Chapter 7 #2
Karlie felt her mouth drop open. “His side of the story? His side of the story is that he came on to me. He beat the shit out of me, and then he tried to rip off my dress.” Her mom gasped, and Drew put his arms around Karlie as if silently offering her support.
“I’m good, Babe,” Karlie said, gently shrugging Drew off.
“You need to understand, Mom, Jake is scum. He was going to rape me, and then what? Marry my sister? He beat me up, just like he used to when we were together. Did you ask Jenna if he hurt her? What if he goes too far and hurts the baby? Will that be okay with you, Mom? How about you, Dad? Are you okay with a man who beats your daughters? How about your grandson? You two need to get it together and stop making excuses for Jake. Hold him accountable for his actions, all of them, and stop blaming me for what’s wrong with this family.
What does Jenna think is going to happen?
She’s going to talk to Jake and then what? ”
“Jenna thinks she can fix him. She’s afraid of raising the baby on her own,” her mom confessed.
“So she’d rather raise him with a man who beats women?
” Karlie shook her head. She couldn’t stand there and listen to it anymore.
She needed to talk to Jenna. She needed to make her listen, to understand that Jake was no good for her or her baby.
She stormed out of her parents’ front door, Drew hot on her heels.
“Where are we going?” he asked. The look in his eyes told her he already knew where she was headed.
“I’m going down to the police station to talk some sense into my sister and make sure that Jake stays where he belongs—behind bars,” she said.
Drew took her hand, leading her to his truck. “Then I guess we’re going to the police station.” He kissed her and lifted her into his truck.
Yeah, she liked the way he kept referring to them as a “we”.
∞
The last place Drew wanted to be taking Karlie was the fucking police station, but he understood her need to talk to Jenna. He was just hoping that she could convince her sister that Jake wasn’t worth forgiving. Hell, he’d like to have a conversation with Jake, not that he’d do much talking.
“Are you going to be okay?” Karlie looked at him with so much worry in her eyes. “You look like you want to kill someone. You’re gripping that steering wheel like you want to choke it.”
He barked out a laugh. “Yeah, I’ll be okay, baby. I was just thinking about—”
“Jake,” she finished for him. “Yeah, I was thinking that maybe it would be best if you take me back to your place and I’ll take my car to the police station. I don’t want to drag you into the middle of this. My family’s issues aren’t your problem.”
He tightened his grip on his steering wheel.
Was she serious? “Now, I think you’re just trying to piss me off, baby.
So, let me get this straight, you want me to take you to your car and let you drive yourself to the police station, to talk to your sister and possibly see the guy who beat the shit out of you, by yourself? Do I have that right?”
She didn’t look at him. She seemed fixated on his truck’s glove box. “Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking.”
“You’re just trying to piss me off now. There is no way that your new plan is gonna happen, honey.
Maybe you forgot what I said to you earlier.
We are a ‘we’ now, and where you go, I go.
Your problems are my problems. I want everything with you.
And, if you forgot the most important point to this morning’s little discussion, I fucking love you.
” Karlie looked over at him like he had lost his damn mind, and maybe he had.
“So, are we clear?” He reached for her hand and laced their fingers.
“Yeah, we’re clear.” She squeezed his hand and smiled as big as her stitched lip would allow.
They pulled up to the police station, and Drew cut the engine. He froze when he saw Jenna and Jake leaving the police station, hand in hand, smiling.
“What the fuck?” he said with a curse, causing Karlie to turn and look out her window.
“Shit.” She pulled away from him and fumbled with the door handle, and Drew locked the doors before she could get out.
“Drew,” she cried, “what the hell are you doing? I need to get to Jenna before she makes the biggest mistake of her life.” He needed to keep her safe—Drew wanted to keep her as far away as possible from Jake, and if that meant keeping her away from Jenna, then so be it.
“Baby, you need to stay in the truck. I will go and talk to Jenna,” he said.
“You’re not talking to my sister without me!” She was trying to unlock the truck to get to Jenna.
“But Jake is with her, and I don’t want you anywhere near that asshole!
” He knew he was yelling at her, but he didn’t know how else to make her listen.
“Baby, please. Just—” The knock at her door had them both turning.
“Fuck, no.” Drew couldn’t believe Jake had the balls to come anywhere near Karlie.
And what the hell was wrong with Jenna? She was standing there smiling, gazing at her sister’s bruised face.
Couldn’t Jenna see what Jake did to Karlie?
“Stay,” Drew ordered, but Karlie seemed determined to face them both, getting out of his truck.
“Jenna, what’s going on? How is he out of jail?” Karlie seemed confused and upset, looking back and forth between Jenna and Jake.
“Well,” the asshole started, “you see, princess, Jenna loves me and understands that you provoked me to, well—let’s just say, you provoked me.
What happened between us was your fault.
Jenna’s a smart woman, and she understands everything.
