***
My eyelids feel heavy and it takes a while before they will open. When I do the light hurts my eyes and I have no idea where I am. I try to take in my surroundings. Then it sinks in, I'm at Ayden's because two men with guns were looking for me. I scream and sit up bolt right, I can't breath and my head is starting to spin.
“Jen!” Ayden rushes to my side and sits down next to me. “Its okay” he softly says, his fingers grazing my arm in some aid to calm me down. Its okay! Why does he keep saying that? Last night I never asked him anything.
I turn to look at him. “Why were they looking for me?” He sits back a little and rubs his brow. “Why would men with guns be looking for me?”
He lets out a deep sigh. “Because of your father” he takes hold of my hand and looks directly into my eyes. “There is so much you don't know about him or me.” He pauses, tilts his head and closes his eyes. “I'm not a student, Jen. I am an undercover SWAT officer. I'm on an undercover assignment to keep you protected.”
I open my mouth and then quickly close it again. Swat officer to protect me? It feels as if I have walked into some weird twilight zone. I squeeze my eyes shut. This has to be a dream. Any minute now I will wake up in my room listening to my mother singing along to the radio. My mom? Lacey? I quickly open my eyes and Ayden is still there.
“I know none of this makes sense to you.”
“Really,” I shrug, pulling my hand out of his grip. “Why would my father send men with guns to find me? And what about Lacey?”
The idea of her getting hurt sends me cold. I brush away the tears with the back of my hand, my eyes are sore and I winch in pain. Why would my father want to hurt me, it makes no sense. He was always a loving and kind man. My heart splits in half as I think about all those special moments I spent with him; he taught me to ride my bike, the way he kissed my knee when I fell off, the stories he would make up about me being a princess.
He loved me and I have no doubt about that. I remember the tears in his eyes when he came home from the hospital to announce Lacey had been born. He gave me everything I ever wanted. There was no way he would want to hurt me. Unless...
I take in a sharp breath. “Is he in trouble?” Ayden just nods and finally my heart cracks in two. My father is in trouble and he is all alone. “Will you please explain everything?” My voice is actually calm, but whole body is immersed with fear.
“Your father has been taking bribes to get his clients cleared from jail. Although, one case back fired, big time.” Ayden gets up from the sofa and walks over to a draw, he pulls outs a folder and walks back towards me. “Mario Lopez,” he hiss's the name.
He sits back next to me and pulls out a photo of a man I don't know. Just from the picture you can tell he's a bad guy. His Latino features are hard, his bold head and the tattoo of a gun on his neck. His eyes are cold and menacing. I wouldn't want to meet him for real.
“What did he do?”
Ayden turns the picture over, but that image is imprinted on my brain. I will never forget that face for the rest of my life.
“He is a leader of a notorious gang in Seattle. He was arrested for murder and drug supplying. He turned to your father to handle his case. Mario paid your father over 100,000 dollars. He was pretty sure your father would set him free.”
“And?”
“Well, the prosecution had a few tricks up their sleeves. No matter how hard your father tried, the evidence was stacked up high against Mario and it was unbreakable. Mario was found guilty with a life sentence.”
“This doesn't explain why my father would come for me?”
“Mario wants his money back. Your father doesn't have. However, your mother does.” Ayden pauses and looks at me. “When she found out what your father was doing she threatened to report him. He stopped her and convinced her everything was fine.”
“She didn't believe him, did she?” I quietly say, as I remembered the conversation I'd had with her. Her words play in my head. ‘They all lie, honey. It’s in their DNA'. At least I now knew what she meant by it.
“No, she left with you, Lacey and wiped out your fathers bank account.” He locked his hands together and placed them into his lap. “Everywhere she went, your father somehow found you. It was only weeks ago your mother started receiving the threats again. This time instead of leaving she contacted the police.”
“And you’re here to protect me, why?”
“In the treats it was you who your father intended to kidnap unless your mother returned the money.”
“Where is the money? Why doesn't she just give it back?”
