Page 30 of Valley

“The bylaws are clear that if she’s not claimed by a club member, then she’s fair game,” he stated, his gaze never wavering from mine.

The words stung with truth, but I refused to let it show. “We’ll see about that,” I said, releasing my grip on him and turning to walk away and heading outside, straddling my bike, roaring out of the parking lot. Ten minutes later, I found myselfonce again sitting outside Madeline’s apartment, staring into the dark windows.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Chapter Nineteen

“SIT DOWN, MADELINE,” Dad ordered, as I was preparingto go to work at Twisted Heat. His tone was firm, leaving no room for argument. “I want to talk to you real quick.”

A knot tightened in my stomach. I knew this moment was coming. He had heard about Jarrod, and now it was time to face it. I sank onto the couch, my heart pounding in my chest. “Sure, Dad. What do you want to talk about?”

“What happened between you and Jarrod?” he asked, his face etched with concern and a touch of sadness. “I thought he was special.”

A sad smile tugged at my lips as I shrugged, trying to mask the hurt. “He was... but he didn’t feel the same.”

“He’s a fool,” Dad said, moving closer and taking my hand in his. His touch was warm, reassuring. “But I’m confused.”

“Why?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Because Jarrod sits across the street at night, just watching. Should I be worried? Is he dangerous?”

His words hit me like a slap in the face. Jarrod, outside at night? I never expected this. “Why would he do that?” I murmured, more to myself than to Dad. “He made it clear we were over.”

“Listen to me, Madeline,” Dad said, his voice dropping to a serious tone. “He doesn’t think it’s over, or he wouldn’t be prowling around here at night. Do you want me to talk to him?”

“No,” I replied quickly, my mind racing. Dad may be in a wheelchair, but he knows how to defend himself and carries a gun. He wouldn’t hesitate to confront Jarrod. “I’ll talk to him and find out why he’s hanging around.”

Dad gave me a long, searching look. “Okay, but I won’t allow a man who disrespected my daughter to keep hanging around. Tell him he’ll be dealing with me if he keeps it up.”

“I promise I’ll talk to him tonight,” I said, standing and grabbing my bag and kissing him on the cheek, feeling the familiar scratch of his stubble. “I better get moving. Kiss Ellie for me when she wakes up.”

“You know I will,” he promised, still looking concerned. As I reached the door, he added, “Madeline, you really are special, you know that, right?”

I turned around, my throat tight with emotion. “Yeah, I know. I love you, Dad.”

As I hurried outside, I took a huge breath of fresh air, trying to calm my nerves. I got into the van and let my head fall against the steering wheel, closing my eyes to gather my strength. Thefamiliar scent of the vanilla air freshener and faint traces of Ellie’s crayons comforted me.

Finally, I started the vehicle and got on the road, blasting Lana Del Rey to match my mood. Last night, seeing Jarrod with Val almost broke me, and once again Sean let me cry on his shoulder. He was such a nice guy, and I’m glad I met him.

The vision of Jarrod letting Val do that to him played over and over again in my mind last night, not letting me sleep. My classes at the studio helped to distract me, allowing me to get lost in music and dance.

However, as I made my way to the club, the memory of what I’d seen last night came rushing back like a runaway car. The feeling that he wanted me to see him with her wouldn’t go away. He knew when I would be leaving and chose that time and place. It was almost like he wanted to finish me off in the most hurtful way possible.

The question again arose:Why?Why did he want to hurt me? Last night, I had replayed every interaction between us, searching desperately for a reason but coming up empty.

I pulled into the parking lot of Twisted Heat, shutting off the engine. The distant thump of the club’s music vibrated through the ground. I grabbed my bag and got out. My heart skipped a beat as my eyes caught Jarrod leaning next to the back door. His presence was a jolt to my system, sending my stomach fluttering.

My body was a Judas, a Benedict Arnold, with its betrayal.

I stopped in my tracks, not liking the look in his eyes and the smirk on his face. For a brief minute, I thought about entering through the front, but it was club policy for the dancers to come in the back. So, with a heavy heart and determined step, I started toward the door, keeping my head high and trying to act like I didn’t care about him being there.

I had almost reached the door, and he was just pushing away from the wall when the door opened, and Margie stepped out.“We got an asshole,” she said to Jarrod. “It’s a matter of minutes before he gets out of line.”

My sigh of relief was so loud I’m sure they could hear it. “I’ll take care of it,” Jarrod replied, giving me one last look before heading inside.

“What’s going on with you two?” Margie asked, her hand stopping me from entering. Her eyes searched mine, concerned.

I took a few minutes to give her the gist of the situation and feeling so very tired of talking about it. “I just want to forget about the whole thing,” I pleaded, feeling the weight of exhaustion.

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