Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

  “Time for your next class,” Jonas announced without looking up from his book as we studied together. I didn’t try to cover up the groan that escaped my lips.

  “Why do I have to be a freshman when you’re a senior? We don’t have any classes together,” I complained, gathering up my things.

  “Because I’d be a bit old of a freshman, and you couldn’t fool anyone into thinking you were old enough to be a senior,” he paused when I stuck out my tongue at him be fore continuing. “Besides, if we took the same classes we probably wouldn’t be focusing on what we should be, or at least, I know I wouldn’t be,” said Jonas with a shameless grin. “So it’s for the best I think. I have a hard enough time staying focused when we study together. I can imagine how it would be very easy to become completely oblivious to Dr. Henley’s droning about ancient civilizations if you were sitting next to me.”

  “You’re right, as usual,” I conceded with a grumble. “See you later I guess.” I took several steps away from the table before I remembered something, and whirled back around to face him again.

  “Ana said you’d be coming to our place for dinner tonight, are you?” I inquired, hoping he would say yes.

  Continuing to stare down at his history book before him Jonas smiled ever so slightly.

  “Yup, I’ve got some things to take care of first, but I should be there in time to have dinner with the two of you. I want to have as much time as I can with both of you before my time runs out,” he told me.

  “Jonas, Ana may be going away, but I haven’t decided what I’m going to do yet,” I reminded him.

  Jonas sighed heavily. “Britt, you need to get to class or you’re going to be late,” he said. “I’d walk you there, but I have to finish reading this before my class begins.”

  “Alright,” I replied hesitantly, not liking that Jonas seemed to have already decided I would be leaving LA. “I guess I’ll see you tonight then?”

  “Yeah,” Jonas confirmed. I turned away from him once again and began to hurry towards my Spanish class, not wanting to be late.

 It was Wednesday, which meant that I had exactly four days before I had to announce my choice about where I’d be living. I still wasn’t much closer than I was before to knowing what I wanted to do. I knew now that I didn’t want to go to Seattle. I didn’t want to take my troubles with me to Mac and Ana when they were trying to start a new life together. I just wasn’t sure if I should go to San Francisco or stay in LA.

  With Hayden closing in on us, I could tell that Jonas agreed with Steve and thought I should go to San Francisco. I knew that it would probably be safer for me there than here, but I couldn’t help but be worried about leaving Jonas behind. If everyone else left, who would be around to watch Jonas’ back I wondered.

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      Jonas maneuvered his Maserati into the parking place in front of his apartment. He did his routine glance around the parking lot and immediately went on high alert. A few cars down and across the street was a car that he didn’t recognize as belonging to any of the local residents or any of their friends and relatives who usually visited.

  He tucked his gun in behind his back slowly as he surveyed the area for anything or anyone out of place. Seeing nothing out of the usual, he got out of his car and began to walk cautiously in the direction of his apartment. With his sunglasses-shielded eyes, he systematically checked over every inch of the area for the intruder. Soon, his quarry stepped from the shadows a few yards ahead of him and Jonas’ alert level rose.

  “It’s Terrence, right?” Jonas asked with his signature casual air, utilizing all of his training as he forced each of his muscles to relax and to appear at ease when he was truly ready to draw his gun at any hint of trouble.

  “That’s right,” Hayden confirmed with a resolute nod of his head. He took another step from the shadows in which he had been waiting for Jonas in and then stopped once again. “Surprised to see me here?”

  Jonas forced a smile that looked as natural and carefree as whenever he smiled for Britney. However, the expression didn’t reach his eyes.

  “Of course I am. I didn’t know you knew where I lived and wasn’t exactly expecting you.” Jonas took a step closer to Hayden as well, to show that he wasn’t afraid of him. “I assume you must have inquired after my location from Mr. Larkin since I don’t exactly advertise where I live. What can I do for you?”

  “I know,” Hayden stated meaningfully.

  Jonas’ smile faded just a fraction, and only barely noticeably. “I’m afraid you’ll have to be a bit less vague. What exactly is it you know?”

  “I know,” began Hayden as he took a bold and threatening step closer to Jonas, “that you have Britney Larkin.”

  Jonas forced his smile to broaden with some difficulty. “Really? Well, now that is interesting isn’t it? Might I ask from what highly reliable source you heard this? Or perhaps you’ve searched my apartment and have found her there?” Jonas replied with amusement plain on his face, gesturing towards the direction of his apartment.

