Chapter 25
Jamie was humming to himself as he wiped the side down. He’d had a sudden rush of customers, but now he had a moment to wipe down and tidy up.
“You look remarkably happy today, Jamie,” Max said, walking to the counter.
Jamie turned around and grinned at him. “I am. I have a partner whom I completely love, my brother and sister are safe, and soon you, me, and Dave will be working together, with old books and manuscripts, without having to deal with the public.”
Max laughed. “Always a bonus.”
Jamie looked Max over. “Talking of happy, you’re beaming.”
“Bert is taking me out on our first date tomorrow. I’m kind of excited.”
“Only kind of?”
“Okay, very excited,” he said, grinning. “Thank you for making me see things clearer.”
“That’s what friends do. Oh, I have lunch for you again today, courtesy of Thomaz,” Jamie said, bending down, pulling a lunchbox out of his bag and handing it over.
“Thanks. Are you having lunch here?”
Jamie shook his head. “No, I finish at twelve today. I have to pop to the shops, so Ivan’s picking me up in a bit. Did you tease your man about the asylum trip?” Jamie asked, grinning.
Max laughed. “I did, and he grumped. He’s sending his brother and Ian a stupid amount of work to do to stop them from having time for fun.”
Jamie shook his head. “That’s just mean.”
“But funny.”
“Afternoon, Max, Jamie,” Lucy said, walking over and around the counter.
“Hey, Lucy,” they both replied.
“How was this morning?” she asked.
“We had a sudden rush not long ago, but apart from that, quiet,” Jamie told her.
“Are you better, Jamie? You phoned in sick yesterday?” Lucy asked.
“I wasn’t really ill, I needed the day off,” Jamie confessed.
“It happens, I worked all day yesterday, so I didn’t mind. But now it’s time for you to go.”
Jamie laughed, took his apron off and picked up his bag. “In that case, I shall depart. Have fun this afternoon.”
“We will,” Max said. “Have fun shopping.”
Jamie laughed. “I will.”
With a final wave, Jamie walked out of the library humming to himself.
He couldn’t believe he could actually shop without having to worry about where he would find the money.
He also couldn’t believe Ivan was a billionaire, that all the vampires were, but it would make sense, what kind of vampire would want to live forever broke?
He was walking down the street, not paying attention to anything, when he was shoved sideways into an alleyway. He went crashing into a wall, his bag falling to the ground. “What the hell!” he exclaimed, straightening up and turning to look and see what had happened. “Dad,” he gasped.
“Did you think ignoring my calls would stop me?” his father demanded.
“I spoke to you last night, remember, or were you too drunk to remember?”
His father loomed over him. “Where are they?” he demanded.
“Safe, far away from you. Somewhere you can’t get them,” Jamie replied, looking around searching for another exit. He couldn’t see one, just a gate at the end. He started walking backwards.
His father matched him step for step, then leant close and grabbed the front of Jamie’s top. “Where are they? I need them.”
Jamie grabbed his father’s wrist, trying to get his father to let him go. “Why do you need them?”
“That’s my business. Now, where are they?”
“Let me go,” Jamie shouted, struggling harder.
His father let go of his shirt and punched him in the stomach.
Jamie bent over, one arm around his middle, the other holding onto the wall. “I’m not telling you where they are,” Jamie wheezed out.
His father grabbed Jamie’s hair and yanked his head up, his face close to Jamie’s. “You’ll tell me, boy, or I’ll beat you to death in this alley.” As if to emphasise the point, he let go of Jamie’s hair and did a one-two punch and hit Jamie in his face and kidneys.
Jamie groaned and felt his eye swelling and becoming blurry; he also felt blood dropping down his face, but yelled. “Someone help me.”
His father laughed. “You think anyone will care that someone like you is being beaten up here in this alley? No. No one will come to your aid.” He punched Jamie again. “Now, where are they? I need them back, living under my roof.” He threw Jamie into the opposite wall.
