Chapter 36
36
JAYDEN
Cole and I fight over what to do with Ralph’s body. It’s pretty much a given that the cops will pin it on us, considering I broke the first rule: don’t fucking leave witnesses. So there is no sense in messing with it. We just need to get to New Mexico as fast as possible. Eventually, though, I cave in to Cole, and we waste valuable time tossing the body in the woods outside the house. I wanted to leave Ralph on the couch, but Cole didn’t want to traumatize Marian. Not that Marian deserves any of his consideration. I’d kill her too, if she wasn’t the one who birthed Cole. I owe him that much.
After getting Cole and Jo into Ralph’s car, I go back inside for one more thing. Marian stands, shaking, holding Sam in the middle of the living room.
It takes everything I have not to tell her what a piece of shit she is. The only reason I don’t is the kid standing beside her. Instead, I glare into her watery eyes and growl, “If you do one good thing for your firstborn son, wait two days to call the cops. Two fucking days. If I find out you called sooner, I’ll call the state and tell them just what kind of mother you were to Cole.” I toss Ralph’s phone on the couch. “And by the way, he was cheating on you with other men. Do with that what you will.”
I turn to leave and hear a soft “Fuck you.”
I turn, and Sam is trembling. His face is red, and his hands are bunched in fists. Marian holds him back from running at me.
The corner of my mouth kicks up. Oh, this kid will make it.
I turn and slam the door on the way out.
We drive for hours. I insist on driving the first leg. Jo wants to drive too, but like fuck am I going to let her do that. After I tell her no, she sulks in the backseat, refusing to look at me.
Cole takes over when the sun starts to set, and relief washes over me when I let him. I didn’t say anything, but all the road lines were starting to blur together, and I could hardly keep my eyes open. As I climb into the backseat, Jo ignores me while digging around in my backpack. She pulls out the goldfish I packed with a small, excited smile.
I smirk to myself. I know she loves those.
Jo pops a handful in her mouth, then continues rooting. I turn to look out the window.
Fuck. I’m exhausted, but I can’t sleep. Closing my eyes will make everything in my head louder, and it’s already so fucking loud. I miss my phone. I wish I had something to zone out to.
A familiar, two-tone chime and electronic shooting sound come from beside me. It sounds like my childhood and summer days with Cole.
I whip my head around and see Jo starting up a GameBoy in her lap.
Not just a gameboy. A red one.
Oh fuck.
“Where did you get that?” I lean over to Jo, eyes locked on the game.
Jo pulls away from me, muttering. “What do you mean? It was in your bag.”
I look closer at it as the familiar load-up image fills the screen. Oh my god. It’s working.
I glance up at Cole, and he gives me a small shrug. “It was on the TV stand. Sam said he never played it. Was too old.”
An odd, tight feeling fills my chest. I spent many hours on this with Cole, rotting away our summers and staying up late into the night. I thought it was gone forever.
Jo opens Tetris. I watch as she watches the blocks fall, doing nothing, losing the round.
Jo restarts, messing with the controls, looking like she doesn’t know what she’s doing.
She loses another round quickly.
Oh shit. Has she never played Tetris before?
Jo quickly loses another round, and I reach out. “Here, let me show you.”
Jo snatches the game away from me. “Go away.”
I glare at her. “You’re losing.”
“Thanks for pointing that out, asshole.”
Her disrespect causes a shot of adrenaline to run through me. “What was that?” I lean over Jo, ready to snatch her up and put that collar on her to remind her how to behave until Cole clears his throat roughly. I snap my gaze to him, and he narrows his eyes.
I’m frozen, leaning over Jo. In that moment, I force myself to stop. Force myself to think.
Soft. I’m supposed to be soft.
Instead of snatching her up like I want to, I grit my teeth and ask, “Want to rethink those words?”
Jo mutters, “Just leave me alone.”
Well, that’s not how it works. She doesn’t get to pick a fight and just bow out of the punishment. “I get a turn,” I say. “If you can beat me in this round, I won’t spank your ass red for calling me an asshole.”
Jo glares at me. “Well, you’re obviously going to beat me.”
I resist the smirk pulling at my lips and deadpan, “That’s the point.”
Jo huffs but shoves the game into my lap. “Clearly, I have no choice, so may as well give me the punishment now.”
My cock throbs a little. “No, I’ll give you a fair chance.”
We play, and I beat her. Jo puts up a little hissy fit, which only serves to make my dick harder. I love when she knows she’s lost to me. I also love watching her squirm as she waits for me to punish her. It makes me wait even longer just to see her sweat.
We play round after round until Jo starts nodding off. When her head falls on my shoulder, I gently take the game from her. She jerks awake enough to pull away from me and go to rest on the side of the car.
That makes me angry. I’m way more comfortable than the side of the car. She’s just being stubborn.
Suddenly, I realize that Jo didn’t look angry when she moved. She just looked…tired.
That’s fine. I’ll wait until she’s asleep, and then I’ll move her to my lap. Fight me then, Jo.
Or maybe I should just keep her drugged this whole trip to keep her compliant. Then she can rest that pretty little head on me whenever she needs.
While I’m thinking, Jo passes out. I pull her over onto my lap and relish in her soft, light little body. Occasionally, the headlights from another car wash over her blonde hair, lighting it up and making it look like it’s glowing.
My mind is still busy, but for some reason, it’s not as loud as the normal noise that fills my head. I can’t stop thinking about what Cole said in the garage.
I stroke Jo’s hair, and oddly, I feel quieter than I have in days.