Chapter 12 #2
She giggles and gestures to a guy behind her.
“It was all Max, When I got here, there were shots and drinks waiting for us!” She starts naming everyone at the table: “That’s Sabrina, Alex, Gracie, Conner, and Max!
” She’s practically screaming inches from my face and I actively have to try to fight the urge to lean back.
I nod politely, giving each of them a tight smile. They all seem just as drunk as Jill. I’m not in the mood for small talk, but I remind myself I came here to have fun.
“I’m going to get a drink,” I shout over the music.
“Oh yay! I’ll take a Cosmo!” she screeches back at me. I almost roll my eyes at her. I will be bringing back water in a martini glass; she won’t know the difference.
I stand up and take note of my surroundings.
In order to get to the bar, I need to walk through the dance floor.
Great. Sweaty bodies gyrate around me as I try not to bump into anyone.
Almost to the bar, a large hand wraps around my bicep.
I take a deep breath, ready to tell some jackass to fuck off.
I really am not in the mood for pushy men trying to get me to dance.
I whip my head around, only to see a man I never thought I was going to see again. Jack.
The irritation I was just feeling has now turned to dread. What the hell is Jack doing here of all places? His ocean blue eyes are the same, but everything else about him has changed.
We’ve only been broken up for a little over a year and a half, but in that time physically, he has become a whole new person.
His once perfectly combed blonde hair is shaggy and tousled.
A barely trimmed beard is taking the place of the clean-shaven face I once knew.
My gaze travels down his body. Jack has always been extremely fit and still is, but he is dressed completely different.
He no longer dons a suit, but a pair of dark wash jeans and a white t-shirt.
I watch as his eyes cast down my body, and I can’t help but hold my breath.
“Jack?” I stare at him in disbelief.
“Jenna,” he says with a mischievous smile.
He points toward the bar with his chin. “I’m headed to the bar. Want to grab a drink?”
I nod and start to walk in front of him. His hand drops from where it was holding my arm, and I feel the air woosh out of me in relief. I don’t like him touching me.
Reaching the bar, Jack orders himself a beer and me a Blackberry Mojito.
I feel annoyance bubbling up inside me like hot lava.
Who does he think he is—ordering for me?
I pause and count to ten; it is still my standard order, so I let it go.
I stare at his profile, still surprised that he is here.
The thought of returning to Jill crosses my mind, but she probably won’t realize I’m gone.
“Long time no see,” he says as he moves closer.
I can smell his spicy cologne around him, the same cologne that he always wore.
My stomach twists, and I catch myself rolling my ring around my finger nervously.
That scent alone brings back memories I would rather bury deep inside.
Jack and I had been together for three years.
In the beginning, I thought Jack was the person I was going to marry one day.
But as the years went on, he became controlling and constantly wanted my attention to be on him and not on anything else.
Now, after extensive sessions with my therapist, I know he is a narcissist and would play mind games and guilt trip me into complying with his needs.
He always needed to be the center of my world, and if he wasn’t, he would lash out with cruel words and sly comments.
After arguments, he would slither back to whisper sweet nothings to me.
I was young and thought I loved him. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Our relationship became a game of who could be more codependent and quickly turned toxic.
Of course, this caused me to draw back from work, family, and school. I ended up falling behind and needed to stay at the university for an extra year.
The day after graduation, I showed up at Marley’s door and told her I needed to get out of my relationship.
I needed to start fresh and not look back.
She didn’t even blink. Within a few weeks, we were settling into our new apartment here in Cranson Creek.
Marley has always detested Jack from the moment she met him.
She’d told me, “Something about him just doesn’t seem right, Jenna.
” Over the years, Marley had mentioned her worries a few more times, but didn’t push it.
I think she was waiting for me to come to my senses.
When I left, I wrote Jack a letter explaining my need to break things off.
I left it for him on our kitchen table—not my best idea in hindsight.
Jack spent the next month messaging and calling me, trying to grapple with our breakup.
Many of his messages were apologies and promises that our relationship would be better if I came back.
