What He Bargains (What He Wants, Book Nineteen) (38 page)

“Yeah, you could say that. I need to leave. Now.”

And that’s when she heard Lola loudly exclaiming to the group. “Oh my God, you guys—you’ll never guess who just came in. Raven Hartley and she’s with Jake freaking Novak!”

“Really,” one of them said, in an almost too bored to care voice. That was Andre. Raven would have known his voice even if she hadn’t seen him in a million years.

“Raven’s here? Seriously?”

And that was Caleb.

“Oh my God,” Raven moaned.

“Take it easy,” Jake said. “You’re not alone, you’re with me now. Remember?”

“I know,” she said, “but I really don’t want to stay in here with them. I hate them. Those people tried to ruin my life.”

Jake’s eyes grew hard. “Which ones?”

“No Jake. Don’t say anything, don’t do anything. Let’s just go.”

“Hey, Raven, what a surprise—you’re slumming in Southbridge,” Andre said, walking toward the booth now. “And I see you brought the coolest man on the planet to keep you company.”

Jake glanced up at him. “Who are you?”

“I’m Andre,” he replied, and put out his hand.

Jake shook it for a little longer than what seemed normal. “Cool,” Jake said.

Andre pulled his hand away. “What’s that, the kung fu grip? Dude’s hand is like a freaking vice.” He turned to his friends and they all laughed uneasily.

Caleb was being quiet, but he seemed to be trying to catch Raven’s eye. She wanted no part of him or Andre or any of these people, and just kept focused on Jake. He was like a life preserver and she hung onto him for dear life.

“Nice to meet you and all,” Jake said, “but Raven and I were hoping to just sit quietly and talk if you don’t mind.”

“What’s that—celebrity code for get the fuck away from you?” Andre laughed.

The others laughed with him.

“Pretty much,” Jake said. His voice was changing, and Raven didn’t like it. He’d already decided not to like them because of what Raven had told him, and she knew his patience was thin.

“Well, it’s a free country dude, and you’re not in fucking Hollywood now,” one of Andre’s friends said.

Great,
Raven thought. Andre’
s friends are just as stupid and shitty as he is.

“Ease off,” Caleb told them.

“Relax man, we’re just playing,” Andre said.

Raven was still watching Jake. His body language had changed completely. He was no longer loose and relaxed. “Wherever we are,” he said, “most decent people go away when someone asks nicely.”

“Nobody ever accused Andre of being decent,” someone yelled out.

“Yeah,” Andre said, “I’m not that decent. And maybe you should chill out before me and my friends kick the shit out of you and ruin your image.”

Jake nodded, seeming to smile a little at the threat. “I’m only going to say this one more time. Raven and I just want to sit and have a nice quiet night together. Alone.”

“Alone?” Andre laughed, scoffing. “That chick doesn’t do anything unless it’s a group situation, bro. Or didn’t she tell you about that yet?” He turned and got a high-five from one of his dirt bag buddies, while Caleb seemed to be trying to pull them away.

Raven froze. She couldn’t believe he’d actually said it—said the same horrible lie he’d told four years ago. She wanted to be sick.

“I need to go—“ she started to tell Jake.

But Jake had jumped up and was now staring at the group who’d been hovering over their table.

“Listen, I don’t give a shit what you think you know about her,” Jake said. “But I promise you that if one more person makes a joke or even so much as giggles in her direction, you’ll be picking your teeth up off the floor.”

The bar grew suddenly quiet.

“There’s four of us, dipshit,” one of the guys said, “and only one of you.”

Raven looked and saw that they were all pretty big guys, too. Caleb, however, didn’t seem interested in the fight. “Come on, Andre, let’s just go, man. This is stupid.”

“Fuck that,” Andre said, staring at Jake. “I say you sit your ass back in your seat, tough guy. Sit down and I won’t make you look like a bitch. Because then you’ll just be nothing but a bitch who bagged a ho.”

And that’s when Jake punched him. He punched him hard in the stomach, and Andre dropped like he’d been shot. Jake looked down at him. “Is that all you got?” He snorted. “Fucking pathetic.”

