Chapter 26: Chapter 26

Twenty Six - “You do?”

My phone rings and the screen flashes with Mum's contact. I instantly feel sick as I replay the way Jake slammed Trevor's face into the floor. The crack and echo of the impact plays on a loop in my head. I close my eyes and inhale deeply, wondering whether Trevor is still alive. He certainly didn't look it when I last saw him.

I decline the call and a text message pops up seconds later. I grit my teeth together and turn my phone off, tossing it onto the bed. I really did not want to deal with that right now. Part of me is terrified for Trevor but the second half is pleased he experienced pain.

Does that make me a sick individual?

I wouldn't wish anyone to be hurt, especially by the hands of another human being. However I can't help feel like Trevor deserves it. I sigh, rubbing my temples with my hands. A soft knock on my bedroom door catches my attention —

"Come in," I say flatly, completely drained from the nights events. I'm surprised to see Tobias' face pop round my door, his eyes landing directly on me. He still hasn't apologised for his hurtful words and I'm starting to think he never will.

"What do you want?" I mumble and Tobias rolls his eyes which causes me to glare at him.

"The police are here."

"The police? Why?" I ask him, sitting up straighter. Panic begins to brew inside my chest and I inhale deeply. Tobias doesn't respond and invites himself in, bounced down onto my bed and placing his arms behind his head. I can't believe he can act so casual knowing the police are downstairs.

"Where's Jake?"

"He left a while ago, he didn't say where he was going." Tobias responds, looking back up at me. His eyes meet mine and he tilts his head slightly before speaking —

"What have you two been upto?" Dark brown eyes fill with curiosity. I stare at him for a moment wondering whether I can trust him with the truth. I decide I don't.

"We haven't done anything."

My voice appears calm and even I'm impressed with myself. Tobias scoffs, not believing a single word before looking back down at his phone.

"They want to speak to you," Tobias adds, sounding extremely bored. I stand up, knowing this would happen. There's probably witnesses that have seen Jake beat Trevor up and both of us are prime suspects.

I swallow the nerves trapped inside my throat, rehearing inside my mind what I'll say to the police. As I'm walking out of the door, Tobias speaks again. His words cause me to freeze on the spot.

"Don't ever tell them the truth Emily."

I turn to look back at him, noticing the intensity of his dark eyes. Without saying a word, I nod my head, telling him I understand. I can feel my palms begin to grow sweaty as I walk down the stairs, getting closer and closer to an interrogation by the police. I don't expect to turn into the living room and meet eyes with someone I've seen before.

I immediately freeze on the spot, my breathing hitching inside my throat.

He has the same dark buzz cut, chiseled jaw line and icy blue eyes. . . It's the man from the park.

My heart begins thumping against my chest, the sound of it echoing through my ears. I take a step back, confusion filling my features as I study his uniform, the police hat tucked under his arm.

He's a police officer? Well, damn.

Upon noticing my discomfort, a small smirk flickers across his face. I get the urge to reach forward and slap it straight off his arrogant face. He's sat on the end of the couch with Michelle sat opposite him. She's smiling at me tightly, her shoulders tense.

"It's Emily Wentworth, isn't it?"

I instantly feel like throwing up as soon as my name leaves his lips. This is the same man that sent me the creepy text messages . . . the same man who stalked me in the park. Numerous questions swirl around inside my brain but I know one thing for certain, he's a dirty cop.

I nod at him, feeling rooted to the spot.

Would he chase me if I run?

I glance at Michelle and notice the worried expression in her eyes. If I run, it will make Jake and I look guilty as sin. For the sake of keeping us both out of prison, I plaster a fake smile onto my face and take a seat away from the police man. His eyes follow me as I sit down and I have to stop myself from shivering with chills. He takes out a notepad, clearing his throat.

"I'm going to ask you some questions Emily."

I crease my eyebrows in confusion which is all part of the act. I have to make myself appear innocent.

"About what? I've already spoken to someone about why I left home." I reply, my voice quiet. I watch his jaw tense as if he knows I'm playing dumb. There's a glint in his eyes is dangerous and I have to avert my gaze away from him, staring at the floor instead.

"I'm not here about that. There was an assault taken place today, a serious one."

I raise my eyebrows meeting his eyes again. "Oh yeah?" I ask. He nods, clearly annoyed at my reaction.

