Jaded Hearts (24 page)

"But, how? And where is Julian? Is he OK?" I
could barely breath, but I had to ask.

"I can't answer those questions, but I can
tell you that he is alive," was his answer.

"Here, drink this. You need to get some
sleep, and I promise that when you wake up I will tell you
everything, but you have to promise me one thing."

He looked at me with those serious eyes
again.

"You have to promise me that you will tell
me everything, not just what happened to you where I found you. I
wanna trust you Jade. What do I have to do to get you to trust me?
I told you I would be there for you no matter what. My love has no
conditions to it. Do you understand now? Even if we're not
together."

He was trying to fight back tears and I
began to cry. I nodded my head in agreement. I knew I had to tell
him; I couldn't keep lying to him anymore. He sat beside me and
took my hand.

"I promise,” I said as I closed my eyes
against the flood of emotions that threatened to drown me; my
confusion of what happened and how John even found me, my joy at
being safe and hearing him say he loved me, the pain of all my
injuries, and the sadness of losing Julian, again.  

But surprisingly a gnawing pang of anger was
beginning to replace it all. John broke up with me. Why did I owe
him an explanation? I struggled to open my eyes and focus on his
face.

"Well, since we are discussing trust and
honesty, you can start by explaining how you knew what was going on
and where to find me." My voice was an ice-cold whisper.

John sighed deeply and then replied, " Jade,
I really can't get into all of that with you. I want to, believe
me. It's a lot to explain, and now is not the time."

I closed my eyes against the tears that
suddenly sprang up, and let them leak gracefully through my
eyelids.

Not another secret!

"John. I need you to leave." My voice was
quiet but shaky from my swirling emotions.

"No. I'm not leaving you. You can be upset
with me, but I'm not making the mistake of leaving you again." He
began to close the distance towards my bed, but froze when I raised
my voice.

"No!! This time, I am asking
you
to leave. I was honest with you and you turned me
away. Since you can't be honest with me I have to ask you to go.
Go!!" I sobbed, violently struggling to breath.  I flinched
when I felt by body being held protectively, until I heard Drew's
voice.

"Sorry JB, but Jade needs her rest. I got it
from here."

I didn't dare open my eyes to watch him
go.

I couldn't wait to get home.  The only
place I hated as much as the subway was a hospital. I spent five
days recovering from my injuries, and five days waiting for an
explanation of what the hell even happened. I was pretty banged up,
but thankfully I wouldn't have any long-term damage. Except for the
slight scar on my stomach. I didn't even want to know why I had
been sliced right under my bellybutton, but I was glad they didn't
do more damage. It was just an external wound. I still shuddered at
the thought of how badly Julian was hurt. I just wished I really
knew the extent.

As tired as I was from my ordeal, I was just
plain tired. I had taken an emotional beating in the last few
weeks. Heck, the last few months. I was mentally and physically
drained. I was hoping to get some sleep, but once I was up for
visitors, I was rarely left alone. John somehow was a VIP and could
visit me anytime, so he was always there. Drew was next in line
followed by Vivian and Jackie, but never at the same time. I
thought Vivian was going to kill Jackie when she found out what
happened.

Drew and Jackie were just returning with my
lunch from Au Bon Pain when she came storming into my room.

"I can't believe this! Jade! I'm so mad I
could kill someone for this! Honey, are you OK?" She was livid. I
was still slightly groggy and winced at her dramatics.

"I'm getting there," was all I could manage.
I wasn't OK

I was miserable.

She came and sat at the edge of my bed and
gently stroked the bruises on my face. Tears welled up in her eyes
as she assessed the full damage.

"I knew it! I just knew. This was what I was
trying to warn you about. What happened?" She sobbed. She was
taking this harder than anyone else.

At least visibly.

"I don't know. It was all so fast. I met
Drew and Jacks at Echo. Julian showed up. I wound up walking home
and by the time I got there he was waiting for me. Then we were in
his car and the driver shot us with darts. I woke up in a
warehouse, tied up." My voice faltered on the last few words.

