Shatter Me (The Jaded Series, #1) (33 page)

“Anything for you, Angel.”

Before I can stop myself the three little words that I’ve been too scared to say slip out of my mouth. I’ve thought them and felt them, but I haven’t said them yet.

“I love you.”

Jaxon closes his eyes and breathes out a soft whoosh of air. When he opens them again, he looks at me with such tender affection. He places both of his hands on either side of my jaw and rubs my upper cheeks with his thumbs.

“It’s about damn time you’ve said that. I’ve waited and waited to hear those three words so I could say them back to you. I love you, Angel.”

I smack his chest playfully and tell him, “Well, you could have said them first, you know.”

He shakes his head at that. “No, I couldn’t. It would have just scared you off. I’ve been bidding my time, trying to wear you down. And look, it paid off. You love me.” He gives me a cheeky grin.

I grin back at him. “You really love me?”

“You bet your ass I do. I have for a while now.”

His confession has me bursting with happiness. Jaxon actually loves me. Me, the broken and scarred girl with a past that’s still trying to destroy her. A past that has the potential to destroy him. The thought brings my high a little lower. We still have some major issues we have to get through before we can truly be happy.

After our leisurely time on the porch, we come inside to rinse out our coffee mugs and get ready for the day. Jaxon decides since the weather is still holding up, he wants to take us for a ride on his bike. He instructs me to pack a light lunch. I do and a few minutes later with our lunch packed away in his saddle bags we take off.

He takes us back to the lake, where he took me the night he heard from his father. The one time I was here it was dark so I wasn’t able to appreciate the beauty of it. Now, with the sun sending sparkles across the water and the ducks wading and dipping their heads in it’s absolutely breathtaking.

With the fall colors of yellows, oranges, and reds the trees are stunning. They surround the lake on all sides except the side we’re currently on, which has a clearing. Off to the side is a dock with an old boat at the end.

“Oh wow! I didn’t realize the last time we were here how beautiful it is.” I turn to him and give him a smile.

He smiles at me in return and then grabs our lunch and a small blanket out of the saddle bags. Making our way closer to the water line he sets the basket containing our lunch down and spreads out the blanket. We sit and I start pulling out finger sandwiches, fresh cut fruit, cheese, crackers, and two bottles of water.

After we finish our lunch Jaxon gestures for me to come closer. I scoot in between his legs. With my back to his front, his legs on either side of my hips, and his arms surrounding me we look out to the water.

There are several white Pekin ducks floating close to the shore. I watch as one by one they slowly make their way closer to us.

“Will they come to us?” I ask Jaxon quietly so I don’t scare them off.

“Watch and see.” He says just as softly in my ear. I feel Jaxon shift slightly and a few seconds later he holds out a couple top layers of our sandwiches. I break apart a few pieces and hold them out in my hand.

A couple of the ducks waddle closer until they are just out of reach. They stand there and watch us for a bit. I hold my breath when one closes the gap between him and my hand. He takes the bread and swallows it whole. Quickly breaking apart more I hold my hand out again. As if sensing that it’s safe the rest of them make their way up to us. They nibble their way through all the bread, every once in a while nipping my palm. I giggle when they miss their mark and hit my palm. It doesn’t hurt, just tickles a little.

Once all the bread is gone, they waddle back towards the lake, scooping up water in their beaks once they get there.

“That was so cool! I’ve never fed a duck from my hand before.”

Jaxon laughs in my ear and tightens his arms around me. “They’re usually pretty friendly. I don’t know why, but even as a child the ducks here would always come up to us for bread. Normally wild ducks won’t get close enough to eat from your hand.”

I turn my head and place a kiss on Jaxon’s cheek. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

“Anytime you want to come just let me know.” He says and nuzzles his face in the hair at my neck.

We sit for a few minutes in silence until Jaxon breaks it.

“When I was little my dad would bring me here to fish. The boat that’s at the dock is the same one we used.” He stops talking and I sit there in silence, waiting for him to continue.

“We would come out right after dawn and spend all day here. I thought I was the luckiest boy in town those days. Once we were done we would come home with our catch, clean it, and then we would all have it for dinner. I was so proud of myself that I could help provide dinner for us.

“The fishing trips stopped when I turned twelve. I don’t know why, but my dad changed. He withdrew from us all and started acting differently. He wasn’t the fun loving dad anymore. He turned mean and bitter. Still to this day, I don’t know why he changed, and neither does my mom.”

I place my arms and hands on top of his that are still around me and lace our fingers together, squeezing them.

“I’m sorry, Jaxon.” I murmur to him.

“Don’t be sorry, Angel. I got used to it a long time ago. To be honest, when he left it was a relief. Yes, it hurt who he left with but I was glad he was gone. The whole house was on tender hooks around him. We were able to be ourselves again.”

Having grown up with terrible parents I could sympathize with him. No, his situation wasn’t as dire as mine, but it doesn’t hurt any less. To have a parent neglect you when they are supposed to love you unconditionally hurts all the same, no matter what the situation may be.

We sit for a bit longer just enjoying the view before we get up and start packing away our stuff to make our trek back home.

It’s Friday night and the bar is packed once again. The juke box is blasting
“Demons” by Imagine Dragon
and everyone is dancing, drinking, and is in good spirits. Mia, Andrew, and I are behind the bar busting our butts trying to keep up with orders. As Jaxon’s Pub doesn’t have waitresses each person that wants a drink has to come to the bar. Just when I finish one drink order another comes up. I contemplate talking to Jaxon about hiring on a couple waitresses for Friday and Saturday nights. It’ll help lessen the stress of us behind the bar.

“Hey, baby, can you get me a shot of Jack, and one for yourself?” A deep voice asks from behind me.

