”

  I groaned. “I’ll think about it.”

  “Take care of yourself and try to get some sleep. And call him!” she said, shouting over her shoulder as she walked away.

  “I will. See you tonight.”

  “Lock the door behind you and don’t let anyone in,” she called.

  “Yes, Mom,” I teased.

  “You better listen, young lady,” she scolded.

  “I will, I will. Bring me a burger when you come home. It’s been too long since I’ve had some good greasy food.”

  She laughed again. “I can’t believe you’re actually craving anything from that place. You need to get out more and taste real food.”

  “Burger! With cheese! And tomato!” I called out.

  She waved and climbed into her car. I grabbed another soda from the machine and jogged up the stairs, locking the door behind me. I had a hot date with a long hot shower. I grabbed my phone, saw the missed calls from Colton, and ignored them. He’d been calling since last night and sent several text messages. I had shut off my phone, uninterested in hearing what he had to say. I still wasn’t. Not yet.