"I don't see what that's got to do with me."

"It was your step father." He replies, playing with the top of his pen. The constant tapping of it against his note pad is annoying me and I breathe in deeply, forcing myself to calm down.

"Shame about that," I reply bluntly. The police man raises his eyebrows and I stare at him coldly, feeling annoyed with him now. A thought flashes through my head and I sit up straighter —

"What's your name?"

My eyes never leave his and I watch as his face flashes with surprise at my sudden confidence. He takes a few minutes to reply, carefully thinking about his next move. He sighs, glancing at Jake's Mum knowing he couldn't lie to me whilst she's here. I raise my eyebrow at him, knowing exactly what game he's playing.

"DC Jones," he replies, shifting uncomfortably on the arm chair. I nod, taking a mental note of his last name. I see the glint of fire in his eyes as he stares me down, hating that I've pulled one over on him. I smile sickly sweet at him, ignoring his constant glare.

"Where were you tonight at around eight?" DC Jones asks, narrowing his eyes at me. I respond instantly, never hesitating.

"Here with Jake," I said calmly. His eyebrow's shoot up, knowing I'd just lied to him. He doesn't have any proof which makes me feel a million times more confident.

"Can anyone confirm that?" He asks me, lips twitching in amusement. Crap. An alibi completely slipped from my mind. I rack my brains, thinking who I could use as a witness. My mind is blank but thank god, Michelle decides to reply.

"I can. They were both watching TV when I got in from work and stayed in front of it for hours. Kids, eh?" She laughs falsely and my head shoots towards her. Did she just cover our backs?

I internally breathe a sigh of relief feeling extremely grateful towards her. She never glances back at me, instead keeping her eyes focused on the officer in her living room.

"Okay. That's all I need for now. Thank you both for your time," DC Jones says before standing up and heading for the door. I could have scoffed if it wasn't for Jake's Mum shooting me a glare. I shrink back in my seat, mouthing an apology in her direction. She smiles briefly before getting up off her seat to show DC Jones out.

After he's gone I breathe a huge sigh of relief, my shoulders slumping down. Michelle walks back into the living room, her heels clicking against the floorboards. She sits opposite me and I wait for her to speak first.

"Stick to your story Emily. I love my son and will never let him go down for something that he did or didn't do. Unfortunately he's a trouble maker and this happens quite frequently. Hopefully the police should stop sniffing around soon."

"You're a good Mum to him," I say quietly being truthful. She smiles warmly, her eyes lighting up a little. "Thank you."

I smiled back at her, my body becoming weak from the day's events.

"Do you know where Jake is?" I ask quietly, Michelle shook her head before standing up.

"He dissapears sometimes, he's old enough to know what he's doing. Don't worry about him Emily." Before she leaves the room, I call out to her one last time —

"Yes?"

"Thank you Michelle, for everything."

She nods, smiling before walking out. Her heels clicked faintly as she walked away, leaving me alone in the living room. I sink further into into the chair, feeling exhausted. My eyes are heavy and my head was throbbing horribly. I close my eyes and sigh, getting comfortable.

*****

I felt warm lips meet with my forehead and stirred in my sleep, feeling extremely uncomfortable. My back ached from the position I was in and I groaned quietly opening one eye. The room was dark and it took me a few seconds to register I was in the living room. Jake was sprawled out on the couch, his hair a total mess.

I jumped off the arm chair and felt my legs wobble a little from my sudden movement.

"Careful there Muffin" Jake chuckled quietly. I narrowed my eye's at him and sat back down on the arm chair, my body protesting in pain.

"Where did you go Jake?" I asked groaning from the slightest movement.

"Here and there," he replied, sitting up. He stretched his arms out and placed them behind his head casually. I glared at him and he held his hands up in surrender —

"I had a work thing with a few buddies, okay?"

"Whilst you were gone, the police decided to show up." I said quietly. His eyebrows raised and he sat up straighter, intrigued. "The police? What did you say?"

"Your mum gave us an alibi."

Jake grins from my words before leaning back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. He let out a low breath, a wide smile on his face.

"I'm going to pay for that tomorrow but fuck, she's a great Mum."

