AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Let me go!” I tried to wrench free, but his hand closed like a vice grip.
“No, you’re not driving like this!”
I shoved him hard in the chest and screamed. “Leave me alone!”
Magic reverberated through my voice and exploded from my body in every direction. The glass windows on the cars nearby shattered, and their alarms went off. Jackson staggered, and pressed his hands to his ears, his face contorting in pain.
The sight of him backing away from me was enough to shake me from the explosion. I gasped and pulled him upright again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“I’m okay,” he said, catching me by the wrists. “I’m okay.”
Tears poured from my eyes and I started to run away again. “Oh god, Jack. I’m sorry.”
“No. Come here.” He said, tugging me towards him. His arms circled around me, and he carefully cradled my head against his chest, avoiding my skin. He cupped his hand around my head and rested his chin against his fingers. “It’s gonna be okay, we’re gonna figure this out. I promise you. But right now, we’ve gotta go before someone calls the cops over here, and they find us standing around all this broken glass. My car’s parked on the street.”
I nodded into his chest, and he let me go. “What about my bike?”
“We’ll get it later, after our appointment,” he said, guiding me back down the ramp and out of the building.
“Appointment?” I frowned. I couldn’t remember him mentioning anything about us going somewhere together.
He stopped at the passenger side of his truck and opened the door for me. “We were a little distracted back there, so I didn’t get to tell you. I found Nadia’s address in the system. She’s got a prior arrest on file. I called her landlord and he’s expecting us.”
“Oh,” I said, slipping into the seat.
“Are you okay riding with me?” he asked, before he closed the door.
I swallowed around a lump in my throat and nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.”
6
Wrecked
Awkward didn’t even begin to explain the feeling that spread over us inside the truck. The energy racing beneath my skin had dissipated, but sitting next to him in silence still made me nervous.After five minutes, I just couldn’t take it anymore.
“So,” I said. “Where’re we goin?”
“Hmm?” He glanced at me, tapping his gloved fingers on the steering wheel. “Oh, yeah. Algiers. A converted warehouse near the water. It’s not too far.”
“You said you found her address through a prior arrest. What was she booked for?” I asked.
“She got into a fight with a skinhead twice her size in New York at some protest. Beat the hell out of him. You wouldn’t believe the pictures.”
I smirked. “Good for her.”
“That’s what I said.”
I sank into my seat a little further and turned my eyes to the world passing by outside the window. I could still feel the warmth of his arms around me. His heartbeat echoed in my ears. “Can we put on some music?”
“Sure.” He turned the dial on the radio. Familiar music swelled through the speakers, and a warm tingle spread through my chest.Irisby The Goo Goo Dolls.
“Our song,” I said.
He smiled. “I’ll never forget walking into that bar and hearing you sing it.”
“It was open mic night. I haven’t done one of those in a long time.”
Closing my eyes, I let the music wash over me. It chipped away at the cold feeling Nadia’s death had left at my core. The chorus hit and the words rolled off my tongue like I’d written them myself. Sometimes it felt like I had. All I’d ever wanted was for him to see me. To be with me. I wanted to touch him and not be afraid anymore. I wanted a real life with him. But I couldn’t have that. That just wasn’t in the cards for me.
