Chapter 33: Chapter 33

"We need to find Ivory," I mumble, pulling my phone out of my pocket to dial her number. My eyes feel heavy and my entire body aches.

"You need to rest." Jake interrupts me, plucking the phone out of my hands. I frown, turning towards him.

"We need to find her Jake."

"No. . . Tobias and I need to find her. You need to go home and rest." Jake responds. I huff at him unhappily. All three of us are huddled in the corner of Lulu's cafe, my favourite place. It's warm, keeps us out of the cold and stays open till late.

"I just want food, someone feed me." Tobias grumbles, glancing at the kitchen to see if our plates are coming out soon. I knew neither of them had eaten since last night but frown at his lack of concern for Ivory.

"Do you not care that Ivory's out there? Missing?" I question, my eyebrow raised at him. He narrows his brown eyes at me before blowing out a breath, aggravated.

"I'm sure she can look after herself, I have bigger things to worry about." Tobias responds quietly, running a hand over his tired face. My frown deepens and Jake glares at him —

"Dude, what the fuck? She's your sister. Since when don't you care about Ivory?" Jake questions, his voice rising slightly in anger. Tobias barely flinches and instead lifts his mug of coffee to his mouth, taking a long drink.

Me and Jake look at each other, confused by Tobias' laid back 'I don't care' attitude. He slams the steaming hot mug back down onto the table, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"All I'm saying is that she's eighteen years old. She's an adult, she knows how to look after herself."

"She's in this mess because of you. Stop being so selfish Tobias." Jake snaps, leaning forward slightly. Tobias chuckles quietly, his eyes red from lack of sleep.

"If you care so much about her, go find her yourself."

My eyes widen at his words and I narrow my eyes into thin slits at him.

"Tobias, I don't know what the hell is going on with you right now but you seriously need to snap out of it. In case you haven't realised yet, you've put all of us in danger, Ivory included. Jake is right, you're being selfish. We're all trying to help you and you don't seem to care." I lecture him, shaking my head in disbelief.

"Emily is right." Jake mumbles sleepily, leaning back against the plush seats and closing his eyes.

"Emily is always right." Tobias mocks him, rolling his eyes dramatically. I raise my brow at him, leaning forward until our faces almost touch.

"Snap out of it." I tell him firmly, knowing this is his way of detaching himself from his feelings completely. It's a classic sign of self destruction, act like you don't care about anyone or anything to spare you the feeling of pain. Tobias leans closer, his warm breath fanning my cheeks as he smirks —

"Will you slap me? Go ahead, I'll enjoy it."

Beside me, Jake freezes and snaps his eyes open. The anger inside of me finally builds up and I slam my hands down onto the table, rage building inside of me. It's a good job the cafe is almost empty, especially since Tobias is hell bent on causing a scene. I lower my voice, my eyes shooting daggers at his.

"Say that again and I'll drag you to the police station myself to hand you in."

"Yeah and I'll be right behind her," Jake says firmly, his words laced with truth. His hand snakes around my waist possessively, closing the inches between us.

"You causing a scene inside this cafe isn't a very smart idea considering we're still wanted." Tobias shoots back at me. I continue to glare at him —

"Don't be an asshole and maybe I wouldn't have to cause a scene. You should be glad I'm pregnant otherwise I'd hurt you myself." I tell him. Jake chuckles quietly next to me, amused by my words.

"You've come a long way Muffin," he smirks, approval flashing through his blue eyes. The bell above the cafe door rings and Jake turns his head towards it in response. I sigh heavily, lifting my own mug of hot chocolate and taking a sip.

"No fucking way," Jake murmurs dangerously beside me and I frown, turning to look at him. His entire body has stiffened in place, fists clenched tightly.

"Jake?" I ask, my frown deepening. I turn towards Tobias who's equally as confused, glancing in the direction Jake is looking at. I turn my head to see what has caused the reaction in Jake when my eyes land on him. . . Trevor.

My eyes widen, heart thumping wildly as I study him. He's standing at the counter, his back turned to us. Even from behind, it's clear as day that it's him. His bald head is now bright red instead of its usual pink from the cold air outside. He's wearing the same winter coat he's worn the past three years. . . Grey, long and tweed.

I blink in surprise, I haven't seen him since the day I spent shopping with Jake for Christmas.

"Who is that?" Tobias asks Jake and I, breaking the silence between us all.

"That's Trevor," I whisper, my eyes never leaving him. I feel my heart thumping wildly against my chest and pray silently Trevor doesn't turn around and notice me.

"That's Trevor?" Tobias responds, scoffing in disgust. I nod silently, my head movements resembling a robot. I glance down at my lap, noticing my hands are trembling and not because the door had let in a cold draft.

"Emily, are you okay?" Jake asks me quietly, his body turning towards me. I swallow the lump in my throat, feeling all the emotion's tumbling back to me.  A memory I tried to bury deep away comes springing back to me and I feel the need to throw up —

Trevor gripping me tightly, the blade almost mocking me as he attempts to hurt me.

The terrifying scene flashes through my mind and I glance upwards at the ceiling, blinking back tears. I feel Jake's hand on my knee but I can't bring myself to look at him, I feel frozen in place, paralysed.

