Dangerous Things. Amy Blankenship
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phone rang three times before it was picked up.
âForest Preserve, Officer Fox speaking,â a sexy voice recited.
âHey Jason, itâs Tabby.â she smiled for the first time since walking in the front door.
âTabby?â Jason cried and she heard something topple over, probably the chair because he was usually leaning it back in it at a dangerous angle on two legs. âWhere the hell have you been?â
âKriss kinda kidnapped me and Envy and took us to Florida for a few days.â Tabby answered. âI just got home and thought Iâd call and see what I missed.â
Jason sighed, âOther than the normal weird stuff, you didnât miss a lot. The only exciting thing that happened is the other night we got a call from a real whack job.â
Tabby smirked and sat down on her sofa. âDo tell!â
âJacob and me were just sitting around, it was a slow night, and the phone rang. I picked it up and this guy was talking about seeing a jaguar chasing a cougar through downtown with a cell phone strapped to one of its legs.â
Tabatha couldnât help it and started laughing. If sheâd been in Jasonâs shoes a couple weeks ago, she would have thought the same thing. âOh damn,â she exclaimed.
âTell me about it,â Jason said with a chuckle. âJacob and I are taking bets on whether or not there will be any text messages on it when they find the critter.â
âAre you sure youâre not drinking any of Katâs specialties?â she asked around her laughter.
âI do not drink on the job!â Jason exclaimed and Tabatha heard Jacobâs laughter in the background. âSo when are you coming back to work?â
Tabatha shrugged, âI donât know yet. I need a few more days and I got the vacation days to burn.â
âThatâs cool, we miss you though. Itâs just not the same without having a pretty face to brighten up the place. All I have now is Jacob, and he isnât much to look at.â
âIâve missed you guys too,â Tabatha said, and she meant it. âWeâll get together in the next couple of days.â
Jason was quiet for a moment and Tabatha instinctively knew what was coming. âHowâs Envy?â
âSheâs doing good too. Like me, she just needed a few days away.â She bit her lower lip when there were several seconds of silence.
âIs it true?â Jason asked.
âIs what true?â Tabatha inquired trying to sound clueless.
âIs Envy really dating Devon Santos?â Jasonâs knuckles turned white as he gripped the phone a little tighter.
Tabatha sighed, she knew this was going to hurt Jason in a big way, but to a certain extent it was partially his fault. Someone that cute should never be so hung up on the one girl who thought of him as a best friend and brother.
âYeah, itâs true.â Tabatha said softly. âI know she didnât mean to hurt you. She does love you⦠ya know.â
Jason exhaled softly and Tabatha felt sorry for him. Heâd chased after Envy for so long that she was the only girl heâd ever looked at. Now she was beyond his reach but Tabatha wasnât about to tell him. That was Envyâs job.
âI know she didnât,â Jason said after a minute. âI guess I should have gotten a clue when she didnât even notice that I was flirting with her.â
âShe noticed, Jason,â Tabatha said. âShe just thought it would put a strain on your friendship.â
Jason hummed, âYeah, I guess it probably would have but you canât blame a guy for dreaming, right?â
âI can blame you for a lot of things,â Tabatha heard Jacob say in the background.
âYou shut the hell up,â Jason growled playfully and Tabatha heard him slam the chair legs down in their right position. âTabatha, Iâll call you later. The child here has decided to start throwing paper wads at me.â
Tabatha giggled and nodded her head, âAll right, Iâll talk to you later.â
She hung up the phone and sat there for a moment before putting the phone back on the charger. Looking around the apartment again, it didnât seem quite so lonely now. Jason would need her friendship now more than ever and being needed helped to make her feel more stable.
Standing up and stretching her arms over her head, she walked down the hall to her room. She got undressed and slipped into a pair of boy shorts and a tank top before sinking down into the cool, familiar softness of her bed.
This time she didnât try to stop the scene from playing out in her mind as she drifted off to sleep. After all, she needed to decipher it and it wouldnât go away until she did⦠so why fight it? She sank into the darkness of sleep still staring across the church and into Kaneâs eyes.
*****
Jewel paced the expanse of Stevenâs bedroom. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she had taken to biting her nails, something she hadnât done since she was a child.
âThis is my fault,â she said softly trying to blink away the image of her father crucified above the alter of the same church he'd attended for most of his life. How many times had he prayed right there below where heâd died? Sheâd known Anthony was twisted but that was sadistic.
Steven watched the woman pace back and forth and could even see her lips moving soundlessly as she ranted within her mind. He reached out a hand and laid it on her arm soothingly in an attempt to calm her down. âJewel, none of this is your fault.â
She narrowed her eyes on his hand then glared up at him. âYouâre partly right. Itâs just as much your fault as it is mine. And now that Daddy is dead, I donât have to marry Anthony anymore and I definitely donât have to stay married to you.â
Jewel turned away from him so his hand would fall. The last thing she needed right now was to be absolved of her sins⦠she was guilty as hell. Sheâd given Anthony the nails to crucify her own father.
Steven wouldnât admit it but her words stung him deeply. He responded the only way he knew how at this point since she obviously didnât want to hear words of encouragement or kindness.
âDo you honestly think Anthony will stop coming after you just because he killed your father?â Steven yelled. He knew he was right and that she wasnât going to listen to a damn word of it.
âHe killed my father⦠I was dancing with the devil because I wanted father safe and alive. If Anthony dares to come near me now, Iâll blow his damn head off.â Jewel felt so strange. It was like she was perfectly calm on the outside, but shaking like crazy on the inside.
Sheâd cried for hours but the anger had finally sobered her up. Sheâd shed enough tears. Now it was time to take back her life. She had formed a plan to set a trap for Anthony and she prayed Steven was right⦠that Anthony would come for her, because sheâd be ready for him.
âI canât let you leave,â Steven informed her. If she wasnât going to protect herself, then as her mate⦠he would have to do it for her. He watched her red rimmed eyes turn and lock with his.
âThen youâre no better than Anthony and I will hate you for the rest of my life,â she said stubbornly. She wanted Steven to get mad at her, to throw her