"You walked home? Alone?" She asked in utter
disbelief.  "Why?"

No one really knew how to answer the
question, and Drew just dropped his head in remorse. Jackie was
frozen with shame. I knew Vivian wasn't going to stop without an
answer.

"After Julian showed up he took me to his
office to... I got a text from Jackie saying that they were going
home since I was in good hands. I guess considering my history with
Julian, it wasn't really expected that I would be leaving with
them. When I walked out I was trying to sneak away from him, I just
couldn't catch a damn cab."  I didn't mean to throw anyone
under the bus, but it is what it is.

Vivian whipped her head around and glared at
her daughter.

"You left her? With him? You left her with
him? After he'd disappeared off the face of the earth for months?
After his uncle showed up at my house unannounced? After I told you
how I felt about this whole situation? You left without her?" The
rage in her voice was thinly veiled.

Jackie sat quivering with tears in her eyes,
and I felt bad for her.

This isn't fair. I'm a grown woman.

"Vivian. It's not Jackie's fault. I was..."
She cut me off before I could finish.

"No Jade. She knew better. She was trying to
play matchmaker. She was trying to be sneaky. She thought it would
be cute for you to date him while she dated Edward. If it was no
big thing why keep it a secret? Huh? Why hide?" She ranted on.

"This is why! Look how you're reacting!"
Jackie barked.

She must be crazy...

I thought for a minute that Vivian was going
to strangle her. Vivian stood up, towering over Jackie in the
visitor's chair.

"Shut your mouth! You hear me? I've had
enough of you. When I told Jade to be careful you sat there rolling
your freaking eyes as if I was crazy. Because you think you know
everything.    You know what's crazy? This! Jade
being kidnapped and beaten is crazy. Just get out of my face! Get
out!" She growled.

Jackie fled the room as if she was really
afraid for her life. I had never seen Vivian so angry before. Drew
and me just looked at each other in shock, but then quit making eye
contact out of fear that we would entice her wrath against one of
us. V just slumped down in the newly vacant chair not focusing on
anything. I knew it took a lot out of her to get that worked up.
Drew walked over and gave her a hug, and then left to go console
our cousin.  

What a mess.

*

"You know history really does repeat itself
if you don't learn from the mistakes of the past. I tried to teach
her to do things in a way that would take her down a different
path. I guess I didn't do as well as I thought." She was truly
shaken by this.

"You are an awesome mother to Jackie! To me
too," I affirmed.

She just let out a long sigh and shook her
head.

"No, you don't understand. I should have
just told you guys the truth. The reason I know Ana Garza, the
reason Jackie is running that boutique is because I knew – know
Alex Garza. Alex is Julian's uncle on his father's side. I was
dating him when Ana and Julian senior met. I went to the wedding.
He was incredibly handsome and charming, but he was trouble. He
kept me in a house in the Bronx while he flew back and forth to
Miami.

I ignored the fact that he made much more
money than a man should make running a bodega. He was paying my
bills; I had the latest fashion and went to all the cool parties. I
met Ana on one of the many trips I took with him to Miami. She was
young just like me, and had only been here from Cuba for a short
while. The first time I knew I was in trouble was on one of these
trips. Julian was the boss. We all were at his house in the Keys
and Ana found out he was seeing another woman. She was sulking and
pouting the whole time and one night at dinner he asked her a
question, and when she didn't answer he dragged her out her seat by
her hair. I had never seen anything like that before. I jumped up
to protest what was happening and he glared at me then looked at
Alex who forced me back in my seat. When I complained about what he
had done he smacked me. Plum across my face. Later that night he
half apologized but told me that I had to understand not to
challenge him in public especially not around Julian." She paused
at some unforeseen memory that was not included in the story. I sat
there spellbound, waiting to hear more about Julian's family.

