Page 46 of Fate Awakened

I cut him off before he can finish his statement. “And you could’ve been killed. You could also have made it more dangerous for her. Worst of all, you could’ve gotten her killed. You have no idea who you’re dealing with, what they’re capable of, what they’ll do to her if we can’t get her back!”

He loses some of his bravado, and, for a moment, I can see fear flash across his face.

“How did they even get to her?” he asks, though this time not in an accusatory tone.

“They used someone she knew, but that's not important. They have her, and we have to get her back. Where’s the paperwork?”

He reaches back into the car and grabs the envelope containing all the information that he’s supposed to use to complete his assignments. I hand them directly to Jake, who heads back to the SUV while calling Pres. As he passes along the information, a new car pulls into the lot, putting us all on guard.

The white Jeep Grand Cherokee pulls to a stop in front of Bri’s building with its windows rolled down and music playing out into the night. I watch her roommate, Liv, jump out, slamming the door behind her. With my enhanced hearing, I hear the driver call her a fucking bitch under his breath as he drives away, barely giving her time to clear the path before he guns it.

“Asshole!” she shouts, slamming her high heel into the asphalt.

She throws her hands into the air in frustration, and I can’t help but take in the barely there hot pink club dress she has on.

She’s got to be freezing.

Before I can begin to hope that she’ll head inside without so much as a backward glance, Keith yells to her.

Shit.

“Liv, you ok?” he asks, turning her surprised expression on us. Not realizing she had company witnessing her outburst.

“Keith, what are… why are you here?” Her eyes scan to me, and I attempt a friendly disposition and a wave. “Where’s Bri?” she asks, turning her face down and looking between the two of us.

“ Uh… well, she’s, Cain?” Keith stumbles through before throwing it to me.

“She’s back at my place, asleep. She needed a change of clothes for tomorrow, so I came to grab her some. I forgot to grab her keys, so Keith told me he could let me in. Bri said you’d be at your boyfriend’s place and didn’t want to interrupt you,” I say, trying to think on my feet about why we’d both be here, late at night, without her.

“Yeah, well, I’m not. You can come in. I’ll grab her some things,” she says, turning toward the apartment.

“Who was that?” Jake's voice breaks through, pulling my attention back to him. His reappearance surprises me, but his sole focus is on Liv.

Her eyes flash to him, confusion flooding her face.

“Who are you?” she asks, not answering his question but instead throwing her own back instead.

Jake walks closer to Liv, causing her to wrap her arms around herself in a protective manner while taking a step back. He stops directly in front of her. Anger rolls off him in waves.

What’s going on?

I’m confused by the aggression he displays. Jake has his shit, but I’ve never seen him so much as raise his voice to a woman. Not with his history, so this is way out of character for him. I watch silently, my concern growing as he leans in, careful not to touch her.

“Tell me his name,” he demands, his voice rough.

It’s then I see what has him so riled up. Liv turns her face, the right side catching the light for the first time. It highlights the purple bruising and swelling that colors her cheek and eye. Her expression hardens, and her chin lifts.

“That’s none of your business,” she responds defiantly before turning on her heel and storming back toward the apartment. Jake’s fists clench, a growl rolling off of him. I can see him wrestling with the decision to follow her. Before he can move, I step into his line of sight, shaking my head before my eyes flip back to Keith’s. I silently tell him to stay with Jake. He nods.

I catch up with Liv at the top of the stairs, catching her scent for the first time.

Whoa, alcohol.

I’m surprised she isn’t stumbling in her heels with the amount I smell wafting off her.

“Are you ok? Do you need us to take you somewhere? Hospital? Police? Your parents?” I ask, lowering my voice in an attempt not to hurt her pride.

She laughs, not a full laugh but more a snap at me.

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