From out of nowhere, one of Andre’s friends threw a punch and hit Jake in the face, and then one of the others tried to grab Jake too.

“No!” Raven shouted, trying to get up to help Jake. But the scene quickly devolved into pandemonium, as Jake tossed one of the guys halfway across the room, where he upended a table and some glasses shattered.

And then there were more punches being thrown and Andre was getting up off the floor, slowly.

“Stop it!” Raven screamed.

“Get back,” Caleb said, pulling her out of the way just in time, as a chair flew backwards and nearly hit her in the face.

“Let go of me,” Raven said, pulling herself free from Caleb’s grip.

“I didn’t want to start this,” he said. “You have to know that.”

“I don’t have to know anything, Caleb, now leave me alone!”

Jake seemed to be doing well for himself, despite her fears. He had punched another one of Andre’s buddies so hard in the face that he staggered slowly past Raven and Caleb and out of the bar, holding his cheek and muttering.

“Fuck this. I don’t need this shit, man,” he could be heard saying, as he pushed through the door and into the night.

“You and your stupid friends,” Raven said to Caleb. “I should’ve known you’d instantly ruin everything when I came back home.”

“I’m sorry,” Caleb said. “I tried to stop them.”

“Somehow you always try and you always fail,” she sneered, turning away from him again. Her blood was boiling.

Now Andre and his one last friend were facing Jake and Jake had his fists up, ready to fight them both. He looked more than willing, his eyes were almost gleeful.

Andre’s friend turned to him. “I don’t think we can take him, bro. He’s a maniac.”

That was when Andre picked up a bottle and broke it purposely against the table, keeping hold of the shattered end as a weapon. “How about I stick this in your fucking throat?” Andre said to Jake, moving forward.

“You should reconsider,” Jake said, looking even more prepared to go to battle, “because if you try and use that on me I’m going to break your neck.”

Andre’s friend backed away. “Dude, that’s going too far.” He started to leave as well. As he passed, he looked at Caleb. “You better stop him before he does something crazy.”

Raven was cold. She couldn’t believe what was happening. Jake might get killed because of her, because she’d been dumb enough to bring him home. She should have stayed away. What was she thinking?

“Stop it, Andre!” she shouted, readying herself to jump on his back, anything to keep him from hurting Jake with that broken bottle.

And that’s when the door opened again and the police came inside.

Before Raven knew it, Andre had already dropped the broken bottle and kicked it under one of the booths. The police didn’t even see him holding it.

Four policemen came inside and immediately grabbed everyone involved in the scuffle and escorted them out of the bar.

As they all walked outside, they were met with flashbulbs as the paparazzi took pictures.

Raven looked over at Jake, who was somehow grinning still. He glanced at her and shrugged, and then went back to talking with one of the police officers.

Raven couldn’t even believe it.

Nothing could have gone worse, she thought.

This is as bad as it gets.

Only she was wrong. Because just when she thought it couldn’t get worse, her brother Danny showed up.

R
aven and Jake
were standing there, watching Danny talk to the cops. Well, there was one cop in particular he was talking to, and it was taking a long time.

Jake had his hands in his pockets. He looked at Raven. “I guess this was probably not the best way to start the trip.”

“Nope, probably not,” she said.

Already, the other culprits had been allowed to leave the scene. Andre had been let go, of course. The cops around these parts were nothing if not biased. The thing now was whether they were going to arrest Jake for assault and destruction of property, and so far it seemed likely they would.

They’d been within seconds of handcuffing him, but as Danny showed up and started talking, they’d backed off a little bit.

Now it was a waiting game.

Raven turned to Jake again. “I wish you hadn’t done it, but I’m also grateful you did it, if you get what I mean.”

Jake nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

She looked at him, wondering what it was that had made him defend her yet again. Why did he keep putting his neck on the line for her if he didn’t see her as anything but a pawn in his game?

If we’re really just a business arrangement, then he must be a terrible businessman, because so far I’ve been nothing but a headache.

The thought made her smile, and Jake noticed.

