Jail Bird. by Em. Z. (best free ebook reader .txt) 📕

frame froze. I was no longer tired. No longer hungry. No longer anything but angry. No, furious.

I stormed out of the room, rushing up the stairs and slamming into her room. Her bed was empty. Her backpack was gone. She was gone.

How could she I do this? How could she leave me without even considering that I could keep her safe? Did she ever think? Does she even know how dangerous it is to be out there alone?

Like hell I wasn't going to track her down!

I slammed her door closed, cursing to myself as I rushed down the stairs. I grabbed my phone, angrily dialing her number and waiting as it rang.

"Hello." Her groggy voice sighed, and I momentarily forgot I was angry.

Her sweet voice, so beautiful, even when tired and slightly annoyed. I snapped myself out of it, my anger pulling back up to the serface before it could drown in my stupid love sick puppy sindrome.

"What do you think you're doing?" I growled.

I heard her long breath. "I was hoping you'd just understand and leave me be." She said.

I opened my laptop, bringing up the tracking moniter. She didn't really think I wouldn't put a tracker in her backpack and leather jacket, did she?

"If you don't come back here, I swear-"

"Listen, I'm running on an hour of sleep right now, okay? Can we finish this conversation when I'm not dead on my feet?" She asked, cutting off my threat with uninterest in her tone.

I snapped.

"God dammit woman! I'm going to call Ike and give myself up to him right now if you don't come home!" I threatened.

"You wouldn't." Her voice was small, and I could just see her face blanche.

"Try me." I growled.

"Victor...just let me go." She pleaded softly.

"No. If you loved me as much as you say you do, than you would stay here, and make me happy. I don't care how selfish you feel, I will not live a life without you in it!"

"Victor..." Her voice was pained.

"You have ten minutes to make up your mind." I said, and then I ended the call.

Got'cha. She was in a hotel hours from here. I would wait for her to decide, and then I was heading out.

"She's...gone?" Kent's pained voice made me whip my head around.

He clutched a note in his hand, his eyes scanning the contents. I watched him as his eyes grew angrier and more resentful, and  he crumbled the note, angrily throwing it down. "I don't care how much she loves him, or how much she understands his fucking struggle, he made his choice! God dammit, she shouldn't have to be the one to clean up his God damn messes!" He enforced the last word with a hard punch to the wall, cracking it nicely.

He went on ranting, as his mother came down the stairs. She leaned down, uncrumbling the note. Reading through it, her tired eyes slowly came more into focus, and tears filled them. Falling down on the bottom step, she let out a cry of pain as she threw the note down. Their family was crumbling once again.

"No! No! I won't lose another one, not again!" She cried, her hands knotted into her hair.

Kent dropped down beside her, his face stone cold, but pain lying underneath it all. He held onto his mother as she wept into his chest.

All of this because of the choice of one man.

I glanced back at the laptop to see that nothing had changed. She was still there, Was I going to have to drag her out by force?

I growled and grabbed my jacket, passing a confused and tired Logan. "What's going on?" he groaned.

"I want you to watch that screen, and if she moves, I want you to call me." I ordered.

He furrowed his eyebrows, but nodded. "Okay."

I walked outside, jumping in my car and speeding off. I wasn't going to lose her again.

Guilt.

 

Three hours out, I got a call.

"She's at some diner, a couple minutes from the hotel. I looked it up, it's called Sam's Place." Logan explained when I answered.

"Thanks. I'm about ten minutes away." I said.

I disconnected, speeding the car up to nintey. She wasn't going to get away this time.

***

Pulling up to the curb, I watched through the window of the diner as she spoke to the waitress. Jane's smile was small, but I could see the tense way she held her shoulders, and the way that smile didn't reach her eyes. She was depressed.

I got out of the car, and the waitress noticed. She said something, making Jane turn her head. Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. I leaned against my car, staring straight at her.

It took a second, but she finally got up, stumbling once as she excused herself from the table. I watched her rush to the doors, throwing them open and walking out. She gave me a dry, annoyed look. "I told you not to come looking for me."

I didn't answer, I pushed off from my car and grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her slightly as I growled, "Don't you ever, ever leave me again. Do you know how stupid you can be? You beautiful, stupid, immature, lovely, stubborn woman."

I pulled her into a bone crushing hug, burying my face in her hair and inhaling her scent. She smelled like sea salt and coconuts. A very enticing scent.

"Victor...I can't breathe." She gasped, pushing against my chest.

I loosened my grip, pulling back so I could see her. "Jane, I could kill you. You wouldn't be protecting anyone by leaving. Don't you understand that? Ike already knows about us. He could find your family and lure you out any time! You aren't protecting anyone!"