Then his messages turned angry, and he lashed out with evil and harsh insults.
Same story, different day. I blocked his number after that month and haven’t heard from him since. Until now.
I offer him an anxious smile. “How have you been?”
“Pretty good. I live here now,” he says as he looks at me. “Got a job working private security.”
“What happened to business school?” I ask in a curious voice. Private security was a big jump from his original plan of owning his own business.
He shrugs, and an angry look passes across his face.
“After you left…” he starts, but shakes his head and stops himself.
“I needed a change,” he says matter-of-factly.
The DJ changes songs, and the sea of people behind us erupts in excitement.
I wait until the noise level isn’t deafening before responding.
In that moment, Jack turns to the bar, avoiding eye contact with me.
“I’m sorry for leaving the way I did. I didn’t think there was another way,” I say in a low voice.
He turns to me with a look that sends a shiver down my spine.
It is almost as if his anger from the past year and a half has come flooding back and he’s fighting with everything he has to control it.
But as quickly as it is there, it is gone again; he hides it behind a cool exterior. I blink at his rapid mood swing.
“I get it, darling. You were doing what you thought was best. Hey, I ended up finding my family after you left, so I’m in a good place now.
” He takes a swig of his beer and places it on the counter.
Jack’s parents passed away in a car accident a few years before we got together.
It was heart-wrenching, and for a long time, I was his only family.
I am glad to hear that he has found people he’s become so close with.
“That’s good, Jack,” I say as I sip my drink. The rum settles in my stomach, sending a warm sensation through my body.
“So, what are you up to now?” he says, keeping the conversation going. I open my mouth to answer, but all of a sudden, the atmosphere in the room changes. The hair on the back of my neck stands up, and the warm sensation I had felt turns to lead in my stomach.
Jack’s face turns to stone as he leans off the bar, staring at something behind me. I slowly turn and catch sight of Blaze walking through the crowd. I turn a little more and see Jax. For a moment, I think I am imagining things. Why would they be at a club?
Blaze glances over in my direction, but it doesn’t seem like he saw me as the two of them continue to stride to their destination.
The look on both their faces tells me they aren’t here for fun.
I avert my gaze, trying not to attract attention to myself.
I know that if one of them sees me, they will probably be shipping me back to the apartment.
I was told to stay close to town and to check in with Cal.
I have done neither tonight. Cal and I have become pretty good friends the past few weeks, seeing as how he was forced to spend most of his time with Marley and me.
He would be pissed to know I didn’t listen to directions very well.
Now I understand why; it seems like something is happening tonight.
As if on cue, my phone vibrates in my bag. I reach inside, and my heart begins to pound. Axel is calling me. I silence the call, knowing I won’t be able to hear him in the club, and send a quick text.
Jenna
Out with a friend. I’ll call when I get home.
I hit send and clutch the phone in my hand, waiting for his response. I look up at Jack. His posture seems defensive, and his eyes don’t shift away from the men making their way to the back of the building. He shouldn’t know who they are. Why does he care?
“Are you okay?” I ask in a calm voice.
Jack turns back to the bar and downs his beer.
He quickly orders another and then turns to me.
I catch sight of Prince walking up the stairs that lead to what I assume is the VIP area, a few other men wearing cuts following behind him.
I recognize a few of them, but many are unfamiliar to me. What are the Hell Chasers doing here?
I tilt my head back down to my drink, trying not to think about it.
The MC runs so many businesses I wouldn’t be surprised if this is one of them.
I take another sip of my drink and long for the comfort of my apartment.
Slipping on a warm set of pajamas and watching trashy TV sounds way better than being here.
My head is pounding from the loud music, and I am ready to head home.
This run-in with Jack is not helping my already frayed nerves.
Just then, a pair of hands land on the bar on either side of my body, encasing me in my seat.
I stare at the tattoos that cover the hands in front of me.
They’re the same hands that a few weeks ago were all over my body.
I don’t need to turn around to know whose hard body is pressed against my back. Axel.