"I agree she is." I nodded, my voice still heavy with sleep. Jake briefly glanced at me before holding his arms out. I stood up, wincing a little and climbed into Jake's lap, my arms wrapping around his neck. His scent was like a comfort to me and I didn't bother hiding the fact that I was inhaling his scent deeply. Jake didn't seemed to mind and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me in tighter. He placed a small kiss on top of my head —

"Thanks Muffin," he whispers gratefully and I mumble a response, letting him know it's okay.

The past few weeks have been a complete rollercoaster but something tells me the ride isn't over yet. . . It's only just started.

"Jake?"

"Yeah Emily?"

"The man who chased me in the park is the police officer who showed up here tonight." I reveal, unable to believe it myself.

"Really?" Jake asks his brows shooting up. I nod quickly —

"He's also been sending me creepy text messages." I mumble, shifting uncomfortably on Jake's lap. He pauses, freezing underneath me. I feel his warm fingers grasp hold of my chin gently, turning it towards his direction. His face is emotionless, eyes darkening by the second and a small shiver travels down my spine.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jake asks me, dark eyes searching mine. I felt my throat dry out and I shrugged in response —

"I thought it was a prank, I didn't know it was anything serious. If I knew it was him, I would have told you." I say honestly. Jake sighs deeply, running a hand over his face.

"Promise me something?" He says firmly and I nod my head, signalling for him to continue. His blue eyes soften, features relaxing as a hand snakes round my back.

"Next time, you tell me everything that happens. The smallest detail, okay?"

I nod because I know it's what he does. He's over-protective and fiercely loyal. I take hold of his hand, intertwining my fingers through his long warm ones.

"I promise."

A small silence settles upon us and I steal a glance at Jake to find him watching out intertwined hands. I smile at the sight of it before realising I should probably tell him everything I know about DC Jones.

"His name is DC Jones. Ive never seen or heard from him before except for the incident at the park and the text messages." I add, shuddering as I remembered his dark cold stare. Jake's body immediately tenses up and his eyes flash cold at the mention of the name.

"Jones?" he repeats angrily and I nod, scrunching my eyebrows in confusion.

"Do you know him?" I ask, surprise lacing my words.

"It's a long story Emily," Jake mutters unhappily, taking out his phone from his pocket. I stand from his lap and he immediately rises too, pressing buttons on his phone. He turned around without another word and walks out, holding the phone to his ear as it rings. I could hear Jake's muffled voices talking with someone on the other end of the phone. He sounds annoyed and his voice raises slightly as he yells to the person on the other end.

Suddenly he silences and I hear him slap his phone down onto the counter in frustration. He walks back into the living room tugging at his hair. I stand up, walking towards him with a worried expression.

"What's wrong? Tell me Jake." I said eager to know.

After all, it does involve me.

"He's trouble Emily, he used to be part of our gang. He's a corrupt officer but we'd always be one step ahead of the police with Jones being one of us."

I nodded, showing him I was listening. Jake sucked in a breath before carrying on —

"One day some stuff went down between the police and us. Jones ended up shooting Amil instead of helping him, he was hospitalised, almost died and then imprisoned for a couple of years. After that, as you can imagine, Amil has always had it in for him. He betrayed the gang, the worst possible thing you can do. Amil doesn't take betrayal well."

Jake finished and I take a second for all the information to register. My mind is so confused with all the information but it strangely makes sense.

"So where do I come into this?" I ask still confused over that part.

"That's the thing, I don't know myself." Jake replies equally as confused. He paces the room walking back and forth before turning back to me —

"Have you ever seen him before?"

I shake my head. Jones is someone I'd definitely remember. You don't forget a face like that quickly.

"I actually have no idea what he wants with you." Jake mumbles after a few minutes. He tug at his hair, taking a seat on the sofa. His brows are creased with frustration, worried frown lines on his forehead.

"When did he first get in contact with you Muffin?" Jake asked, pulling me gently towards him. I remember the phone call I'd received months ago, the one claiming to be my father. I scrunch my brows up at his sick joke.

"There was a phone call, a few weeks before I met you. He said he was my father and then hung up, it was just a sick joke." I say quietly. Jake pulls me into his chest closer and used his free hand to stroke the back of my hair tenderly.

"Jones is a sick man."

A few minutes of silence pass, both Jake and I left with our thoughts.

