Tribulation and Truths

by L A Cotton

  I paced up and down the kitchen with three sets of eyes burning into me.

  “He’s supposed to be in Warner Creek Correctional.”

  Travis blew out a long breath. “Yeah, well he got out a week ago apparently. He’s been laying low, but he’s back. And he doesn’t seem to be making plans to move on anytime soon.”

  “I have to go talk to Marcus.”

  But first there was someone else I needed to talk to.

  Chapter 5

  ~ ANA ~

  “So, how are things? Any better?” Elena whispered as the rest of the guys piled food into their mouths and chatted about the first party at Fallen House.

  “The same. He’s distant. I’m scared he’s pulling away.”

  After Kyler, Shaun, and Travis had interrupted yesterday at the house, Jackson had disappeared all evening again. We’d barely spoken since then.

  Elena squeezed my hand under the table and smiled weakly. “Not a chance. He loves you. I see it every time he looks at you.”

  Jamie interrupted us. “Awesome party last weekend, right, Ana? It’s so cool now Pie- I mean Jackson can hook us up.” He grinned, showing us too much of his pasta.

  “Gross, Jamie. Eat it, don’t spray it.” Elena made a disgusted face, and everyone burst into laughter.

  “Yeah, I guess so.” I shrugged. The last thing on my mind was partying. It had never been my scene, although I figured now with Jackson heading up the team, I’d have to get used to it. Or we’d be spending even more time apart.

  “How are classes, Ana?” Mari asked, pushing the salad on her plate around in circles with her spork.

  “Hmm, okay I guess.”

  It was only the second week of classes, so it seemed like an odd question to ask. The first couple of weeks were always just settling in and introductions to the work. Mari smiled and nodded, and I waited for her to ask someone else, but she didn’t.

  Instead, she said, “Where’s Jackson?” Not really making eye contact with me.

  “He’s, hmm, he’s busy.”

  Everyone shared a look. The one that was the keyword for family business. It was weird that they all knew. Before the end of last semester, Jackson and I had been used to keeping so many secrets, so to have things more out in the open now was taking a little getting used to.

  Mari, however, seemed oblivious to this, adding, “He hasn’t been around much lately. Is everything okay with you guys? Do you need to-”

  “Okay, that’s enough questions for one lunchtime.” Paul glanced back and forth between us and wrapped an arm around Mari, pulling her to his side and shooting me an apologetic smile. “So the first game of the season is Saturday. We’re going, right? Can Jackson hook us up with tickets?”

  Shoving my tray forward, I swung my legs over the bench and stood up, brushing my hands down my jeans and then rubbing them together in front of me. “I’m going to the library. I’ll catch you guys later.”

  I didn’t hang around to hear anything else, although I caught Elena shooting Paul down for having such a big mouth. It appeared since school had started, people were only interested in one thing: how they could use Jackson’s connections to their benefit. I couldn’t sit around and listen to that. There was too much going on. Our relationship was hanging in the balance—and all they wanted to know was if Jackson could hook them up with football tickets or a party. Sometimes they really were clueless.

  If they paid more attention, then they might see the cracks forming, as Mari had. The girl was a little strange, but she was sure observant. Freakishly so.

  ~

  The library was quiet, only one or two students studying. Sarah spotted me from behind her desk and waved. I made my way over to her. “Hey, Sarah. How are you?”

  “Good. I’m good, thanks, Ana. It’s nice to see you. Good summer?”

  Nodding, I ran my fingers over the pile of books on the desk. “Yeah, it was okay, thanks.”

  “And Jackson? He’s okay?” Her expression faltered, just for a second.

  “He’s fine.”

  “Good, that’s good. And you’re all settled into the house?”

  “How did you know about that?”

  “It isn’t only students who gossip, Ana. The faculty lounge makes for an interesting listen.”

  Rolling my eyes, I groaned. Why did I expect anything more?

  “Don’t look so surprised. We’re people, too.” Her soft laughter echoed around the vast room.

