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“What are you doing here?”
He gave a shrug. “Family reunion. We’re camped out at Kade Campsite. You know where that place is? It’s new, but pretty cool.”
“You’re only in town for the reunion? You’re leaving right after?”
His eyes sparked, and not in a nice way. He began to open his mouth, but then–“Ava, you were getting the soup? I was supposed to get the pizzas.” Another person joined our group, and Zeke stopped next to me, looking down at his phone before lifting his face. A frown in place, but Zeke made sure to step somewhat in front of me before seeing Jarrod. “Oh, hey! You’re Jarrod Oster, aren’t you?” He held out his hand. “Zeke Allen. You remember me? We went to different schools, but I remember you.”
Zeke and I hadn’t talked since that day he helped me when I was drunk. It was a bittersweet moment for me. The first time I got drunk. A friend helped me out, and we talked the entire rest of the day. He made food for me, showed me his beautiful home before he gave me a ride home and then saw where I lived.
I was proud of our house. It wasn’t much. A bit run-down with peeling paint, a few cracks in the sidewalk, a few rotting porch posts, but it was my home. It would always be my home. Of that, I was very sure. Everything else, not so much, but I’d never have another home like that.
So yeah, when Zeke dropped me off, a part of me could’ve shriveled up in embarrassment.
That was the younger me. This different me stood proud and I brought him in, showed him around, and we sat and talked even longer in my living room.
I must’ve fallen asleep because when I woke up, I was in my room and he was gone.
That’d been six days ago.
Jarrod had gone still now, his head edging back before he straightened to his fullest height. “Yeah, man. Allen. I remember you, too. Academy, right?”
“Right.” Zeke’s tone was dropping the friendliness, and he edged even more in front of me. “You left school back then. Why the fuck you back?”
Okay. Yeah. All pretenses were gone. Zeke’s tone was low and dangerous, a warning.
Jarrod’s head snapped back, but those eyes turned mean too. “I’m saying hello to an ex-girl–”
“She’s not your ex.” Zeke was fully in front of me, his back to tight and tense, though his tone was almost soft. Eerily. “She’s not your anything because the time you had back then wasn’t anything, but haunts and lessons. Lessons like never going for another guy like you again. You taught her that.” His head clipped down in a nod. “Now, you get going. I’ll pay for your bread if that’s the case why you’re still standing here, being all hesitant.”
“You might want to watch–”
“No,” Zeke shot out. “I don’t think so because unlike Ava, I know where you’ve been. And I know another guy who was in the same place. Potomahmen. He’s all the way connected too. Won’t be too much work to give him a call if I need to.”
Zeke was talking about a prison nearby.
I edged to the side and saw Jarrod narrowing his eyes at Zeke. “You’re lying. You don’t–”
“Call my bluff. Please.”
Zeke wasn’t sounding bothered or ruffled. He was speaking cool and calm, and that was giving me shivers down my spine because I could feel how hewantedJarrod to call his bluff. This was a glimpse of the old Zeke, back from high school. He was still in there.
“I don’t think so, man.” Slowly, almost achingly slow, Jarrod reached out and put the bread on top of a bunch of soup cans. “There’s another store I can go to.” He began to pass us by, but stopped, his head low. “You might want to not see me around town, but I got a feeling I’ll be seeing you. If you know what that means.”
“Yes, dumbass. It’s your witty way of trying to threaten me, but you see, you’re just not smart because now Igottamake that phone call.”
Jarrod sucked in his breath, but took off, stalking away. I felt singed as his gaze swept over me.
Zeke circled around, watching him go, before I could feel the instant he was out of our aisle. A whole weight lifted up off my shoulders. I frowned at Zeke. “Why did you do that? What were you talking about, making a phone call?”
He was still facing the aisle, but his eyes cut sideways to me. “I got curious about what you said about him. I did some digging on the internet, that’s all. And he knows who I’m talking about with the phone call. He crossed paths with someone that Blaise’s brother knew, who’s connected to some dangerous people. That’s all.”
My whole body went cold. “I’m not liking this, any of this. I don’t want you to make that call.”
He moved so his body was facing me. He gave a small nod. “Okay, but I’ll handle him another way.”
“What way?”
He shook his head, a small grin toying at the corner of his lips. “Maybe better if you don’t know, but he’ll leave you alone. I do promise that.”