  “I’m no fool,” scoffed Hayden, “I’ve been doing some research, and I know what your family used to do for a living. You might have that place rigged to blow. I’m not setting foot in that place, not without you right there next to me that is.” Hayden swiftly withdrew his own gun as he finished and though he kept it still mostly concealed, he aimed it directly at Jonas. Jonas raised his eyebrows with feigned surprise.

  “What is this exactly? I don’t know if this would be considered acceptable in your country, but people can’t just go around shooting other people and get away with it in this country,” Jonas scolded.

  “I have no intention of shooting you, for now. We’re going up to your apartment and having a look around,” Hayden supplied and then motioned for Jonas to lead the way. Without a word, Jonas led him to the apartment, unlocked the door, and walked in with Hayden right behind him. Hayden closed the door behind them with a resounding slam.

  “Where is she?” demanded Hayden as he looked around for any sign of Britney.

  “Look around if you like,” Jonas offered with a shrug as he walked nonchalantly in the direction of his refrigerator. “Let me know if you find anything,” he tacked on in an unconcealed mocking air.

  Hayden forced Jonas to go around from room to room with him as he checked every last part of the apartment for any proof that Britney had been or was still there. When he found no evidence of her anywhere in the entire place, he swiveled around to face off with Jonas in the hallway, only to be greeted by the sight of Jonas’ gun pointed at his heart.

  “Where is she Matthews?” Hayden demanded loudly, his anger apparent as he ground his teeth and glared at Jonas with menace. Despite the fact that Jonas now held a gun as well, he pointed his gun at Jonas’ chest.

  This time instead of playing it casual and laughing, Jonas met his fierce look head on with one of his own.

  “She’s not here. I think you should verify your leads a bit before following up on them. Where I come from people don’t take kindly to being ambushed, having a gun waved at them, and being accused of kidnapping,” said Jonas in a deadly even tone. “I’m half tempted to shoot you here and now for coming and threatening to blow my cover in this place. I don’t like having to move.”

  “You wouldn’t.”

  Jonas laughed without a hint of emotion. “Oh I wouldn’t? You claim to know about my family, are you sure I wouldn’t?” Jonas cocked his gun and lifted it to aim it at Hayden’s head rather than his chest. “I think,” Jonas said slowly, “that you should get out of my home, now, and check your leads from now on before doing something this stupid again.”

  Hayden glared at Jonas, eyes filled with hate, but he began to make his way towards the door, continuing to aim his gun at Jonas just in case. Once he was gone, Jonas took a deep breath, which he promptly released.

  He wasn’t sure how he knew, but Hayden knew. There was no denying it. At best today would momentarily cause him to doubt his involvement with Britney’s disappearance, but the doubt wouldn’t last long. Their time was up; their grace period expired. If Hayden knew then he had little doubt that Larkin also knew and that if he didn’t already know, DeRuise would soon be informed. In the back of his mind he worried if Hayden really did know all he claimed to, but he knew that he didn’t have time to be concerned with that right now. For now, he had to focus on getting Britney out of here before things got even more dangerous.

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  “Pack your things Britney, you’re leaving, now,” Jonas informed me as he burst through the door of the loft. Ana and I froze with shock in the middle of setting the table for dinner. It was Ana who first recollected herself after the sudden and unexpected order.

  “Jonas, what’s going on? What happened?” she asked him quickly as he closed the door and came over to us.

  “Hayden was waiting for me to get back to my apartment. He was looking for Britney, Ana, he knows. After our face-off I don’t think he’s quite so sure anymore that I have her, but I have no doubt that he’ll soon be sure again soon and will come looking for her once again,” Jonas explained, grabbing my upper arm and leading me towards the stairs. “We have to get you out of here as soon as possible,” said Jonas to me as he continued to lead me. I pulled up when we reached the stairs however, and refused to go any farther.

  “Jonas! I can’t just leave! I have classes to take and if I go then who’ll help Ana out at the hospital?” I argued.

  Jonas growled with frustration. “Britney, Gloria, Larkin,” he enunciated slowly for me. “You are leaving. There will be no discussing it. It’s not safe for you here anymore.” Once again, he pulled me by the arm, this time more forcefully, and I jerked with the unexpected force.

  “Wait, Jonas, we need to call Steve and all sit down, talk about this, and form a rational plan,” Ana reasoned.

  “Fine, you call Steve, we’ll work on packing,” Jonas called over his shoulder to her, having already managed to practically drag me up the steps. We continued to my room where he let go of my arm, marched over to my dresser, and proceeded to open drawers, remove my clothes, and dump them onto the bed.