His forehead hit the wall, and for a moment, he saw stars and felt more blood running down his face, this time from his forehead. “Help,” Jamie called with as much breath as he had left.
“Pathetic,” his father said, looking at him, disdain on his face and reflected in his bloodshot eyes.
Suddenly, his father went flying over Jamie’s head and slammed into the back-alley wall, a blur following him.
Jamie leant against the wall and looked up. Derrick was stood, looming over his father. “Leave the alley, Jamie,” Derrick said in a deadly calm voice, without looking away.
Jamie nodded, “Okay,” and, using the wall for support and holding his other arm over his stomach, he managed to leave the alley, and he moved away from the entrance. He glanced around and saw Ivan getting out of his car.
“Ivan,” he whispered.
Ivan was humming to himself as he worked.
He literally couldn’t remember being this happy.
Even with Derrick, he wasn’t this happy.
He clicked the pay button on his order and smiled to himself.
Jamie would protest, but Karl and Kitty hopefully wouldn’t.
It was nice to actually have people to spend his money on and spoil.
“Would you stop already?” Olly grumbled.
Ivan turned to look at Olly. “Stop what?”
“Being so happy. You’re humming.”
Ivan shrugged. “I can’t help it, I am happy. My Jamie is perfect and loves me as much as I love him.”
“I really am happy for you, just stop with the humming.”
Ivan looked at the time. “I’m due to pick Jay up soon. I’ll leave now and save your precious ears.”
“I would say thank goodness, but you need someone with you, remember?”
“I can find someone else,” Ivan offered.
Olly stood up. “It’s okay, I’ll come with you. You can text Seth.”
Ivan laughed. “I can do that,” he said, pulling his phone out of his pocket and sending Seth the message.
They had just walked out of the office when they encountered Karl and Jack.
“What are you two troublemakers up to?” Olly asked them.
“We were going to raid the kitchen for biscuits,” Jack replied.
“Nice, don’t eat them all,” Ivan said.
“We make no promises,” Karl said, grinning.
Ivan and Olly laughed.
“We’ll see you later, we’re off to pick Jay up,” Ivan said.
“Have fun,” Karl said, throwing him a grin as he and Jack walked off to the kitchen.
“I’ll drive,” Ivan said, spinning his keys around his finger and smiling.
“Gah, I should have said yes to you finding someone else to go with you.”
Ivan wrapped his arm around Olly’s shoulder. “I can’t wait to see what you act like when you find your mate.”
“One thing’s for sure, I won’t be humming.”
Ivan pulled into a parking space close to the library. “Jay was doing a bit of shopping after he finished. I’ll have a walk down the street and look in the shop windows for him.”
“Or you could just ring him and ask where he is,” Olly suggested, getting out of the car.
Ivan smiled and got out as well.
“Ivan,” he heard someone say. He looked towards the voice and saw a beaten and bloody Jamie. “Jay,” Ivan gasped out and rushed over to him, Olly at his side.
Jamie fell into Ivan’s arms.
“Jay, who did this to you?” Ivan asked. Jamie was black and blue.
One of his eyes was partially closed, swollen, and bruised.
His cheek was bruised and cut, as was his forehead, and blood was running down his face, and by the way Jamie was holding himself, he had obviously been punched in the stomach.
“My dad, he’s in the alleyway.”
Olly ran where Jamie pointed.
“Let’s get you to the car and home. We’ll get Adrian to heal you up,” Ivan told him.
Olly rushed back. “The alley is empty. Your dad must have run away, but I’ve found your bag.”
“Derrick saved me,” Jamie said.
Ivan stilled. “What? Never mind, tell me later.”
“Ivan, give me the keys, I’ll drive, you can sit in the back with Jamie,” Olly said.
Ivan handed his keys to Olly and then helped Jamie into the car. As soon as they were settled, Ivan messaged Adrian and Seth.
Once Olly was belted up, he floored it back to the coven house.