I turn to see a man probably in his mid-thirties with dark brown hair. His gold colored eyes are looking me up and down and it sends a cold shiver down my back.

I grab a shot glass and splash some Jack in it before sliding it across to him.

“Sorry, but I don’t drink,” I tell him.

He gives off a laugh, tosses the shot in his mouth, and slams the glass back on the bar.

“A bartender that doesn’t drink, huh? Sounds a little hypocritical, don’t you think?” He’s still eyeing my body and it’s starting to give me the creeps. He’s not a bad looking man, but the way his eyes are lecherous is what sends off the warning signals. This man is not a nice person. I’ve had guys hit on me before since working here, and although they still make me feel slightly uncomfortable, it’s nothing compared to what this guy makes me feel. The dirty feeling is creeping back in.

I shrug my shoulders at his question and turn my back to him, but not before I see a hard edge enter his eyes. A few minutes later I turn back to see if he’s still there and find that he’s not. Glancing around the bar, I don’t see him anywhere.
Good riddance!

A half hour later I’m so busy that I forget all about the creepy guy with his lingering gaze. Jaxon came out from his office a few minutes ago to help.

Another hour passes before there’s finally a lull in the crowd. I take advantage of it and slip off to the bathroom. Once I finish relieving my bladder I wash and dry my hands. When I reach for the door, it opens by itself and a man quickly walks in. Closing the door behind him I immediately recognize the creepy man from the bar. Before I get a chance to scream he slams his hand over my mouth and pushes me against the wall.

I turn my head away when he brings his closer to mine. I can smell the alcohol on his breath and it nearly gags me. Running his nose along my neck, he whispers in my ear.

“I’ve been waiting awhile to finally meet you, Bailey.”

I whip my head back around when he says my name. I try hard to remember if I’ve seen him before, but he’s a complete stranger to me.
How does he know my name though?

The sound is pure evil when he laughs in my face. He snakes out his tongue and runs it from the bottom of my jaw, up my cheek, and over my scar.

“We’re going to have so much fun later, you and I.” I become paralyzed when he says that. He must be a friend of Steven’s. The thought races through me and I feel sick. I barely manage to hold down what’s in my stomach.

He reaches down and grabs my breast. He grips my nipple and twists so hard I let out a whimper. Finally releasing it, he takes a step back and says, “I’ll see you later, baby.” He gives me a wink and steps out of the bathroom.

I take in a much needed breath and sag against the wall. Tears start welling in my eyes, but I force them back. I need to go out there and tell Jaxon what happened. Walking over to the sink, I splash water on my face before leaving the bathroom. I slowly open the door and peek outside. Seeing no one in the hall, I quickly step out and practically run back to the front.

I round the corner just as I see Nick walking in the door. I’m surprised to see him. He wasn’t due back for another few days. What surprises me even more is that Anna isn’t with him.

We both make it to the bar at the same time and I ask him, “Where’s Anna?”

He looks at me with confusion. “I was going to ask you the same thing. Why would she be with me? The job finished up early and I just got into town. I went by her house and the diner, but she wasn’t there.”

A feeling of dread forms in my lower belly. Before I get a chance to talk Jaxon starts speaking. “She left a few days ago to surprise you with a visit. When was the last time you spoke to her?”

“Tuesday afternoon. She told me she was taking on a few extra shifts and she might not be able to talk much. I thought it was odd that I couldn’t reach her when I tried calling a few times, but figured she was either at work or sleeping. She never showed up at the site. What the fuck is going on?”

“Son of a bitch!” Jaxon explodes. Grabbing my hand and pointing to Nick he says, “My office now.” He turns to where Mia is standing and shouts, “Mia, my office,” He then turns and almost drags me in his haste to get to his office.

As soon as we’re all inside, he slams the door and looks at me. “Call her, see if she answers.” Next, he turns to Mia and says, “Call mom and see if she’s heard from Anna.”

We both nod our heads and whip out our phones from our back pockets. Bringing up her name, I push talk. As the phone rings, I see Jaxon on his office phone. After several rings, it goes to voicemail. I hit the end button the same time Jaxon slams the receiver down on his base.

“No answer, it rings until voicemail picks up,” I tell him.

“Mom hasn’t spoken to her since before she left,” Mia says.

My hands fly to my mouth and my eyes immediately start to tear up. I glance over at Jaxon.

“Oh my God,” I whisper. “He wasn’t talking about me. He was talking about her.”

My knees give out, but before I hit the floor Jaxon is by my side lifting me up and settling me down on the couch.

“Would someone please tell me what the fuck is going on? What do you mean ‘he wasn’t talking about you, he was talking about her’? Where’s Anna? Does this have something to do with Steven?”

Jaxon stands back up from the crouch he was in and turn to face Nick. “Nick, man, I need you to take a deep breath and sit down.”

“Fuck you, Jaxon. Tell me where my Anna is.” His voice breaks at the end and my heart nearly splinters.

Jaxon nods his head before saying quietly, “We think Steven has her. We didn’t realize until tonight when you came in without her.”

The pain that enters Nick’s eyes has more tears falling from my eyes.

“Why? Why would he take her? I don’t get it.” He asks Jaxon.

Jaxon explains to him what’s happened since he left, ending with the note that was attached to the door. Nick ends up sitting on the couch bending over with his elbows on his knees and his hands gripping his hair.

“We thought he was talking about Bailey. His sick, twisted fascination is with her. It never dawned on us that he would go after someone else.” Jaxon finishes.

A knock on the door interrupts us. Jaxon walks over to let Mac inside. He has his gun and badge on again. After a brief glance at Mia, who’s standing in the corner, he walks over to us. Jaxon explains to him what happened and our belief that Steven has Mia. After he’s done, I stand from my seated position and surprise them all by telling them what happened with the creepy guy.