  “If it isn’t safe for me here anymore, than it’s definitely not safe for you either,” I pointed out. “Are you coming with me?” I demanded, placing my hands on my hips, awaiting his answer.

  “Please, don’t be difficult Britt. I can’t go with you, they would follow me quite easily right to you. I have to stay here,” Jonas explained to me, continuing to empty my dresser.

  “Then I’m not going anywhere either,” I stated as firmly as I could manage, stomping my sandaled foot for added emphasis. “Since they don’t know about Ana, I’ll be just as safe here as I would be in San Francisco, and I know it isn’t Seattle you want to send me to.” I scooped up some of the things he’d dumped out on my bed and deposited them back into my now empty jeans drawer unwaveringly.

  Jonas paused and seemed to consider my words, as if he hadn’t remembered that as far as my father, Hayden, DeRuise, and all the rest of them that were concerned, Jonas was an only child.

  “But Paige would be in San Francisco to protect you,” Jonas reminded me after a moment of considering my words. “If you stay here than I won’t be able to come here at all, you realize that? I can’t risk coming here and accidentally leading them right to you. It would only be you and Ana here, along with Steve once in awhile.”

  “You wouldn’t be able to visit me in San Francisco either though, and you couldn’t come here even if I wasn’t here because you wouldn’t want them finding out about Ana, so what does it matter?” I queried. Jonas and I stood, just staring at each other, neither one of us particularly interested on giving in to the other. Jonas opened his mouth, preparing to say something, just as Ana called up to us from the lower level.

  “Jonas, Britt,” she called. “Steve’s here,” she announced. Leaving our “packing” behind, Jonas lead the way downstairs where we found that Ana had finished setting the table and preparing dinner. Already, both she and Steve were seated at the table, ready to eat.

  “I thought that since none of us had eaten yet, that we might eat while we discuss our options,” suggested Ana diplomatically. Hesitating only slightly, Jonas nodded his approval of the plan, and pulled out my chair and seated me before taking the spot at the head of the table, across from Steve and to my right.

  “So Hayden actually showed up at your apartment?” Steve questioned after an awkward momentary time of silence.

  “He was waiting in the shadows of the building for me, yes,” Jonas confirmed.

  “What happened?” inquired Ana.

  “As I drove into the parking lot, I noticed a car I didn’t recognize. I tucked my gun behind my back, being careful that no one could see I was concealing a weapon through the windshield. Then, I got out of the car and looked over the area for anything else out of place, and Hayden stepped from the shadows after I had moved a ways away from my Quattroporté. He informed me that he knew I had Britney, pulled a gun on me, and had me lead the way into my apartment where he took me with him to every room to check for Britney. When he was checking the last room, I pulled my own gun while his back was turned, so I was ready for him. We exchanged a few words, I suggested he check his leads before acting on them, and he left with his tail between his legs.” Steve chuckled a little behind the fist that he raised to cover his mouth.

  “He won’t remain that way long though. He’s going to realize that his lead, whoever the heck it was, was correct, and he’ll be back, with reinforcements,” added Jonas, sobering Steve once again.

  “Do you have any idea who it was that tipped him off?” I wondered, taking my turn in the questioning.

  “All I can figure is that it had to have been someone who was at McKenna’s that night, one of your friends from your high school �"which I doubt is the case-, or Brian, which doesn’t make any sense either since he told us about having talked to Hayden and not liking him.”

  “I doubt it was any of my friends from my high school too. None of them are even in LA anymore,” I reminded them. “So that leaves, Paige, Kate, Tanner, Mac, and Brian. No way was it Paige, Mac, Kate, or even Tanner. And, yeah, you’re right; it wouldn’t have made sense for Brian to say anything. I mean, from the sounds of it, Hayden was already creeping him out before you told him Hayden was stalking me.”

  “So that leaves the guys at McKenna’s,” Ana surmised, “anyone who knew you particularly well or who would’ve noted you being there especially that night?” Jonas was dead silent, and I knew beyond a doubt that he was thinking the same thing that I was.

  “The men who were chasing me that you had a stand-off with,” I finally said aloud in a low tone. “They were mad, and would jump at the chance to get back at you for having interfered.”

  Jonas nodded solemnly. “Ricky knows how to hold a grudge better than anyone I know,” he said. “It had to have been him.”

