Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Jump sent a note to Thario, asking if he could find any information on Grayson. He knew it would be hard to gather information on a guy who had no government ID, but he was hopeful that if there was information out there, Thario could find it.
Once inside, the guys started cleaning Wave’s house. Not that there was much to do, but they all wanted Wave’s house to be clean. He was in the kitchen when T came in, looking for more toilet bowl cleaner.
“Let me look,” Blakely said as she squatted next to the cabinet and opened the door for the under the sink storage.
“We can take care of cleaning everything,” Jump said.
“I can’t sit back and not clean while you all are doing everything.”
“I get that,” Jump said. “But I want to make sure you don’t think you are on your own when it comes to cleaning.”
“It was nice of Wave to let you stay here,” T said.
“Yeah, he’s a good guy.”
Cy came into the kitchen. “The house across the street from me is for sale.”
Jump’s stomach squeezed. He wanted to get out of apartment life, but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to afford to buy a house. “I bet it’s expensive.”
“It’s not bad. I mean, more than you’d pay in middle America, but I bet you could afford it.”
Jump frowned and shook his head. “I’ve been trying to save up money, but houses are expensive.”
“I’ll give you the name of the person who helped me. You should get out of the rental market and get a house. You’re here for a while.”
Jump nodded. “Yeah, I am here for a while. I guess I should buy something. I’ve been going from apartment to apartment, trying to find good deals, but the rent is getting more expensive. I don’t love the extra costs that come with renting.”
“What extra costs?” Blakely asked. “You know, just because I’m new to all this. I don’t know what I’m doing and I’m not sure they didn’t rip me off.”
“Every time I’ve moved, I’ve had to buy things like shower curtains, and sometimes window coverings because what they have up isn’t good enough,” Cy said.
“Plus they want first and last month’s rent,” T said.
“I’ve lost rent when I’ve run,” Blakely said as she plopped down on a stool. “I’m tired of running.”
“I bet. Hopefully we’ll get this sorted and you can stay in the same place for a long time.” Jump hoped Blakely would stick around. He wanted her here with him.
It was way too premature to think they would be together forever, but he was leaning that way. He wanted her in his life for a long time. Did she want that? What if she didn’t want a relationship?
They needed to talk about what she wanted out of life. What did he want out of life? He thought he knew, but he’d been wrong before. Maybe he should just chill out and go with the flow. But he didn’t want Blakely to think he wasn’t interested in a long-term relationship with her.
The pizza arrived about an hour after they made it back to the house.
The scents coming from the box were addictive.
When she’d first left the cult, she’d been too afraid to order anything to her house.
Then she had been focused on saving money, so she hadn’t ordered pizza.
She had a slice one time, but it was cold, and not very good.
“That smells so good,” Blakely said.
T opened one of the boxes and moaned. “What is your favorite?”
She shrugged. “I haven’t done much pizza. It’s expensive, and I did a lot of cooking at home to save money.”
Jump leaned in and grabbed three slices for her, one from each box. “You have to figure out which one you like most.”
“That’s way too much pizza.”
Jump chuckled. “Let’s cut the slices and I’ll take half.”
“Sure.”
The guys grabbed slices, and stood around, chowing down on the pizza. After Jump cut her slices in half, she took a bite from each one.
“These are all good, but I think I like the sausage best.”
“My favorite,” T beamed. “She has good taste.”
Blakely ate more, enjoying the crust and the toppings. The sauce was sweet but not too sweet. In the cult she’d learned how to make really good food, but this was perfection.
“I think this is the perfect food.”
“Yes!” Jump said as he grabbed another slice.
Her stomach was full, and she sat back, staring around the room. The doorbell rang, and she sat up, panic flashing.
“It’s just Willa and Pen,” Jump said.
“Oh, good.” She moved to the kitchen sink and washed her hands. The women came in and she gave them a hug. “It’s good to see you.”
“How are you doing?” Willa asked.
“I’m okay.”
“I heard your apartment is gone. Like it fell down,” Pen said.
“Yeah, it was scary because Jump was in there.”
“But I wasn’t in real danger,” Jump said.
Blakely narrowed her gaze, studying Jump. “I think you were in some real danger and you’re just trying to make me feel better.”
He moved to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. “I’m safe now.”
“Grayson went after him with a baseball bat.”
“That’s scary,” Pen said.
Blakely nodded. “Yes, it was. I don’t know what to do about him.”
Pen squeezed her arm. “If there is anything I’ve come to realize, it’s that these guys will absolutely help. Whatever is going on, Jump will make sure you’re okay.”
Blakely glanced over to Jump, thinking that she’d really lucked out meeting him. He was different from anyone she knew from the cult.
“I think I’m very lucky.”
Pen nodded. “I was very lucky meeting Foster.”
“When I met Cy, I had no idea how he would change my life. I mean, I know when you meet someone special, things change, but with Cy, I feel like he really changed the trajectory of my life.”
Pen nodded. “I know I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t met Foster. One day I’ll tell you the full story.”
“I’d like that.”
Jump’s phone rang, and he answered. Everyone stopped talking when he held up a hand. “I’ll put you on speakerphone.” Jump put his phone on the counter and tapped the screen. “Okay, Thario, you’re on speakerphone. Pen, Willa, and Blakely are here.”
“Hey, everyone. Thario here. I want to start by saying this cult is scary. The information about The Faithful is limited. I found some information about Blakely and her father, but there is little else on the group. The FBI does have a file, but it is limited. Grayson is only mentioned in the file. I did find a few notices about people from The Faithful being tossed in jail.”
“I remember talk of a few of them spending time in jail,” Blakely said.
“There honestly isn’t much on them. I don’t know where Grayson has been staying, or where he lives,” Thario said.
“How can we find him?” Jump asked.
“The police are looking for him. He isn’t staying in a hotel, at least not a reputable place. He would need an ID for that.”
“Sometimes the adults would steal IDs if they found someone who looked similar to them. He might have taken one from someone else.”
“I’ll look into it, but it’s a long shot,” Thario said.
“Thanks, man. I appreciate everything you’ve done for us,” Jump said.
“I’m going to keep looking.”
“Thank you. If you find anything else out, give us a holler.
The guys said goodbye to Thario, and the call ended. Blakely wasn’t surprised that they couldn’t find much about Grayson. The Faithful were masters at hiding their locations. They moved around a lot and paid for things in cash, avoiding having to deal with local governments.
At least she was safe for now. Grayson didn’t know where she was, and she would work hard to make sure he didn’t find her. She didn’t want to run and leave Jump behind. He was becoming too important to her.
Could she make a life with him? Maybe. She wanted to try, that is, if he wanted her.
The memory of that kiss played through her mind.
He hadn’t kissed her again, but they’d been with his friend.
Maybe it had been a heat of the moment thing, but she hoped it meant something to him, because it sure did to her.