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“Hello,” I answered, hanging on by a thread.
An automated service stated, “You have a collect call from Chase Hayes at the county station. If you wish to accept these charges, say yes.”
“Yes!”
“Thank you.”
Seconds later, I heard his voice, “Peach?”
“Oh my God, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“What’s going on?”
“I need you to do something for me.”
“Anything.”
“I need you to call Mark and tell him to pay my bail.”
“Mark?” I jerked back, offended. “I can do it.”
“Haven, just do what I ask.”
“Just trust me.”
“It has nothing to do with trust and everything to do with wanting to keep you out of this.”
“I’m already involved. I’m in your life, aren’t I?”
“For fuck’s sake. Fine. There’s a safe behind my bookshelf in my bedroom. Grab the cash and bail me out.”
“How much do I need?”
“Two grand.”
“Where do I go with it?”
“A bonds bailsman, and they’ll handle it from there.”
“Okay, I’ll go do that right now and then I’ll come back.”
“Come back?”
“I’m outside the station with Cove. They won’t tell us anything because we’re not immediate family.”
“What the fuck, Haven?”
“What was I supposed to do? I had to call someone. She’s my best friend. She’s not going to say anything.”
“Cove isn’t the problem. It’s the fact you’re already here. Why don’t you ever listen to me?”
“Are you really going to use your one phone call to reprimand me?”
He deeply sighed. “Just go to the bail bondsman and then go home. I’ll call you when I’m out. Can you do that for me?”
I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “Yeah.”
“Good girl.”
“I love you.”
“I know.”
With that, he hung up.
Except I had the worst feeling this didn’t end here.
If anything…
It was only the beginning.
Thirty-Three
Haven
The tension I was feeling was palpable waiting for Hayes’s call since yesterday. I’d never been in this situation before and it was beyond surreal for me. Everything with Hayes was so foreign for me. If my family knew what was going on in my life right now there would be no coming back from that.
After Cove and I left the bondsman, we came back to my house. No one was home. For the next couple of days, my dad was out of town on business and my brothers must have been busy or else they’d be there. I was grateful for the privacy. I wouldn’t be able to play off how I was really feeling. They would have known something was up.
As I stared at my eyebrow scar in the mirror of my bathroom, I craved to feel the love and support of my mother. Sometimes it felt like this scar was the only thing I had left of her. For some reason, it always made me feel closer to her. I couldn’t talk about what was happening with anyone other than Cove, but it wasn’t helping like it usually did.
I needed my momma.
I wiped away the tears from my eyes, knowing in my heart she’d understand what I was going through with Hayes. It was something only a mother could. I never longed for her to hug me more than I did right then.
So much had happened in the last twenty-four hours and I was struggling with what was right or what was wrong when it came to the guy I was in love with. Except, I wasn’t this girl who lived life on the edge, dating a man getting arrested of all things.
The months of him warning me he was no good for me finally reared its ugly head. I couldn’t keep up with the emotions tearing me apart in just the last day alone. The only thing I was certain of was how much I loved him. It was the kind of love my mom used to tell me about all the time.
The connection.
Passion.
Desire.
Pain…
It was all there, stabbing me in the heart in a tormented yet affectionate way.
I didn’t want to believe he was bad for me. From the first day we met, I fought against it. Denying all the facts. Trying to live in the moment with him was the only thing that felt right.
I frantically tried to catch my breath, trying to push through and not give in to that little voice in the back of my head that was screaming something wasn’t right between us.
I hated that fucking voice and the longer I stood there, the louder it became.
Cove knocked on the door. “You okay in there?”
“Yeah. I’ll be out in a minute.”
After I washed my face, I stepped back into my room. Cove patted the seat next to her out on my balcony.
“You all right?” she asked once I was sitting beside her.
“I’m not sure anymore.”
She frowned. “I’m sorry, Haven. I know this is hard for you.”
“I’m truly at a loss. I don’t know what to do.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t even know where to start.”
Her eyebrows pinched together.
“He has my piggy bank, Cove. Or at least shards of it.”