"Eventually things got worse. The crazier
Julian became the crazier Alex had to pretend to be. It got to the
point that I refused to go with him on those trips too Miami, but I
felt for Ana and I liked her.  Your mother was pregnant with
you, and so involved with your father that she didn't have much
time for me. Her situation wasn't too different except for the
abuse. For whatever it's worth your father adored her. I wasn't
quite so lucky. Alex was torn between being his kind, caring self
and being a monster. Julian senior was a monster. I wanted to leave
him for months. I had already met Jackie's father and was secretly
dating him. I would disappear to your mother's apartment for weeks
at a time. Then someone would come looking for me, and drag me back
home. It was torture. Finally, Jackson moved me into his
brownstone. I was head over heels in love with him and was pregnant
within weeks of living with him. When Alex found out that I was
pregnant he snapped.  He swore the baby was his. I literally
couldn't leave my house. That's how you and your mom wound up
living with us. I couldn't go to the Bronx to see you guys."

She ended there suddenly, but I knew that
wasn't the end. I had so many questions about Julian senior and
Ana, and my own mother. I looked at Vivian and followed her pensive
gaze to my latest visitor.

Julian stood in the doorway, almost as if
she had expected him. He looked great for a man who was beaten to a
pulp days earlier.  I watched as he limped gingerly but
confidently up to Vivian who, to my surprise, gave him a tearful
hug.

"I'm sure you two need to talk. Jade, we can
finish our talk whenever you're ready."

She gave me a light kiss before she left
quietly. My body was raked with emotions as I continued to stare at
him blankly.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." He
tried to make light of things, but it didn't work. I burst into
tears as all the last few weeks of turmoil overtook me.

"Why did this happen? I'm so scared. I don't
want to go home." My fear had finally reared its ugly little head.
Without any answers as to who, what, when, where, or how, I was not
sure of anything.

"Ay, Dios! Please don't cry mi amor. I will
take care you if you will let me. I have many questions myself. I
should have taken you away with me from the beginning. Please, give
me a second chance. I don't trust anyone else to keep you safe." He
held my hands, and kissed each one gently as he pleaded for a
chance.  

"I don't know what to do Julian!" My voice
shook with pent up emotion.

"Just follow your heart this time" he
whispered.  

   If only, it was that
easy.

I couldn't help feeling helpless. Or is it
hopeless? I glanced at Julian and noticed the way his hands where
trembling. How was he feeling after all of this? Between what he
was asking of me, and the bomb that Vivian just dropped on me, I
didn't have the slightest clue of what my next move was going to
be.

"Julian," I began my reproach, but just as I
was about to try to articulate my loss of direction there came a
faint knock at the semi-ajar hospital room door. I turned my head
to see who it was and it gave me pause, and then well, I can't even
describe my next emotion. It's not the fact that John standing in
my doorway, but the man next to him that holds my curiosity.

He was tall as John, but with a heavier
build. A more rugged version of John. I couldn't recall John ever
mentioning a brother or any siblings for that. As a matter of fact,
I'm pretty sure that he's an only child. So who was the man
waltzing into my room? I became acutely aware of my disheveled and
bruised appearance and to my astonishment, I felt embarrassed?
Unbelievable!

"Sorry to interrupt, but I'm detective Ryan
Walsh. I wanted to ask you a few questions about your attack. I've
already spoken to Mr. Garza, and would like your statement." His
voice was deep and with a slight hint of raspiness. The man must
have a freaking fan club of women. Even in my distress, I was able
to recognize his undeniable male prowess. I sat up straighter in my
bed and tried to muster up some semblance of dignity under the
circumstances. I almost missed the crackle of tension bouncing
between John and Julian, but I couldn't ignore it when I heard the
slight irritated grumble, growl that Julian emitted. Looking back
towards him I saw his eyes fixed in a death stare and I looked over
to see John returning the sentiment.

Oh shit.

The last thing I need is for World War 3 to
erupt right here in front of me. Before I can even formulate a
sentence, Detective Walsh offers a suggestion.