"Emily?" Tobias asks me with concern. I thought I was moving on from the memories with Trevor however seeing him in flesh again confirmed that I was wrong. I feel a single tear escape from the corner of my eye, rolling down my cheek. It snaps me out of my daze and I hastily brushed it away, forcing a smile.

"Yeah I'm fine. Of course I'm fine." I tell them, struggling to keep my lips turned into a smile. I clear my throat and look at Jake, giving him a reassuring look. His frown deepens as he studies me, eyes full of concern.

"I'm here for you, okay?" He whispers, pulling me into his chest. I nod, breathing out a sigh of relief as I feel his lips place a soft kiss on the top of my head.

"Has he gone?" I mutter to Tobias who's sat facing the cafe door, exactly where Trevor was standing.

"No, he's still there." Tobias responds, staring intensely in his direction, dark eyes never blinking.

"If he doesn't leave soon, I'll drag him out." Jake threatens quietly, his shoulders tense. I know how much he struggles to contain his anger whenever Trevor is even mentioned so this must be a challenge for him.

"What is he doing here? I didn't think he knew this place exists." I mutter, thinking out loud. I'd escaped to Lulu's cafe countless times when I lived with Mum and Trevor. It was my safe place and now that I know Trevor is in here, it's sadly lost it's purpose.

"He's coming over here." Tobias warns me, dropping his eyes to the table. My eyes widen and panic begins to settle inside my stomach.

"You're joking, right? Please tell me this is a joke," Jake hisses, his arm tightening around me. Tobias shakes his head, his eyes flicking up as they watch Trevor's movements. I hear his familiar heavy footsteps gradually get louder from behind me and I shut my eyes tight, my body trembling in fear. My hand covers my stomach protectively and I pray silently he doesn't recognise me.

"Should we leave?" Jake asks me quietly, his breath tickling my ear. I shake my head in protest because we all need a warm play to stay and we'd already paid for the food.

I watch in horror as Trevor walks straight past us, taking a seat in the fourth booth down. He places his coffee and newspaper down onto the table, oblivious to the three sets of eyes that are watching him like a hawk. I suck in a breath from seeing him so close to me, it's been a long time.

"Here is your food guys, sorry for the long wait." A waiter interrupts us cheerfully, placing the tray of food down onto our tables.

"Thanks mate," Jake mumbles in response, his eyes never leaving Trevor. The waiter nods silently, glancing between all three of us nervously before turning and walking away.

Trevor glances up at the waiter as he walks away and his eyes briefly scan over us before dropping back down to read his newspaper. I suck in a breath, relieved that he hadn't noticed me. Tobias sighs and reaches for his plate, tucking into the lasagne and chips.

"We might as well eat," he mumbles, his mouth full of half chewed food. I nod silently and pull my plate of pasta towards me, suddenly losing my appetite. Jake remains frozen, his head still turned towards Trevor's direction.

"Jake, please eat." I whisper, handing him a fork. He glances down at his food and sighs, nodding silently at me.

"Emily? Is that you?"

I pause, my fork in mid air. Fear completely overtakes my body as I hear my name come from his lips. I glance up to find Trevor standing a few feet away from us, his eyes staring directly at me. I drop my fork, jumping as it clangs against my plate.

My mouth becomes dry and I open it to reply but no sound comes out. I snap it shut and nod weakly instead, my eyes dropping down to the floor. My hands shake profusely in my lap and I feel bile rise to the back of my throat. Trevor does something I never thought he would. . . He smiles.

"Hi. . . its good to see you." He says quietly, taking a step forward in my direction.

Jake and Tobias immediately shoot up out of their seat, shoulders squared defensively as they stand in front of me, one on either side. A low threatening noise comes from Jake and I notice Tobias' fists clench by his side, his head tilted intimidatingly at Trevor.

"Back up." Jake threatens, his voice imitating a protective guard dog.

"I don't want any trouble." Trevor says quickly, holding his hands up in the air in surrender. His eyes flicker between Tobias and Jake. I notice panic flash through them and I can't help feeling victorious. I spent years of my life shaking with fright in the corner of my bedroom and now here he stands, twice as scared.

"I suggest you leave." Tobias speaks, his voice low and dangerous. If I didn't know them personally and the two men spoke to me like that, I'd run for the hills and wouldn't turn back.

"I just want to talk to her." Trevor frowns, his eyes landing on me. I suck in a breath as he holds my stare, searching my eyes. Jake takes a threatening step forward and Tobias follows, both of them looking huge compared to Trevor.

"Don't talk to her." Jake warns him, eyes burning with hatred.

"Don't even look at her." Tobias adds, his mouth turning up into a dangerous snarl.

"Never ever mention her name." Jake follows on before pausing. My eyes flicker over to Tobias, expecting him to automatically finish it off. The striking resemblance between the two cousins is completely uncanny and I can't help but bite back a smile.

"Or you're dead." Tobias finally ends, lips turning up into a smirk. Trevor's eyes widen in fear and he nods profusely, grabbing his newspaper from his table. His hands shake as he leaves the cafe with his eyes trained on the floor, bumping into furniture as he goes.

My lips stretch out into a wide smile as I watch him leave, literally shaking in his boots. I place a hand on Jake and Tobias' arms, snapping them out of their crazy possessive stance.

"Down boys." I joke, my heart bursting with love for both of them.