"Let's go somewhere," he said finally pulling me back and looking me in the eyes eagerly.

"Like another date? It's midnight and the first date didn't turn out so well," I laugh dryly and Jake chuckles a little.

"Not a date, let's just go hang out somewhere."

"Do you enjoy my company Jakey?" I tease him and Jake scowls in response.

"Jakey? Do not call me that." He shakes his head at me and my smile grows wider.

"You're my boyfriend. I can call you what I want." I respond sticking my tongue out at him. Jake grins at me, his tension completely disappearing. He grabs me, lifting me up in one swift move. I squeal and fight against him, enjoying his playful side.

"Put me down Jake." I giggle, my arms waving around aimlessly in the air.

"Whatever you say Muffin" he chuckled dropping me from a height onto the couch. I bounced before settling down onto it.

I leaned forward and grabbed Jake's arm pulling him on top of me. He chuckled loudly and I signalled for him to be quiet knowing everyone would be asleep upstairs. Jake shrugged and grinned at me, shifting so all his weight wasn't completely on top of me.

"I like this position," Jake breathed into my neck and I giggled, rolling my eyes at him playfully. He pulled back, blue ocean eyes shimmering down at me. When he leaned down and kissed me, I wasn't ready. Every time he was close, I lost all sense of control. I felt myself spin into waves of pleasure as he flicked out his tongue, running it across my bottom lip. I let out a small sigh of pleasure and Jake pulled back, the tip of his nose touching mine.

"I love you."

I froze underneath him, the smile from my face slowly fading. Did he really just say that?

I feel Jake's body freeze on top of me and then he was off me so quick, I could have blinked and not seen it. I leaned up on my elbows, swallowing the lump in my throat. The atmosphere suddenly became thick filled with tension between us. His words clouded my brain. . . I love you.

"Jake — " I said quietly.

He has his back turned to me and clears his throat. I could see his hands running through his hair wildly - something he did when he's really stressed out or nervous.

"Fuck." He mumbles.

"Jake" I said again, louder this time wanting him to turn around. My heart was beating wildly in my chest from his words. They seemed foreign coming off his lips and I couldn't help but think it was a spur of the moment thing.

"Did you mean it?" I asked quietly, noticing how Jake never turned around. He cleared his throat again and turned to face me. His whole facial expression had changed to one I'd never seen before. His eyes were glossy and looked so vulnerable. I sat up on the couch my own eyes never leaving his.

"Yeah, I do" he whispered, his words soft.

I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders as I registered his words. He loves me. Jake's gaze dropped to the floor as he waiting for my reply. I felt a thousand butterflies flutter through my stomach as I realised he actually loves me. I stood up and walked towards him, taking his hands in mine. They felt rough and large compared to my soft and small ones but I kinda loved that.

I love how completely different we are to each other yet I always feel myself being pulled towards him by a invisible force. I love how he makes me feel and I love how protective he is of me. I love his cheeky comeback's and his flirtatious side. I love how he rescued me not just from Trevor, but from myself. I love the way he cooks me pancakes in the morning and I love the way his nose scrunches up in the most adorable way when he's happy. I love the way he takes care of me... It's the same way I watched my father take care of my mother once upon a time. I love his soft playful side that he only ever seemed to show his close, loved ones.

I love him. I really do love him.

I looked up into his eyes and sensed how scared he was. It was the first time I had ever seen emotional fear in his eyes. He looked at me pleadingly, begging me silently not to turn him away.

"Say something Muffin" he mumbled, breaking the silence between us.

"I love you," I whispered, feeling completely enlightened. A grin broke out on my face as I took in his reaction. I saw his whole posture relax and his blue eyes shine with happiness. He grinned widely, giving me a show stopping smile and chuckled uncertainly as if he didn't believe me and needed reassurance.

"You do?" he asks and I nod, grinning back at him. I wrap my arms around his neck and he laughs again, his chest vibrating with his deep chuckle. He takes hold of my waist and spins me round, resting his forehead against mine, the smile never leaving either of our faces. He uses his hand to tilt my chin up towards him, bringing our lips closer together.

"I love you Muffin," he repeats before his lips come crashing down onto mine, claiming me as his. I don't have a problem with that. I kiss him back just as passionately, sealing our words with our lips.