She pushed my hands away, her face stubborn, but I could see in her eyes that she knew I was right. Her jaw clenched and she looked up at me. "If you died because of me, Victor, I would kill myself. I wouldn't be able to live with it." She said.

I grabbed her face in both my hands, staring straight into her eyes. "I will not die by Ike's hands. We're going to catch him, and he's going to jail for a very, very long time."

Tears reddened her eyes. "But...what if you don't? What if he catches us together? What if-"

I cut her off, smashing my lips to hers. I wasn't losing her again. She struggled, pushing against my chest as hard as she could, breaking us apart.

"No, Victor. Don't-don't do that!" She stuttered, backing away from me.

"Jane, I'm not losing you." I insisted, catching her hand.

A tear ran down her cheek, as she nodded. "Yes. Yes you are."

She ripped her hand from mine and turned, taking off. I stood shocked and hurt as she got in her car.

As the engine started, I forced myself to move, but I was too late. She pressed down on the gas, and sped off.

Shit.

***

As I drove, tears marred my vision. That had to be the hardest thing I'd ever done. He was so determined, so hurt that I'd tried to leave him. And he was also right. I wasn't saving anyone. Ike probably already knew about Victor and I, but Ike didn't know where I was, and I threw out my cellphone. He has no way of contacting me, and no way of tracking me down. Obviously Victor tracked me down Via phonecall. There was no other way except...but Victor wouldn't do that...would he?

No. Victor loves me. He trusts me. Doesn't he?

I snorted through my tears. That man wouldn't trust me with a ten foot pole. But still, I didn't think he would put a tracker on me.

Well why wouldn't he? The smartass part of my brain argued. He loves you, and he's one of the most protective, possessive guys you've ever met - second to Ike. Why wouldn't he put a tracker on you?

Unfortunately, the smartass part of my brain was right. I needed to check my bag. I sighed heavily.

God dammit.

I was a bitch. A stupid, fast-acting, immature bitch. Victor was right. I wasn't protecting anyone by leaving. Not even myself. Why couldn't I just accept the truth for once? Why couldn't I stop being so stubborn? I needed to stop this. That was the whole reason I left, right? To be responsible? Everything he said was right. Ike probably already knew about us, he would find out anyway, whether I stayed away or not. So why was I running?

I slammed on my breaks, unbuckling my seat belt and jumping out of the car. I ran down the street. "Victor!" I yelled, hoping to stop him before he left.

He paused in the action of opening his door, looking up in confusion. "Wait!"

He stood for a second, before starting toward me. He met me in the middle of the parking lot, and I threw myself into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist. He stumbled back a bit, but other than that, he was able to hold onto me. I pressed my lips to his, tangling my hands in his hair.

This time, though, I took control. I tightened my hands into fists, deepening the kiss. He moaned into my mouth, making triumph ring through me. He tangled his hands in my hair, as the kiss became more demanding.

He pulled back, gasping for breath. I opened my eyes to see his own golden ones staring at mine questioningly.

"Why did you come back?" He asked.

I let myself down from his waist, dropping nimbly on my feet in front of him. "I just...couldn't leave like that. You're right. Everything you said is...right. And even though it pains my ego to admit it, it's the truth." I looked away from him, ashamed of my actions. "Look, if you want to leave, I'll understand. I wouldn't like me very much either. It's just...I was so worried about Ike that I didn't want to involve anyone else in my life. He's a jealous guy and he tries to rule my life like some-"

"Jane." Victor put his hand over my mouth, stopping me. "I would never leave you. Your selflessness, although sometimes unthinking and too selfless, is one of the many things I love about you. How could I leave you, when all I've ever wanted to do was love you?" He said softly, leaving me breathless with his tender gaze.

I reached up, running the tip of my finger along his strong jaw, and watching the process. "So you're not mad at me?" I asked.

He snorted, but I could see him relax under my touch. "I'm livid, Jane. But I'm not mad at you."

I looked up with a confused expression. "You're livid, but you're not mad at me." I repeated blankly.

He chuckled and kissed my forehead. "Yes. I'm livid at Ike. Every time I think about what you've sacrificed, I see red. You're not immature, Jane, at least not in the way you think. You've had to make choices that no twenty two year old should ever have to make. It makes me so angry that he made you make those choices!" He growled, his eyes darkening.

I set my hand on his cheek, relaxing him instantly. "It's okay. I'm okay. Ike hasn't gotten what he wants from me, and he never will." I said.

Victor pulled me tighter to him.