She knows that she and our little man here,” he said, rubbing Jenna’s belly, “are my top priorities. She posted my bail.” Drew growled, and Jake backed away from him, turning a little white.
“You can’t touch me again, or you will be spending the night in jail.
” Jake’s threat only made Drew madder. He wanted to fucking pound the jerk into a pulp.
“Let’s get one thing clear, fucktard, you ever come near Karlie again and I will do more than touch you,” Drew growled.
“Oh, come on, darlin,'” Jake drawled, looking straight at Karlie, “you can’t tell me you have poor Drew here fooled too. You need to tell him the truth, that you were begging me to touch you. Did you tell him you like it rough, sweetheart?”
Karlie gasped and looked at her sister. “Jenna, why are you with him? Why would you be with a man who would talk to me like that?”
Jenna looked as confused as Karlie had. Drew was doing everything in his power not to lay Jake out on the ground. Jake continued smiling, looking at Karlie like he would eat her up, and Drew stepped in front of Karlie, blocking Jake’s view.
“You need to stop looking at my woman and worry about your own. Careful, Jake, Jenna might see you for what you are.” The snarl in his voice had Jake taking another few steps back.
“Please,” Jenna cried, “please stop this.” She was cradling her belly, bending over as if in pain.
“Jenna,” Karlie cried, rushing to her sister’s side, wrapping her arms around her. “What’s wrong? Is it the baby?”
Jenna shrugged away from Karlie, “I’m fine,” she said.
“I’d be even better if you would just go back to where you came from.
Why did you even come here, Karlie? Was it to break Jake and me up?
Well, news flash, you failed. I know all about you now.
Jake told me what happened before Drew ran in to rescue you.
He told me that you were begging him to leave me.
” Karlie was backing up, shaking her head in denial.
“He told me that you offered to have sex with him, that you ripped your dress.”
“Oh, and did I hit my face too?” Karlie spat, seeming to find her voice.
Jenna’s smile was mean. “Yeah, you did that to your pretty face when you hit the floor. Poor Jake had to fend you off, and you slipped and fell to the floor. I explained to the nice police officers that you have been upset about Jake and me. I told them that he broke up with you and started going out with me, but you wouldn’t take no for an answer. ”
Karlie gasped like she had been slapped again. “He broke up with me to go out with you. I found you two in bed while Jake and I were still together. He cheated on me with you.” Jake was just standing behind Jenna, smiling at Karlie. God, Drew just wanted to punch that smile off his smug face.
“Karlie, you know we broke up a week before Jenna and I hooked up. You always did love drama, baby.” Drew launched himself at Jake, but Jenna stepped in front of him.
Drew growled in frustration and stood down.
He’d never do anything to hurt Jenna. She was just as much a victim in all of this as Karlie was.
Jake was just spinning a web of lies and had everyone in the Angel family all tied up.
Drew looked over Jenna at Jake. “Don’t you ever talk to Karlie again.”
“And, if I do?” Jake was hiding behind Jenna and his unborn son, like the coward he was.
“If you do, I’ll rip your tongue out.” Drew knew his smile was mean. He could feel the anger rolling off his body.
“So, she’s yours now? Is that it? Well, careful there, Drew, she sure does get around. Just eight months ago, she was mine. Ain’t that right, baby?” This time, Karlie stepped in front of Drew, facing him. He could see the pain in her eyes, and he wanted to rip Jake in two.
“Let’s go. Please, let’s just go.” Karlie had her hands flat on Drew’s chest, trying to hold him back from Jake. Had Jake been telling the truth? Was Karlie protecting him now?
“Karlie,” Drew said, “why the hell are you stopping me from pounding on him?”
“I don’t want you getting arrested for my past. He’s not worth it.
Jake can tell all the lies he wants to, but sooner or later, the truth will come out.
” Karlie turned toward her sister. “Please don’t let him hurt you or your baby.
Please don’t let him hit you like he hit me yesterday.
Like he hit me in the past. Jenna, he gets off on hitting women.
I don’t know if he’s ever hit you, but don’t let him start.
Please, for your baby’s sake, get away from him now.
” Jenna laughed right in Karlie’s face, and she backed into Drew’s chest. He wrapped his arms around her protectively.
“You think you know everything. You’re the oldest, so you always get what you want.
Well, guess what, big sister, you can’t have Jake.
No matter how much you want him, he’s mine, and we are having a baby together.
It just kills you that I have something you want, doesn’t it?
Jake and I are getting married. You ruined our special day, but I won’t let you ruin our life together.
We are going to the justice of the peace on Monday and getting married.
There is nothing you can do about it, so just go back to Atlanta and do us all a favor and stay there.
” Jenna turned to Jake, grabbed his hand, and started for her car.
Jake, the fucker, just turned and smiled back at Karlie and Drew, giving them a little salute.
Yeah, he’d like five minutes alone with that jerk.
Karlie turned in his arms and cried into his chest.
“Come on, baby, let’s go home,” he whispered.