  “I guess. It just takes some getting used to, is all. I didn’t ask for this,” I added absentmindedly.

  Sarah regarded me with warm eyes. “No, I guess you didn’t. But you guys have lasted it out this long, so something must be worth foregoing all the rumors and whispers.”

  Through pursed lips, I shrugged. No one could possibly understand the depth of our relationship or of what we’d been through. But everything was different now. Jackson wasn’t only a part of the Donohue family; he was embroiled right in the heart of it. Marcus was sinking his claws in further and further, dragging the guy I loved with every fiber of my being into darkness.

  And I was watching it happen in front of my eyes.

  Letting it happen.

  “I asked if I can help you with anything? Ana?”

  Shaking my head clear, I smiled. “No, thank you. I’ll be over at my usual table.”

  I felt Sarah’s eyes follow me to the last row of tables over by the stacks. Although, I didn’t feel her judgment as much as her intrigue while I walked away. Sarah was local, had grown up in Chastity Falls. She had to know of the rumors and speculation surrounding the Donohues. But when I’d asked her last year, she’d given me little in the way of information. I didn’t buy it. She was the academy’s librarian, for Christ’s sake. She had to know more. There was a whole section on the town’s history in this very room. Books and old newspaper clippings she was responsible for, not to mention the small collection of Chastity Falls artifacts.

  Dropping my bag to the side of the last table, I sunk into the chair. When I’d retreated from the lunch table, I hadn’t really anticipated coming here to work; I just wanted to get away. But now that I was here, maybe I could use my time wisely. I’d stopped digging into the Donohue’s past once I had been convinced enough that Marcus was involved in the death of Michael Pierce, but perhaps it was time to delve further. I glanced back at Sarah who was now busy organizing the pile of books on her desk. If I wanted to help Jackson, then I needed to find leverage. Something he could use against Marcus.

  Something that could finally set us free.

  ~

  I didn’t see Jackson for the rest of the day. By the time my last class was over, the pit in my stomach was heavy, a reminder of the growing distance between us. But still I couldn’t help but worry about him. Where was he? What was he doing? Was he okay? Although my head wanted to scold him, my heart wanted nothing more than to wrap him up in her love and never let him go.

  As I reached the house, my heart sank into my feet. Voices floated out of the opened window, and I curled my head around the door to see Jackson, Dennis, and the other guys seated around the table in a heated discussion. Jackson’s face was an emotionless mask as Kyler waved his hands around frantically, clearly unhappy about something. Placing my hand on the doorknob, I turned and inhaled a deep breath. This was my house, too. Our house, he kept telling me. And I wouldn’t be made to feel unwelcome in my own home.

  “You’re early.” Jackson’s head whipped up to mine as I stepped into the room and his eyes locked onto me.

  I pointed to the clock on the far wall behind them. “No, no I’m not. Class let out ten minutes ago.”

  “Shit, is it that late already.”

  It wasn’t a question. Jackson was genuinely shocked at the time. The four guests in my house glanced back and forth between the two of us—their boss and his girlfriend—waiting for his instructions, no doubt.

  Except it wasn’t Jackson who spoke.

  “Come on, we have shit
to do.” Dennis aimed his words at Kyler, Shaun, and Travis who stood dutifully and moved for the door.

  “I’ll call you later,” Jackson said to Dennis, who joined the three guys waiting to my right.

  I didn’t make eye contact with any of them. I didn’t take my eyes off Jackson.

  Nothing about this felt right.

  Everything about it screamed wrong.

  I hated it. All of it.

  “See you, Ana,” the guys grumbled, passing me and leaving the house.

  The door clicked shut behind them and Jackson raked a hand through his hair before clenching his fist and unclenching it, stretching out each of his fingers. It was his tell. He was stressed. No, worse than that, he was pissed.

  “Everything okay?” I propped my bag against the staircase and made my way to the kitchen to get a drink. I needed to do something; anything besides standing paralyzed in the tension crackling in the room.

  “Just some stuff that we need to take care of.”

