Chapter 24 #2
“You’re right. He had to have threatened him. Or bribed him.” I toss the blanket off me and turn to Jackson. “We have to ask him.”
“Brock’s not going to tell you. No way in hell that’s happening. He’ll deny the whole thing.”
“I’m not talking about Brock. I’m talking about Devon. We need to find him and talk to him. He’s the only person who knows what was going on.”
“He’s not going to tell us. Even if he did, you said he left town.”
“We’ll find him. You could hire that guy who was looking for him before.”
“He was only searching rehab places. He doesn’t have the resources to search the whole country for him. Maybe Devon’s not even in the country anymore.”
“I don’t think so. He made it sound like he’d just left California.”
“He didn’t give you any clues about where he might be going?”
“No, but I could hear someone talking on a speaker. It sounded like he was at a train station, or bus station.”
“Did they say a location?”
“I think so, but I don’t remember what she said. I should’ve been paying more attention. My dad kept talking over her, but I swear I heard her say the name of a town. I just don’t remember what it was. Even if I did, it doesn’t mean my dad’s going there.”
The doorbell rings.
I look at Jackson. “It’s Brock. I bet he saw me on the cameras.”
“The cameras can’t see that far.” Jackson gets up.
“Then who is it? It’s almost midnight. Who would be here this late?”
We hear the door opening.
“Shit,” Jackson mutters.
“What?” I ask, searching his face. “Who is it?”
“The only person who has a key,” he says with a sigh.
“Kristen.”
“Wait here,” he says, walking to the entry.
I remain in the living room but walk over to where I can hear them talking.
“What are you doing here, Kristen?” Jackson says. “I told you not to come over here.”
“I had to,” she says, sniffling. “I had nowhere else to go.”
“Kristen, I told you, we can’t keep doing this. I’m with Rumor now and it isn’t fair to her to—”
“This isn’t about her!” she yells. “It’s about him! He attacked me! Just now! It’s why I left.” She hiccups a breath. “I didn’t know what to do. I’ve never seen him like that.”
She starts crying. Breathy sobs that echo in the open entryway.
She’s a good actor. I’ll give her that.
“Attacked you how?” Jackson says, sounding doubtful. It’s a sign he believes me, at least a little. “He went in your room again?”
“No. It wasn’t like that tonight. It was different. He got angry and . . .” She pauses. “He tried to strangle me.”
“And you got away? The guy’s twice your size.”
“I shoved him and kicked him in the balls!” she screams. “Why are you acting like you don’t believe me? I told you what he’s like. He’s a monster!”
“I don’t see any marks on your neck.”
“Right here. Look.”
It gets quiet, then I hear Jackson sigh. “Go in my bathroom. I have stuff in there you can put on it.”
Her heels click on the floor as she walks to his room.
Jackson returns to the living room. “I’m going to let her stay.”
“Are you serious?” I race up to him. “Why are you letting her stay? She’s lying. She made it all up.”
He shakes his head. “The marks were on her neck. When she moved her hair I could see them.”
“She probably made them herself.”
“I don’t see how she could’ve. Someone else would’ve had to do it. Rumor, I’m sorry but I don’t feel right sending her back there if Steven really did this.”
“Isn’t her mom home?”
“She went to her place in LA for the night. She might stay there all week.”
“Meaning Kristen will be staying here?” I huff. “I can’t believe this. You think I made it up, don’t you?”
“No.” He holds my hands and leans down to me. “You heard me telling her to leave. But then I saw those marks on her neck. If I thought they were fake, I would’ve kicked her out.”
“I’m leaving,” I say, yanking away from him and heading to the back door.
He comes around in front of me. “Rumor, stop. You don’t have to go.”
I look at him. “Jackson, I really need you to think about this and make a decision.”
“I’m trying to get her out of my life. I’m almost there. I just need more time to figure out what’s going on.”
“What’s going on is she’s lying to you. Manipulating you.”
“I know she’s lied to me in the past, but I don’t think she is tonight. She looked scared. Really scared, not like she was faking it. Something happened tonight. Something bad.”
Do I believe him and let it go? I don’t trust Kristen, but I trust Jackson. He tried to kick her out, but his concern for her safety changed his mind. Should I get mad and punish him for that, or believe that he’s doing what he truly feels is right?
“Rumor, just stay,” he says, squeezing my hand. “She’ll be in the guest room. You can pretend she’s not even here.”
I shake my head. “I need to go home. I have my own stuff to figure out.”
He looks me in the eye. “Before you go, I need to finish what I was going to tell you. The reason I had to come see you tonight.”
“To apologize? You already did that.”
“That wasn’t everything. I wanted to tell you something else. But maybe I should wait. This isn’t a good time. I don’t want you thinking I’m only saying this because—”
“Jackson, just tell me. What is it?”
He pauses. “I wanted to tell you that . . .” He looks down, then back up at me. “That I love you.”