  “Who? One of the guys who were probably planning to rape her?” asked Ana incredulously. “They’d have to be idiots to admit that!”
  “He could’ve twisted the story to make him out to be an innocent bystander, or even flip his role around with Jonas’,” offered Steve in way of explanation.

  “Ricky’s greedy too. Didn’t Brian mention that Terrence had hinted at a reward for any information he could offer?” asked Jonas, turning to face me. I nodded.

  “Sooo,” Steve said, drawing out the word slowly. “What are we going to do? Ana mentioned that you were set on sending Britt away. Do I need to drive her to San Francisco? I know that you probably can’t take her yourself, but if that’s where you want her, I’ll take her straight there from here tonight.”

  “Hold on a second,” I ordered quickly, before they could decide everything for me. “This is still my choice Steve, Jonas,” I reminded them, looking pointedly at each one in turn as I said their names.

  “She’s right guys,” agreed Ana. “We can offer her counsel, but we all knew that it would come to this eventually, so we knew when we agreed to allow her to choose for herself that there would be a predicament similar to this. She still should be the one who makes the decision ultimately.” I smiled my gratitude to her for backing me up.

  “Here’s the thing,” I began. “Things aren’t ready for me to move to Seattle right now, even if I wanted to, and no offense Ana, “I smiled apologetically to her, “but I’d really much rather stay in California. Besides, if I did what you guys were suggesting, then I’d have to become a totally different person, and I’m just not ready for that. I mean, I will if I have to, but only as a last resort.”

  “I understand,” Ana readily assured me.

  “Thank-you. Now, I’m sure that Kate and Paige would willingly accept me coming to live with them without notice at midnight tonight. However, I don’t really see that it would be that much safer for me there compared to here. Steve’s still here a little while longer, and both of the girls work during the day.”

  “If you stay here Britt, you won’t be able to go out and do anything. You’ll have to spend all your time locked away here,” Steve pointed out to me. “You may not even be able to continue going to college anymore.”

  “But what would I go out and do in San Francisco? Classes have already begun, so I can’t switch schools. I don’t know anyone other than Kate and Paige, so I wouldn’t be visiting friends there. Besides, no one is going to want me out wandering on my own in San Francisco either, unless I miss my mark,” I said, the looks on their faces being all the confirmation I needed to know I was right.

  “So you’re bent on staying here then?” Jonas asked with defeated eyes.

  I nodded. “I’m staying, at least for the time being.”

  “Fine,” he conceded. “But if you’re going to stay, then there’re going to have to be some conditions. First, you’ll be keeping this with you,” he informed me, pulling his gun out from behind his back and setting it on the table before me. I looked up at the sound of Ana’s sharp intake of breath at the sight of the weapon.

  “Is that going to be ok with you, Ana?” I questioned her, in order to be sure she was going to be fine having the gun in her home.

  “I’ll survive,” she murmured.

  “What else?” I asked, returning my attention to Jonas.

  “You can continue going to classes, for now at least, but you can only be at the college when you have classes, and you have to drive back during long breaks between classes. Don’t go anywhere else without first talking to either me or to Steve about it, and never by yourself, understood?” he inquired of me, looking deep into my eyes to be sure that I understood he was very serious about this.

  “I understand, Jonas. Is that everything?”

  “We won’t be able to spend time together anymore Britney,” he whispered tenderly, his eyes now filled with unspoken sorrow at the thought. “We’ll only be able to communicate through phone and the internet. No more studying together or anything.”

  “Wait!” I exclaimed suddenly, realizing something we’d all apparently forgotten in all of this. “What about Ana and Mac’s wedding?” I cried.    

  “We have to be in the same place for that. What if they follow you?”

  “They can follow him, but that doesn’t mean that they can come in,” Ana stated firmly. “You’ll come to the church with the rest of us girls. Since we’ll be doing each other’s hair and everything at the church, we won’t have to worry about you being seen out in town at all either. We’ll go straight from here to the church and someone can bring you right straight back here after it’s all over with.”

  “And,” Steve tossed in. “I’ll make sure that no one sees you that shouldn’t.”

  “So,” Jonas said, signaling a returning of focus to the conditions he had in order for me to stay in LA. “Do you understand what it means if you stay here, and are you willing to follow my terms?”

  I picked up the gun and weighed it in my hand with a somber expression. “I’m staying,” I finally announced after an extremely long two minutes of complete silence.

 

 

Reviews

[Zachary_James]

Yay!!!!!!! Jonas is back in the story,he is my favorite character.