“What can you possibly be smiling about?” he asked her.

“It was nothing,” she said, dismissing the depth of her feelings rather than tell him how much she wanted to believe that he was starting to care for her despite himself.

“Oh, there’s something going on,” Jake smirked. “I can see those gears turning in your head.”

“Maybe so, Jake. Maybe so.”

He shook his head and sighed as if giving up on trying to figure her out.

Finally, Danny broke away from the cop, shaking hands and saying some last words, before coming over to where Jake and Raven were standing.

He looked at them and bit his lip before speaking. “You two idiots really caused a scene.”

“Are they pressing charges?”

“Lucky for Mr. Novak here, I used to be on the wrestling team with Officer Giancola. They’re willing to forego the arrest.”

Jake stuck his hand out. “You’re amazing, Danny. Thank you so much.”

“They did say that it was conditional upon you picking up the tab for the repairs on all the damage you did tonight. The report will be filed, so if you don’t make good, they’ll come and arrest you.”

Jake chuckled. “Hey, I’m not averse to paying for my mistakes.”

“Yeah, and they’ll probably make sure to do some improvements at your expense, too,” Danny told him.

“Whatever it takes.”

“Glad to hear it,” Danny said. “Come on, I’ll drive you both home.”

They all walked to his car and got inside. People were still taking pictures and shouting questions, but they ignored it all.

Raven got in front and Jake sat in the back seat, while Danny drove quietly, his face illuminated by the dashboard light.

After they’d driven a little way, Raven glanced at him. “Danny, I’m sorry about everything.”

He shrugged. “Why apologize? You always end up doing something crazy and getting yourself in trouble again at some point.”

“I get that you’re angry with me,” she told him. “I know why you’re really mad, and it’s got nothing to do with what happened tonight.”

He glanced at her. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that I know you got stuck here, taking care of Mom and Dad when I left. I didn’t know that would happen to you. It never so much as entered my mind. I was just trying to get free, to escape.”

Danny didn’t speak for a long while. “Someone had to stay,” he told her softly.

When they pulled into the driveway, Danny finally spoke again. “Let’s not mention this to Mom or Dad,” he said. “They don’t need anymore stress in their lives right now. Mom’s cooking a big meal and she’s happy as a clam.”

“My lips are sealed,” Jake said, as they all got out of the car and headed toward the house.

Raven looked at Jake by the front steps, touching his face and examining it. “Hardly a scratch on you,” she said. “They won’t notice anything.”

D
inner was
as relaxed and seemingly normal as could be. Raven wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t witnessed it with her own two eyes.

Probably it was a combination of a lot of things, including the fact that Jake had once again stood up for her against someone that had been trying to tear her down.

Despite her concerns that he didn’t want a “real” relationship, Raven was more and more becoming convinced that he just couldn’t speak the words.

His actions told a different story.

After dinner, Raven helped her mother clean up, while Jake and her dad sat in the living room and had a beer and talked sports.

Danny excused himself, saying he had work to do. But at least he hadn’t been overtly rude.

Hearing the men together in the other room laughing and talking so comfortably, Raven was able to just enjoy herself being in familiar surroundings once more—even if not all the memories were pleasant ones.

Something about just being with family was its own kind of comfort.

Raven’s mother had never been one to discuss feelings, she didn’t work out problems. She just let things be.

In the past, that had made Raven want to disown her, especially when her mother let her down so badly during those trying times in high school.

But now, working in the kitchen together, Raven was able to see her mother differently.

She’s just a person
, Raven thought.
Good or bad, right or wrong, she’s done her very best, even when it wasn’t quite good enough to suit me.

So she let me down. Maybe people let each other down and then you can still get past it.

Raven finished helping her mother and then went and sat next to Jake on the couch, her arm on his shoulder. He slid closer, wrapping his arm around her waist as he cracked jokes with her dad, who would laugh, his breath wheezing in his chest, cheeks turning purple.

It was alarming, but he didn’t seem concerned by it, nor did her mother.

Raven couldn’t stop watching Jake interact, and thinking to herself—
what if he’s really as good as he seems?