“Jake.” I reach my hand out and rest it on my friend’s arm. I can almost feel the anger radiating from his pores, and as much as I want to see Kasper Hill beat down, now is not the time or place. “Let it go.”
“Did he hurt you, James?” Jake asks, glancing at me. “Did he threaten you?”
“No. Let’s just go.” I take my friend’s hand to tug him out of the room, but Jake hesitates, resisting my pleas. His eyes are still on Kasper.
“If I hear that you’ve spoken to, threatened, or otherwise merely insulted my family or friends, I’ll make sure you won't survive here.” His eyes narrow, and even I, for a brief moment, am afraid of this man. “Do I make myself clear?”
For a second, I think that Kasper is going to come at Jake and knock his block off, but he seems to think better of it and scoffs instead. “Crystal clear, kid.”
“Good.”
“Jake, let’s go.” I tug on his hand again until he finally forfeits and turns to follow. I can feel Kasper’s eyes on our backs, and I shudder involuntarily. Once we’re clear of Kasper and are walking away, Jake wheels on me.
“I thought I’d told you a hundred times to stay away from Kasper Hill.”
“Well, excuse me,” I growl, hands steady on my hips. “I was just getting Ely’s jacket.He’sthe one who approachedme. I didn’t even know he was here!”
“I don’t trust him, James,” says Jake, shaking his head. “Bad news, that man. I just don’t want to see you hurt, especially since he knows you're the one that Tara came to.”
“I don’t give a crap if he knows it was me or not,” I snap.
“Yeah, well, I care. And I bet Ely does, too.”
“Did someone say my name?” Ely asks, approaching us from behind. Jake and I whirl around to face him, and Ely must notice the horrified look on my face because concern crosses his features, and he reaches out for me as if preparing for a fall that hasn’t yet come. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything is good,” I say before Jake can speak. “Are you ready to go for lunch?”
I hand Ely the jacket I had slung over my arm, and he takes it, but the curious expression on his face doesn’t waver. He opens his mouth again, probably to try and dig the truth out of me, but at that moment, Kasper comes out of the lounge. He’s carrying a mug of coffee along with a folded-up newspaper, and he winks at me as he walks by. Next to me, I actually feel Ely’s body go rigid, and a muscle in his jaw twitches. Once Kasper is safely out of view, he looks at me.
“Did Kasper Hill approach you?”
I’m about to say no, but Jake rambles over me, successfully shutting me up before I can deny anything. “They had a confrontation in the kitchen, but I didn’t catch it all.”
“It was no big deal,” I say quickly, noticing Ely’s hardened expression. “He can accuse me all he wants, but it won’t change anything.” I take Ely’s arm before he can argue with me and pull him toward the front door. “Now, I came so you could take me to lunch, not interrogate me in the hallway. So let’s go.”
14
ELY
Jami stays the night at my place again, wrapped in my arms on the couch as some B-rated horror movie plays in the background. It’s not scary, corny at best, but Jami seems to enjoy it, so I don’t say anything, just relish in the feel of her skin against mine, the subtle hint of whatever sugary sweet perfume she’s wearing tonight lulling me into a stupor.
“Do you think Kasper’s going to find Tara and Maddy?” she asks out of the blue, startling me from my peace of mind.
“No, not unless someone tells him. Why?”
“I don’t know, I just …” Jami sighs, reaching for the remote to pause her movie. She seems distraught. “Maybe I’m just rattled that I ran into him today,” she says. “I guess I wasn’t expecting after last night that he would be right back at work.”
I kiss the top of her head and draw her closer to me, thumb stroking the top of her hand. “Unfortunately, that’s how these things sometimes work, even if they shouldn’t,” I tell her, and just thinking of Kasper Hill’s asshole face makes me want to punch a wall.
“Even after Tara accused him, not a single thing changed last night.”
“Well, he has a court summons now. So will Tara, for the same date. And that’s when they’ll face the judge and give their sides of the story.”
“Should Tara put out a restraining order on him or something?” Jami asks.
“There’s already a no-contact order against him that the judge issued,” I say. “But who knows what good that will do.”
“A no-contact order is useless,” Jami says with a hiss. “If he violates the no contact order, she can’t even call the police on him. She’d have to file a citation with the court first before anything could possibly even be done.”