  I didn’t turn around for fear of either begging him to tell me or screaming at him to stop lying to me.

  The chair scraped somewhere behind me, but I continued to make myself look busy. Clean the glass. Take the juice bottle from the refrigerator. Unscrew the bottle. Fill the glass. I dragged each step out trying to fill the time. Until I felt him. Screw the lid back on. Place the bottle back in the refrigerator. Jackson’s hands came to my waist, and my heart missed a beat. Close the refrigerator door. Pick up the glass. Drink juice. Skilled fingers circled the exposed skin between my jeans and tank. Swallow the juice. Swallow it. My breath caught in my throat, and I gulped down the acidic liquid.

  “Ana.”

  My name sounded like the prayer of a desperate man on his lips, and I melted back into him unable to keep up my coolness any longer.

  Twisting me in his arms, Jackson dipped his head and pressed his lips to mine, just enough that I could feel it. And then he did the same across each eyelid and my nose.

  “I’m sorry; I’m so sorry.”

  I was unsure of why he was apologizing. So much was wrong with us lately, so it could be anything. The distance between us. His mood swings. The amount of time that he was away from me. Us.

  Looping my arms around his neck, I leaned into him, letting him hold me close. Part of me felt relief, but another, more rational part, felt annoyed. This was all we ever did; clung onto one another without acknowledging our problems.

  Jackson’s lips started to trace the line of my jaw and ripples of need flowed through me. It wasn’t healthy, or normal, or even right to keep trying to solve us with sex, but we only seemed to communicate that way lately. To reassure each other.

  Maybe I should have demanded answers there and then, but I didn’t have it in me to widen the gap between us. Not yet. I needed to believe my Jackson was still in there. I knew he was; I just had to bring him back.

  “Do you know how much I love you?” His voice cracked with unspoken emotion as he gripped my waist, pulling my body flush with his. “Tell me it’s just us. Always.”

  “Always,” I whispered fighting back the tears forming behind my eyes.

  Chapter 6

  ~ JACKSON ~

  “Jarrod, wait up.” I jogged up alongside him and Talia and fell into step with them.

  “Hey, Jackson.” Talia smiled and I tipped my head.

  “What’s up, man?”

  “I need to talk to you.” My eyes flickered to his girlfriend. “In private.”

  He looked down at Talia, and she nodded. “It’s fine; I’ll call you later.”

  Talia leaned up to kiss Jarrod and then left, walking back toward the student center.

  “Okay, that was just weird,” I commented. The Talia from last year would have demanded answers or refused to budge.

  Jarrod let out a short laugh. “Since the girls cut her out last year, she’s been trying harder. It’s different; that’s for sure.”

  I directed us to a small clearing behind the gym, and as soon as we were out of sight, the mood changed. I stood face to face with Jarrod. “That piece of shit cousin of yours is out, and you didn’t think to give me a heads-up?”

  Jarrod backed up a little. “Hey, it’s not what you think. I was coming to you, I swear, but my dad asked me to hold off. He’s doing better, trying to straighten himself out.”

  Jarrod didn’t back down, looking me right in the eye. I didn’t doubt his words. He had no loyalty to me, not really, but I could hear—and see—the conviction behind his words.

  “He drugged and kidnapped Ana or did that slip your mind when you agreed to buy him some time?”

  Sensing my growing agitation, Jarrod held up his hands. “Look, you can appreciate family politics. I did it as a favor to my old man. A few days, that’s all it was. I know what he did was batshit crazy.”

  “Fuck.” I pinched the bridge of my nose with my fingers. Between my attempts at keeping up appearances with Marcus and discovering Landon was back in Reibeckitt, things were really going to shit.

  “Landon is a crazy fucker, I told you that. But according to my old man, prison has changed him. I can’t vouch for that, and I want nothing to do with him, but I don’t think you need to worry about him. Cole is out of the picture, and Landon has no one now that Maconey’s moved into town.”

