AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A genuine, excited smile lights up my entire face as I look around at the place that will soon be my own. The Alayna I was before coming here never would have taken this plunge. The terrified woman hiding behind the badass facade would have caved under the pressure of the previous bar burning down and would have taken it as a sign that I wasn't meant to do that anymore. This woman? The person I am now? She isn't letting fear control her life anymore. I'm still a fucking badass, but now I'm a badass who doesn't run from people or her own emotions. I own that shit, and it's made me open up in all aspects of my life. This new career opportunity is one of those things. Plus, being in a relationship with not just one man, but three.
If the old me could see me now, she would think we were fucking body snatched. We weren't, though, it's just what happens when you find a safe place with people you can trust and open up to. Without Rhys, Riggs, and Adam, I never would have gotten here. They make me fight for something outside of myself. They give me something worthy to grab hold of, something to use to pull myself out of the terror-filled pit I lived in for all those years. What I thought were ways to keep myself safe, were really just ways of isolating to keep from being hurt. It's not hard to see now why they say love is worth the risk. It took truly being immersed by it to understand.
Grabbing the last of my pictures, I take one more longing look at the brewery before walking out to meet Poppy in the parking lot. There’s a pep in my step from this whole experience, and I honestly can’t wait to get home and share my excitement with the guys.
“Alayna,” Poppy greets me again, her hands tucked into her pockets. “I wanted to apologize for touching you without your permission earlier. I noticed you jump when I touched your shoulder unexpectedly, and I never wanted to make you uncomfortable. You just remind me so much of my younger self, and I imagine if I’d ever had kids, they would’ve been so much like you. I got away from myself. I’m so sorry.”
“Oh,” I pause, not expecting an apology or even an acknowledgement of my discomfort. “That’s okay. You couldn’t have known that random touching makes me uncomfortable. Don’t worry about it.”
My mind races, processing all of the information she threw at me. My heart melts a little bit at the way she seemed to embrace who I am and is so worried and upset that she may have made me uncomfortable.
“Whatever the reason for your reaction,” Poppy starts, her eyes damp with moisture as she holds her hands over her heart. “I just want you to know that you are truly one of the most beautiful souls I have ever had the luxury of coming across. Whoever tried to steal your light didn’t succeed. They may have dimmed it for a while, but you’ve grown to be one of the brightest stars in the sky. You are going to do amazing things, my dear. Take it from this crazy old lady who’s been around the block a time or two.”
Choking back my emotions, I thank her quietly, and awkwardly place a hand on her shoulder. We make plans to touch base again in a few days to finish up the details of the sale once we speak with our lawyers. Walking back to the car a little dazed, I let a few tears fall, the impact of Poppy’s words sinking in with every step.
I’ve never had much faith in humanity from growing up the way I did. Expecting the worst from everyone has been my default since I was a child. There’s been very few instances where I even let someone get close enough to prove me wrong. Still, sometimes there’s that one person that breaks through the barrier for a brief moment to remind me that my experiences aren’t always the normal and good people do in fact exist. Poppy is one of those people.
My car sits just ahead in the fairly empty coffee shop parking lot, down the road a bit from the brewery. Parking here seemed like a good idea when I arrived because it meant I was getting some fresh air and exercise and on the way back I would treat myself to a coffee or a cinnamon latte.
The smell of coffee hits my nose just as the details around my car become clearer. Scattered all over my hood and the ground are destroyed red roses, the edges of the petals limp and decayed. My feet stop in their tracks, my eyes instantly moving around the parking lot to try and spot where that motherfucker is hiding. I know these roses are from Kevin Jennings Jr, because he left the same type on my windshield at Dec’s funeral.
Grabbing my phone, I hit Rhys’ name in my contacts, knowing for sure he’s going to be at home.
“Hey, Lay! How did it go?” Rhys answers, the sound of the TV and the crinkle of a bag in the background.
“Rhys,” I stammer, my voice breathless and my heart racing a mile a minute. “He’s here somewhere. I don’t know exactly where, but there's roses torn apart all over my car.”
“Where are you?” Rhys jumps into police mode, the sudden flurry of noises on his end calming me down a little bit.
“I’m parked at More Coffee, Less Talky just off of Opal street.”
“Okay,” Rhys murmurs then reiterates what I just said to whoever he’s with. “Head inside the coffee shop, and grab a drink. Riggs and I are on our way to you. Make sure you stay in the shop, and don’t go out of the eyes of the staff there. Riggs is calling Adam to see if he’s closer to you. We’ll be there soon.”
Saying our goodbyes, I do as he said and head inside to grab a drink. The place isn’t overly busy, just a few of the tables occupied and two baristas behind the counter. Walking up to them, I order a cinnamon latte to-go and scan the surrounding patrons as I wait for my drink. No one seems to be paying me any mind, and none of them look anything close to Jennings.
“Here you go!” Sally, the barista, says with a cheerful smile. “A cinnamon latte and a piece of our famous blueberry banana bread.”
“Oh, I didn’t order any banana bread.” I take the cup from her hand and eye up the bag with the treat in it.
“It was bought for you about five minutes before you came in. The young man told us to expect you,” she cheerfully announces, her face giving away how romantic she thinks this is. It’s far from romantic, though, it’s downright frightening. He planned this, all of it.
“Thanks,” I whisper, taking the bag from her hand like it’s a snake ready to bite me. Quickly walking over to the plush brown leather couches, I drop the bag unceremoniously on the table and flop down onto the couch. My purse hangs at my side like a weight holding me in place. My cup is shaking in my hand, the only outward sign I’m showing of my fear.
My phone buzzes beside me, making me jump at the sudden sound. The breath catches in my throat when I seeprivate numberflashing across my screen. It can’t be him, though. I changed my number. He’s been silent this whole time. It can’t be him. It can’t be him. It’s not fucking possible that it’s him.
“Hello,” I answer, pulling whatever composure I can together to hide how scared I am.
“Pretty little Layna. It’s so good to hear your voice again,” Kevin Jennings Jr taunts through the phone, his sick joy so apparent I can feel bile rising in my throat. “Did you like the rose petals I left for you? I bet you did. I personally would like to see your boyfriends’ blood splattered across your car instead of those red roses, but I don’t think we’ve hit that point in our relationship yet. Not yet, but soon. Better make sure you say goodbye while you still can, little Layna. You wouldn’t want to miss saying goodbye to yet another love of yours. Declan was already so tragic. See you soon.”
The line goes dead before I can respond, the threat against my guys ringing in my ears and flooding my entire body with ice-cold fear. Kevin Jennings means every fucking vile word he says, his threats aren’t something that can be pushed under the rug. One day soon, he will attempt to take the guys’ lives, and I have no idea how to stop that from happening. I don’t even know if there is a way. All I know is I will fucking throw myself at his mercy if there’s even a small chance that it saves my guys. Saving them is all that matters.
Chapter Fourteen
Alayna
The door chimes as it opens, the sound sending me into a full blown panic attack. The blood rushing in my ears drowns out the noise around me except for the sudden gasping breathing coming out of my mouth. The phone I’ve been staring at for who knows how long, blurs in front of me as the tears take over my entire being.
My mind is trapped in a flurry of images from the past and scenes of the future that that motherfucker so nicely laid out for me. The flashes of the past and future overwhelm me, to the point I can’t even remember where I am or what’s currently going on. Someone touches my leg, probably to see if I’m okay, but all I can see is Mr. Jennings grabbing my legs and forcing them open for him.