“It’s now evidence, your father was committing Freud. He is now under investigation, but he is good. There is no paper trail.”
“So, how long will you be protecting me?”
“As long as needs must.”
For the first time since yesterday I took a good look at him. He was now a stranger, and to think I thought I was in love with him. He had lied to me and I felt foolish. Poor Chase, I had treated him badly. Poor Becks, she had fallen for Ayden too and it was down to me and my stupid family. We had brought him here.
“How old are you?” I asked that feeling I had about him being older had to be true now.
“Twenty-two” he confessed.
“And your real name?”
“Ayden” he smiled. “That much is true. The house isn't my grandmothers, it’s rented. Yes, I am from Seattle and yes, I do still count you as a friend.”
His last words shocked me, friend? How could we possibly be friends? This whole time he has been paid to hang out with me. Wait...
“Who's protecting my mother and Lacey?”
Ayden suddenly looks sheepish and stares down at his hands. “That would be Ted.”
“Ted?” My voice is high pitch. “He's with my mother! Does she know?”
Ayden just simply nods and once again I feel stupid, of course she knew. Out of everyone, I was the one kept in the dark. I place my hands over my face and let out a squeal of frustration. My father isn't who I believed he was. My friend, who I thought I was in love with, is some undercover spy. My mother kept everything from me. She could have confided in me and explained everything. How can I carry on living here? Those men, no doubt, will be back.
I only have one thing on my mind and that is to see my father. I need to see him and let him explain everything to me. I also have to kick his ass for doing this to my family. How could he of been selfish like this. I have been ripped away from everything I know because he is a criminal.
I burst into tears again. I am now living in fear. The only thing I had to worry about yesterday was Chase.
“Hey,” Ayden says, soothingly. He wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me into him. It’s weird in spite of everything. I still get that warm glow from him touching me. “There is no need to cry.”
“There is every reason to cry” I sob; I pull my hands away from my face and look up at him. “I need to see my father.”
His expression hardens. “No! Seriously, not going to happen.” His grip on me tightens, and the muscle in his jaw twitches. “He's too dangerous. There is no predicting what he will do. He is desperate for that money.”
“So I just stay here and wait to be kidnapped?” I throw my hands up in annoyance. “You know you can't be with me every second of the day.”
He gives a little smirk. “I've done a pretty good job so far.” He raises an eyebrow as if this is some sort of contest, but I stare blankly at him. “Jennifer, think about it, everywhere you've been in the last few weeks, I've shown up.”
I begin to think about it. Has he? The first time I saw him was at school, the store and work. He was at the beach and he was the one who picked me up from Chase's party. My mouth opens and then closes. I am speechless, he has been everywhere with me.
This still doesn't change the fact that I want to see my father. I have a right. I need him to tell me himself, it’s the least he owes me. I can't sit around waiting
for something to happen. He has to be told to stop. My mother obviously isn't putting this right, so it is down to me.
I push back the blanket and stand up. “I need to go, Ayden” my voice is authorizing and I have found some hidden strength I never knew existed. “I need to go and speak to my father.”
Ayden jumps to his feet. “No! Exactly what good would come from that?”
“I can tell him to turn himself in. I can tell him what hell we have been through. I can hear him, in his own words, explain what he did.” Once again, there’s that tugging feeling in my heart and I let out a deep breath. “My father is a good man and I know he would never hurt me. Like you said, he is desperate and he is alone.”
Ayden bows his head and places his hands in his pockets. “You know he's going to end up in jail, right?”
“I know” my voice is weak now.
“And you know if we do go, we may not be able to find him. Your father is in hiding and he seems to be rather good at it.”
For the first time since last night I smile. “Does that mean I can go?”
“I'll have to clear it first. This may just work.” His head springs up and those dark eyes glare at me. “The second I feel something is wrong or you're in danger, we leave.” I can't help running over to him and wrapping my arms around his neck. “Don't get too carried away just yet. We have to clear this with your mother and Ted.”