  That was true. Since Maconey had moved into Reibeckitt, Calder’s old crew was all running scared. Declan had hotfooted it across state somewhere and taken his son with him. Calder was unlikely to walk again thanks to Braiden.

  There was a time when part of me would have felt sorry, even guilty, for what had happened to Cole Calder. Even after holding my life in the palm of his hand on more than one occasion. But now? Now I was too worn down to care. Too jaded to give a shit. Cole had messed with the Donohues, and in return, he had gotten his.

  Just like Dad. My mind flickered to a place I did not want to go.

  “We good?” Jarrod’s concerned voice cut through my thoughts.

  “Yeah, we’re good. But if he so much as looks in the direction of Chastity Falls, I won’t be held responsible for my actions. This is his one-time free pass.”

  Something told me that Landon Smith would be unable to stay low and keep out of trouble. But if he even looked in Ana’s direction again, I would put the fucker in the ground myself. I was done playing nice. If I’d learned anything from the Donohues, then it was the nice guy always finished last.

  Or worse.

  Dead.

  ~

  “So, what did he say?” Dennis asked me as we drove out to the Donohue estate nestled on the edge of the town.

  “His old man asked for some time. Apparently, the piece of shit is reformed,” I replied with a sarcastic edge to my voice.

  “Reformed, my ass. I saw him that night, and the dude has loose screws. Do you think he’ll be a problem?”

  Landon Smith was unpredictable. Reformed or not, that made him a problem.

  “Let’s see what the boss has to say.”

  Dennis let out a rumble of laughter at my choice of words. I struggled to say his name because it felt wrong on my tongue. The man who had once been like a father to me was now a stranger. Ana’s revelation had changed everything… and not knowing the whole truth was slowly eating at me.

  “And how are things with the boss?”

  “Strained. He’s no fool; he can sniff out a liar a mile off. But I don’t think he knows why I’m so distant.” I twisted my head to the passenger seat where Dennis was texting on his cell. “And it needs to stay that way. Who’s that?”

  “No one.” He shrugged, pocketing the phone.

  As the car cut through the dense firs, the Donohue family home came into view. Dennis sat up a little straighter beside me. It was always the same whenever I brought him out here.

  He let out a low whistle through his teeth. “Gets me every damn time.”

  Dennis had cause to be awed because this house was something else. And it had once felt like home—or home
enough since Dad had died. But now, it just felt alien—unwelcoming and cold—and I hated being here.

  Just get in and get out.

  The car rolled to a stop, and I yanked the brake already feeling the pricks of anger pulsing through me.

  “Ready to do this?” Dennis wasted no time climbing out of the car and moving around to the hood, waiting for me.

  I ran my hands around the wheel and curled my fingers, squeezing the warm leather.

  Just get in and get out.

  No matter how many times Marcus summoned me to the house, visiting got no easier. In fact, I became restless and agitated the second I stepped inside the door. That was part of the reason for bringing Dennis along with me. He could see me losing my cool and would step in or divert the heat from me.

  After steeling myself, I stepped out of the car and joined Dennis. Marcus’ Jeep was the only vehicle parked in the driveway, and as we entered, we were met with silence.

  “He did say to meet him here, right?”

  I nodded as we moved further into the house, our footsteps echoing off the high ceilings and wooden doors. The hallway through the main house was long, almost resembling a hotel with doors spaced all along the way. The last door on the right was Marcus’ office, and his faint voice seeped through the crack at the bottom.

  I rapped my knuckles hard against the wood and heard Marcus mumble and then hang up the phone.

  “Come in,” he called, prompting me to open the door and step inside. Dennis followed, staying close to my side.

  Marcus sat at his huge desk with a grim look on his face. He’d aged in the last few months, a sign he perhaps wasn’t so unaffected by Braiden’s absence as he tried to make out.

  “Jackson, Dennis.” He motioned to the brown leather couch and we sat down. “Thanks for coming on such short notice.”

  I nodded, swallowing down the bile clawing its way up my throat. The bitter taste almost had me gagging, but I managed to gulp it back.